Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story Page 4

  Jabari didn’t reply, but Mia got the picture when she saw him heading towards the back door.

  “Thanks, Mia,” Marco said smiling at her.

  “Tre you can go talk to Mr. Warren and I’ll be right back,” Mia suggested.

  “Hell no! Von can go talk to him until we come back. Go introduce yourself to him,” Tre said looking at his father.

  Von shook his head and walked off while Mia and Tre headed to the back door followed by Marco. Jabari was pacing back and forth until he looked up and saw the three of them coming outside. Mia walked over to her brother and rubbed his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

  “Why are you even here?” Jabari asked after a few minutes of lingering silence.

  “My wife and her sister are the photographers. I came to bring them some more supplies,” Marco answered.

  Anointed Photography was the company that Brandis’s mom had to come in and take pictures for the party. It was some of her church members that ran the business, but Mia didn’t know anything about them.

  “Your wife?” Mia asked.

  “Yeah,” Marco smiled. “I’ve been married for two years now.”

  “They go to church with my best friend’s mother,” Mia replied.

  “Yeah, my father-in-law is the pastor, and I’m one of the deacons,” Marco replied surprising them.

  “A deacon?” Jabari yelled.

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I know I’m the last person you probably want to see, but it was meant for me to come here tonight. I know that I’ve apologized to you many times before, but this time my apology is coming straight from the heart. Even if we never speak or see each other again, I want you to know that I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m not here to make excuses because there is no excuse for what I did. I also want to ask you for your forgiveness,” Marco said sincerely as he looked into Jabari’s eyes.

  “You were more than just my best friend. You were like my brother. When I walked in that house and saw what I saw, I haven’t been the same since. I don’t trust none of my friends like I should all because of how you played me. I can’t even invite my boys to my mama’s house because I think that all of them are looking at her sideways,” Jabari answered.

  “I was young and reckless back then Jabari. I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing to our friendship when I went there with Moonie. I don’t have very many regrets, but that is one thing that I wish would have never happened. Again, I apologize, and I hope that you can one day find it in your heart to forgive me,” Marco said reaching his hand out to shake Jabari’s.

  Jabari just stood there looking at his hand like it had shit on it. Mia was already holding onto her brother’s arm, so she gave it a little pinch. Although he felt some kind of way when he first saw Marco, Jabari couldn’t deny that he felt better after hearing what he had to say. He actually saw the change in his demeanor and he had to admit it even if he didn’t want to. After what seemed like forever he reached his hand out and shook Marco’s hand. When Marco pulled Jabari into a brotherly hug, he returned the gesture and felt like a huge burden had been lifted. Mia was right, and he did need closure in order to move on from the situation.

  “Maybe you can come to church one Sunday when you’re free,” Marco suggested once they broke away from one another.

  “Nah homie, I’m good on that. I’m not trying to be inducted into no cult,” Jabari replied.

  “It’s not a cult, its church. Meeting my wife and my father-in-law changed my life,” Marco beamed.

  “That’s what’s up, but I’m not ready for all of that just yet,” Jabari said.

  “Alright, now that that’s all settled we need to get back inside. You still haven’t met Mr. Warren yet,” Tre said as he pulled Mia along.

  Jabari and Marco stayed outside and talked while Mia and Tre headed back indoors. Tre couldn’t wait for them to leave so he could ask Mia about who Marco was. He picked up on bits and pieces of the conversation, but he wanted her to tell him the whole story. Just by listening to them he knew that Marco and Moonie had messed around, but he didn’t know the extent of their relationship. Jabari seemed to be happy which made Mia happy too. Tre really didn’t care what was going on as long as Mia kept a smile on her face.

  ***

  “Man you were out of line. You said yourself that you and Mia didn’t end on a good note. I don’t know why you even went over there and said anything to her,” RJ yelled to Ricky as he drove him home.

