Truth Be Told

Chapter 9

Kierra's POV

It's been a minute since I've been able to spend quality time with my little brother J. So today, I decided that we go out. Mom has Reighna so we have no interruptions. Since it feels nice out today, I decided that we should go rollerblading and have a picnic in the park. After about 45 minutes of rollerblading, we were now sitting at the benches about to eat.

"How've you been J? It's been a minute since we spent time together, haven't been able to talk with you." I asked him as I bit into my sandwich

"You know me. I have just been chillin. Been in the studio working." J replied

"How's that going?" I asked him

"Pretty good. Moss, Dupri, and I have been dropping some heavy beats. Thinking about sending them to a few artists." He responded

"That's what's up. I'm proud of you. I know these last few weeks have been pretty rough with the courts and stuff." I spoke

"Yeah, I guess. I try not to allow that to cloud my headspace." He replied as he finished eating

"How does it feel, seeing Amber after all these years?" I asked

"I mean, there's still some feelings, I'm not going lie. But I know she still hates my guts." He answered

"She doesn't have a reason too, she's the one that's been keeping you away from Ja'Layeah." I told him

"I guess you can say that." He responded

"I am saying that. That's why mom and I decided to go through with this lawsuit. We both believe that you should be allowed to see your daughter. You got yourself together and did what needed to be done. Therefore, you have every right to see your daughter." I told him

"I guess I just removed the thought of me being able to see Layeah again, and I replaced it with the fact that my daughter would never know me, you, or mama because of one stupid decision that I made."

"Well, all of that will be changing in a few months. Either we will be granted shared custody or if Amber decides to not cooperate, we will have full custody." I explained

"How long did Annalise say this whole ordeal will take?" J asked me

"She said anywhere between 6-8 months or even a year. But she's hoping for the former." I explained to him

"Did she say whether or not Ja'Layeah will be in the courtroom?" He asked

"She explained that the judge will question her privately. She's too young to be in the courtroom." I told him

"Good. Because I don't want her to be exposed to all of this." He replied

"Yeah, you're right. She shouldn't. I agreed."

"It's getting dark, we should be heading home. I'm sure Reighna has tapped on mom's last nerve already." J said laughing

"Yeah, let's go." I replied getting up and gathering our stuff

Sandra's POV

Today, I've decided to spend the day Ja'Layeah. For a 5-year-old she is very smart and well aware of what's going on. Being the grandmother that I am, I don't want this to affect her. I want her to continue to be the child that she is until it's time for her to grow up. Amber and Amaiyah are working from home and Veronica is doing some work in her office for our case, so it's the perfect time to be alone with my pumpkin. I decided to take to this paint and sculpting class where you can either paint on a pre-drawn canvas or make pottery. We decided to both. We were finished with making flowerpots and now we are about to paint.

"Pumpkin, what canvas do you want to paint?" I asked her

"I want the sunflower and butterflies." She replied

"Okay, what colors?" I asked her

"Purple, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Red." She answered

"Okay, let's go sit at the table." I spoke as I gathered the supplies

"Can we start with the butterflies first?" She asked sitting down

"Sure. What color do you want to use first?" I asked her

"Yellow and Purple." She replied

"Okay. Here put this apron on first. We don't want to get paint on your clothes." I told her

"Nana, can I ask a question?" She asked as she begin painting

"Sure pumpkin." I replied

"Is that lady going to take me away from mommy?" She asked me

"What lady?" I asked as I helped her paint

"I heard mommy and TT Amaiyah talking when they thought I was sleeping. Mommy was crying and she said that she didn't want Karen to take me from her. Who is Karen?" She asked

"Well, you know how I am mommy's mom, which makes me your nana?" I asked her

"Yes." She answered

"Well, Karen is your dad's mommy." I explained to her

"So, she's my grandmother too." She asked

"Yes, she is." I told her

"I don't want her to take me. Why does she want to take me?" She asked

"Well, I'm not sure. But what I can say is that there were some things that happened when you were a baby, and your mommy and I along with TT Amaiyah have done a lot to protect you to make sure that nothing happens to you again." I explained to her

"Can you promise me that they won't take me?" She asked on the verge of tears

"Pumpkin, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you will stay with me, mommy, and TT Amaiyah. Nobody will take you from us, okay." I reassured her with tears in my eyes

"Now that makes 3 people that have promised me." She replied

"Who are the other two? Mommy and TT?" I asked her

"No. My cousin Amari and my TT Diane." She answered

"Who is Amari, pumpkin?" I asked her

"Amari came to me in a dream, and she said that along with TT Diane, they were going to protect us. She told me to tell you that she loves you and she thanks you for protecting her mommy. TT Diane also said that she thanks you for taking TT Amaiyah and that you shouldn't be mad at Auntie Roni for not telling you." She explained

I was confused at first, but then that's when it dawned on me. Growing up, Diane, Roni and I would always pick out our children's first and middle names. I chose Amber Lanéa. Diane chose Amaiyah Kimbrione, and Roni picked out Amari Rae'Lynn. Roni was pregnant and she never told us. I was brought out of my thoughts by Layeah calling my name

"I'm sorry pumpkin, what'd you say?" I asked her with tears in my eyes

"I Love You, Nana." She spoke as she wiped my tears and hugged me

"I Love You More Pumpkin." I replied

"Okay, our flowerpots should be finished now. Can we make brownies tonight?" She asked me

"Yeah, I think we make that happen." I told her

We finished the painting and then went to retrieve our flowerpots from the kiln. We then left and headed to the grocery store so I could cook dinner tonight. I also made a mental note to talk with Roni tonight. Lord knows I'm going to need something extra in my brownies. Help me Holy Ghost.

I PRAY EVERYONE HAD A GREAT AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

THE NEXT UPDATE WILL SKIP AHEAD ABOUT 3 MONTHS

UNTIL NEXT TIME

PEACE ✌🏽☮ AND LOVE💖💜