She looked away from me, which was a telltale sign that she didn’t. “It’s a lot to think about. I’m not saying I don't love Damien, but I’m also not stupid, Truce. He’s not a faithful man, and I’m unsure if he ever will be, but… he’s all I have.”
“He doesn't have to be. You got me too.”
“Pssh. You don't even know me.”
“I know you’re hurting. I know you’re lonely and could use a friend. I’m not trying to push up on you, Jela, even though last night I had an epiphany while lying in bed. The fucked up part about that realization is that I can’t even tap into it because the entity belongs to a nigga that shares my DNA.”
Her eyes closed tightly. “Truce?—”
“No pressure, shorty. I know you’re just as conflicted as I am. I’ve only known you for twenty-four hours, and already I want to get to know more about you. I don't want to make shit awkward, so go get you and baby girl ready, and I’ll take you to meet the planner.”
“Heshould be doing that. She would need the groom’s input as well.”
“I know my brother. I can stand in for him.” I handed Scottlyn over to her. “I’ve been known to give good hugs, you know?”
She smirked at me. “Maybe later.”
“Got you. See you in a minute.”
“Okay.”
I headed back down to my room to shower and change. Once I brought Jela back from her meeting, I was packing my shit and leaving. I refused to watch my brother play in her face. I was going to mind my business and leave her my number if she ever needed someone to talk to or simply needed a friend.
“Why the fuckare you pulling up to my fucking house, Britt?” I yelled as soon as I got inside her car.
This bitch was becoming a major fucking problem, and I didn’t need this shit right now. Jela’s ass was stressing me out with all the sad shit she was doing, and now that my brother was in the house, she wanted to put on a fucking show.
“Because you been ignoring my phone calls and messages!”
“I don’t give a fuck! You wait until I get back to your ass. Don't you ever pull up here unannounced again, or I'll break your fucking face. You did that shit before and had her ass crying and shit.”
“It ain't my fault she’s a weak bitch.”
“Say it again,” I challenged her.
She sucked her teeth and waved me off. “You don't scare me, Dame. I don't know why you playing with that bitch. Giving her the fucking life you promised me! I let yo’ ass off the leash for a few years, and you come back with that homeless ho!”
“You’re the one who wanted space, remember? Now you mad because I gave you what you asked for?”
“I'm mad because we said we would wait for each other—that we needed to explore and get right back. Your ass the one who went exploring and found that bitch. Giving her a baby, and now you're about to marry her? The fuck, Dame!”
“Look, I ain't about to argue with you. We need to talk about this pregnancy shit.”
“Ain’t shit to talk about. I’m keeping my baby.”
“No, the fuck you’re not. I got too much shit going on right now to be having another kid.”
“Damien… Why are you doing this?” Her eyes watered as she stared at me.
I swear, I didn’t want to hurt Brittany, but that one summer in Detroit when I saw Jela, I knew I needed her in my life. Brittany and I had been broken up for years. We’d still kick it and talk since I was back and forth from Detroit to Muskegon, but we never set an official date for when we’d get back together. The shit between Jela and me started to progress, and I quickly became obsessed with her.
I was doing any and everything to make sure she stayed in my life. I wasn't trying to abuse her, but Jela had a mouth on her once I moved her out here, away from her tacky-ass mama, ugly-ass sister, and ho-ass friends. Those hos hated me and didn’t even know jack shit about me. For three years, I put up with their side-eyes, fucked-up attitudes, and disrespect. So, once I knew I had Jela’s head, I got her pregnant to spite them. Then I moved her ass as far away from them as I could without disruptingmy business. I severed all contact with them, tossed out her old phone, and purposely never transferred her contacts.
Social media wasn't an option either. I made sure I mirrored her phone to mine to make sure she wasn't trying to get on any social sites, trying to find their asses. I let her have a TikTok, but she couldn't have friends, and her page had to remain private. I made sure to bless her with whatever she needed to cope with being my prisoner.
Yeah. motherfuckers thought I was crazy, but my obsession couldn't allow anyone else to have her. My brother was the only exception. I knew he wanted to fuck her because of what I did to him a couple of years ago. That's why I was in Detroit when I met Jela. I was trying to make amends with him while meeting up with my connect out there. I ran into Jela’s sexy ass instead, and the rest was history. I knew if I let Truce smash, I’d most likely regret it. If he did take me up on my offer, his ass just wouldn't be invited to my house after.
Now, I was sitting here trying not to hurt my first love but let her down as easily as possible. I wasn't leaving Jela for her, so her attempt at trapping me wasn't going to work.
