Who Do I Run To? (21 page)

“Well
, try him on his cell phone, Kimberly.”

“Duh
, you dumb bitch, don’t you think I’ve tried that. He’s not answering. That’s why I’m calling your apartment.”

“Well
, Kimberly, I don’t know what to tell you, but he is not here.”

“Well
, I tell you what. Since you want to take my place so badly, why don’t you keep his kids?”

“Are you outta you
r mind, Kimberly? You are not serious.”

“Like hell I ain
’t. We’ll be there in about thirty minutes. So get in touch with their daddy or you will be keeping his kids tonight,” she said and hung up.

That bitch
is gone, Janiece thought to herself. She grabbed her cell phone and texted K.P., because she knew if she called he wouldn’t pick up. The text message said,
“Urgent. I know you are not speaking to me, but your crazy-ass wife is on her way over here to bring your kids.”

Within five minutes her phone was ringing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“What? Kimberly said what?” he asked in disbelief.

“She just called here talking
’bout having something to do and not being able to reach you, and she’s bringing the kids to me.”

“You
’re kidding, right?”

“No
, K.P., why would I joke with something like this?”

“Let me call you right back
.”

“Okay, but
K.P., please call me back. I really need to talk to you,” she said, and he felt good that she wanted to talk so he agreed to call her when he was done talking to “‘Crazy’.”

“Okay
, baby, I will. Just let me handle Kimberly before she does something off-the-wall.” He hung up with Janiece and hit the speed dial to call his house. She answered on the first ring.

“Oh
, so you can’t answer when I call, but when I called your bitch, you hurry up and ring?”

“Nope
, I’m calling because I want to know why you’re harassing Janiece, and what is this bullshit about you dropping my kids off to her?”

“I
’m not harassing her. If you weren’t over there laid up with yo' ho and picked up your damn cell phone, I wouldn’t have called her.”

“Kimberly
, I’m not at Janiece’s house, and I didn’t pick up my phone because I had no desire to talk to your ass. Where are my kids?”

“They
’re here, and you need to come and get them, because I wanna go out.”

“Go out where
, Kim?”

“None of your damn business
, K.P.,” she said with much attitude.

“Look
, Kim, I don’t have a problem with watching my kids, and I really don’t care where the hell you’re going, but don’t ever call Janiece again for any reason, you got that?”

“You can
’t tell me what to do, you jackass. Do you think that I’m going to be nice to that tramp bitch? I will call her ’til I’m satisfied. I’m not happy, so why should she be happy?”

“Yes
, that’s right. Misery loves company. I’ll be there in twenty minutes to pick up my kids,” he said and hung up the phone, not giving her an opportunity to say anything else He drove to the house pissed off at Kimberly. He was so disgusted with her he hated he had to see her. He had gone by his house earlier that week to talk to the kids, and she purposely didn’t pick them up from her parents’ so they were not there when he arrived. It was just a plot to get him out there so she could try to seduce him, but it didn’t work.

Now he had no clue what he
might walk into once he got there. He was hoping she didn’t try that dumb shit again, because this time, he may have to slap her face. He pulled into the garage, and the kids rushed him when he walked through the garage door. They were so happy to see him, and he was just as happy to see them. They were talking a mile a minute asking him question after question. He let them get out all of what they wanted to say and then asked where their mom was.

“She
’s in her room putting on pretty-girl clothes,” KJ said making faces.

“Oh
, is she?”

“Yep
, and she smells real good too, Daddy. Are you and Mommy going to a fancy place?” Kayla asked.

“No, your mommy has other plans.”

“So where are we going tonight? Back to Grandpa and Grandma’s house?”

“No
, you guys are going with me over to Uncle Marc’s.”

“Why
, Daddy? Why can’t you stay here?”

“Because
Daddy won’t be staying here anymore.”

“I told you he was going to leave us
, KJ,” Kayla told her little brother, looking sad.

“No
, Kayla, I’m not leaving you. Your mom and I just have some grown-up stuff that we have to work out, but Daddy could never leave you guys.”

“You promise
?”

“I promise,” he said and hugged his kids. He loved them more than he loved anyone
, including Janiece.

“Okay,” they both said and let him move around the house.

“Now, let me go and talk to your mommy for a minute, then we’ll be going.” He walked up the stairs. Kimberly had the music playing loud and had a glass of something on the bathroom vanity. She was sitting down in her laced thong and bra, applying her makeup.

