Mistress, Inc. (22 page)
Authors: Niobia Bryant
“This doesn’t necessarily mean they are still going to pursue custody of the baby—”
“Delaney,” Jessa said, almost absentmindedly.
“Huh?”
Jessa stepped close to the crib to look down at her baby. “Her name is Delaney Jordan,” Jessa said, tightly clutching the phone as fear consumed her. “And she is
my
baby and I will do
anything
—including destroy them—to make sure they understand that I am not going to lose
this
baby,” she swore with a hardened heart.
my
baby and I will do
anything
—including destroy them—to make sure they understand that I am not going to lose
this
baby,” she swore with a hardened heart.
Chapter 15
One week later
J
essa was focused. She was in full war mode. Her life had never been so swamped with problems to be fixed and decisions to be made. She loved Delaney, her life, her stronger ties to God, and even her new relationship with her mother, but she knew she had to get back a little of the old Jessa to fight off the demons coming at her.
essa was focused. She was in full war mode. Her life had never been so swamped with problems to be fixed and decisions to be made. She loved Delaney, her life, her stronger ties to God, and even her new relationship with her mother, but she knew she had to get back a little of the old Jessa to fight off the demons coming at her.
True, Reverend Dobbins said the Bible said to put your total faith in God, but Jessa had never been one to not control what happened. She just couldn’t take the chance.
“You really have a good life here, Jessa.”
She side-eyed her mother as they sat on a bench by the lake enjoying the early May weather; her mother sat beside her, rocking Delaney, who was deep into her favorite pastime of gnawing on the side of her hand. “I used to before all the drama,” she said, hating the raw burning feeling of her stomach, like an ulcer was developing. “I used to be the queen of the ball and everyone would be happy to see me coming.”
“Do you miss all that?” Darla asked.
“I used to.”
“And now?”
“Fuck ’em.”
“That’s
my
daughter,” Darla said in approval.
my
daughter,” Darla said in approval.
Jessa crossed her legs and looked down at the patent-leather square-toe flats she wore with linen pants. “Would you ever move?”
“Give up my house in Harlem?” Darla asked. “Shit no. I lost way too much to have that house. Nooo, I wouldn’t sell it.”
Jessa nodded. “It’s just I have to figure out a lot of things and one of them is trying to raise your grandchild here. I don’t trust all of these people to be nice to her when she gets older.”
“So why be here?”
“To prove they couldn’t
make
me run,” Jessa said with a streak of vengeance in her voice.
make
me run,” Jessa said with a streak of vengeance in her voice.
“Humph. Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face.”
Jessa fell silent. She was stressed beyond belief. The results of the paternity test come back today, and although she was one hundred percent sure of the results, she still had no clue what the Halls would do once they knew without a doubt that Delaney was indeed their grandchild.
Bzzzzzzzzz ... Bzzzzzzzzz ... Bzzzzzzzzz.
Jessa looked down at her cell phone sitting beside her on the bench. She scooped it up. “What you got for me,” she asked. “Give me something good, Salvatore.”
“I got nothing on them, Jessa. Not even anything that I can make look like something. They’re clean,” he said in his heavy Italian accent.
Jessa let her head fall back as she closed her eyes and released a heavy breath as the private investigator just crushed what little hope she had of gaining some leverage to use against the Halls. Just in case.
“And you are absolutely telling me the truth that you aren’t working for them or Jaime?” Jessa asked, fixing her eyes on the sun in the distance.
“Nah, not me.”
“Not even if I tell you I will triple whatever rate they are paying you to feed me a false story?” she asked, her eyes squinting as she pressed the phone closer to her ear.
“I don’t work like that and you know it.”
The baby cried and Jessa looked on as her mother held her securely on her arm as she reached in the diaper bag for a bottle. Soon Delaney was suckling away and Darla was singing to her softly. “Sal, if I find out you did me dirty with those motherfuckers, I will stop at nothing to make sure you never forget who the fuck I am. I love you, but this is business,” she told him coldly. “You got me.”
“I got you, beautiful. Trust me, we’re good.”
“I hope so because I am thinking of starting a new business and I could really throw some major work your way once it gets rolling,” she told him.
“What kinda business?”
