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I grabbed his hand walking through the airport. For the past two weeks I've been getting to know my son. Julian. He only responds to his initials, which are jet. Julian Elias Thomas-Henderson. We just landed in New Orleans, my family were meeting him for the first time. Plus I hadn't seen them in a while. "You ready to meet your grandparents Jet?" I asked him. He just nodded he wasn't much of a talker. We continued on until I spot Micah. She damn near ran me over pulling me into a tight hug. "Hello to you too." I said to her. "Hi." She said kneeling down to Jets level. He hid behind my leg. "He's shy. Don't scare him." I said. Picking him up. As he hid his face in the crook of my neck. "Well I don't think you can deny him. I mean look at his hair Caden." "I haven't denied him." "Well cmon. Everybody's waiting to meet him." She said leading us out of the airport. The cameras flashing caused Jet to cling tight to me. I could only imagine what was going through his little head.
"So where's Mariah?" Micah asked. "Micah, I already know you guys know. I don't even care anymore. I can't spend all my time chasing after her. If she wants to be with me she will if not, I'll sign the papers." I said once we finally got outside. "So basically you're bitter." "I'm not bitter man. Now shut up." I said placing him in the back in Leena's car seat.
"All I want to know is, how do you expect the family not to ask you about it if she's not even with you. Y'all used to be inseparable." She continued on. "Listen." I said. Pulling out my phone and dialing Mariah's number, putting it on speaker. "Yes?" She answered. "How you doing?" I asked. "I'm okay." "Alright, are you going to fly out to New Orleans? I think my parents wanted to see you too." "We talked about this. What do I look like coming all the way there to pretend like our marriage isnt close to an end. That's a waste of money and energy. Plus this is their first time meeting your son, that's intimate." I shot Micah a look. "Yeah alright Mariah." "Caden--" before she could finish I hung up. "Why'd you just hang up in her face like that?" Micah asked. "Because all she was going to say was, Caden I'm sorry. Please don't be upset with me. I don't want to hear that bullshit no more." "Okay well I guess I'll just leave it alone then." "Thanks."
Mariah POV
"He hung up in your face?" My mom asked. "Mom it's okay." "No the hell it ain't. He's so disrespectful. And he's been that way ever since that little bastard child came into his life." "Don't call his son that." "Well that's what he is. Please tell me you're not really considering helping raise that child." "No mom I'm not. But I really rather not continue talking about this. Between you and Caden, I'm really stressed. And it's not good for the baby." "I know and I'm sorry baby. I just want the best for you. And even though it took so long, I finally realize that Caden, isn't it." "What makes you say that?" I questioned. "Think about it, ever since he got in the NBA he's changed. I wouldn't doubt if he was still cheating on you. And now he has an illegitimate child and is forgetting he has a pregnant wife. I'm tired of seeing you hurting love." "Mom he's doing the best he can. I don't want to leave him. I love him." "I loved your father too. And he left me for a whole other family. So you sit here and wait around if you want to that's fine. I'm not picking up the pieces when it's all said and done."
And with that she left. I laid on the bed and let tears invade my eyes. I was tired of crying. My mom has made it clear she doesn't support my marriage with Caden anymore. And I respect her opinion. But I also have to think about my unborn child.
****
I knocked on the door. And it opened. "Hey." I said looking down at my nails. "Hey, how you doing?" "I've had better days, but I really need your help with something." "Anything." I looked up into the face of my dad. "Well you help me get my things out of the house. I don't want to stay there or with mom either." "Mariah, I support everything you do. But are you sure you want to leave your husband. And live here. This is two hours away from him." "I'm sure." "Okay we'll go first thing in the morning. Come on in."
I had made up my mind. I was done with all of this. I had no plans to contact Caden until after the baby got here. And I was going to stay away from my mom, because everything she said was toxic. I just prayed I wouldn't regret this.
