Page 22 of Ony If It’s You

Chapter Fourteen

K ehlani

You really got me fucked up taking my kids up there without telling me, Kehlani.

Pharaoh had been blowing my phone up since Javyous had posted the picture of the four of us on his social media accounts. I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he started his shit.

I take Messiah and Jocelyn on vacation every year for spring break, Pharaoh. Why would this year have been any different?

Bitch because you have them in pictures with that bitch ass nigga like they’re his mothafuckin’ kids.

Matching bathing suits and shit. I don’t even play like that, Kehlani.

Bitch? Yeah, you done lost it talking to me crazy and disrespecting like that.

It’s yo’ ass that’s being disrespectful. I got you though. Wait ’til you get back to CF. I got something for yo’ stupid ass.

Bye clown.

Ima show you a clown.

You have been since the day I met you, now bye.

I went ahead and blocked his number so that he couldn’t text me back.

I was already in an ill mood; I didn’t need his incompetent ass adding to it.

I knew he was going to be mad when he learned that I had brought the twins with me to Vegas, and I also knew I could have maybe talked to him about it, but all he was going to be focused on what I had going on, so I said fuck it. I’d deal with him when I got home.

Tossing my phone to the side, I left the room to find the twins in the living room area on the couch with Javyous watching TV.

I rolled my eyes and turned on the balls of my feet to go back to the room.

I needed to get myself together to take the kids out.

Celeste was due to arrive soon, so I wanted to hurry and get dressed.

I decided to go with a black and white Fashion Nova set that would match my Panda Dunks. I dressed Si and Jocey in matching Nike sets and the same shoes.

Once I was dressed, I left the room and entered the bathroom and brushed my hair into a slick ponytail. We were going to lunch at Tournament of Kings where they served lunch and put on a Medieval show. After that we were going to go to Circus Circus so that they could run around and play.

Celeste appeared in the doorway as I applied my lip gloss.

“Hey, bestie,” she squealed, coming inside to give me a hug.

“Hey, girl.”

“Uh uhn, why are you so dry?” she asked, pulling back to look at me.

“It’s nothing, girl. Pharaoh was texting me and?—”

“Chi, fuck Pharaoh’s tired ass,” she spat, cutting me off. “His tired ass was in DayLux with Khia’s bad wig wearing ass yesterday.”

“And on my line this morning complaining about me bringing the kids here with ol’ boy.”

“Ol’ boy?” she repeated confused. “Like your husband ol’ boy?”

Scoffing, I tossed my edge brush on the counter and started out of the bathroom with her following close behind me into the bedroom.

Leaning across the bed, I grabbed my phone and tossed it into the bag that had all of the twins’ necessities before heading out.

I knew Celeste had a million questions, but I didn’t want to talk about it right now.

She might actually go in there and jump on Javyous if I did.

“Si, Jocey, time to go,” I called out to grab their attention.

“Damn cuz, it’s like that?” Dominique asked.

“Hey, Nique,” I said with a smile. He hadn’t done anything to deserve my attitude and I actually liked him a little.

“Where are y’all going?”

My smile dropped when Javyous started talking to me.

“Out.”

“Kehlani…”

“Come on, Celeste.”

I started for the door with Jocey’s hand in mine, Celeste had Messiah’s.

“Byeeeee, JV!” Jocey waved over her shoulder. “See you later.”

“See you soon, Princess.”

“Later, JV.” Si tossed his hand over his shoulder.

I could hear Dominique asking him what was going on with us before the door closed. The two security guards that had escorted us to the matches and pool were waiting for us outside of the door, so we followed them to the elevator.

I had called ahead to have a car waiting on us so we wouldn’t have to wait.

“Hey, Ms. Phyllis!” Jocey shouted across the lobby.

Ms. Phyllis was headed inside the casino when Jocey grabbed her attention. She looked our way and smiled before walking over followed by an older version of Javyous.

This must be his dad.

I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting him quite yet.

“Hey, my babies, you two look so cute,” she gushed, pulling them then me into a hug. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey, this is my best friend, Celeste.” I pulled her up beside me. “Celeste, this is Ms. Phyllis.”