Jessa shook her head. “That’s for me to know and you to find out later ...
if
you don’t fuck me over.”
if
you don’t fuck me over.”
She ended the call on that note.
Darla cut her eyes over at her daughter. “Wanna tell me about it?” she asked, taking the bottle out just long enough to belch the baby before letting her finish the rest of the small bottle.
“Not yet, but I will.”
Her phone vibrated again, but it was Tyson and so she let it go to voice mail. She was avoiding him and Henry was avoiding her. With a possible custody battle looming, the last thing she needed was man drama to preoccupy her time and her thoughts. There was truth in Henry’s observation that Tyson wasn’t particularly demonstrative toward Delaney, but their chemistry had been undeniable. Henry was completely in love with her baby, but Jessa never thought of him as anything but a friend. The battle of a good fuck versus a good stepfather for Delaney would have to be fought another time.
She dug a folded lightweight blanket out of the bag and put it over Delaney’s pudgy little legs as she felt it become more breezy. She was pressing a kiss to her cheek when she spotted Renee, Aria, and Jaime coming up the walk with Aria pushing a stroller.
Jessa ignored them. The days of trying to be a factor of any kind in their lives had passed. The friendship was over. She was making no more apologies. She honestly could care less if she ever saw them again. Seriously.
It is what the fuck it is,
she thought, using her thumb to wipe her lip gloss from Delaney’s fat cheek.
It is what the fuck it is,
she thought, using her thumb to wipe her lip gloss from Delaney’s fat cheek.
As they neared, Jessa opened the blanket and covered her mother’s shoulders and arm to shield Delaney from their curious eyes.
Darla frowned. “Jessa, why you covering her up like that?” she asked.
“I don’t need them bitches to see my baby,” she muttered.
“Who?” Darla asked, looking around.
“Don’t worry about it, Mama,” she said, taking the empty bottle and putting the cap back on it before she pushed it into the diaper bag.
The ladies walked by on the paved path behind the benches. Their voices carried.
“I bet she’s beautiful,” Renee said in a low voice.
“Ms. Kingsley said she is,” Aria said.
Jessa rolled her eyes.
“Well, we’ll find out today if she’s Eric’s bastard or not,” Jaime added.
“Jaime!” Aria and Renee snapped in reprimand.
Stupid bitch,
Jessa thought.
Jessa thought.
“Jessa, take Delaney,” Darla said. “My arm is killing me and I think she needs her diaper changed.”
Jessa forced the anger caused by Jaime’s words from her body as she took her daughter. She buried her face in her neck and inhaled deeply of the scent of innocence and love.
“I
dare
you to call my grandbaby a bastard again,” Darla said coldly. “I triple double dare you, bitch, for you to do it again.”
dare
you to call my grandbaby a bastard again,” Darla said coldly. “I triple double dare you, bitch, for you to do it again.”
Jessa’s eyes popped and she whirled around surprised to see her mother had made her way over to get straight up in Jaime’s face.
“Matter of fact, you don’t have to say it again,” Darla said, then swung.
WHAP!
Jessa’s mouth fell open as the slap sent Jaime’s entire body to roll down the slight incline and into the lake with a splash.
“Oh shit!” Aria cussed.
“Who is that?” Renee asked.
They both rushed forward to help Jaime, who stood up waist deep in the water with green algae covering her hair and face. “Are you crazy?” she roared at Darla across the distance.
Darla calmly slid the baby bag on her shoulder. “Some things are just fighting words, Jessa. You hear me? You don’t let nobody call your child a bastard and get away with it. And I mean it. You hear me?” she asked again, still fired up, as they walked away from the scene.
Jessa nodded and pressed her face into Delaney’s neck as she smiled. Her cell phone rang and she reached in her pocket for it. “Yes.”
“Jessa, this is Lincoln. We got the paternity results and Eric Hall is indisputably the father of baby Delaney Logan.”
Jessa arched a brow. “Of course.”
“Of course,” he conceded. “As you know, the Halls also have received notification of the results. The ball is in their court. Now for you and the case against Eric’s estate, how do you want to proceed?”