  “I just went and spoke to the bitch. She was the one who wanted to show off for her people. And that punk ass nigga just don’t know that he started a war by putting his hands on me. He better hope I don’t see his ass ever again. Godbrother or not he can get it too,” Ricky fumed.

  “That punk ass nigga, as you call him, is Mia’s man. Jabari just told me that she’s pregnant by him and everything. I’m sure you didn’t know that because I didn’t know before today either. And real talk, you don’t want that kind of trouble on your hands. Von and Lamar will be gunning for you tonight if they even though you felt some kind of way about Tank.”

  “Fuck that nigga!” Ricky yelled. “I don’t fear no man, but God. You dick riding them niggas like you scared or some shit.”

  “In your feelings is the worst place to be right now my nigga. You can start a war if you want to, but you better be prepared to fight it,” RJ warned right as he pulled up to Ricky’s mother’s house.

  Ricky walked inside and went straight to his bedroom. The night didn’t turn out anything like he wanted it to. When RJ told him that they were going to Mia’s graduation party, he got excited, thinking that he would finally be able to talk to her. He’d tried calling her for weeks after the incident with Carmen, but she never answered for him. After a while, she blocked him from calling her altogether. Things had been kind of rough for him since he and Carmen were no longer together. True to her word, Carmen had cut him off and stopped assisting him financially. His phone got turned off for a while, and he fell behind on his rent. He no longer had any means of transportation, and he ended up having to move back home with his mother. And if that wasn’t embarrassing enough he was reduced to working at a fast food restaurant just to get his mother off of his back. The knot of money that he showed Mia was an entire month of his paycheck that he had been saving. It wasn’t Mia’s fault, but if he would have never had her over for Valentine’s Day, then he and Carmen would probably still be together. Then finding out that she was in a relationship with her God brother had him feeling some kind of way too. All that time Mia had been lying to him knowing that she was messing with somebody else the whole time. She even invited Ricky to his house knowing that he was going to be there. In his opinion, she was no better than he was with Carmen. It was all good, though. Mia was on his list too, but her God brother was right there at the top of it.

  Chapter 5

  “Why is this book so damn high?” Mia fussed as she and Tre priced one of the books that she needed for school.

  It was mid-July, and she was scheduled to go back to school the following month. Mia was now four months pregnant and her stomach was starting to fill out nicely. They’d just come back from their cruise to Jamaica, and she was now preparing herself for her first semester of college. She knew that college life was expensive, but she never thought that she would be paying almost three hundred dollars for one math book.

  “Mia stop complaining and just get the book. It’s not like you really have a choice. You need it for class,” Tre replied.

  “But three hundred dollars Tre?” She asked.

  “It’s not like you’re paying for the damn thing,” he replied while grabbing the book from the shelf.

  He took Mia’s list and got the rest of the things that she needed while she took a seat near the door. It was a Saturday, and the line was kind of long at the campus bookstore. Tanya had told them to get everything out of the way early because the bookstores were always a mess in August. Most people waited until the last minu
te and ended up not having what they needed to start class on time. Some of the other students must have been thinking the same thing because they were filing in and out buying books and other materials.

  “You ready to go, baby?” Tre asked Mia once he paid for her books.

  “Yep, I’m hungry,” Mia replied standing to her feet.

  Tre laughed when he watched her hold on to the arm of the chair to lift herself up. She had on a cute sundress, and her stomach was on full display. Mia couldn’t walk into the room without him or Von rubbing her protruding belly. Tre thought being pregnant would make her lazy, but Mia was still full of energy. She slept more than usual, but it wasn’t as bad as he assumed it would be. Her cravings were sometimes out of control, but it was nothing that he couldn’t handle.

  “Tanya should be done setting up by now,” Tre replied while opening the door to let her in the car.

  Von’s birthday had passed while they were on the cruise, and they didn’t get a chance to do anything special for him. Tanya decided to throw him a small dinner party and invite his brothers and a few other people over. She made him a huge cake and got one of her friends to cater the food. Von lived for anything grilled, so Lamar and Nina were going to make that happen. Mr. Warren couldn’t attend, but he agreed to drop Lamar off.