“Nice to meet you, honey.”

“Likewise,” Celeste said smiling.

“Oh, this is Jerry, JV’s dad. Jerry, this is Kehlani, JV’s wife.”

I felt really uncomfortable under his gaze. He was eyeing me like I was a piece of fucking meat after his woman introduced me as his damn daughter in law.

“Hmm, now I see why he’s going crazy,” Jerry said disgustingly.

My eyes narrowed into slits as I peered at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we need to get going. I’ll see you guys later tonight,” Ms. Phyllis said before hurrying off.

Remembering that there was a car waiting for us, I pushed the exchange to the back of my mind and continued out of the hotel to the waiting car. When we were inside, I got the kids situated with their tablets and headphones before Celeste started her interrogation.

“Okay, bitch, spill it.”

Sighing dejectedly, I looked up while shaking my head.

“I really don’t even know where to start. Last night was a fucking trainwreck.”

“I thought everything was good.”

“Hell, I did too. Monday was… perfect. We went to the fight, he was fawning over me, loving on me, fucked me silly. Tuesday we all hung out until he had to go train, then last night I’m in the crowd before the fight and one of the hoes from DayLux pops up, basically tells me that I’m no different from any other woman that he’s slept with, he will always come back to them. ”

“And I know you didn’t listen to her ass.” She scoffed and eyed me. “Lani!”

“What?” My eyes were wide as I looked to see where I was wrong. “She wasn’t lying.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he didn’t deny it when I said something to him about it.”

Celeste angled her head to the side and gave me a knowing look. Celeste and I were vastly different when it came to how we dealt with things. One would think that she was the shoot first and ask questions later type of female, but she was actually the opposite. I was actually the former.

“So, he told you that he was just fucking you until he was tired, then he’s going back to them?”

“No, but?—”

“Kehlani, there is no but. That man had a life before you. You cannot hold that against him.”

“I’m not, but I’m not about to be approached by his past either.” I frowned.

“Right, but you tell him to fix that shit before we fix it for his ass, not cold shoulder his ass.”

“Fuck him. He called what we have an arrangement ,” I pouted.

“So that’s why you’re really mad.”

My eyes narrowed for the second time today. Her tone was teasing. She wasn’t trying to sympathize with me at all.

“Geesh, bitch, whose side are you on?”

“Yours of course.” She grinned. “I just know how ridiculous you can be too. JV isn’t Pharaoh.”

“I didn’t say he was.”

She raised her hands in mock surrender and said, “Relax, I’m just saying.”

“What the deal with you and Nique since you’re all in my damn business.”

“We’re here, ladies,” the driver announced.

“Well would you look at that.” Her smile stretched across her face showcasing the deep dimples in her cheeks. “Saved by the bell.”

“Whatever, hoe.”

Pulling the headphones from the kids’ heads, I put them away in their bags before exiting the vehicle and being met by the security guards from the MGM.

“I didn’t know y’all were coming,” I said confused.

“We were told not to let you travel alone. Are you guys ready to go in?”

Celeste and I shared a look before I nodded and followed him inside with my friend and kids in tow. He walked us to the area that was reserved for us. We all got comfortable at our table, ordering our food and drinks shortly after.

“This is something like a castle, Mommy,” Si said as he put the little crown on his head.

“Yeah, Pooh, this is nice.”

A little while later our food arrived and the show started. There were horsemen, wizards, knights, princesses, which Jocelyn went crazy to see, literally everything that you could think of. I had never experienced anything like it and was glad that my babies were able to.

After lunch the four of us went to the next destination which was Circus Circus Casino.

It was a casino that had an actual circus on the inside and a shitload of stuff for the kids to do.

The first thing that Messiah noticed and wanted to do was get on the roller coaster.

With his tickets in hand, he pulled Celeste in that direction while Jocey decided that she wanted a butterfly painted onto her face.

“Now we can try to win that, Mommy.” She was pointing to a unicorn stuffed animal that was a prize for a baseball game.

I chuckled. “Jocey, I don’t think either of us are athletic enough to win that.”

“Ahh, come on and try, pretty lady,” the guy that was operating the game said as he flirted.

