Obstacles [BOOK 3]

30

Janet

"Ma Ma." Olivia cooed as she watched me pass by the door to their nursery. My foot steps stopped and I turned, entering the room I was briefly about to pass by. Landon had the babies but he'd told me they were sleep. Glancing towards Jaden's bed, I noticed he was knocked out and even snoring a little.

My eyes widened as I looked at Liv reach for me. I smiled as I grabbed her. "Say it again Livvy, say ma ma." I grabbed my phone and began recording just for her to turn what I thought would be me capturing her first words again into baby babbles. Chuckling, I soon told her. "Or wait on it, that's okay. You can show mama you can talk another day."

Landon laughed. "She won't let me record her words either."

Sending him a look, I mumbled. "Ky's going to think we're lying to her pretty soon."

"Liv knows that, trust me she does."

We both giggled at his comment because he had a point. Olivia would be talking some but as soon as we pulled out a camera? She would turn back to her toddler talks so quick that it would leave you wondering if she was really talking before.

"Kyrin might make it home from her shoot before I get back."

"Oh yeah, you're going to see your lawyer right?"

"Yes." Liv grabbed my cheek and her finger nails scratched me as she squeezed. I slowly released her grip on my face before rubbing it to soothe myself. "If Livvy doesn't take my face off before I can make it there."

Landon laughed again before coming and grabbing Liv from my arms. "She won't let me or Ky clip them. Up next to try is you."

"Oh trust me, when I get back, we are for sure clipping those long nails of hers."

"Mhm, so you think, but be safe on the road."

"I will. I will." I told him as I kissed Liv and then Jaden's foreheads before heading down the steps of my home. Grabbing the keys from the hook, I opened my door just as someone was about to knock on it.

My eyes met with Embers and I sighed. Audibly and visibly sighed. The only words I could find for her were. "Your sister isn't here."

"Oh, I thought she would be. Sorry."

"Yeah." I tried to breeze past her and shut my door behind me but she didn't allow it.

"Janet, I owe you an apology."

Her sentence sent my eyes rolling this time because I didn't want to hear any of it. She could do all of this apologizing after she lost this lawsuit that was heading her way. My legs kept trying to move as I brushed her off. "Ember, honestly, for the sake of you and your sisters relationship please just leave."

"I had no right.."

That was the first thing that she'd told me in this interaction that indicated she had some damn sense. It sent me looking at her and saying the same thing. "Absolutely no damn right."

"It wasn't my story to tell and for that I will continue to apologize and own my doing in this. I don't want you all to feel like I have no moral compass— I can understand why y'all would hate me."

"Girl, I'm about to go to my lawyer and I'm suing the hell out of you." I let her know outright what my plan was. "You do not understand the emotional turmoil that our family has been through. You just cannot understand it because if you could, if you could actually see the hell that I feel like has been so upfront and in our faces almost daily, why would you do that? Without warning? Without asking?"