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SERENITY

I didn’t know what divine energy had to be working in my favor, but life was good right now.

No—great.

For the past four year of the five years it had been on, The Coven had been the number one show on the CW.

The only reason it wasn’t number one the first year was because Birds of a Feather had occupied that spot.

It was surprising for a majority all black- led cast. Hell, only one of our cast mates was white and one was of Native American heritage.

And us being number one wasn’t just fluff talk. Our ratings were insane, social media was obsessed with us, and our Chevalier Witches—Dailie, Elle and Frankie—were pop culture icons now. Me, Egypt, and Averi had become a force, both on-screen and off. And the industry took notice.

Over the past three years, we had won two BET Awards, 3 NAACP Image Awards, four People’s Choice Awards, Four Teen Choice Awards and even a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award.

Even though getting slimed at the Kids’ Choice Awards was disgusting, I couldn’t lie—it was one of the most fun moments of my career, especially because I got to share that experience when I took Gio and Cree with me.

Gio was always included in my milestones.

I appreciated Creed, even Gianna for allowing this.

Egypt and Averi weren’t just thriving in acting, either, they had dominated the music scene.

Their biggest achievement? Winning a damn Grammy for writing Love with No Limits —a record-breaking hit by Heaven, an artist under Lux LA’s label.

Averi, who had also produced the song, won a Grammy for Producer of the Year—a HUGE win for a Black woman in a white male-dominated category.

It was no wonder they won, the song had been dominating the radio for the entire year that it came out.

Heaven’s powerful voice mixed with the sultry beats Averi composed were top tier.

To say we had come a long way from our days at Tisch was an understatement.

And Arielle? She had moved back to LA, officially done with New York.

My girl had graduated from Columbia Law, passed the California Bar, and was a powerhouse entertainment lawyer at the family’s law firm Bradshaw Law this was permanent.

Now, I woke up in the morning, and he was already in the kitchen making breakfast for Gio and Cree.

And watching him with our kids? That shit was dangerous.

Because it reminded me why I fell for him in the first place.

I knew the moment I got the news of his trade that things were going to be different.

With him so close, there were no longer any excuses for why our relationship was still on pause.

I had to force myself to remember— We’re just co-parenting. This is temporary.

But then?

We’d be up late at night, watching in his bed.

It started off innocent enough—just watching TV, talking, joking.

But then, his arm would be slung over the back of the bed, and I’d be leaning just a little too close.

He’d laugh at something, his deep voice vibrating against my skin, and for a split second, I’d forget that we weren’t that couple anymore.

And it only got worse when he fell asleep right next to me, his breathing even, his face relaxed.

That was when I’d get my ass up and sneak back to my own room.

Because the last thing I needed was our kids waking up and finding me in his bed.

As if living with my ex wasn’t complicated enough, Creed’s social media-famous girlfriend kept testing my patience.

Jailah—or QweenJaiMil , as she called herself online—was doing the absolute most. Tweet after tweet, post after post, subliminal after subliminal.

She was shading me constantly—and the internet was eating it up.

At first, my family and friends told me to ignore her.

“Be the bigger person.”

“She’s just jealous.”

“It’s not worth it, Serenity.”

But there was only so much bigger person shit I could do. Because I wasn’t Jesus. And if Jailah kept pushing me, she was going to be meeting Jesus in person. And she was gonna find out real quick that the fighter Lenox and Sienna raised was still in me at the end of the day.

Girls’ nights were sacred. No matter how crazy our schedules got, no matter how many projects we were juggling, we always made time for each other. And tonight, we were at Nobu, drinking cocktails, eating way too much sushi, and talking our shit like we always did.

The restaurant was packed, but our private table—tucked away from prying eyes—gave us enough peace to enjoy ourselves without worrying about someone secretly recording our conversation for the blogs.

Egypt, Averi, Arielle, and I had been through everything together, from college to careers to heartbreak—so when we got together, it wasn’t just dinner.

It was therapy.

“Bitch, I cannot believe Ari’s getting married,” Averi gushed, sipping on her lychee martini.

“She’s been locked in with Brodie since we before were in college,” Egypt pointed out, grabbing another piece of yellowtail sashimi. “It was only a matter of time.”

Arielle smirked, twirling her chopsticks in her fingers.

“First of all, don’t act like my man didn’t take his sweet ass time proposing,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I thought for sure when I got pregnant with the twins during law school he’d do it, but nope…

still, better now than never.” We all laughed because we knew how long Arielle had been patiently waiting for that ring.

“And now look at you,” I teased. “About to be Mrs. Brodie Jackson.” Arielle smiled so big it made me warm inside. It wasn’t fake happiness—it was real, pure joy.

“Speaking of the wedding festivities,” Egypt cut in, setting her glass down. “Vegas is about to be wild.”

“Oh, I already know,” I smirked. “And I can’t wait. I’m ready to have some Mommy time. I love the kids, so much, but sheesh.”

The bachelor and bachelorette trips were combined, meaning we were all rolling deep to Vegas for a long weekend of chaos before Arielle and Brodie said I do.

“Creed is coming, right?” Averi asked, giving me a knowing look over her glass.

I shrugged, playing it cool. “Yeah, I think so.”

Arielle snorted. “You think so? Girl, he wouldn’t miss it for the world. He’s obsessed with you.”

Egypt nodded. “Heavy on obsessed.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t even argue with them because I was obsessed with his ass too. “Oh and since we’re on the subject of the guest list, please, please tell me that Naseem is NOT invited.”

Ari, Averi and I all looked at each other. I couldn’t tell you what the beef was between Egypt and Naseem, but it was getting old for real.