  Twenty minutes later they were pulling up to Von’s house. There were a few cars parked out front that Tre recognized as his uncles. He also saw Mr. Warren’s car letting him know that Lamar was there as well. Lamar hadn’t been out since Mia’s graduation party, but they still went to visit him every week. He was doing very well in the program, and they were even trying to help him find a job. After putting away Mia’s books, she and Tre walked outside and mingled with the guests. Tre went straight to Mr. Warren while Mia went to her father and Nina.

  “Dang daddy, you’re getting fat as hell,” Mia laughed while poking Lamar in his belly.

  “Don’t hate on my man. He is fine big honey,” Nina said smiling at Lamar.

  “That’s what happens when you’re drug free. What’s your excuse?” Lamar teased.

  “Looks like both of us are eating for two,” Mia laughed.

  She was so happy to see Lamar looking happy and healthy for a change. His skin was clear and the weight that he’d picked up looked damn good on him.

  “Come on and eat Mimi,” Von yelled while holding a plate up in the air for Mia to see.

  “Look at her fat ass,” Lamar joked when he saw Mia hurrying over to Von to get her food.

  Mr. Warren was leaving, so she stopped and spoke to him before getting comfortable in one of the wooden lounge chairs. Tre came over a few minutes later and sat down in the chair with her. When Von saw them eating off of the same plate, he fixed them another one and sat in the chair right next to them.

  “When do we find out what we’re having?” Von questioned.

  “Next month and I can’t wait,” Tre beamed.

  “What do you want it to be?” Mia asked him.

  “I really don’t care, but I think it’ll be a girl. I’m just ready to find out for sure. I want to paint one of those empty rooms and get some baby furniture and stuff to put in there,” Von replied.

  “You’re more excited than us,” Tre replied.

  “I’m not worrying about you and Mimi. My baby might not even know who y’all are when I get finished spoiling her.”

  Mia just shook her head. Von was always saying that their baby was his baby. He always referred to the baby as a “she” like he already knew the sex. Mia was getting ready to respond to his comment when something else got her attention. Mia’s entire mood changed when she saw Rainey walking through the yard. She was with the same chick that she had come over with on Thanksgiving. Von saw the angry look on Mia’s face and followed her line of vision.

  “You be good Mimi, and I mean it,” Von ordered as he got up to greet his other Goddaughter.

  Rainey had called to wish him a happy birthday, but they were on the cruise at the time. As soon as he found out that Tanya wanted to do a dinner for him he invited her over. Von knew that things were all bad between Rainey and Mia, but he tried not to take sides in the situation.

  “Hey Von, I got you something,” Rainey said while hugging her Godfather and handing him a card.

  “Thank you, baby,” Von smiled while leading them over to where the food was.

  Von stood by and talked to Rainey and her friend while they fixed them something to eat. He and Tanya sat down and talked with them while they ate. Rainey looked all around the huge yard until her eyes finally landed on Tre and Mia. She almost choked on her food when she saw them all hugged up and kissing in front of everybody. She tried hard not to stare, but she couldn’t help it. Von noticed that Rainey’s attention was somewhere else because she never answered the question that he had asked her. He saw her watching Mia and Tre as a look of pure disgust came over her face.

  “I guess you know the secret is out now,” Von said shaking Rainey from her hate-filled glare.

  “I can see that. I tried to tell you, but I guess you had to see it for yourself,” she replied.

  “Yeah you did, but you went about it the wrong way. Even though I had my suspicions, I really didn’t know what to believe until they came and told me that Mia was pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Rainey shrieked while snapping her head around to face him. Mia was turned sideways, so she really couldn’t see if she was showing or not.

  “Yep, I’m gonna be a grandpa in five more months,” Von smiled proudly.

  “And you’re happy about that?” Rainey questioned in shock.