“I got the kids, and I
’ll bring them back tomorrow evening,” he said, trying not to look at her in her undergarments.

“
Call first to make sure I’m here,” she said and got up off her little bench and walked by him, giving him more than an eyeful of her sexy body. She had on one of his old favorites. He used to love that number he thought to himself as he tried to avoid looking at her.

“Okay
, whatever, Kimberly. I’ll call you,” he said and chuckled a little.

“What
’s so funny, K.P.?”

“Nothing, nothing
. Do your thing,” he said as he watched her step into one of the sexiest dresses that she owned.

“So
… what you saying, you can move around and do your thang, but I can’t?” she said as she sashayed past him, sat back at her vanity and took a sip of her drink.

“Naw
, you can do what you like. Drop like it’s hot, or whatever you want. I’m cool,” he said because he really didn’t care what she did. He was actually happy to see her doing something with herself and not whining over him.

“I was gon’ say
,” she said and applied her lipstick.

“You look nice,” he said sincerely. He didn’t want her, but she was a beautiful woman.

“This old thing, K.P.? You know you’ve seen this dress before.”

“I know
, but it looks good. Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks
. Just make sure you call before you come tomorrow.”

“I will,” he said and was out the door.

That was the first time things ended on a civil note. He was relieved that nothing ugly was said. He was on his way down when Kimberly called after him. He knew it was too good to be true.

“Yeah
?” he said answering her.

“Don
’t take my kids around that bitch, you got me?”

“Oh
, it’s okay to for you to call Janiece and tell her you’re going to drop my kids off on her, but I can’t take them around her?”

“You know I wasn
’t going to drop my kids over at her house. You know me better than that.”

“So
, you’re just doing what you do to make others miserable?”

“No, I
’m doing it because she’s a tramp bitch.”

“Whatever
. Just know this. Whenever my kids are with me, I take them where I want to take them, and I can have them around whomever I want as long as no one hurts them, so don’t tell me who I can have around them.”

“Yeah
, do it and see me act a fool.”

“You always act a fool
, Kimberly. That’s nothing new.” He walked away and called Janiece as soon as he pulled out of the drive. She answered, and her voice was a like a breath of fresh air.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hey, baby, is this a good time?”

“Yeah, did you work things out with Kimberly?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have my crumb snatchers with me now.”

“You do?” she asked feeling bad because that meant he wouldn’t be coming by and she wasn’t going to be able to talk to him.

“Yep, you want to meet them?” he asked, and Janiece got quiet. She didn’t know if she was ready to meet his kids, and at the rate things were going with Kimberly, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. “Baby, are you there?”

“Yea,” she responded.

“So, what do you say? Do you want to meet my little ones?”

“Yeah
, sure. If you think it’s okay, it’s okay with me.”

“Good, we
’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Do me a favor. Order some pizza from Fox’s for us. They like cheese only and get the usual for us, okay?”

“Okay
, baby, see you in a few,” she said and they hung up.

Chapter Twenty
-Four

Janiece ordered the pizza and ran into the bathroom to freshen herself up. She was happy that she was going to see K.P., but meeting his kids made her nervous. She had heard so much about them, and now that she was finally going to see his seeds and she was scared she would say or do something wrong.

She walked into the kitchen to open the door after hearing
K.P. outside with his keys. She had forgotten that the locksmith had changed the locks earlier that day.

“What
’s going on? My key didn’t work.”

“Oh
, Janelle insisted I change the locks. Come in, I’ll tell you what I mean,” she said trying to keep him from getting excited about the key situation. She shut the door behind them and introduced herself to Kayla and KJ.

“Hi
, you must be Kayla.”

“Yes
, and this is my little brother Kerry, but we all call him KJ.”

“Hi
, how are you, KJ?” Janiece asked extending her hand to shake hands with the young man.

“Thirsty, do you have apple juice?”

“Hump, let’s see. I have orange and cranberry,” she said looking in the fridge for him.

“But I really like apple juice,” KJ whined.

“So do I, but I’m all out right now. How about you have some orange juice for now and when we go get the pizza, we can stop for some apple juice?”

“Okay,” he said
, and she poured him a small cup of orange juice. She chatted with them for a few before they all loaded up in K.P.’s truck to go to pick up the pizza. She reminded K.P. to stop at the store for apple juice, and he ran into the convenient store and got the juice and some candy. Then they went back to Janiece’s condo and ate and watched the Disney channel. When the kids fell asleep on the floor, Janiece stood up and got them a blanket and covered them. She was a bit nervous because it was time for her and K.P. to talk.

