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“Gio, what up my boy?” I asked doing our handshake.

Two claps to the white side, two to the black side, lift, and kiss each other’s thumb.

It was his idea, he taught it to me one day when he was four; he wanted us to have our own way of saying we loved each other.

“Love you man, missed you.” I hugged him then kissed his forehead.

“You been taking care of Sissy and Mama Ren?”

“Yes sir.” Gio’s small voice replied. “Always.”

“Good job.” I turned to my baby girl who was unable to contain herself trying to get to me; but her mama held her back so I could have my moment with Gio.

Serenity always made sure Gio had his time with me and so did Cree.

Whenever I was with one, she was with the other making them feel just as special and in the end, we came together to do something just the four of us.

Co-parenting had been a dream with Serenity. Yeah we had our ups and downs but she was the least complicated of the two. Gianna for whatever reason just wanted to constantly give me a hard time.

Once Serenity knew I had given Gio the attention he needed, she let Cree free and it was the best feeling in the world bending down and having her run at full force into my arms. “Daddy!”

“Cree Cree, my baby.” I screamed just as excitedly. “You been a good girl for Mommy?”

“Yes.”

“Lies.” Serenity cut in causing Cree to giggle.

“Cree you lying to daddy?”

“Nooooo.” She smirked, and I tickled her. “Okay, okay maybe.”

“She was on the trampoline without permission.” Serenity chimed in. “I told Sevyn not to buy that damn thing for them.”

“He got them a trampoline and you accepted it?” I asked my brow narrowed, trying to understand why the fuck she would put our kids in danger like that.

“It’s a kid trampoline, not an adult one; I’m not an idiot. And they were both told they can only get on it with permission and under supervision. Cree disobeyed the rules so she has been banned from it for a few weeks, right Cree?”

“Yes Mommy.” She replied meekly.

“You can’t be doing stuff Mommy said you can’t do. She knows what’s best, she wants to keep you and Brother safe, you understand?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. I think I can convince Mommy to let you on sooner, okay?” she nodded and I smothered her with kisses to her cheeks.

“Okay guys, it’s almost time for dinner go wash up; I’ll be there in a minute. Gio, help Sissy okay?” Gio nodded before taking Cree’s hand and pulling her to the guest bathroom. When they were out of sight, Serenity turned to me.

“Welcome home Langston.” I smiled at her, hard and wide.

She was beautiful, of course she fucking was.

Time had been good to Serenity. Her chocolate skin was still blemish free and at 27 years old she still looked like a teenager.

Like the same 18-year-old I met nearly ten years, only a lot more mature.

“Thank you for letting me stay Beautiful.” I pulled her into a tightly wrapped hug before kissing her cheek. She snuggled into my chest, same as she had been doing since we were just friends. I loved that shit, the way she made me feel like she knew she was safe with me.

“Come on. Let’s get you unpacked so we can have dinner and then you get to do bedtime with the kiddos while Mama Ren takes a long hot bath.”

“You been waiting on this huh?”

“All day. Ms. June had an appointment today so I had them all to myself.” I swear, we need to give that woman a raise. I would be so lost without her.”

“You better pay that woman Ms. Number One TV show lead actress.” I chuckled. “You think I don’t know how much money you make. I be googling shit too since you stingy wit ya numbers.”

“Google all you want; that shit ain’t accurate anyway.” She laughed. “You on the other hand Mr. 130 Mill… I need some new ice on my neck. Tiffany’s has some good options, I’ll send you a list.”

“I know what you like tho Baby, no need.”

“Uh huh.”

After a week of practices, games, and spending time with the kids, I seemed to be developing a steady routine.

It wasn’t any different having both kids in the same proximity as it was when I had them with me in Phoenix.

The real difference was having a woman in the same house as me on a consistent basis again.

When Jailah realized I was staying with Serenity full-time, she lost it… again. It was as if we never talked about it to begin with, like she all of a sudden forgot. Or maybe, she thought I was lying.