He wasn’t a bad looking guy. In fact, he was very cute, he just looked young. Not much younger than me, but young, nevertheless.

I politely declined. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t hit any of those.”

“Come on babe, I’ll help you.”

He actually came from behind the game and started toward us. Just as his hand made contact with my side, I heard the voice that had me hypnotized for the last few weeks.

“If you want to keep that hand, you better get it the fuck off my wife.”

“JV!” Jocey exclaimed.

“What’s up, pretty girl?” he said, lifting her into his arms.

“Why are you here?” I frowned.

“Because you’re here.”

Jocey grabbed his face and turned it to face her before she said, “I got to see a princess today, JV!”

“Yeah?” His eyes widened to sell the shock that he was giving her. “Well, you’re catching up with me because I’ve been seeing a princess all week.”

She blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. He smiled and returned sentiment. I hated him for being so sweet and fine.

Stupid ass nigga.

Celeste and Si had found their way back over to us with Dominique in tow. Now it wasn’t really a mystery on why and how we were found.

“The circus show is about to start, Mommy, we have to go.” Si grabbed my hand and started to pull me in the direction of where I assumed the show was taking place.

The rest of our time was spent at the live show and in the arcade. Dominique and Javyous really went all out for the twins. They made sure they were able to get whatever they wanted. It was really heartwarming.

Pharaoh was a great provider for the kids, but that was as far as it went for him.

He thought all that it took to raise kids was money.

When I would fuss about him spending time with the twins, he would argue that he needed to work to be able to make money to provide for them.

The conversation had become so redundant that I said fuck it and let him parent the best way that he saw fit.

I appreciated Javyous taking the time to spend with them.

Our situation didn’t call for him to do that, but he did it and he made sure that we knew that it was genuine.

Simple things such as watching cartoons in the mornings with Jocelyn or SportsCenter with Messiah, even explaining things to him so that he would understand them.

Too bad he was an idiot.

Looking down at my vibrating phone, I noticed Jasmine calling.

I leaned into Celeste to tell her to keep an eye on the kids so that I could take the call.

Javyous looked my way when I stood, likely wanting to know where I was going, but I ignored him and found a place quiet enough for me to take the call.

“Hey, Jasmine, is everything okay?”

I had one finger pressed down on my ear as I pressed the phone into my face like that was going to make me hear better.

“Girl, when I tell you we have been swamped all week! I wanted to call yesterday, but I knew you were at your husband’s fight.”

“How do you know that?”

“Social media.”

“Figures.” I rolled my eyes. “What’s up though? I’m at the circus with the kids.”

“Girl, they look so freaking cute!” she squealed.

“Okay, sorry, I saw them on social media too. I was just calling to let you know that we are sold out of all of the JoSi skincare stuff that you had in the store. Also, we have been overbooked too. Tell your husband thank you for mentioning our place on his social media.”

“What?” I asked more to myself than to her.

“Yeah girl, that man of yours is something else. Anyways, there’s a convention here in a couple of weeks, invite only. Samiya Grey came by and personally delivered yours.”

“What!” I squealed.

Samiya was one of the first women in Crescent Falls to start her own business. She held a Brown Girls Convention every year to encourage Black women to go into business for themselves and gave tips on how to grow an existing one.

My beauty bar had been up and running for a few years, but I had been wanting something bigger and better.

I’d recently learned how to do lash extensions, so that was a service I wanted to start offering as well as hiring two nail techs.

I hadn’t done it yet because I knew that I needed a bigger space.

Also, I wanted to grow JoSi, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand handmaking my products. I needed to start having them manufactured, I just didn’t know which route to take to make it happen. This convention would give me some insight, so I was ecstatic.

“You still there, girl?” Jas asked.

“Yeah, I am. Look, I need to get back to the kids, but thank you for this. Thank you for calling me. I’ll be in touch with you soon.”

Disconnecting the call, I shoved my phone into my pocket and headed back to my seat.

Javyous watched me the entire time, so I rolled my eyes and took my seat.

I could tell that he wanted to say something, but I was sure that he could tell that I didn’t want to hear shit that he had to say so he kept quiet.