Guiding Light

[cedes-raquel]

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Happy Father's to my BFF! I am so grateful to have been able watch the man you've transformed in to. You took to fatherhood like a moth to a flame. You are the world's best father, best provider, and best confidant. Our children are so very lucky to have. We love you more than words can describe! xoxo -Sugar

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[cedes-raquel]

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I thought I knew love and then I became a mom! So grateful to have been chosen, each of you were an answered prayer. The purest and brightest pieces of me and your daddy's heart. So blessed to have my (not so) little family lol. It's truly my honor! ❤️️

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[cedes-raquel]

Samuel and Mercedes birthday gift to Drew for his 18th birthday!

Ford mustang GT 5.0

[cedes-raquel]

tba

Involved: Mercedes Jones and Theodore Brooks Time Frame: 

[cedes-raquel]

Can We Just Be Honest

INVOLVED: Mercedes Jones, Camila Jones-Austin, and Valentina Jones-Williams   LOCATION: Austin Residence - Nashville, Tennessee.  TIME FRAME: Saturday, March 14th, 2026.  NOTES: Mercedes reluctantly shows up to Camila’s house for a ‘sisters day’ after having not spoken to her sisters since their Bahamas trip, she finally tells Camila and Valentina that she is pregnant.  

Mercedes hoisted both of the gift baskets up from her back seat, balancing them in her left arm while she shut the car door with her right hand. She moved for the driver's seat, grabbing her purse tucking it under her right arm. She shut the car door with her hip and locked it before she sauntered her up the walk way towards Camila’s front door. Wrapping her arms around the baskets she was mindful of watching her step in her heels as she reached the front door. She pressed the doorbell and waited patiently for Camila to answer. She held the baskets in front of herself, if her large coat didn’t hide her bump she hoped the gifts could disguise her long enough for her to sit down. She hesitated on joining the two women today, she hadn’t spoken to either since their family trip. She didn’t think they had anything to talk about, she sure didn’t, she was owed an apology but she had a hunch she’d never get it. Aside from that, she wasn’t very excited about admitting that she’d been lying to them about Samuel either and she knew her announcement of her being pregnant would add to the drama. She knew how the both of them would react to the news but in this present moment of her life she couldn’t allow herself to dwell on the opinions of others. It was her life, she wanted to be with Samuel and she was more than happy to be growing their family. She didn’t owe anyone anything that weren’t her children and Samuel. 

Camila snorted, throwing her head back as she released a loud laugh. “I did not think this movie would be this bad I swear” she said looking over at Valentina. “But you do have to admit this is so entertaining, it reminds me of all the times momma forced us to watch Lifetime movies with her,” she said, shaking her head. She drank from her wine glass before sitting it down on the coffee table in front of them. The woman reached for a cracker and piece of cheese off the charcuterie board and she popped them into her mouth chewing happily. The doorbell chimed throughout the house and her eyes moved towards Valentina. “I know that can not be your sister?” she said with raised brows. “She didn’t even reply to my text message” she breathed, sliding herself to the edge of the couch, she stood up and stuffed her feet into her slippers. “Pause the movie” she directed Valentina with a finger pointed towards the tv, she walked around the large couch pulling her blouse down over her jeans. She could see Mercedes silhouette through her glass front door as she entered the foyer, sighing heavily to herself. She invited Mercedes over a week ago and never heard back. She assumed the woman was still mad at her but anyhow she showed. Camila knew she had to apologize or the day would easily be ruined. Licking her lips she finally unlocked the front door and opened it “I didn’t think you were going to show girl” she said eyeing the small gift baskets in her sisters hands as she moved to the side to let her in. 

Valentina shook her head looking up at the large screen “bad is an understatement girl this is a damn mess” she chuckled along with Camila. “If that is what you want to call it” she retorted, reaching for some popcorn she popped some of it into her mouth munching. As Camila spoke she looked over at her, a smirk on her lips, “she did make us watch these kinds of movies with her all the time” she agreed, visualizing the memory in her mind. When the doorbell rang Valetina looked up and behind them, she couldn’t see the front door from where she was but she was very curious of who it could be. “I doubt that, that is her” she said trying to be as positive as one could, she knew well enough to know that Mercedes was going to make them come to her. She was not going to come to them especially after all this time of them not contacting each other. As Camila got up from the couch, the woman reached for the remote and paused the movie. She put the popcorn bowl down on the coffee table and picked her wine glass up, taking several gulps from it before she sat it back down on the table near the bowl. Hearing Camila’s words from the couch the woman shifted in her seat, biting her lip. Part of her hoped Mercedes didn’t show she didn’t want to argue or duke it out today she just wanted to relax and hang out with her older sister. 

