Page 47

CREED

I was breaking every damn traffic law trying to get to the hospital.

The whole flight back from the road trip, my knee was bouncing the whole time, nerves on ten as I checked my phone every two seconds, waiting for an update.

Cree was hurt, and I wasn’t there.

My whole body was wired with guilt and anxiety by the time I pulled into the hospital’s parking garage.

It was late as hell, but the emergency room was still buzzing with movement.

Security was already waiting at the entrance, escorting me inside to avoid the inevitable media circus if somebody recognized me.

The staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was used to dealing with high-profile patients, so they led me straight to the private suite where Serenity and Cree were waiting.

I stepped inside, spotting Serenity sitting in a chair next to Cree’s bed.

Her head was resting lightly on the railing, her face looking tired and tense as she gently stroked Cree’s curls while she slept.

My daughter’s tiny arm was wrapped in a soft pink cast, the weight of it tucked against her chest.

Serenity’s head snapped up when she sensed my presence. Our eyes met, and a wave of relief and frustration crashed over me.

"You made it," she murmured.

I exhaled, crossing the room. "Yeah. Of course, I did."

I leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Cree’s forehead before brushing my knuckles along her soft cheek. She stirred a little but stayed asleep.

Serenity stood up, motioning toward the other side of the room. "Let’s talk over here." I followed her to the far corner, away from the bed but still inside the room.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, my voice low but firm.

Serenity rubbed her temples, exhaling deeply. "They were playing outside on the trampoline, and she fell off. I rushed her here as soon as it happened."

I clenched my jaw. "The same trampoline I told you to get rid of?"

Her eyes flashed. "Creed, don’t start with me right now."

"I’m not starting anything. I told you it was dangerous, and now look?—"

She crossed her arms, cutting me off. "I already feel bad enough, okay? I don’t need you making me feel worse."

I ran a hand down my face forcing myself to calm down.

I wasn’t trying to make her feel worse. I was just pissed at the situation; especially since I specifically asked her to get rid of it when Gio almost fell off of it right before I left for my road trip.

Before I could say anything else, there was a knock at the door, followed by the quiet creak of it opening.

I turned my head just in time to see him walk in. Tall. Dark-skinned. Clean-cut. Wearing navy blue scrubs with a doctor’s badge clipped to his pocket.

"Serenity," he greeted her with a small nod and a knowing stare before turning to me. "You must be Mr. Langston. I’m Dr. Carter—I’ve been treating your daughter tonight."

I glanced over at Serenity, observing her body language, which was slightly off.

“You using first names. They teach you that in medical school?”

“Nah—I just…” he glanced over at Serenity again. “Serenity and I go way back.”

“Oh yeah?” Again, I looked over at Serenity who was avoiding my eyes. “What did you say your name was?”

He held up his badge slightly so I could see it. “Dr. Carter, Iman Carter.”

I felt my stomach tighten. I’d never met him before, but I didn’t need to. I’d heard enough about him.His name used to come up all the time when Serenity and I were just friends, back when she was still with him.

I kept my face blank, just listening, but internally my mind was racing.

"She’s doing well," Iman continued, glancing at his chart. "The break is clean, no fractures outside of the initial injury. We’ve set her arm, and she’ll be in a cast for the next six to eight weeks. She should heal just fine with minimal complications."

Serenity sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Iman nodded before finally looking at me. "Nice to meet you man. Sorry it’s under these circumstances."

I nodded once, not offering my hand, not offering much of anything. "Yeah. Thanks for taking care of our daughter."

His lips pressed into a tight smile. "Of course." With that, he excused himself, leaving Serenity and me standing in tense silence. As soon as the door clicked shut, I turned to her.

"You gotta be kidding me," I muttered.

Serenity sighed. "Creed?—"

"You telling me out of all the doctors in this city, our kid just happened to get treated by your ex?"

She frowned. "I didn’t know he worked here. You think I planned this?"

I dragged a hand over my head. "I don’t know what the hell to think."

Her expression softened. "Creed, don’t do this. Not now. Not here."

She was right. I needed to focus on Cree.

I swallowed my petty ass thoughts and nodded. "Yeah aight. Let’s just get through tonight."

She exhaled in relief. "Thank you."

For the rest of the night, we stayed by Cree’s side, both of us silent, but my mind? It was loud as hell.

A few nights later I came back from the gym, heading straight to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. I heard Serenity before I even saw her. She was standing at the counter, her back to me, holding her phone to her ear. Her voice was soft, almost playful in a way that made my skin itch.

"You’re ridiculous," she laughed lightly. "You always were, though."

I froze in place, brows furrowing.

Then she said, "Okay, fine. One date. Just to catch up."

My grip tightened around the water bottle. No. The hell. She didn’t.

I took a slow step forward, making my presence known. She glanced over her shoulder, her smile fading slightly when she saw me. "Alright, I’ll text you later. Bye, Iman." I watched as she hung up, placing her phone face down on the counter before taking a sip from the glass of wine in front of her.

I folded my arms, leaning against the fridge. "So that’s what we doing?"

Serenity sighed, turning to face me fully. "Creed, please."

"You really about to double back to that nigga?"

"Why do you care?"

I stared at her, my jaw clenching. Why did I care? Because it was Iman. Because it was her. Because I was still too deep in whatever this was between us.

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "Whatever. Do what you want."

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, I plan to."

She grabbed her phone and walked out leaving me standing in the kitchen feeling played as hell.

Later that night, after I put the kids to bed and took a shower my phone started going crazy with notifications from Twitter and Instagram. I clicked on Instagram and I didn’t have to look in my notifications to see what was going on as the post from Tea & Honey was the first thing I saw.

I clicked on the link in their post and was directed to the Tea and Honey website.

Creed Langston’s Women Are Fighting on X—and We Have the Exclusive Tea

Posted by Tea & Honey Staff | 9:44 PM PST

Whewwwww, chile. Looks like Serenity Bradshaw and Jailah Miller have had enough of playing nice—or pretending to. The two women tied to NBA superstar Creed Langston are going tweet for tweet on Twitter, and Tea & Honey is sipping every last drop.

If you’ve been keeping up, you already know Creed was recently traded to the LA Clippers, moved in temporarily with his baby mama Serenity, and ever since... the internet has been watching Jailah’s timeline like a primetime soap.

But tonight? Serenity clapped back—and let’s just say, baby girl had time.

I want to know what receipts she has, let’s see them sis

Within minutes, #CreedLangston, #Creenity and #QweenJai were all trending—and the fan theories are spiraling. Some are dragging Jailah for being “pressed,” while others are defending her for “fighting for her man.” But most folks? Rooting for the OG couple.

Let’s be real: Creed and Serenity have history, a child, and chemistry we all saw at that Clippers game last week. The way she was wearing his jersey courtside? Jailah would never.

No word yet from Creed himself (per usual), but sources tell us he’s “not happy” about the drama and “tried to get Jailah to chill on socials.” Clearly, that didn’t work. Maybe since Serenity has actually tagged him, he’ll actually make it happen this time.

All we know is… it’s getting messy, and Tea & Honey will be here for every drop.

Stay sweet. Stay shady. Stay tuned. See their tweet exchange below…