Sebastian and Nina were doing last-minute Christmas shopping when Nina had a thought.

"Baby, did you notice how weird our mom and dad were at dinner?" she mentioned.

Sebastian gave it some thought. He noticed that his mother was less chatty than usual and Mr. Freeman stared at her all night.

"Meh...Kinda, but I didn't think anything of it," He admitted.

"So you didn't think the flirtation between our parents was anything?" she asked.

Sebastian laughed, "Nah, men are always flirting with my mama. She's fine like wine, " He said in jest.

"Oh dear God! They're gonna hook up aren't they? " She said, freaking out.

"Whoa! Whoa! I didn't say all that. I mean mama probably thought your dad was cute which is why she was acting all nervous and shy," Nina's eyes became wider as he went on. "And I'm sure your dad found her attractive, but I highly doubt they would actually hook up," he said truthfully.

"But he was kind to her and he's not kind to anyone," she stressed.

"He probably didn't want to spoil your evening. You asked him to behave and he did. He was actually decent compared with what I experienced the first time I met him," said Sebastian.

"I don't know something is up" Nina said, jumping into conclusions.

"Babe, What's the big deal. You told me you were scared he would embarrass you in front of Mom. You told him yourself, you wanted him to be polite,"Sebastian reminded her.

"Do you think I'm overreacting? " She asked.

"Yes, baby," he said truthfully.

She sighed profoundly. She hates and loves Sebastián's honesty.

"I can't stand it when you're right," she says.

"I'm always right, " he laughs. "But all jokes aside, You know your father and you've met my mama. Do you seriously think they would hook up? No offense, but your dad's mean as fuck and my mom's the opposite. I highly doubt that would work" Sebastian mentioned.

Nina nodded " Yeah...your mom is definitely not dad's type. She is so extroverted, and free spirit while he is introverted and up-tight. Moreover, he hates Christmas he is like the Grinch " she chuckles.

"And Mama is like the Mariah Carey of Christmas " Sebastian said which Made Nina laugh hysterically.

"Yes, indeed. Did you see my Dad's face when she pulled out the presents? I thought that he was going to have a heart attack!" She exclaimed.

"Mama is extra, especially this morning when she made us wake up and open more gifts," Sebastian mentioned.

After dinner, Sebastian and Nina choose to spend the night at Jazmine while Huey spends the night at the hotel. Nina was surprised when she woke up and heard Christmas music. Jazmine had fed them a large breakfast and forced them to open their gifts. In spite of the terrible Christmas music, Nina truly enjoyed the experience.

Nina has a smile on her face. "That actually was really nice. Your mother is so wonderful, I love her"

Sebastian kissed her cheek. "She loves you as well," he says. "Now, can we take a break from shopping for a while. My arms are killing me,' he exclaimed, referring to the dozen or so bags in his hands.

Nina rolled her eyes, "sure," she said. "Let's go get some lunch," she suggested.

Sebastian hung his head back "Thank you Jesus" he said dramatically.

"Oh, don't exaggerate!" "She giggled.

As they moved toward the food court, Sebastian continued to think about tonight's proposal. He anticipated everything and wanted it to be perfect.

He knew Nina loved him just as much as he loved her, but he couldn't deny how nervous he was.

Jazmine was tidying up when she heard the bell. She rushed to the door, presuming it was Nina and Sebastian, but when she opened the door, she was surprised to see Huey Freeman standing on her doorstep.

Her eyes widened. " Huey.. Um... why are you here? She didn't mean to be rude, but it was 10 o'clock in the morning and she was still in her pyjamas.

How embarrassing.

Huey was swept away by her tone and a little hurt, but he looked at her seriously.

"We have to talk," he said in a forthright manner.

Jazmine sighed profoundly. She knew it was necessary, but she would lie if she said she wasn't scared.

"Of course, come on in," she said, politely.

