Ashanti Renèe Lawson, NY📍

"That's mommy's." I said taking my drink away from Aqua.

"Mommy no." She snatched it and turned her back so I couldn't get it.

"Jay come get your child!"

"Mommy botherin you?" He asked walking in. He picked her up and she laid on his shoulder, givin me a death stare.

"Ion know who you lookin at like that luh girl."

"Look at you mad at a child." Jay said laughin. "Now you gettin the taste of ya own medicine she act jus like you."

I rolled my eyes as I continued to put stuff in my purse.

"You goin ova there again?"

"We." I said putting it on my shoulder.

"We at they house more than our own."

"Yea well Jo'naes pregnant. She was by my side my whole pregnancy so WE gon be by hers."

———

"I'm home!" I yelled once we walked through the door.

"Hey hey." Jo'nae said walking to us. "Hey TT baby." She said reaching for Aqua.

"No." She turned her back on her.

"That's why your head is big."

"Ayeee twinemmm!" Demarcus said walking in the room. Aqua reached for him.

We rolled our eyes and sat on the couch.

"Ya heard from Nicole?"

I looked over at Jay and he looked just as confused as me. "Nah why what happened."

"She's not answerin her phone, or text messages."

"Did she ever go home yesterday?" I asked Jo'nae.

"We don't know. Last thing she told me was she was going out right quick."

"She's a grown woman we don't gotta know her every move." I said getting up to go to the kitchen. Jo'nae and Jay followed me.

"Who made these?" I asked pulling a tray of cookies towards me.

"Demarcus."

"Never mind." I said pushing it away as Jay laughed.

"Yo!" We heard Demarcus yell from the living room. "Ya might want to come look at this shit."

We walked in the living room and saw Nicole's face on the TV.

I took the remote from Demarcus and turned it up.

Reporting Live in Newark NJ where a 20 yr old woman by the name of Nicole Simmons was brought into custody after the murder of 22 year

old Rachel Stevens. Some people may know Rachel from her Youtube channel she has. Police still search for the suspects motive to the

murder. Neighbors say early in the morning they woke up to the sound of gun shots and a person walking out the home in all black. The police caught Nicole in the dead-end jus 30 feet away from the apartments. As details come in we will keep you guys updated back to Samantha in the studio.

"That answer ya question?" Jay asked Jo'nae.

"Uh oh." Aqua whispered pointing to the tv.

"Well that wasn't expected." I said tossing the remote on the couch.

———

"Let's go out or something." I said to them as we played Uno at the table.

"Where ya wanna go?" Demarcus asked.

I looked at Jo'nae. "Where you wanna go?"

"Friday's." We all agreed and got up to leave.

———

"Mama." Aqua said as I put her in her car seat.

"Yea baby." She pointed to her mouth. "Yea we leavin to eat right now pooh."

"Here want some of uncle candy." He asked tryna give her skittles." I snatched it out his hand and threw it on the grass behind me.

"No!" Aqua whined.

"Why would you try to give her that when she's about to go eat?"

"You jus- you're mean." I rolled my eyes and closed her door before getting in the car.

———

"You want some french fries?" I asked Aqua pointing at them on the menu. She nodded. "Okay."

"Skiddle." She said wit a frown.

"You're not gettin those right now your getting food."

"Daddy skiddle." She said turning to him.

"What mommy say?" She huffed and sat with her arms crossed.

Once we ordered our food the waitress came around with our plates.

"What ya plan on doing for ya nursery?" I asked Jo'nae as I squirted ketchup on Aqua's plate.

"I don't know yet. But all I know is that I want her name to be on the wall above her crib."

"What ya plannin on namin her?" Jay asked.

"Kiery or Kiara."

"If ya were to have twins that would be perfect names for them."

"Mama." Aqua said pointing to her juice. I handed it to her and turned back to Jo'nae.

"Ya givin babygirl a middle name?" I asked.

"I don't know yet. It took us so long to figure out what we wanted her first name to be we might not." She said laughing.

We sat and talked about the baby as we ate.

"Ma you gon let ya dad see her?" Demarcus asked.

"Fuck no." She said not looking up.

"Oh speakin of dads I haven't heard from mine in a minute. I hope he's okay in there." I said reaching for a napkin.

"What's wrong wit ya pops?" Demarcus asked.

"He's sick. He told me a bad fever was going around the prison. He's already old so I know it hit him different."

"He gon be aight bae." Jay said rubbin my back.

I nodded and continued to eat.

———

"You tired?" I asked Aqua as we walked in our house. She nodded.

"Go head and take her to her room. I'll put these up." He said taking the to go bag out my hand.

I cuddled her in my arms as I walked up the stairs to her room. I laid her down so I can put on her pjs. She gave me a kiss goodnight and fell asleep. I left out her room and closed the door behind me.

"She sleep?" Jay asked as he got undressed. I nodded. He went to the bathroom and I sat at my vanity to take my makeup off.

———

I walked out the bathroom from taking a shower and grabbed the lotion off my nightstand.

"You & Aqua should go here." He said sliding his phone to me. I looked at it and it was a mommy daughter spa.

"That's cute. It's back home in New York. Ion think I'm ready to take her that far yet." I rubbed the lotion over my arms and legs before putting my bonnet on.

"I'll go wit ya ofc. Jus so you feel safe." I got in the bed and laid on his chest. I kissed his lips and put my face in his neck.

He rubbed my back as I began to fall asleep.

"Mama." I looked up at Jay and he was looking towards Aqua's room. "Mama." She said again in a whining voice.

I pulled the blankets off me and walked to her room. When I opened the door she was standing up in her crib.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleep baby?" I asked her, turning her light on.

She reached up for me to pick her up. I lifted her out her bed and fixed her bonnet on her head.

"Daddy." She said pointing. I laughed and turned the light off as I walked out the room.

"She wants her daddy now." I said passing her to Jay.

"Ain't you supposed tuh be sleep luh girl."

"That's what I said."

He laid her between us and we told her stories until she fell asleep.

"I'm so tired. I said pulling the blanket up on me."

"Go to sleep. Imma book ya appointment."

I smiled and closed my eyes. Within seconds my ass was knocked.