Final chapter. Enjoy.
Your divorce has now been granted by court.
Selena finally let out the breath that she's been holding in since they decided to get a divorce. It was bittersweet. Of course she was going to miss him and she still loved him, but this was a new start for her and it was what's best.
The kids still didn't know how to handle it. It was hitting them harder than she thought it would. They weren't coming out of their rooms and they haven't been to school in two days. Selena was trying her to best to understand, so she gave them time.
Pushing Dylan's bedroom door open, she seen him and Naomi sitting on the soft chairs that were designed with his favorite video game characters.
Taking their eyes off the television screen, Selena walked in and sat on the bed. "Hey, you two. I think we need to have a talk." She said, grabbing the remote and turning the volume down.
Without getting word in, Naomi started the conversation. "Can we see Daddy?" Her brown eyes soft and her lips frowning.
Selena nodded. "Yeah babe, you guys can get packed later on and I'll call him to pick you up."
"You still love each other, right?" Dylan asked, grabbing one of his trucks and tossing it back and forth between his hands.
"Of course we do. Daddy and I just have a lot going on right now and we just need to think about things. You'll still see him whenever he isn't working and you guys can go over to his new house where he has a playground and a pool and new bedrooms for you guys, doesn't that sound fun?"
"Is it because I don't clean my room?" Dylan questioned, guilt clear in his voice.
Selena softly smiled. "No, it's not. It's not your guy 's fault. It's on me and your father. That's it. And we'll schedule things so that you two aren't late for your boxing or ballet class. Everything is going to work out fine. Okay?"
Dylan and Naomi nodded.
Opening her arms, Dylan and Naomi hugged their mother, still confused about what was going on, but trusting her that everything would be okay.
Jack followed the brunette around in an empty building that was soon to be where his business would exceed.
"This would be the perfect place for the nightclub you are planning to open up. It has an outside space in the back, two floors, more open space, and we can add in a few poles over in the upper corner." She said, pointing at the second floor.
Jack chuckled. "It's not a strip club. It's just a regular bar and club. There will be dancers, they just won't be stripping."
"Oh, pardon me then." She giggled. "But it's all yours if you want it."
Jack took one last look around the spot then nodded his head with a small smirk. "Yeah. I want it."
An Hour Later.
Jack flipped through the channels of the tv, doing everything to keep his mind off of Selena. Still not knowing how to feel about it.
Each time he did think about her, he wanted to call Bianca and Rich up to snort the nose candy he's been craving, but he couldn't fuck up or he wouldn't be able to see his kids.
That's why he was building his own business. To keep him busy whenever he wasn't in the studio, but the time between those two things, he just sat and did meaningless things like watch tv shows that had no point to it.
When he heard the doorbell ring, Jack turned the tv off and walked over to the door, opening it to see the musician he created. "Hey." He muttered to the green eyed girl who was running her hand through her black braids.
"Hey." Kiana chirped, walking in and shutting the door behind her. "Thanks for giving me this opportunity."
The both of them took a seat on the couch. Jack nodded. "Yeah. We're gonna have to schedule your nights." He told her, pulling out papers that were stapled together and starting to scan the words as he flipped through them.
Kiana brows furrowed. "I thought I was performing every night?"
Jack's gaze broke from the papers as he looked up at her. "I never said that. It's a club. You should be happy that I even let you perform."
"Then why am I doing this if I can't do it every night?"
Jack closed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose as he huffed. "You're an upcoming artist. My upcoming artist, so you have to have some kind of beginning and you need to humble yourself. On Sunday's and Wednesday's, the club will be a lounge and it'll just be you and some other R&B and soul artists. That's the plan."
"But you just said that I have to schedule my nights."
"And now I'm saying something else. You can either do it like that or don't do it at all." Jack leaned back into the cushions. "It's your choice and it's your career."
Kiana rolled her eyes and let out a hefty sigh. "Can you hand me the pen?"
Jack grabbed a pen off the table and slid the paper her way. Watching her read over it and sign every other page, she asked, "Are you okay? You seem a little grouchy."
"I just got a divorce, I don't know what you expect me to be."
Kiana's hand came to a stop as she gazed up at Jack. "It's official?"
Jack nodded. "Unfortunately."
Kiana sat the pen down the table and met eyes with him. "Unfortunately? I thought you wanted a divorce."