Jazmine sat down on the couch fidgeting with her fingers nervously as Huey paced back and forth like a lunatic.

"Will you please sit down, you're making me nervous, " she finally said.

She overheard him sighing and he sat beside her.

"Jazmine, we have to tell the kids about our history together " He said, getting to the point.

"What! No! " She exclaimed.

"Why not?" he inquired.

"Well, because it was a thing of the past. We should put it behind us," said Jazmine.

Huey felt his heart bleed. "This is what you think of me as "the past," he said, insulted.

""Hmm.. Let me see, I haven't seen or spoken to you in the PAST 20 years, so yeah. "

"Right," he nodded his head. "That's correct, but I don't think it's fair to lie to them either. What are we going to do when the truth comes out?

Jazmine sighed. "You have a point, Huey." We should tell them the truth. Just not right now. I'm not sure if you're aware, but my son intends to ask Nina to marry him. I don't want our story to eclipse this moment," she said.

"I'm conscious of that and to be honest, I don't think getting engaged is a good idea right now," he said.

Jazmina folded her arms. "Why not? You don't like my son? You don't believe my son is good enough to marry your daughter? "She said, getting upset.

"That isn't the case. I don't dislike your son, however, I think it's too soon. They must be realistic about their decisions. " He Argued.

Jazmine rolled her eyes "Let me guess. You think they should put more emphasis on their careers."

His eyebrows frothing at his sarcasm. "That's precisely what I'm saying, besides, they don't know what the future holds for them. They might want different things. For instance, Sebastian wants to start a family, which I know Nina doesn't even like kids." Huey pointed out.

Jazmine infuriated a sigh. After all those years, he hasn't changed a bit. "A man once told me he would never get married and have kids yet, He ended up becoming what he said he never be"

His eyes looked at her with so much guilt.

His eyes mellowed "Jazmine I'm sorry"

"You don't have to apologize, Huey." Jazmine stopped him. "We were both young and we didn't know what would happen in the future. I don't hold it against you. You weren't ready and I forced your hand. It's me who's sorry. I realized a long time ago that it just wasn't meant to be and I've accepted that" Jazmine said. Inside she wanted to tell him badly it still hurt, but felt it would be immature.

It hurts to hear her say it wasn't meant to be. He never meant to leave her, it's the biggest mistake of his life. The fact that she claimed to have accepted it simply meant that she had moved on, but why can't he?

"I'm glad you settled down. Fatherhood suits you just fine," said Jazmine, changing the subject.

"I can say the same for you, in fact, you haven't aged one bit, you're still the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on" He said, wanting to touch her skin.

Jazmine blushes "thank you, you're not so bad yourself," she said in a flirty way.

It was his turn to blush.

"Thanks, it's good to know I still have it," he said with a smirk.

"I didn't say all that" She said, teasingly.

"Oh, I'm confident I still do." He said,

"Why is that Freeman?" She said, biting her lip a little.

"Because I still have the power to make you blush," he said as her face turned red.

"Don't force me to kick you out of my house, Freeman," she says, nudging him playfully.

He arched his brow. "DuBois, is that the way you treat your guests?" he joked.

"This is the way I treat an unexpected guest," she said with a smirk.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Woman, you're something else, you know that?"

"I am," said she, looking at him with a stare he couldn't resist.

He ended up lost in her beautiful vivid green eyes. He missed them so much. All he wanted was her sweet lips against his, but he didn't want to be rejected. He was also mindful of his daughter's feelings.

Jazmine really wanted to melt into his strong arms and tell him how much she still loved, but she needed to remember that it wasn't about her anymore.

Her son is madly in love with his daughter. She couldn't have her heart meddling with her son's heart.

The intensity of his eyes was so intense that she had to look the other way. It was an awkward moment, then Huey cleared his throat "So, do we have an understanding?," he said, trying to focus on the real reason he came here.

"Yes, we'll tell them when the time is right " Jazmine said.