Mercedes watched Camila through the glass front door as the older woman unlocked it. She inhaled slowly as the door was opened and was held ajar for her, she took Camila in. Before responding she thought about what she wanted to say back to her before she said “I thought about not coming, but my father raised me better than that.” She  wouldn’t grant her mother the praise because the woman had not instilled anything but fear in them. She moved inside of the warm house, clicking her way into the foyer. Without it being mentioned to her she toed her heels off beside the other row of shoes, she was in Camila’s home she would respect the woman and play by her rules. 

Camila took her sister in, taking in her fuller face and she tilted her head at her. Her words were not a shock, Mercedes’ tongue was quick and almost always effective. She chuckled at her “mhm” she breathed with a shake of her head. When Mercedes entered the home Camila closed the front door and locked it shut behind them. “I got us set up in the living room, Val is already here but I am sure you know that already” she told her as she walked out of the foyer “you didn’t have to come bearing gifts you know.” 

Mercedes watched Camila as she rounded her and moved for the living room, she followed behind her. “Val” she breathed, that was the best she could come up with greeting wise. “I know, but I wanted to bring you both a little something, something” she said as she rounded the couch and sat the gift baskets on the coffee table. She looked up at the massive tv and furrowed her brows “Lifetime movies?” she snorted, amused a little by that. “Your mother loved those horrible ass movies” she told them both her eyes never leaving the tv as she lowered herself down on the couch with her coat still on. She sat her purse to the side before her eyes moved towards the other two women, brushing some bangs to the side. “So..” she said thinking of what to say next “Lifetime movies, wine, and snacks huh?” 

Valentina took Mercedes in, she looked well put together but she always seemed to. “Hi Mercedes” she replied back to her simply, she didn’t know why she was getting the cold shoulder. If anything Camila is who caused all the problems in the Bahamas she didn’t do anything or say anything wrong. She licked her lips seeing the baskets “those are cute” she smiled taking them in, she leaned forward and pulled the wine bottle out of the basket and read the label. “Fancy” she commented, grinning as she placed the bottle back down gently “thank you this is so cute” she complimented. At the mention of their mother Valentina snorted lightly “yes she did” she agreed, picking up a chip she popped it into her mouth munching lightly as she looked over at Camila. 

Camila lowered herself down on the couch once more, getting comfy in the seat she was in before. “Yes we wanted a nice relaxing day” she said to Mercedes, it was the truth. She eyed the baskets and looked over at Valentina, leaning in and reading the label “oh yeah we are popping that open next” she smiled happily it was nice of Mercedes to bring them something although she didn’t have to. The idea of her doing so made Camila shift uncomfortably in her seat, “I want to talk about what happened in the Bahamas but before we do that here let me get you some wine” she said to Mercedes. She reached for the empty glass and picked up the bottle of wine to pour some into it. 

“It’s nothing” she breathed, Mercedes brushed off the gifts she brought because in her mind they really weren't that deep. Camila’s words made her raise a brow, for this to be a day meant for relaxation talking about the Bahamas would not help with that she hoped Camila was aware. At the mention of pouring her some wine Mercedes said “oh no” with a head shake “no wine for me” she told Camila. She hadn’t thought of a lie to tell them, she could tell them the truth but then she didn’t know if she wanted to open up this quickly into the evening. 

Furrowing her brows Camila looked over at Valentina before she looked at Mercedes “girl, no wine?” she said confused “all we do when we get together is gossip and drink wine, what the hell are you going to drink?” she joked confused. She placed the glass back down on the coffee table as well as the wine bottle. “We haven’t talked in a long time, is everything okay?” she asked the woman thinking about their family trip and how Mercedes seemed to be under the weather. “I know you wouldn’t keep anything serious from us.”

Valentina's eyes met Camila’s, them drinking wine made up eighty percent of their relationship. Meeting up, drinking wine or cocktails, and eating were their shared hobbies. Her sister wasn’t an obsessive drinker but she had never known her to pass up a drink before. Val reached for a grape and popped it into her mouth chewing on it slowly as her eyes moved between both her older sisters. 

“Yes everything is fine” Mercedes said to Camila, she didn’t like the idea of everyone jumping to a horrible conclusion when it came to her and her health. “There is nothing wrong with me” she breathed, sighing heavily. “Look I know what you are going to say about the Bahamas trip… and we do need to talk about it…but…”

“Don’t” Camila said holding up her hand “I was in the wrong, I was out of line, and out of place” she told her honestly. “I didn’t mean those things I hope you know that” she confessed. Though there was little truth in that statement, she envied her sister’s life but she damn sure wouldn’t tell Mercedes that. She didn’t know why she did, she lived a comfortable life she guessed if there was anything she envied it was her sisters confidence and strength, neither was forced it came natural. “I know I hurt you with what I said” she said placing her hands on her chest “we all have a horrible habit of not coming to the other sister and apologizing and I should have apologized sooner but… it doesn’t matter why I didn’t. Just know I am sorry” she told her. 