“Your kids are beautiful.”

“Thanks, they are the best thing that happened for me. The only thing I can say I love Kimberly for.”

“Yeah
, I can see what you mean. Guess what?”

“What?”

“My sister is pregnant.”

“Is she?”

“Yep.”

“That
’s great; maybe she’ll be nicer to me since she’s pregnant.”

“
K.P., Janelle doesn’t hate you. She just wants what’s best for me. She’s going to support me in whatever I do that makes me happy and you going between Kimberly and me didn’t make me happy.”

“You know I
’m done with her, Janiece?”

“I know but
...”

“What is it? I thought you
’d be thrilled that I have finally stepped up to the plate and showed you how much I want to be with you.”

“I am
, K.P., but I’m scared.”

“Scared of what? You know I love you
, and I’d never hurt you, Janiece.”

“That
’s not it. Do you really love me, K.P.? Are you certain you can be faithful to me? Are you sure you won’t do to me what you did to Kimberly?”

“Janiece, Kimberly and I should have never gotten married. To sit here and tell you why I married her is something I can
’t tell you. Back then, I wasn’t making decisions on what I wanted. I made choices based on what others wanted me to do. I’m so tired of doing things based on what others want me to do or what others think I should do. This is the first time I have done something based on what I wanted. And I want you, Jai.”

“What do you want from me
, K.P.?”

“Your love, your understanding. I want you to love me back and love my kids. I need you and them and want you and them more than money, success
, and popularity. I want you as my wife, Janiece. You are my match. I married Kimberly for all of the wrong reasons, and that is something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life, but I can't imagine my life without you.”

She sat there in silence for a few moments. She didn’t know what to say. He had never
before spoken to her that way.

“So you are sure you
’re ready to leave your home, your marriage, and be in a committed relationship with me?”

“Janiece
, I want you to marry me.”

“
K.P., you’re still married.”

“Not for long. I told you I have filed for divorce
, and it’s only a matter of time before it goes through. I have moved out, Jai. I’m not going back.”

“Let me show you something,” she said and got up and went to the dining
-room table and got the letter and card that Kimberly had sent her. She handed it to him.

“What
’s this?” he asked out of curiosity.

“Just open them and read them
,” she said and he did. He shook his head and laughed because he was in total disbelief.

“Janiece
, I’m sorry, baby, but I can guarantee you that she is all talk. You don’t have to worry about Kimberly.”

“Why shouldn
’t I worry about her, K.P.? It’s obvious that she thinks I’m the evil one that took her husband.”

“Trust me
, baby, you don’t have to worry about her. I’ll never let her or anyone hurt you.”

“Well
, K.P., I’m not afraid, but this is exactly the BS I never wanted to go through.”

“I know
, baby, and it’ll be over soon. I got so many plans for us, and I know you’re going to be happy.”

“Oh yeah
, like what?”

“Well
, first, remember how you always talked about going away and starting our lives over in Las Vegas?”

“Yes,” she said sitting up so she could look at him in the eye.

“Well, I have worked so hard the last year to make that possible for us.”

“What are you saying
, K.P.?”

“I wanted to surprise you, but I guess now is the perfect time to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“I want us to move out to Las Vegas.”

“Las Vegas! Are you serious?”

“Jai, you have begged me and said to me so many times how you wish we could just go back to Vegas and start over
, and the last year I’ve been making plans for us to move. I’ll be opening my own business there, and I want you to go with me.”

“To Las Vegas?”

“Yes. I can’t start my new life without you. I want to marry you, Jai. I have left Grayson Financial and the grand opening of Paxton Mortgages will be in three weeks. I want you to go out there with me for the grand opening, and while we are there, we can look for a house.”

Janiece was in total shock.

“When, how, how did you start your own business? I mean, starting a business takes money, a lot of money.”

“I know
, and trust me, it wasn’t easy, but it all worked out.”

Janiece was still confused and amazed at the same time.

“Oh my God, K.P., I don’t know what to say. Las Vegas is far, I mean, Janelle’s expecting her first baby and to just move out of Chicago is ... I mean, wow.”

“All you have to do is say yes. I
’m going, Jai, with or without you. I want a new start and a new life. When we took our trip out there, it was so perfect and I want to have a life with you and my kids. I mean, I love Chicago too, baby, and I understand that your sister is having her first child, but this is our lives at hand, and we have to live out our lives and what makes us happy.”