Huey nodded in agreement. "Okay"

"Great! I am happy that we are able to form a compromise! "Jazmine said with enthusiasm.

"Yes, I am, too," he said sighing.

That would be tough.

"I should actually go now," he announced.

Jazmine felt inner disappointment because she wanted him to stay longer.

"Yes, my parents should be here any minute," she said.

His eyes widened: "Mr. and Ms. DuBois is coming to the Christmas dinner?!"

"Yes, family tradition. "Jazmine said proudly.

"Jazmine, how in the world are we going to keep a secret if your parents are present? As soon as they discover who Nina belongs to, they will ask questions," he exclaimed..

"I know, " she sighed. "I know, That's why I asked Mom and Dad to come earlier. I want them prepped before they formally meet with Nina. I'm going to make sure they understand that it's incumbent upon us to tell the kids."

Huey rubbed his beard while thinking. He wasn't certain it would work.

"Let me see your phone " She randomly said.

"What," he said in confusion.

"Freeman, would you give me the goddamn phone please," she demanded.

He immediately reached for his phone and handed it to her. She used his face to unlock it, then she began typing.

"What are you doing?" He panicked a bit.

"I am giving you my cell phone number," she said as his brows raised. " In case you want to discuss this matter a bit more. " She explained. "I want you to call, especially if you're thinking about coming back. I don't want you coming here unexpectedly unless it's to see Nina,' said Jazmine.

He seemed a little offended until she said, "I don't want them to suspect anything."

"Right, I apologize on my behalf" Huey apologized. "I was up all night trying to figure this out. I couldn't help myself," he admitted.

"I know," said Jazmine. She knows how he felt because she lost sleep last night for the same reason.

She gave him his phone back and he put it into his pocket. She walked him towards the door. He had a last look at her.

"We'll talk soon," he said.

" Yes, we will, " she said, waving goodbye.

He nodded and turned to go, but a thought came into his mind and he turned.

"Jazmine?"

Her heart rushed "Yes?"

"Merry Christmas " he said with a smile.

She laughed, feeling warm inside. "Merry Christmas"

"Honey, are you alright? "Jazmine heard her mother's raspy voice. She and her mother, Sarah, were prepping presents for tonight's event. Jazmine began to think of Huey again.

"Yes, mother, I'm fine," she said, pretending to smile.

Sarah stared at her in disbelief, placing her hand on her hip. "Are you sure," she said, with her eyes turned towards Jazmine's hand.

Jazmine followed her gaze and looked down to see she had twisted up the gift wrap in her hands. She must have been thinking too hard.

"Oh, " she chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't realize," she said, and then she sighed.

Sarah was seated next to her. "Speak to me," she said.

Jazmine sighed again, "Do you remember when I told you I was meeting Sebastian's girlfriend?" she mentioned.

"Ah yes, this was yesterday. How did that go? " Sarah asked.

"It turned out fine. She's such an intelligent, beautiful young lady. I really like her," said Jazmine.

"Alright, then what's the problem, Hun?" Sarah asked.

"Well, you know, how I told you she was bringing her father with her which is the first time Sebastian had met him," Jazmine confirmed.

"Mhm," said Sarah, listening closely.

"I don't know how to say this, but that wasn't my first time meeting Nina's father," said Jazmine. Sarah stared at her in confusion.

"What are you trying to tell me?" she asked.

Jazmine sighed profoundly "Mom...Nina's dad is Huey Freeman"

"WHAT" Sarah gasped. "Huey Freeman has a kid?"

Jazmine nodded "Yes, and a wife, but unfortunately she died when Nina was ten"

"Wow" Sarah said, taken back. She pressed her lips together. " I don't understand. This was the primary reason for your breakup? " she said, cocking her head back. "He made such a big deal about not wanting marriage or children, then he went in, did it anyway? It doesn't make sense"

"It does, it was obvious he didn't want those things with me" Jazmine said, holding back tears.