Valentina nodded her head at Mercedes' confirmation, she was relieved to know nothing was wrong with the woman. They could be at each other’s throats all the time that didn’t mean she wanted to see either of the sisters going through anything. When Camila apologized Val grabbed another grape and popped it into her mouth munching quietly. When the woman was done speaking she said “I don’t know if I did anything that night to hurt you but I am sorry to, I didn’t think you really cared about Valentine's Day to be honest. You never seem to care about much… well it never looks like much bothers you. I really assumed you liked being alone and was perfectly fine thriving that way” she shrugged lightly. 

Mercedes looked between Camila and Valentina, their apologies were pointless to her because she knew there wasn’t much truth in either. Where she would have argued her point further in the past at the moment she didn’t care to. She nodded her head at them both and said “it’s fine, it is not like I have been one-hundred percent truthful these days anyway. I need to confess something” she said, sighing to herself. She told herself she just needed to rip the bandaid off and get it over with. “I have been keeping something from you” she told them as she stood up and pulled her coat off, sitting it to the side. 

She raised a brow at Mercedes, the simple way she brushed off their apologies confusing her. She knew Mercedes had more to say, it could not be as simple as them apologizing and she accepting it. When the woman said she’d been keeping something from them and stood up, Camila’s brows furrowed. She didn’t know what to think, she figured she was about to show them something but what she could not guess. Mercedes removed her coat revealing what she knew to be a baby bump. “There is no way” Camila said shocked “Mercedes what the hell?” she added. She knew her sister hadn’t been seeing anyone so how could the woman be pregnant? It didn’t make any sense to her at all. Mercedes wasn’t a one night stand type of woman and if she did Camila knew her sister to be smarter then that, there was no way she would have slept with a man without protection. 

Valentina licked her lips and reached for a cracker placing it into her mouth. She looked into Mercedes eyes chewing slowly, she watched the woman stand up from her seat and remove her heavy coat. Her mind hadn’t even considered how odd it was that she didn't take her fur coat off when she first entered the home. When Mercedes revealed the secret she wanted to tell them, Valentina eyebrows rose to her hairline. Camila vocalized her thoughts with precision, she couldn’t get her thoughts together quick enough to do so herself. “Mercedes, are you pregnant?” she finally asked fully, maybe she and Camila were assuming the wrong thing. Her sister had the right to pick up some weight if she desired. Maybe they were jumping to conclusions. 

Mercedes looked at them both and lowered herself back down on the couch. “Yes, I am pregnant” she said nodding her head “I wasn’t honest with you guys when you confronted me about New York. I lied. I slept with Samuel then” she said looking at Camila solely. “But it wasn’t the first time, it started that December," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t want your criticism, I don’t want it now!” she said her voice stone as she spoke. “But you have the right to know, just like everyone else did and I wanted to be the one to tell you, not anyone else” she said as she looked at them again. “I already know what you are thinking so you don’t have to say it,” she said, shaking her head. “I was not planning on a pregnancy obviously, I wasn’t even planning on the sex, but it happened. And I would be a fool to have pretended that I didn’t miss Samuel, because of course I did” she rambled. “So we are pregnant, it’s twins, and we are back together so…. there.” 

Camila tilted her head as Mercedes spoke, her eyebrows increasingly turning downward as disappointment danced across her face. “All this arguing we’ve been doing and for what, all because you couldn’t admit that I was right?” her voice boomed. “I knew you were going to do this. I told you, you were going to do this. I just didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to do something so damn drastic like get pregnant by him too. Mercedes, you are forty-six years old, your youngest child is eighteen, what the hell are you doing?” she asked her. “Not to mention that last time I checked Samuel was very much so dating Miranda so…” she paused, a chuckle leaving her as she connected every dot that didn’t make sense in the last couple months. “You’ve be fucking that man while he is with Miranda? I thought you were anti-side bitch what happened?” she preached, she didn’t mean to mother either one of her sisters but if she didn’t do it then who would? Neither seemed to make sensible decisions in life and she was always the one they came running to when they needed a shoulder to lean on, it was exhausting. 

Valentina licked her lips slowly, her eyes growing wide as Mercedes spelt it all out for them both. “What about-” she started but Camila cut her off. The woman was pissed no doubt about that. Valentina would have to admit that Mercedes had been going toe-to-toe with them since Camila confronted her only for Camila to have been right this whole time it was a slap to the face. It wasn’t fair if you asked her. Mercedes knew they didn't want Samuel on the trip to the Bahamas, yet she forced them to be around the man all for what? Because they were secretly sleeping with each other, the idea actually was starting to piss Valentina off now too. Despite that fact, she didn’t care much about the Samuel angle as much as she cared about what this meant as a whole. How could she and Samuel be having his babies if he was with Miranda? 

