“As a heart attack.”
She pressed her hand against her chest and leaned back in her chair. “Wow, Nova. Don’t you think you’re taking things a little too far?”
“I’m sorry…what? Are you seriously asking me that?”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should let him off with a pass. But this is a marriage. You don’t just throw everything away like that.”
“Why am I looked at as the one that’s throwing everything away? I’m not the one that cheated.”
I gave her a cold stare as I waited patiently for her response. But honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it. The women in my family were notorious for believing that we had to ride for our men. It didn’t matter what they did. As long as they weren’t knocking us through walls, there was no reason to leave. And for some, being knock through a wall or two wasn’t even reason enough.
“You know what I mean, Nova. I’m just saying—”
“Please tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing,” Kendra blurted, her eyes shooting towards the front gate that led into the backyard.
I followed her gaze.
The moment my eyes landed on the reason for her outburst, my mouth flew open. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Why is Jayson here?”
7
Nova
This can’t be happening.
Who the hell invited him here?
I looked at Aunt Patricia. “Did you tell him to come here?”
“Yes…but hear me out.”
“What is there to hear?”
“A lot. The man has been calling me nonstop, begging me to help him save his marriage, and I—”
“I don’t care about any of that. My mind isn’t changing.”
“Well, maybe it should,” my grandmother chimed in. “That’s a good man you got right there. He loves you. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.”
“I don’t think any of you understand what I’ve been through. Shit was not peaches and cream while Jayson and I were married. I dealt with him staying out all night, getting into shit with his friends, and his constant need to be the life of the party. We argued about his actions repeatedly, and I put up with it repeatedly. But the one thing I was very clear that I would never put up with was him cheating. That was always a dealbreaker.”
I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms over my chest. Just from the look on my grandmother’s face, I could tell that every word I said was going through one ear and out the other. But I wasn’t sure what bothered me more, her nonchalant response to my reality or the way the other members of my family, specifically Nicolette’s husband, greeted Jayson as he walked in. They were laughing and chatting like everything was just as normal as always.
“He shouldn’t even be here,” I mumbled.
“Well, he’s still family,” Aunt Patricia replied. “Yes, he made a mistake, but I don’t think we should all have to penalize him for it.”
“You know what? Fine.” I leaned forward as if I was about to get up. “If you want him around so bad, then I’ll leave.”
“Sweetheart, don’t leave. Just use this time to sort things out with him. Who knows what might happen.”
“I’ve had enough,” Kendra finally stepped in. “This is some straight bullshit. At no point should Nova have to leave a family function because her pathetic ex is present. The fact that you even invited him here was trifling, Mama, and you know it.”
“I’m just trying to save a marriage.”
“No, you’re just being messy is what you’re doing. There’s no saving this marriage. Jayson is trash. Let him be that and stop trying to shove him in Nova’s face.”
She shrugged. “I just think she’s making a mistake. Marriage is rough. You can’t just up and leave when times get hard. Men don’t always make the right decisions. That’s why they need a good woman by their side.”