"I did. Then I didn't. Now it doesn't matter."
Kiana hesitantly covered his hand with hers, getting an immediate glance from Jack, but neither one of them moved. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah. I'm supposed to see her today when I pick up the kids. Highly doubt that we'll even talk about anything besides the kids. It's whatever though." He then slid his hand from under hers. "Don't start thinking I'm on the market either. I'm not looking for anyone new."
"I guess you still love her, huh."
"Always will."
Selena bit her lip-glossed bottom as her fingers drummed against the wooden table. "I don't think so, Adam." She began as she gazed into the pair of hazel eyes across from her. "I just got out of a divorce. You have to understand that I'm not ready."
Adam stroked his scruff. "Okay, fine. I just thought I could help."
Selena shook her head. "I just lost someone who I thought was the love of my life. Who is the love of my life. There's no helping. You just have to be patient and whenever I'm ready, then maybe."
Adam smiled. "Cool. I guess I can wait."
"Thank you." She said, patting his hand.
Dylan and Naomi walked into the kitchen with plastic bags in their hands. "Ready." They chimed.
Selena moved her hand from Adam's and stood up from the table. "Do you guys want a sandwich before going over there?" She asked.
"I do." Naomi accepted as Dylan shook his head and doing so, catching a quick glance of Adam who was still sitting at the table.
"Who are you?" Dylan questioned, a hint of bitterness to his voice, not used to seeing a man around his mother that wasn't Jack or family.
Selena's head snapped up from the sandwich she was starting to prepare for Naomi. "Dylan, you know better than to address someone like that." She scolded.
Adam chuckled as he stood up from the table. "I'm Adam." He greeted, walking over to the counter and sticking out his hand.
Dylan only stared at his hand before saying, "I hope you aren't trying to date my mom and take my dad's spot, cause if you are then I already don't like you."
Selena set the butter knife on the counter and gave him the "mom" look that he and Naomi knew all too well. "Dylan, you're one more word away from a spanking. Stop being rude."
Adam rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that Dylan didn't shake as he nervously laughed. "Um, I see I overstayed my welcome. I'll see you at work, Sel."
Forming a forced tight smile, Selena waved with the knife. "Bye." Once Adam left, her eyes cut over at Dylan who had started playing games on his portable game console. "Dylan, you know better than to act like that. What's wrong with you?"
Dylan set his console on the counter. "I don't want to see you with someone else besides dad."
Selena slid the sandwich over to Naomi who was now visibly upset. "Mom, we aren't getting a new dad are we?"
"No, you aren't. You're going to your dad's house in a few minutes. You're not getting a new father. Adam and I are just friends. There's nothing to worry about."
Selena's phone vibrated against the counter. "Did you guys get stuff to keep over your dad's house for whenever you go over there?" She asked, picking up the phone to see a text from her mom.
Mama: Good news, baby. Your cousin is your match. Bad news is that she doesn't want to do it, but once she gets to know you, I'm sure she will. We just have to try to get her to do it. It'll be okay though ? - 3:47 p.m.
As soon as Jack hung up the fourth business call about his new club, his phone dinged. Groaning, he grabbed it back off the table and checked the text from Selena.
Selena: They're ready to go. Plus I have kind of exciting news to tell you. - 3:52 p.m.
They just had a divorce that was finalized this morning. What possibly could happen that made her excited? Why wasn't she hurt like he was? He thought it was comedy about how much she victimized herself, but was always the one to move on the fastest.
Jack grabbed his keys off the table then walked to the door. Opening it, and almost stumbling over something on the porch that wasn't supposed to be there.
A set of bright and innocent green eyes stared up at Jack. It wasn't crying or smiling. It just stared at him, just as clueless as he was.
This was supposed to be someone's bundle of joy, and now they abandoned him on a strangers doorstep with a thin blanket wrapped around it's pink skin.
Jack reached down to grab the carseat and bring the baby inside, but a piece of paper attached to it blew gently along with the wind.
He set the carseat inside then pulled the note off, and read it, leaving a flood of emotions running through his body.
Remember a year ago after one of your shows in the hotel room? This is what happened. I took care of her for months. It's your turn.
~ Alana
Hope you enjoyed this book and I hope you guys return for the next one. I won't keep y'all waiting long.