“I just said I don’t want your criticism Camila, do your ears work?” she asked her seriously as she scrunched her face in a display of annoyance. Mercedes raised one brow up at Camila, her statement was only partly true, they had not been just fighting about her and Samuel though. There were other things that had been tossed into the mix but Mercedes would let the woman have it because she knew the woman was upset with her. After Camila was done tearing into her she asked simply “why can’t you be happy for me?” she was just curious. She wanted to set Camila up to tell the real reason she was angry here, the one she'd drawn a conclusion to in the Bahamas, she was jealous of her. “No matter how mad you get and what you say I am pregnant by him and I am having the babies so why not choose to be happy instead of mad?” 

Camila bit her tongue, she wanted to respond to Mercedes but she chose not to. Shaking her head at the woman's question she said “this is not the thing to be jumping up and down about girl, are you crazy?” she asked her seriously. “You are pregnant by a man who is dating another woman. What the hell is there to celebrate in that?” she asked next. “Not to mention again, you are forty-six years old… your health. Have you thought about that? As your sister my first line of concern is your mental and physical health Mercedes. You already know how I feel about you and Samuel so why the fuck would I sit here and pretend to be happy about you supposedly getting back with him. How long is it going to last this time? To the end of the year?” 

Valentina’s head moved from one sister to the next as they went back and forth. She didn’t know where to get a word in and she did have something she wanted to say. “Hold on” she said, raising her hand as a means to silence them both. “You are grown” she said to Mercedes which was the actual truth. “You don’t want any criticism, so I am not going to give you any respectfully. But I will ask… what does all this mean Mercedes? Is Miranda in the picture? If she is… how are you going to navigate this. And if she is not, fine, great. But I too am more concerned about what this is doing to you both mentally and physically. I know it has had to be a lot for you to try to hide this from us, I assume the kids as well. I know how you feel about cheating, so, I think I can speak for me and Camila when I say that is a tad bit alarming. That you would be willing to stoop so low for Samuel. And I for one can not sit by and watch you possibly get hurt Mercedes you do get that right? If it doesn’t work again, now you two have two new babies you have to raise together when your nest was practically empty… can you understand our concern?” 

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Camila. She was starting to think that telling the woman was a bigger headache for her than trying to keep the secret away from her. Before she could speak Valentina butted in with her opinion, which for a moment Mercedes forgot was in the room. It always seemed as if she and Camila were going toe to toe. She often forgets she has another sister to butt heads with. “Samuel is not with Miranda, he was with her for a time when we started seeing each other, yes. I am not proud of that at all, but again it happened and I can not take it back now” she told them both. “You keep mentioning my age Camila. You are older than me with a one year old, why is it a problem when I do it?” she asked the woman quizzically. “If you are nervous about what this means health wise please know that I have seen all of my doctors, we have all spoken and my oncologist does not think me being pregnant will affect my health negatively” she breathed sympathetically. She had to constantly remind herself she wasn’t the only one alarmed by the period of her life when she was fighting cancer. She affected a village worth of people and it probably traumatized them too. “You don’t have to worry about me, this isn’t my first rodeo… I’ve been a mother longer than I have been anything else in my life” she told them which was partly true. She had been a mother longer than she’d been a wife and nurse. She shifted in her seat “I can not speak for the future, I hope me and Samuel make it this time but I can not predict anything. And I don’t care to, I am living for the now. That is all I care about. And right now we are good, there is no pressure, no struggles, no problem. There is nothing in our way this time, not his drinking, stacks of bills, sickess…” she told them only naming a few things that added strain on their marriages in the past. “You may not agree but I expect you both to respect it. Just as I respect the men you have chosen to bring into your lives.” 

Camila looked at Valentina as she joined the argument, she wanted to tell the girl to shut up and she had no clue how she thought and felt but she allowed her to get her full thought out. She agreed with Val only slightly, yes she was concerned about Mercedes. She would always be concerned about her but mainly she wanted Mercedes to stay the hell away from Samuel. She could foresee the impending destruction that would come from them playing house. Her eyes moved back to Mercedes as she began to speak again, she was glad to know medically everything was alright with Mercedes, if the girl thought about risking her own health for this there would be no way Camila could agree with the decision at all. Samuel and two babies would not be worth Mercedes jeopardizing her life. She ignored the jab about her own age, though she was right, she would not give Mercedes that satisfaction. Besides this conversation was not about her and her marital life it was about Mercedes and Samuel. “Fine” she surrendered, she wasn’t happy about it but she knew the look she saw in her sister’s eyes. Mercedes had made her mind up like she said and she was not going to change her mind now no matter what they said. It made no point right now to try to remind the woman of the past and all that had happened over the years. She wouldn’t listen, she never really did when it came to Samuel. The cycle just seemed to continue to repeat itself over and over again. Sighing, Camila decided to add “I won’t say I fully understand the point of you going back down this road. But if you are happy, I am happy” she said supportively. “Babies are a blessing, they should be treated as such,” she told her, thinking about how her own house was in disarray because she had been refusing the consideration of another baby with her own husband. She was so not looking forward to telling him that her sister was expecting, he would only use it to argue his point further to Camila. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought but instead she offered Mercedes a small smile that didn’t convey any genuineness.  

