The Business Woman

Trouble

I sighed, taking a deep breath in front of the mirror. The sweater dress fit absolutely perfect. I normally hated parting my hair through the middle, but today it just added more edge and I was happy to see my reflection in the mirror. Before heading to the car, where Jack waited, I placed Teddy in his kennel and grabbed my purse. I waited by the car, enjoying the cool wind blow against my skin.

I slid in the passenger seat and clicked my seatbelt in place thankful that Jack had the heat blasting already.

"You look beautiful, baby." Jack said with sincere eyes.

"Thank you." I responded while giving a small smile.

The radio played low classical Christmas music as we made our way through the city to his parent's Floridian home.

We parked next to a white Mazda and walked over to the beautiful white home by the water. Jack rang the doorbell and soon after his mom emerged wearing an orange blouse over white pants. She looked very beautiful along with her rosy pink blush and lipstick.

"Well Hello, you two. I'm so glad you made it." She said smiling from ear to ear,  just before giving us both a hug.

"You look stunning Maliyah, I love that color on you."

She invited us inside and we followed her to the grand dining room with white and brown chairs matched with a large light brown dining table, where everyone sat.

"Hello, my son." Jack's father greeted. "And this must be the beautiful woman, your mother was telling me about?"

I smiled acknowledging his remarks, but my smile quickly faded when I seen a little girl accompanied by a woman entering from the living room.

"This is Veronica and our daughter Julianna." Jack hesitated to say.

Julianna had smooth youthful caramel skin. Her eyes matched Jack's as well as her smile. In the same breath , she looked  just like her mother. Her mom was a pecan tan color. She was beautiful, so beautiful her beauty surpassed mine and I began to feel insecure.

I stood up from the table in a swift motion.

"Are you okay?"Jack's mother asked.

"I'm okay, I just need some air." I said before walking towards the front door.

I heard Jack's footsteps behind me as I got to the entrance of the house and stepped outside onto the porch.

"I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in." I admitted as wild tears began to form at my water line.

"It's okay, Maliyah. I'm still surprised too, it's a small human in there that looks like me."

"I just feel like Veronica will always have a piece of you that I'll never have and I'm upset about it. "

"Look we are going to go in there together, and we're both gonna face this together. I love you Maliyah, and I don't want this to push you away." Jack confided, while pressing a thumb to my cheek. "There's nothing to worry about." He assured.

We stood on the porch for awhile longer before I decided that we should go back inside.

"Julianna, this is Miss Maliyah." Jack said introducing his daughter to me.

"Do you like Barbies?" She asked while twirling around a fairy Barbie doll.

"I love them, I especially like yours." I said as I stopped down to her level.

"This is Allie." Julianna said pointing to the Fairy Barbie doll dressed in pink attire.

"Is that your baby?" Jack asked in his soft voice.

"Mhm. "

"You're my baby." He said before lightly pressing her nose causing her to laugh.

The rest of the time wasn't so bad after all, the food was amazing, and Jack's father would never come off as if he killed for a living. Veronica wasn't a bitch either, in fact we laughed at the jokes Jack's father would say as well as the small things Jack's mother would say.

"Mommy, is it okay if I go with daddy ?" Julianna's eyes lit up in anticipation before her mother said it was okay for her to go.

"Make sure you have her back here no later than 9:30."

"She's my daughter, I'll have her back here, whenever I get her here. Hell, if she wants to stay the night with me she can. You kept her from me for four years, so I have the right to get to know my daughter. " Jack snapped.

I didn't blame him. I would feel the exact same way if someone kept my child a secret from me.

He took her small hand in his before lifting her into his arms.

I still couldn't get over how much she resembled her father.

We headed out but not before borrowing Julianna's car seat from her mother's car.

Jack strapped her in while I strapped myself in.

"Thank you." He said before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"She's definitely your daughter." I said without a doubt. "We should turn one of the bedrooms into a room for her." I added.

"I'm glad you brought that up, I've been wanting to ask you to move in as well."

"I mean I don't see why not." I said smiling while replying to a text message.

"Who's that?" Jack asked while making a left turn.

"Oh I'm just Kyle saying happy thanksgiving."  I answered.

"Maliyah." His voice was stern and cold.

"What?" I said looking up at him from my cellphone.

He moved out of traffic and onto the side of the road in a swift movement. He quickly put the car in park and turned to me.

Luckily Julianna was sound asleep in the back, she wouldn't hear the argument that was to come.

"Why the hell are you texting him back?" He snapped unbuckling his seatbelt and turning towards me.

"Jack." I said while rolling my eyes.

"Tell him you won't be texting him anymore."

"What?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows. "I'm not texting him that, he's my friend." I yelled.

"If you don't I will throw your phone out of this fucking window and run it over with this car."

"Why are you acting like a bitch?" I snapped.

"Maliyah, I asked you to do one simple thing." He said sighing.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and began walking away from the car.

"Get back in the car!" Jack yelled from the car window.

Instead of giving in I continued walking away.