  “I can’t even front, I’m very happy about it. Once the shock wore off I was good. You, Mia, and Tank were always my babies. Now two of my babies are giving me a baby,” Von replied like it was just that simple.

  “He better not front. That baby is all that he talks about these days,” Tanya laughed.

  “So, Mia lives here now?” Rainey was dying to know.

  “She’s back and forth between here and Moonie’s house, but she’s here most of the time,” Von answered.

  “And you’re good with her and Tank being in a relationship?” Rainey continued to pry.

  “Yeah I’m good with it. I would rather it be Mimi than anybody else. They both seem happy, and that’s all that matters to me. They’ve been talking about marriage, so I guess that’s their next step,” Von responded.

  That did for Rainey. She had heard enough, and she was ready to go. She couldn’t believe it. Tre and Mia were having a baby and would possibly be getting married soon. And Von seemed to be genuinely happy about the shit. How bitches like Mia managed to always come out on top was beyond her recollection. It was only a matter of time before Tre messed up again, and Rainey couldn’t wait for it to happen.

  “Well, I have to get going, Von. I have a few things that I need to do today,” Rainey said as she and her friend stood to their feet.

  “Alright baby, thanks for coming. Let me walk y’all out,” Von offered while following them outside.

  As soon as Rainey got into her car, she pulled out her phone and called Paige. They’d kept in contact with each other ever since she saw her outside of her GED class. She’d even visited Paige at her brother’s house when Dalvin almost beat her half to death. Rainey was about to drop her girl off home and head to wherever Paige was at the moment. She had lots of tea, and she couldn’t wait to spill it.

  ***

  Paige sat there with a look that was a mixture of anger and hurt. She and Tre had been over for a long time, but she couldn’t help that she still loved his stupid ass. She also felt like a fool for believing him when he said that he wasn’t messing with Mia. Not only was Mia about to have his first child, but she was going to have his last name as well. Von was happy about that, but he almost died when Tre moved in with her.

  “That shit is just nasty,” Paige remarked once Rainey finished talking. “All those years he was saying she was like his little sister, and
now she’s pregnant for him.”

  “I just can’t believe that Von is okay with it. You should have seen how hard he was smiling when he told me that Mia was pregnant. He wanted to kill me when I said that they were fucking, but now it’s all good,” Rainey replied.

  “And didn’t you say that he cheated on her with somebody that you know?” Paige asked.

  “Yep, and him and Mia broke up for a while. She was messing with somebody else too. She even invited the other dude to Von’s house one day when I was there.”

  “Girl Tank is a damn fool if he thinks that’s his baby. Just like Dalvin’s dumb ass swore up and down that Moonie was pregnant for him.”

  “Y’all still haven’t caught up with him yet?” Rainey asked.

  “Nope and his mama moved, so I don’t know where he’s at. I heard that he paid his connect the money that he owed him, so he’s bound to pop up soon. He thinks the coast is clear, but my brother is still gunning for his ass,” Paige frowned.

  Her brother Shad was still hoping to catch up with Dalvin for what he had done to her. A few people said that they’d seen him around, but Paige and her family hadn’t been so lucky. She couldn’t wait until Dalvin was put out of his misery. Thanks to having her jaw wired shut, Paige had lost a significant amount of weight. The nice shape that she once had was gone, but she was determined to get it back. Her weight was picking up since she could eat solid foods again, but it was taking forever. She hated to look in the mirror now because her nose looked crooked from being broken in two places. Her nieces tried to downplay it, but she could see the difference in her features.

  “What about Moonie? He don’t mess with her no more?”

  “I heard that hoe was back with Mitch. She didn’t waste no time moving on. Shad went over there looking for Dalvin a while ago, but her son said that Moonie and Dalvin don’t mess around no more.”

  “So, he don’t even call to check on his son?” Rainey asked.

  “Girl please, he’s been telling everybody that my baby is not even his. I’m giving my son a party, and he keeps asking if his daddy is coming or not. I don’t even know what to tell him.”