Valentina swapped a glance with Camila, she would not stand back and allow her to take the lead for the both of them. She realized in the Bahamas the drama it caused when she did that. Instead she would vocalize her thoughts more often, with everyone actually. Just because she was the younger sister didn’t mean she had zero intellectual feedback to add when there was anything transpiring in their large family. She had wisdom to offer just like anyone else, she needed to get out of the habit of allowing everyone to think for her. She was the baby of the family but she wasn’t a child. She was the one who’d been married the longest, she’d had children before Camila. She would see to it that Camila saw her as a grown woman and not a child any longer. Shifting in seat she turned to Mercedes more, nodding her head. She looked at Camila when she spoke up again. “That I agree with” she said pointing to Camila “as long as you are happy I am happy” she said nodding her head. “I can not believe you are pregnant, but I am excited,” she said happily. Valentina loved kids, especially her own even though they gave her a run for her money each and every day. “What do we know?” she said tossing up her hand with a shoulder shrug “the third time might just be a charm.” 

[cedes-raquel]

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Be there or be square!

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[cedes-raquel]

Once More, Carefully

INVOLVED: Mercedes Jones, Samuel Evans, Willow Evans, Sage Evans, Harper Ford, and Drew Evans. LOCATION: Jones’ Residence - Nashville, Tennessee. TIME FRAME: Friday, March 13th, 2026. NOTES: Mercedes, Samuel, and their kids sit down and have a discussion about Mercedes' pregnancy.

They had put this off long enough, she was grateful that they both had moved past their little hiccup. Jennifer had mentioned her showing sooner than later and she wasn’t wrong. The twins were already making their appearance known, she had just been hiding them behind big coats and less form fitting clothes. Now she couldn’t do so any longer, they needed to talk to the kids. Mercedes walked into the living room carrying a tray of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, she didn’t know why she felt compelled to do so. Her children were not kids anymore she didn’t need to butter them up with things like cookies, it was a silly notion. Cookies would not smooth anything over if her children were not onboard with the announcement she and Samuel had. After resting the tray down on the coffee table she sat down next to Samuel on the couch, looking to him for guidance she said “so” softly, exhaling a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in. She would play this by ear, see how much Samuel wanted to indulge and what he did not she would go along with. She was allowing him to take the lead, trying to limit how much she controlled when it came to the both of them. That was an obvious issue she had and she was trying diligently not to make the same mistakes she’d made in the past in their relationships again. 

Samuel adjusted the strap on Drew’s face guard, his finger brushing over the smooth plastic. “At least you get to stay good-looking and play basketball,” he said, teasing his son. He tapped the medical face mask approvingly, “it should keep your nose protected. How does it feel?” shaking his head, Samuel swept Drew’s corked bangs back and added “you need a haircut,” before Drew could answer this question. Samuel took in his children. His pride and joy. It was the first time they had all been in the same room since returning from the Bahamas. Even now, at their big ages, these were the moments he loved. It stung to think how many moments like these he’d missed. The more he considered these moments, the more he appreciated the care Mercedes put into their children. As if on cue, Mercedes floated in, radiant as ever. The slight bump at her middle was obvious to him. Well, in his defence he’d mapped her body numerous times; it only made sense he would notice such differences. She took the seat next to him and as he reached for a cookie, Mercedes started the conversation with an exaggerated ‘so’. Oh, he thought hand stopped short just above the snack, he had to be the ring master tonight. He turned his head and raised his eyebrow at the woman before easing himself back against the couch, dusting off his still-empty fingers. “Right?” he said, exhaling deeply, ordering his words. “I bet you all are wondering why your mother and I called you all together tonight?” he started taking each of them in to buy himself a few moments. Lingering for a moment on Harper, “Baby girl, are you okay?” he asked, noting that something might be amiss with his oldest child.   

“Right, because the girls will be falling all over me with this on..” Drew said sarcastically to the larger version of himself. “It feels and looks ridiculous dad” he said, whining slightly, before straightening up his attitude, he was in front of his father he needed to act like the man his father expected him to be. The boy furrowed his brows looking up at his father from his seated position on the ground “what is wrong with my hair?” he said brushing it lightly with his fingers. “I figured I should try to catch up with Will and Sage” he said playfully, a huge grin on his lips as he tugged at Sage’s long hair. He looked towards the cookies his mom rested before them but halted much like his father did, he was curious to know what they were called here for. He was less concerned with Harper however. 