“Drop it,” Jessa said without any doubt.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yes, I have to focus all of my time and resources on the Halls. My gut tells me they are going forward with it and I don’t have time to play with Jaime anymore. Keeping my child is more important to me than winning money.”
“I agree and don’t forget you’re eligible for social security benefits on behalf of the child. This paternity proves the eligibility and I would go forward with that and leave the rest alone.”
“Okay, I’ll look into it,” she admitted.
“Not that you need it, but it is hers and there’s no reason you shouldn’t get it.”
Jessa ended the call. All of her stressors were kicked up a notch. Were the mistakes of her past going to completely shatter her future?
Later that evening, after Jessa dropped her mother back at the sober house to make her curfew, she made her way home. She had just turned into her driveway behind her Jag when she spotted Dina.
What did this bitch want?
What did this bitch want?
“I need your help,” she said as soon as Jessa got out her vehicle.
“Dina, I got problems of my own, and right now I am going inside to kiss my baby and enjoy a glass of wine while I figure out how to help my damn self,” Jessa told her coolly before breezing past her to climb her steps.
“I think my husband is cheating again.”
Jessa turned with an incredulous expression. “Duh, I’m not surprised. Are you?” she snapped. “I showed you proof he was begging me for pussy and you stayed with him. What the hell do you want from me now?”
Dina came close to the base of the steps. “But I am done and I want to catch him and use it to make sure I get all the alimony I can.”
Jessa sighed. “I don’t have the video anymore,” she said, finding patience for the woman. “I deleted it.”
Dina looked nervous as she wrung her hands. “I talked to my attorney and he said we could call you as a witness—”
“What!” Jessa exclaimed.
Dina jumped back. “I’m sorry—”
“No, you’re not sorry, but you’re going to be if you pull me into you and your perverted husband’s bullshit,” Jessa told her in no uncertain terms as she came down the stairs to stalk toward the petite woman, who looked ready to shit her pants.
Dina started to cry hysterically.
Jessa flung her hands up in the air. “Seriously, are you twelve?” she asked in exasperation, reaching in her tote for napkins to push into the woman’s hand.
“I thought you were going to hit me,” Dina said, wiping her eyes.
“I’m too pretty to fight,” Jessa said truthfully.
Dina smiled through her tears.
“Look, if I help you catch him, will you keep me out of court?” Jessa asked.
Dina held up her right hand to God. “Yes, I swear.”
Jessa reached out and pulled her hand down. “This is not godly, let’s not involve him,” she said dryly.
Dina nodded.
“Give me about a week to get some things set up,” Jessa said. “Do not tell anyone, especially your husband, and we’ll catch him. Can you deal for another week?”
“I been dealing with him since we were twelve.”
Jessa frowned. “That is way too long with the same dick. You raised it like a child.”
Dina smiled. “Yeah, and it’s not even full
grown,
” she snapped with a little spice.
grown,
” she snapped with a little spice.
Jessa held up her hands. “Terrible damn situation!”
“O-kay.”
Jessa took out her cell phone. “What’s your cell phone number?” she asked.
Dina recited it and Jessa saved it in her contacts. “Go home, keep up the front, and I’ll call you in a week or so. Good?”
“Great!” Dina reached out and hugged her.
Jessa’s body remained stiff and she gave the woman a forced smile as she finally walked away and carried herself home.
Where she belongs instead of on my damn porch.
Where she belongs instead of on my damn porch.
She finally entered her house, then locked the door securely behind her. She kicked off her shoes and massaged her own neck. “Yari, I’m home. I’ll be up in a minute,” she called up the stairs before she padded barefoot into her living room.
At the fully stocked bar she poured herself a full glass of white wine before she settled in one of the club chairs situated by the windows. She sipped and looked out at Richmond Hills. Her thoughts were full and heavy and varied.
Her fears of her secret being exposed remained in the forefront.
Maybe God will be on my side. He knows the whole truth. He has to understand.
Maybe God will be on my side. He knows the whole truth. He has to understand.
She missed calling Henry and hearing his guidance, receiving his comfort and security. His presence always calmed her. Reassured her. Made everything seem better. But she didn’t love him and didn’t want to marry him.
Did I lead him on?
she wondered, as she had many times in the last week.
Did I lead him on?
she wondered, as she had many times in the last week.
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