“I know
, K.P., and I’m not saying no. I just didn’t expect to hear something this big from you. I mean, I don’t have money to move to Las Vegas. I have things to consider.”

“Like what?”

“First, I’m not financially set to make a move like that, to ship my stuff and start over. I’m not loaded, you know.”

“Yes
, I do know that, but let me worry about all of that. You don’t have to worry about work, money, or shipping your things. All you have to do is say you will be there with me and for me, and I’ll take care of the rest,” he said sincerely.

Janiece had no idea he was financially
sound and had a great deal of money and investments so that he wasn’t going to have to struggle with anything. K.P. was a very smart man, and he invested and made a lot of wise money decisions when he was working for Kimberly’s dad. He took advantage of all opportunities that came his way. In fact, he had wealth even Kimberly had no idea about.

“
K.P., you say that, but you know I work hard and I don’t have all of this and all of that, and I would only be a burden right now. I have no money saved, and I just don’t know—”

“Shhhh, listen
, Jai. I’ll take care of us. Money is the last thing you need to worry yourself about. We are going to be okay. You don’t have to worry about working if you don’t want to, because I got us. If you want to go to school, pick up a hobby, whatever, I will take care of us.”

“But how
, K.P.? How can you afford to—”

“Baby
, I’m not Donald Trump, but trust me when I say we ain’t broke.”

“When you say we ain
’t broke, do you mean we ain’t broke as far as me having to work for you doing all the office work until business gets off the ground or we ain’t broke like I can have a house just a pretty as the one we stayed in when we went for my birthday a couple of years ago?”

“Well
, baby, to answer that, you don’t have to work ever if you don’t want to work, and we can get a house twice as big as the one we stayed in when we went for your birthday.”

“Bullshit,” she said in disbelief.

“Nope, baby, no bullshit. If you go out to Vegas with me for the grand opening, we can look at houses and after the divorce is final, we can be married.”

“Just like that?”

“If you want to do this.”

“
K.P., I do love you, and I have loved you for a long time. I really want to get excited and be happy, but I’m scared.”

“Why
, baby?”

“Because this all seem so unreal
. Things this great never happen to people like me,” she said with her eyes watering.

“That is where you are wrong
, Jai. Good things happen to good people. You are the most humble, selfless, loving woman I know. You have loved me for me from the beginning, and you have never tried to be a bitch or vindictive. So I’m the lucky one. I’m ready to do this, babe.”

“
K.P., I am so sorry, baby,” Janiece said breaking down. She started to sob loudly. He grabbed her and put his arms around her.

“Come on
, let’s go into the other room so we don’t wake the kids.”

“Okay,” she said whimpering. Why did she sleep with Isaiah? She had to tell him how sorry she was for doing that. She followed him into the bedroom
, and he closed the door. She sat down on the plush purple velvet chaise and K.P. sat down at the foot of the chaise so they could finish their conversation.

“
K.P., I’m sorry for hooking up with Isaiah. I didn’t want things to go down like they did; I promise you I never intended to hurt you. I was so confused, and I thought I wanted to move on and I …” she said, now crying uncontrollably.

“Shhhh
, Jai, baby, it’s okay. I understand why you did what you did, and I’m not mad about that anymore. I just want us to start fresh, baby.” He moved closer to comfort her.

“I just
… didn’t know what—”

“Baby
, it’s okay. We’re going to be fine,” he said, and she looked at him trying to find some reassurance. He touched her face and pulled her close to kiss her. He missed her, and he didn’t care what happened last week or the day before. He started touching her, and Janiece lay back and allowed him to kiss her and stroke her breast. Then she remembered it was that time of the month.

“Baby, wait,” she said stopping him.

“What? What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“We can’t
, baby,” she said, and he was looking at her like she was out of her mind.

“Why
? What do you mean we can’t?”

“
The curse,” she said.

“Damn, how long?”

“Yesterday.”

“Ooookkkkaaayyy, that’s not good,” he said
, and she giggled. “It’s okay. I want to, trust me, but I’m just happy that we’re together again. And this time, Janiece, I’m not leaving your side,” he said seriously.

“Are you sure that
’s how you want it?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he
replied and wished he had the diamond with him. They got in the bed. Janiece just rested in his arms. She felt good about her decision to be with K.P., but going to Las Vegas was still scaring her. She wasn’t a freeloader, and she was concerned about going there as broke as she was.