Sage looked over at Drew, swatting his hand away playfully, a smirk on her face. “As if Drew” she replied back to him in a not-so-serious tone. Their parents had called them here for a reason, why she couldn’t wait to hear. They have been the focal point of their gossip as siblings since the debacle at Drew’s basketball game. Willow told Sage there was something different about their mother that she couldn’t put her finger on but right now Sage hadn’t noticed anything, aside from weight gain. But Sage hoped that was not what Willow was calling their mother out for, it would be distasteful if it was. Still, they wanted to tell them something and she had wondered if they were going on another family trip, that she loved the idea of but as she watched her nervous mother she felt there was obviously something more. The cookies served as a distraction; they smelled divine. She reached for one along with her father, he retreated but she did not. She grabbed one leaning from her position on the floor next to Willow, inhaling the soft gooey treat and bit into it just as Samuel prodded Harper. 

Willow looked down at Drew, her eyebrows raised to her hairline “boy none of those preppy girls are checking for you at school” she teased as she shifted in her seat. They probably were but the idea of her brother having a bigger head than he already did, did not amuse her. Drew was already an egotistical headache no one, their father especially, needed to boost his ego more. Her eyes watched her mother closely, though she had not discovered the difference she perceived she would acknowledge weight on her mother actually looked good. She had no earthly idea why the woman felt the need to have procedures done anyway, she was gorgeous just as she was, weight included. Licking her lips she sighed to herself, the cookies looked good. But she wouldn’t have one, how hypocritical, she was chastising her mother for wanting to present herself to her peers in a slimmer manner yet she would be passing up her mother’s famous cookies tonight to watch her figure with a boy in mind. She grabbed her cup of tea and took a long sip, her eyes moving from her parents to Harper, why were they here and why was their father putting the spotlight on Harper. And furthermore why did their mother seem so damn nervous? 

Harper bit her lips, her stomach churning, with every move in the room and startled speech she felt the walls closing in on her. ‘They know’ she kept saying to herself over and over again, she wanted to take her nails and scratch down her forearm until her skin was bloodied. If her siblings didn’t know her mother surely did, Mercedes could probably smell it on her. Her mother knew everything, even before the four of them did, she liked to think her mother was a witch hiding behind religion. Harper was going to puke. She was so thankful that her mother offered tea, she even had peppermint which she found odd considering her mothers favorite was chamomile. But she knew she needed the pick-me-up so she was grateful anyhow. Her stomach churned again and she exhaled a deep breath slowly; they should call it all day sickness, the morning had nothing to do with it. She had hardly heard what anyone in the room was talking about, her ears were buzzing, the voices in her head kept her frantically silent and withdrawn into herself. She looked down at her cup of tea, shifting in her chair, before she could reach for it on the coffee table Samuel spoke and stilled her movements with his words. “Huh?” she said at first her eyes focused on his lips, a voice told her ‘to speak you idiot because they already know, you can’t hide it and never could’, she wanted to reply to it but she looked at each member's face in the room instead. ‘Harper snap out of it, the voices and those people you see judging you aren’t there, this is your family’ she said internally. “Oh nothing daddy you and mommy are just making me nervous, is everything okay?” she said in a baby soft voice, the lie the best she could come up with right now. The darkened room once restored to what it was when she walked into the door 30 minutes ago; light, airy, cool, well decorated, bright. She finally picked her cup up and shifted, straightening her posture as she took a long sip of the tea. She wouldn’t dare touch her mothers cookies, she was too scared that the baby wouldn’t agree and she’d throw it back up. 

Mercedes brushed some of her bangs out of her eyes, tucking a few loose strands of hair out of her face and behind her ear. She watched Samuel quietly as he reached for a cookie and then stopped his pursuit. She didn’t mean for him to do that; she was just nervous and didn’t know what to do next or what to say. She needed to calm down and to be optimistic. This meeting could go a dozen ways and her children were the most well mannered, honest, loving, and open-minded people she actually knew. When Samuel questioned Harper she looked over at the girl crossing a leg over the other, gently tugging her dress down in the process. Harper looked like shit if you asked her; she was worked up, quiet, and looked like she wasn’t getting much sleep. The girl's confession caused her to bite down on her bottom lip and she looked over at Samuel again. She hoped that the four of them were not concerning themselves with her or him behind their backs. It was bad enough Willow was boring holes into her with her brown eyes, she couldn’t stand feeling like a specimen under their microscopes any longer. So she leaned forward, grabbed her glass of water and drank some down. She had to wet her dry throat before she said “there is nothing to be nervous about and there is no need for concern” she hoped that brought them comfort though to her own ears she sounded like she was lying though her teeth. 