Sarah was holding her hand on her chest. " Oh honey, I'm so sorry, " she said as she hugged her.

"It's alright Mom, " Jazmine said. "I got over it," she lied.

Sarah looked at Jazmine with incredulity. She knew she never moved on, that she could see the pain in her daughters' eyes.

"How did it go when you told the kids? " She asked.

"About that, " Jazmine twirled her curl nervously.

"Oh, my goodness! You haven't told them! " Sarah exclaimed.

"We'll tell them, but we discussed how it was best to tell them when the time was right. Sebastian plans to propose to Nina tonight and I don't want anything to interfere with that," said Jazmine.

Sarah shook her head "No, the right time is now! You have to tell them before he proposes! That way, they'll have time to figure it out. Your own feelings should also be taken into consideration. Do you realize you're still in love with that man? " Sarah exclaimed.

"I told you I had moved on, so did he. And it doesn't matter if we dated 20 years ago, all that matters is that Sebastian is in love with Nina and I'm not going to ruin that for him," said Jazmine.

"I hear you, Jazmine. I want what's best for Sebastian too, but he and Nina deserve to know what they're getting themselves into. What will you tell them when they find out about this? " She asked.

"We'll tell them the truth that he and I didn't work out and so we went on with our lives. That they have nothing to worry about that the relationship we had is in the past" Jazmine said.

Sarah stared at her with concern. "I don't want to see you hurt again," she said, which immediately made Jazmine want to cry.

"You won't be Mom, "she smiles sadly. "Huey and I have already established that putting the past behind us is the best thing for our kids"

"But did you think of what was best for you?" said Sarah.

"Sebastian's happiness is in my best interest," said Jazmine. "Can we please let it go?"

Sarah sighed, "All right, but you know when your dad gets back from the shop. I'm going to have to discuss this with him" she said.

"As long as you're the one to tell him. If it's not too much trouble. He'll be overly dramatic and I really don't want to talk about this anymore," Jazmine admitted.

"Okay, sweetie," Sarah said. "How has Tristan been? Will he be coming over for dinner too?

Jazmine glanced up. Despite the fact that she and Tristan didn't work out. His parents worshiped him and still hoped that they would be reconciled.

"Tristan is living his best life with his 25-year-old girlfriend," Jazmine confirmed.

Sarah scoffed in disgust. "You know that's not going to last. Believe or not he's going to come crawling back to you"

"Mom, we discussed this already. Tristan and I have moved on, we're just friends and it will remain that way" Jazmine said, dismissively.

Sarah raised her arms in defense. "Alright, I get it, " she said. "But you know, it's not too late to start dating again. That doesn't need to be with Tristan or Huey. Honey, you deserve happiness too! "

"I am happy," Jazmine protested. "I have everything I've always wanted"

"Everything but a husband, " Sarah remarked.

Jazmine sighed as she looked forward to a long day.

"Yo forreal?! "Riley yelled out. He grinned from cheek to cheek when his older brother told him that his niece's boyfriend was the son of Jazmine DuBois.

"Like a heart attack," said Huey, picking up a whiff of his vape pen. He never smoked as much weed as his brother, but today was necessary.

"Damn, that's wild as fuck," Riley said. "So what does she look like now? Is she still fine? "

Huey whistled and shook his head, "Fine is not even the word" he said. "It's like the older she got, the more stunning she became. Everything about her is so natural, and her body is the sexiest thing I have ever seen" He admitted, feeling a bit on his high.

"Damn, that's a bad Jawn" Riley shook his head. "So did you fuck her yet?" He asked. Huey stared at him like he was nuts.

"No and I don't intend to," he said, although he couldn't deny it was tempting. .

"Why not? " Riley asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because my daughter is dating her son and they're probably getting married soon which would be inappropriate," Huey said.

"And? What's that got to do with y'all fucking? Shit! Y'all beyond grown now. There's no harm in satisfying your needs. "Riley said immaturely.