I was sitting in my room having just gotten out of the shower when Jai had called me.

I wasn’t wearing shit but a towel and that was barely on when Serenity came barreling through my door as if it was no big deal, asking what snacks I wanted for when we finished watching our show together.

Currently, we were binge watching Game of Thrones.

She’d seen them all, multiple times like the nerd she was, but this was my first go round as I had refused to watch them before.

We watched the show normally late at night, she’d usually crawl into my bed.

We’d fall asleep watching the show, it was comfortable for us.

We never crossed any lines, it was just like when we were friends and I’d stay at the apartment.

We’d curl up in her bed and just chill, eating snacks, laughing, vibing.

“Hey baby daddy.” Serenity walked in without knocking. “What kind of snacks should I—” she paused seeing my phone in my hand. “You taking nudes?”

“No SB, I’m on the phone.” I replied trying to hide my laugh.

“Oh.. Ohhhhh—I am so sorry. I’ll just pick some stuff and meet you back in here in what like 20 minutes? You should be done talking by then right?”

“I don’t know SB, might.” She was fucking with me, she knew exactly who I was talking to and she knew exactly what she was doing putting a time limit on the call.

“I’ll come back in 10 then.” She smiled before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I shook my head before turning back to look at Jailah who was fuming. If we were in a cartoon, there would be literal steam coming out of her ears.

“Are you fuckin serious right now? I don’t know SB, might? What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means what I said… I might.”

“So you just gon let her put a fuckin time limit on how long I can be on the phone with my man?”

“It ain’t even that deep Jai, chill.”

“This is insane, Creed!” she yelled over the phone. “You expect me to just sit here and be okay with this?”

“I expect you to trust me.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “Nah, I ain’t stupid.”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Jailah, if you don’t trust me, what are we doing?”

She was quiet for a long time before finally whispering, “Are you still in love with her?”

I didn’t answer.

And that was her answer right there.

It had only been three days after that incident, Jailah was acting a damn fool. I should’ve known it was only a matter of time.

My phone buzzed, and when I picked it up, I saw notification after notification of people tagging me in a post from Tea And Honey a popular blog that mainly reported on celebrity gossip pop up on my Instagram. At first, I ignored it. But something told me to see what was happening.

It was late in the evening while I was sitting in the kid’s playroom, playing on the floor with Cree and Gio. Serenity was in the kitchen, talking on the phone with one of her producers about her show’s upcoming season.

Just the headline alone made me roll my eyes. So, I clicked on the link to follow to the main post on their website.

Jailah Miller Is Hot—Wonder Who She’s Talking About?

Posted by Tea & Honey Staff | 8:35 PM PST

Looks like Jailah Miller is back online and back on bullshit. The social media maven and girlfriend of NBA All-Star Creed Langston might be smiling in her Instagram stories, but her tweets are saying something verrrry different this week.

ICYMI, Creed Langston was recently traded to the LA Clippers in the middle of the season—and sources tell us the baller is temporarily living with his ex, actress and heiress Serenity Bradshaw, and their 5-year-old daughter and his son from a previous relationship.

That’s right. Living. With. His. Ex.

And while the “sources close to them” claim it’s strictly co-parenting and convenience, Jailah’s tweets tell a different story. I mean, yikes.

While Creed and Serenity have remained quiet, fans of the former couple (affectionately known as #Creenity) have been eating up every moment. Serenity and Creed were spotted outside at a having dinner just the other day—with their daughter Cree and his son Giovanni. Looking very... family-oriented.

And now? Jailah’s likes and retweets are giving burned and bothered.

We’re not saying anything’s going on between Creed and Serenity… but if something were, would we even be surprised?

As always, we’ll be keeping our notifications on. You know Tea & Honey stays tapped in.

Stay sweet (or spicy), fam. Also, see the tweets below.