Samuel gave Drew a knowing look. After their conversation in the Bahamas, Samuel knew one thing for certain about his son: women would never be a problem. Samuel shrugged at Drew's comment, “it could be worse” he said. “You could be riding the bench for the rest of the season,” he reminded his clone, “I am sure that number six kid is doing just that.” Samuel tried to hide the pride in his voice, but knowing his kid was lethal both mentally and physically was a joy. He could only shake his head at the kids' banter, as he resisted the urge to put his hand on Mercedes' thigh. Her nerves were infectious. Guilt washed over Samuel, his face blanching as he sat up straight. He held up his hands. The idea that the kids could be worried about Mercedes' health sobered him. “I am sorry. As your mother said, this is nothing to be worried about. I know you guys miss nothing when it comes to your mother, and we-” he said, his hand reached for Mercedes. “We wanted to first let you know that your mother is perfectly fine health-wise,” he told the group, eyes sweeping over all of them. “She had a complete workup and her doctors let us know she was perfectly healthy. Actually, she's better than healthy. If that is ever possible,” he mused, toying with the idea for a moment.  Shaking himself back to the present, he rubbed Mercedes' hand. “That said, I know it’s tough, but you all can come to me with your concerns. Okay?” 

His father’s comment cut him like a knife, though it was true the idea of getting no play time this season made him violently sick. The older man’s next words brought him out of those thoughts; Drew grinned “I know right, what a jealous loser” he pipped up. He’d never admit to any of them that a bunch of his teammates and members of the opposing team met up at a park to settle the beef between them all. Not only would his mother kill him for such an act, his dad would be livid he risked rebreaking his nose. But Drew settled the score, underneath the bad ass persona the kid displayed there was a weak wimp; Drew had whooped his ass. Moving his eyes to Willow’s he discreetly flicked her off silently, as to not draw attention to himself while doing it. When he put his finger down he used that exact hand to grab a cookie, two bites and it was gone. His eyes moved between his parents as his father rested his hand on Mercedes' hand. He grabbed another cookie and bit it. His father had told him this much already; he assumed they were here so they could tell the rest of the kids. He would not gloat about knowing this before everyone, although if she were in his position Willow would have. 

Sage’s eyes shifted from Harper to their parents, she nibbled on the cookie. The suspense was actually starting to get to her a little. Her father’s hand reached for her mother’s which shocked her a little given the way they interacted the last time they were all together, well minus Harper. Her parents were practically at each other’s throats; she didn’t even tell Willow half of what she had overheard. She assumed they hated each other, the idea actually disturbed her a little which is why she had kept the interactions to herself. She finally put the cookie into her mouth, chewing it and swallowing it down. “Wait so mom is good?” she reiterated, “that’s good” she said nodding her head pleased. They had to know they worried about their mother all the time, this is a relief. “Okay, so why are we here though?” she asked because it didn’t explain her mothers behavior, even her silence was terrifying she always had something to say. “Are we going on another family trip? Please say it’s somewhere like Mexico!” she squealed. And then a thought crossed mind, ‘omg they are getting back together’ she must have sent that to her sister telepathically. 

Her eyes fell on Drew’s finger and she squinted at him, giving him a look only Mercedes could rival as she sat her cup down. She would not stoop to his childish behavior today. She turned her attention back to her parents. Willow watched her father, he was putting on his serious dad cape and voice. He explained her mother’s health was as it should be, which pleased her greatly. She even noticed the way he reached for her mothers hand and the way her mother laced their fingers together like she needed him as an anchor. Her eyes moved to Sage and she rolled them playfully. This was not about a trip she instantly had a thought “you two are getting back together aren’t you!” she exclaimed. “This is not about a trip is it?” she said, wanting her father to clarify. She looked into her mother’s eyes beaming from ear to ear. Thank God their mission was complete, maybe they were bickering at Drew’s game because their dad wanted to out them being together and their mother wasn’t ready. Surely that was it, one big misunderstanding, her parents were getting back together. 

Harper held the cup in her hand, she tried really hard to focus on Samuel as he spoke. But her head was still cloudy, it was all Michael’s fault. Three little words had turned her world upside down ‘I don’t know’, how could he be unsure when they were in love. Isn’t having a baby just something lovers do? She blinked hard, truly ignoring the monstrous visions before her, again she told herself ‘Harper these are your family members these people are not here to hurt you’ to herself. She swallowed down a huge lump as her ears tuned in to what Samuel was saying, she heard Willow next and looked at the girl oddly. Is that what their dad had just said? She needed to focus ‘you can’t focus because you are to stupid Harper, don’t you know that? You aren’t as intellectual as the rest of them’ her eyes flicked back to Samuel. She was starting to feel immense dread wash over her, she knows her father didn’t say that just now. If he tells them all no the younger three will be crushed, she warned them though at least she swore she did. Yes, during Christmas she thinks. But she wasn’t sure right now, her head was too fuzzy; time and memories seem to not exist at all when the monsters were around. 

Mercedes eyes flicked from the side of Samuel’s face to Drew’s, she tilted her head; she didn't particularly like the manner of which he spoke about the other boy. Or how Samuel marveled with pride that the boy was benched. She would correct Drew later, now she felt she had no authority to do so over Samuel. That’s not the woman he wanted, she needed to be more like Miranda right? At least that’s what she thought he meant at the hospital anyhow. Moving forward she was to be seen next to him, not heard. She licked her lips watching as his hand came to rest on hers, she flipped her hand upside down and laced their fingers. She needed that reassurance from him, she would draw strength from him even if it was imaginative. She nodded her head long with his words only pausing when Willow blurted out an unexpected question. Her anxiety spiked and she was starting to panic. What would he say to that? The fear of him possibly telling them no caused her to react “I’m pregnant!” she blurted, and then plastered a smile. She wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground as she watched the array of emotions dance across their kids' faces. 

