Page 25 of Ony If It’s You

“We can’t… shit.” He sighed, running his hand down my face. “I forgot that Zoey told me they had been in my crib while I was gone. The door was open and I could tell the shit was trashed. I couldn’t let you and the twins go inside. I’ll just get us a room for the night.”

I frowned in confusion. “A room? The twins have school tomorrow, Javyous. I can’t take them… you know what never mind, we’ll go to my grandmother’s.”

“Kehlani, I’m sorry, I just don’t…”

“It’s fine, Javyous, really.” Pressing my hand into his chest, I smiled up at him.

“I’m not mad, I just don’t want to take them back to another hotel.

They have school tomorrow and need to be in a familiar place anyways so that they can unwind.

Just take care of this and I’ll call you later tonight. ”

I could tell that he wasn’t happy with my resolution, but it was what it was. I wasn’t taking Si and Jocey to another hotel.

“Call me for real, Kehlani,” he said before kissing my lips.

“I am.” I turned to get inside. “Oh yeah, this is the last time I’m going to tell you to get shit with those hoes in order.”

“I got you.” He grinned.

After closing my door, I gave him one final smile before pulling away and heading to my grandmother’s house. She was going to be happy to see us and not care about us being there, but if I knew her, then I knew that she was going to have questions.

“Wait a minute, say what now?” my grandmother asked, setting her mug down on the table.

Just like I knew, she was happy to see us and have us over. She fried some chicken and fries for the twins while I got them bathed when we first arrived and watched movies with them while I got myself together, but as soon as they were in bed, she was summoning me to the kitchen.

“Yeah, Granny, when I got home my locks were changed and when I called him, he basically told me to get JV to buy me a house because we couldn’t stay in the one that he had bought.”

“Well, I can see that.” She shrugged and sipped from her tea.

“What?” I asked incredulously. “You can see that?”

“Yeah, I can, Kehlani. You’re married. Your husband should be providing you with a place to stay.”

Sighing dejectedly, I dropped my head. I for sure just knew that she would be on my side and cursing Pharaoh’s ass to hell, not telling me that he was right.

“Lani, baby, you know Granny is going to tell you the truth.”

“I know.” I smiled, touching the hand that she had placed on my arm.

“I also expect you to tell me the truth too, so spill it.”

My eyes ballooned when I looked up at her. How did she figure that I wasn’t telling her the truth.

“I am. Pharaoh changed my locks.”

She nodded. “I believe that. Tell me the truth about you and Javyous.”

“What do you mean? We already told you?—”

“I know what lie the two of you told, now I want you to tell me the truth.” Swallowing hard, I just looked at her with nervous eyes as I contemplated.

Technically I couldn’t tell her the truth.

Not unless I wanted to pay Javyous a million dollars.

“A blind person can see that the attraction between the two of you is real and even your interactions are authentic, but I know you Kehlani. I know you didn’t just go marry a man that I had never met let alone heard about. ”

Taking in a deep breath, I released it and said fuck it. If I couldn’t trust anyone else, I knew I could trust her. I gave her the complete rundown from the very beginning. I didn’t hold anything back. Well, except for the details about the sex between us, but I did tell her that it’d happened.

She didn’t say anything right away. She actually finished her tea then went to pour herself—and me—some more. Setting the hot mug on the table in front of me, she slid it to me and nodded for me to drink, so I did.

“Well, are you going to say something?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

“There isn’t much that I can say, baby,” she replied, setting her cup down. “You’re bound to the situation legally and you took vows before God.”

“I wanted to annul it though,” I argued.

“Did you?” she asked, angling her head to the side.

“Yes ma’am, I did.”

“Kehlani, you’re my grandchild, I raised you. I know you. When you have your mind set to something there is no stopping you. If you really wanted that marriage annulled, it would have been.”

I cringed at her speaking the truth out loud and I hated the fact that she really knew me.

“I know, but Celeste told me to hear them out. When they said the dollar amount, I was sold. You know how bad I’ve been wanting to get a bigger building.”

It was a selfish decision. All I thought about was myself and how beneficial it would be for me and me only. I never thought about how I would have to involve my whole family in this shit as well.

“Is that all it was?”

“Y-yeah, it was,” I lied.

I actually like him.

“Again, baby girl, I know you and I know when you’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“You are. You like that boy and that’s okay. I know it and I’m sure everyone else around you knows it. The question is, why are you acting like it’s a problem for you?”

I felt my nose wrinkle as I eyed my nails.

The truth was I didn’t know why I was making it such a big deal, especially after already agreeing to give us a real chance, but that was it.

Javyous already had the control to have me agreeing to anything that he said.

He had me in a chokehold and didn’t even realize it.

“I don’t know, Granny,” I answered honestly. “I just can’t deal with all of the same stuff that I did with Pharaoh. He has these women from his past that keep popping up, it’s just a lot.”

“Chile, if you ain’t the pot calling the kettle black.” She playfully scoffed. “That man had to come get you and your children from a house that your baby’s father bought you because he had the locks changed. Whew child, the ghetto.”

“Granny!”

“What? It is ghetto.” She shrugged and laughed. “All I’m saying is everyone has a past, all that matters is what he’s doing now.”

“I don’t know. This thing with those women was pretty fresh. How can I be sure that he’s even ready for this?”

“You said he asked you to give you guys a real chance, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Okay then.” She touched my hand and stood from the table. “Even a man who’s not ready will get ready for the one that he really wants. Let that marinate. Granny has to get to bed. Straighten up in here before you go to bed.”

“Okay, Granny, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, baby.”

I smiled and watched her until she disappeared around the corner. I loved my grandmother. Leave it to her to answer all of the questions that had been plaguing my mind since I’d met Javyous without even knowing it.

You’re hardheaded. I’ll fix that soon. Goodnight, beautiful.

I smiled hard reading the message from Javyous. I had been tied up with the kids and my grandmother all night, so texting him had slipped my mind.

I’m looking forward to it. Goodnight.

This thing with Javyous and I was going to be interesting, but I truly did look forward to seeing where things would go for us.