“Naseem is invited, sorry boo.” Ari shrugged, but I could tell she wasn’t really sorry. “I don’t know what it is between y’all, but y’all bicker like siblings and it’s very unbecoming.”

“I literally can’t stand him. He’s such a fucking asshole for no reason. Ever since we met and I wouldn’t let him fuck me, he’s been acting like that, finding a way to push my buttons.”

“And you find a way to push his too Egypt.” Averi shook her head. “Don’t act like you don’t.”

“Creed should have never brought him around. I swear, if he says anything to me we’re going to have a problem.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Averi rolled her eyes shaking her head.

“Well, speaking of your baby daddy,” Arielle said, smirking. “How’s living with him going?”

I sighed, already knowing this conversation was coming.

“It’s... fine,” I answered vaguely, reaching for my drink.

“Fine?” Egypt arched a brow. “Define fine.”

I lifted a shoulder. “Besides the bullshit with his little girlfriend, things have actually been okay.”

“Jailah is so fucking annoying,” Arielle muttered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe he’s even with that girl.”

“She’s nothing but a Gianna 2.0,” Egypt added.

Averi nodded in agreement. “They’re literally the same person. I don’t get how she’s his type and you’re his type—like, make it make sense.”

“I try not to think about it,” I admitted, swirling my drink. “That’s his business.”

Arielle rolled her eyes. “Fuck that,” she scoffed. “You are his business.”

Egypt smirked. “Have y’all fucked yet?”

I choked on my drink.

“What?!”

“You heard me,” she said, eyes twinkling with mischief. “You been back on that thang nor nah? Because if not you’re better than me. If I had in house dick, not a day would go by when I wasn’t getting some.”

She was right, it was difficult as hell not to jump on him.

Averi leaned forward. “Well?”

I sighed, debating whether I should lie or not.

“We haven’t,” I admitted after a moment. “But...not that I haven’t thought about it.”

Egypt clapped her hands. “Thank you! Finally, some honesty!”

Averi gasped dramatically. “Oh my God, my heart! Serenity Bradshaw is being honest about her feelings for Creed Langston!”

Arielle cackled. “It only took five years.”

I glared. “Fuck y’all.”

They cracked up, and so did I, because they weren’t lying.

“Serenity,” Averi said, her tone turning serious.

I lifted a brow. “What?”

“You need to stop playing and get your man back.”

I sighed deeply. “Y’all, I already broke up one of his relationships,” I pointed out. “I’m not about to break up another. I was 18 then, I should have known better. Now, I absolutely know better so I’m trying to do better.”

Arielle waved me off. “Girl, fuck his relationship.”

Egypt nodded in agreement. “That’s your man.”

Averi agreed. “And y’all are still in love with each other. If you asked him today, he would drop Jailah so fast and be with you it’s not even funny. There is no competition.”

I let out another deep sigh, sipping my drink. Because they were right. They were so right. I was very much still in love with Creed. And I knew he was still in love with me too. But what was I supposed to do with that?

We let the conversation settle, allowing the night to shift back to easy laughs and carefree fun. By the time the check came, we weren’t ready to leave each other.

“To The Coven, still being the number one show on the CW,” Egypt toasted, raising her glass.

“To Arielle and Brodie, finally making things official,” Averi added.

I smirked. “To Vegas, being the chaotic mess I know it’s gonna be.”

“And,” Arielle said, giving me a pointed look, “to Serenity, finally getting her man back.”

I rolled my eyes but still clinked my glass with theirs. Even though I wasn’t sure how I felt about that last one.

Creed was out of town for a four-day road trip, and honestly?

I was glad to get a breather from him. After my conversation with the girls, I knew that I needed that space from him to reevaluate some things.

I wanted him, but at what cost? I wasn’t trying to make a habit out of ruining his relationships, I even took responsibility for contributing to ruining our own.

While he was gone, I did whatever I could to make the kids not feel his presence gone. They, just like I had gotten used to having him here consistently. Not to mention Gio was already missing his dumbass mama like crazy. So, today I suggested we have a field day in the back yard.

Gio and Cree had been playing in the backyard, jumping on the trampoline Sevyn bought for her last Christmas. I was watching them from the patio, sipping on a smoothie, laughing at the way Gio kept trying to teach Cree how to do a ‘big boy’ jump.

Then it happened.

Cree’s little body slipped through the net opening, and before I could even react, she tumbled off the trampoline, landing hard on the grass. A sharp, high-pitched cry pierced the air. My heart stopped. I was already running before I even knew what happened.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. I barely remembered parking, barely remembered rushing inside, barely remembered holding my crying daughter as they checked her in.

Everything was a haze. Until I heard his voice.

“Serenity?”

I turned, and my heart damn near stopped. There, standing in a white coat, tablet in hand, was Iman… or should I say Dr. Iman Carter. My ex-boyfriend. The one that got away. The one I let go. And now, he was standing in front of me, staring at me like he had just seen a ghost.

I swallowed hard. Iman blinked, snapping out of his shock, then looked down at Cree.

“This is your daughter?” he asked softly.

I nodded, holding her closer. “Her name is Cree.”

His face softened. “She looks just like you.” I wanted to correct him, tell him she actually looked just like her daddy, but I just nodded. Then I remembered why we were here.

“She fell off the trampoline,” I rushed out. “She—she landed on her arm. I think it’s broken.”

Iman nodded, switching into doctor mode instantly.

“We’ll take care of her okay?” he assured me.

But as I watched him gently take my daughter from my arms, I couldn’t help but think?—

What were the fuckin odds? I had lost contact with Iman, didn’t even follow him on social media. The way I loved him, the way we ended, I knew it was best for me. But damn… seeing him again. It felt good, even if it was under these circumstances.