Although she hadn’t come out and said specifically, it didn’t take a genius to know who she was talking about. I rubbed my temples, shaking my head. Before I could figure out what the hell I was gonna do, I heard footsteps storming up the stairs.

I exhaled hard. Shit.

Seconds later, the playroom door swung open so hard it bounced off the wall. Serenity stood there, holding her phone in a death grip, her curls wild, her expression furious.

“What the entire fuck Creed,” she seethed, stepping inside and waving the phone in my face.

“The kids.” I gestured to them and her eyes flashed in their direction. “Gio, take your sister and find Ms. June and tell her it’s bedtime.” Without question, Gio gathered his sister and did what he was told. Serenity slammed the door shut behind them.

“Read this shit out loud, Creed.” I clenched my jaw, already knowing where this was going.

“Serenity—”

“Read. It.” I sighed, grabbing the phone from her hand. I didn’t need to read it out loud—I had already seen it—but I skimmed it anyway, my frustration boiling over.

I looked back up at her. “I’m gonna handle it.”

Serenity laughed dryly, crossing her arms. “You better handle it before I do.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. This is the last thing I needed.

“I’ll talk to her,” I told her. “I promise I’ll handle it.”

She scoffed. “You better, because we both know she don’t want these problems with me.”

And with that, she snatched her phone back and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on my bed, my head in my hands, phone on speaker. Jailah answered on the third ring, her tone way too casual. “Hey, baby.”

I closed my eyes, trying to keep my cool. “Jai, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

She acted innocent as hell. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I snapped. “Those posts. Why the fuck are you doing that shit?”

She sighed dramatically. “Oh, so now I can’t tweet my thoughts?”

“When your ‘thoughts’ are attacking the mother of my child? No, you can’t.”

Jailah was quiet for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. “So, you’re really defending her?”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m telling you to stop being insecure.”

“Insecure?” she repeated, her tone sharp.

“Yeah, insecure,” I said flatly. “Ain’t shit going on between me and Serenity. Yeah, we have a past, but we been done for years. We’re co-parenting, Jailah. That’s it.”

Jailah huffed. “You say that, but you’re living with her.”

“Temporarily,” I corrected. “If you feel like you can’t handle this, let me know.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means what I said, if this is too much for you let me know.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Despite the drama, I was focused when I stepped onto the court for my first home game as a Clipper.

I had something to prove. But when I scanned the stands, I spotted Serenity, Cree, and Gio sitting court side—all wearing my jersey.

My heart clenched because damn, this was exactly how I always wanted it to be.

Cree, my baby girl, was cheering the loudest, her little hands clapping excitedly as she pointed at me.

“Daddy!” she screamed.

I smiled, giving her a small wave before locking in.

That game? I went off. I dropped a triple-double, scored 35 points, and led the team to a blowout win.

The energy in the arena was electric, and when the final buzzer sounded, I felt like I had truly arrived in LA.

But as soon as I got to the locker room, my phone blew up.

30 missed texts from Jailah. All of them cussing me out.

She was tired of people tagging her in posts asking why she wasn’t at the game and my baby mama was.

Asking if she had met my kids yet—which she hadn’t.

Tagging her in pictures from the game so she could see my little family.

. I sighed, scrolling through them, shaking my head.

But what caught my attention the most was the fact that she had posted again.

I froze, my stomach twisting. This was bad, real fucking bad. I knew as soon as I made it to the car, Serenity was going to be pissed. That’s why I took my time walking to the parking lot. My hands were in the pockets of my sweats, hood over my face.

She and the kids were already in the car when I approached but when I made it to the car she got out stopping me so we could have a private conversation.

“I already know SB.”

“You said you was gon’ handle it. Why am I still her topic of discussion? I am literally minding my fucking business. What’s the problem?”

“We both know what the problem is.”

“That’s not my fault she’s insecure. That has nothing to do with me. All I did was offer a place to stay.”

“Aight Serenity.”

“Creed,” she said through clenched teeth taking a step closer to me. “Check your bitch or I’mma check her for you.”