𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 | 𝐊𝐕

III.

Chapter Three.

"Oou, look at my big baby!" Mrs.Bennett exclaimed, face in pure shock and awe as Justice stood tall in front of her. She grabbed him, pulling him into her warm embrace.

Justice looked very different to her. He was no longer that awkward built, lanky twenty year old with a bird chest. He was now a grown man, muscularly built with tattoos stretched across his neck, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. His hair was longer, and his features were more defined. Hell, he was even taller too.

That didn't change anything, though. No matter how old he was or how 'hard' he thought he was, he'd always be her baby.

"I missed you so much son." She said, rubbing his back. Tears pricked at her eyes as she hugged him tightly, damn near suffocating the man.

"I missed you too momma." Justice replied softly, wrapping his arms around the older woman. He hadn't been able to hug her, or anyone for that matter, in almost a decade. It felt good to have some human interaction.

She still smelled the same, a mixture between freshly washed clothes and her favorite perfume which was Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture to be exact. She'd been wearing it since her mid twenties and didn't seem to get tired of it.

After dropping Ilani off, Jace drove them to their mother's home. As soon as she saw her oldest son, she almost jumped for joy. Mrs.Bennett couldn't contain her excitement when she saw that familiar head full of black and blonde dreads exit the passenger side her youngest son's vehicle.

Once they released from the hug, she quickly punched Justice in his arm roughly.

"Ma, what the fuck?!" He exclaimed, scrunching his face up in confusion as he rubbed the spot she just hit him in.

Jace let out a laugh. "You shoulda known that was comin'." He stated, before taking a hit of his vape pen.

"Get locked up again and I promise I'll hit yo' ass even harder. Hell, I might just knock ya' head off your shoulders." She stated, all seriousness in her voice.

"Trust me when I say that I ain't getting locked up no mo'. That shit ain't for me." Justice shook his head, causing his dreads to move around. "I done learned from my mistakes and the only thing I wanna do from this point moving forward is do better for myself and Ilani."

His mother's ears perked up. "Ilani? Chile, I haven't seen my grandbaby since you went away. That damn momma of hers took her and disappeared like Houdini." Mrs.Bennett shook her head. "Only one that's seen 'em is Jace."

"Yeah, I know. Me and Jace seen her today, though. I made him take me to where Ty work at and asked to be apart of Lani's life, even though I really shouldn't have had to ask at all. My baby girl so big now."

"We went and picked her up from school and allat. She wasn't too sure about me at first but when it was time to drop her off back wit' her momma she gave me a hug and shit." Justice rambled, causing his mother to smile widely.

"Aww, that's so great, Jus. So is Tyler gone let you keep seeing her or what? She should've been let not only you, but us as her family see her." Mrs.Bennett mumbled that last sentence.

Justice then nodded. "Yeah. She chewed my ass out at first but eventually agreed. Talkin' bout she was gone let me play 'daddy'." He scoffed. "I told ha' ass I ain't playing nothing cause I am Ilani's daddy, the fuck?" His face frowned up as he took a sip from his bottle of Ozarka water.

"Can't stand that bi- I mean..girl sometimes." He caught himself just as his mother balled up her fist to punch him again. He knew better than to call a woman out of her name.