Huey shook his head. "Everything isn't about sex Riley. Besides Jazmine has moved on. She wants us "in her words" to put the past behind us" he explained.

Riley taunted, "You can try to pretend if you want, but you can't deny the fact that you never stopped loving that woman." He pointed out.

"It doesn't matter how I feel about her. The most important thing is my daughter's happiness. You know as well as I do how sensitive Nina is about me and other women. It would hurt her," he acknowledged.

"So, what is the plan?" " Riley asked.

"Jazmine and I decided that we would let them know when the time was right," said Huey.

"See now. Y'all about to open up a can of worms" Riley said, disagreeing.

"What is this supposed to mean? " Huey asked.

'I think you should keep this shit between you and her. If it's a thing of the past, why take it to the future? Y'all said it doesn't matter right? Act like it doesn't matter," Riley advised.

"I don't know about that. It's like I'm lying to Nina and I hate lying to her," he said.

"Nigga you've already have! " Riley exclaimed. "But if you truly want to be honest with her then you're going to have to tell her the whole truth," he said.

"What are you referring to, Riley?" asked Huey.

"I'm talking about the fact that if Katherine never got sick, you would have gotten divorced. Matter fact, you wouldn't have even married her in the first place if she wouldn't have turned out pregnant " Riley revealed.

Huey covered his face in shame. He knew exactly what he was speaking of. Back when he and his wife Katherine were dating , he learned that Jazmine was getting married. He was determined to return to Woodcrest in an attempt to stop the wedding ceremony. He was hell-bent on getting Jazmine back, so he broke things off with his girlfriend. It was exactly at that moment that he purchased an engagement ring for Jazmine when Katherine told him she was pregnant.

In the moment, he was torn because he really wanted Jazmine back but he was going to become a dad and felt getting married to Katherine was the right thing to do.

Therefore he proposed to Katherine with the same ring he had purchased for Jazmine. He was devastated, but he decided it was best to let Jazmine go, again.

Nine years went by and he filed for divorce against his wife. He and she couldn't get along, which concluded the demise of their marriage. They ended up separating until the divorce was final. Nina was unaware of this, but they were planning to tell her.

During that time, He made it his mission to visit Woodcrest to see Jazmine. Despite the fact that she was probably happily married, he wanted to see her again. He knew it was a risk, but he just wanted to see if the connection was still there.

The universe was against him because as soon as he booked his flight, Katherine told him the terrible news that she had breast cancer.

He therefore interrupted the divorce and refunded his ticket. He focuses all of his time and money to pay his wife's chemotherapy. As a husband and father, he knew he had a duty to take care of his wife.

So he made up his mind to forget about Jazmine for good. Even though he and his wife's marriage improved, he never forgot about her.

A year later, his wife died and his only duty was to protect and be there for his daughter.

"Riley, I need you to promise that you will never mention this to Nina. She could never know about it," Huey seriously declared.

"I don't snitch," he said, offended.

"Thank you," He said.

"Whatever nigga, take my advice or leave it. The choice is yours, but if I were you. I would bust her ass one last time and take it to my grave," Riley joked hysterically.

Huey rolled his eyes. One thing he hated about his brother was that he thought with his penis that led him to frequently make irrational decisions. Not only did he cheat on Cindy throughout the marriage, but he has two kids by two different women with whom he had affairs. In total, he had ten children, eight of whom were with Cindy. The only reason Cindy remains is because she loved him too much to go.

He reflected on his situation with Jazmine and asked himself if he should reconsider telling the children the truth or not.

He wanted to be honest to his daughter, but a apart of him was afraid that how much of the truth would be told.

Jazmine's back, he realized Every time he try to get Jasmine back, something always stood in the way. He thought about when Jazmine said it wasn't meant to be.

Now his only daughter is in love with her son and this has left him with the impression that he should accept his reality.

It wasn't meant to be.