Samuel hid his broadening smile behind his hand, shooting a guilty look at Mercedes.  Drew was beaming and that was all his fault. ‘Oh well’, Samuel thought. As the only men in this clan of women, they had to stick together. Confidence was king and he wanted Drew to have that in spades. Samuel nodded at Sage, “Yes” he told her simply, reassuring her that Mercedes was fine. “Well, no. It’s not about a trip”. He wanted to phrase this properly. He’d heard Mercedes' concern about being the other woman and now surrounded by his daughters, the depth of his misstep weighed down on him like a great millstone around his neck. He nodded, thinking to himself his path forward was chosen. However, in true Willow fashion she blurted out his announcement before he could make the utterance. She was her mothers child. He sat up straight, but the “yes,” that fell from his lips was overshadowed by Mercedes' assertion that she was pregnant. Samuel buttoned his lips, stunned that both revelations spilled out at the same time. 

Willow bombarded their parents with a loaded question, his eyes were wide with shock. He looked to his parents expectantly, no way their little plan to get them back together had worked. He was a genius. However, Mercedes' words confirmed something far more shocking than them getting back together “what?” he said with eyes growing wider by the minute. “Who is the dad?” Drew blurted as he shot up onto his knees. 

Harper’s mouth dropped at Mercedes announcement “what?” she yelled aloud. There was no way she and her mother were pregnant at the same time. This had to be a joke. She couldn’t even process the statements or faces from her siblings. She was so baffled she could do nothing more but gawk at Mercedes with her mouth hung low. How could she tell the woman about her pregnancy now? Drew’s words snapped her out of her trance and she looked over at him with horror written across her face. There was no way her mother slept with some random man and had gotten pregnant.

Their dad confirmed it was not a trip which she was a little disappointed about but if it were not a trip then what. Her twin had announced her thoughts out loud, their father was about to answer when their mother told them all she was pregnant. She looked up at Willow in horror, Harper’s scream causing her to jump slightly. “Pregnant?” Sage repeated quizzically, fear written across her face; but her mother was so old. Drew’s question made her head snap in his direction before her eyes snapped towards her parents expectantly, how had the woman gotten pregnant?

“How?” Willow yelled, each of the siblings were yelling out a different question. It was overwhelming to say the least. She looked her mother in her brown eyes and said “how are you pregnant?” holding both hands out. Drew’s question made the girl look down at him before she looked back at her mom and dad. He’d managed to ask exactly what they all wanted to know. 

Mercedes slowly dropped the fake smile, she didn’t know what question to answer first they were getting thrown at her left and right. She tried to ignore the manner in which Harper yelled ‘what’. She shifted against the couch, she was preparing to answer them but Drew’s question dazed her. “What?” she said, confused by his question then her eyes moved to the other three. All four of her children were staring them both down expecting that question to be answered truthfully. It was as if they did not even consider their father to have fathered the babies. She didn’t know what was worst, them being stunned by the pregnancy of their obliviousness to who the father would be. It wasn’t as if she ever attached herself to any other man their entire life. She looked at Samuel again, she should have just let him lead the conversation. 

Samuel jumped at the ferocity of Harper’s response, it was so out of place. “Harper..” he barked, taken back by her outburst. He thought the kids would be happy for their mother, but boy was he wrong. Samuel head swiveled from Drew, his question outlandish, then to Sage her panic clear and dare he say, disgusted. Then to Willow, accusatory. Samuel dropped Mercedes hand and blew out an ear splitting whistle, silencing his children. He lowered his hand slowly taking them in. “What your mother meant to say was… we called you all together to let you know, OUR..” he opened out his arms and gestured to the room. Their integration annoyed him, he could only assume Mercedes was worried. “Family is growing. We,” he told them, placing his hand on Mercedes' thigh, “are having a baby.” His nostril flared as the unspoken ‘be happy for your mother or so help me’ settled all over his face. 

Drew jumped at his father’s whistle, covering his ears as he looked at the guy. He dropped his hands and nestled himself back down on the ground waiting for an explanation after everyone had settled down. They had obviously upset their father and probably their mother too. He felt bad about that as the realization hit him. His father announced that he and his mother were expecting a baby together his heart leaped a beat “wait” he said pausing as his brain tried to connect the dots. “Mom is pregnant and you are the dad!” he said pointing. “Dad’s the dad” he said looking towards the girls. “Wait,” he said again, pausing, his mother and father had to have slept with each other to make a baby so that meant. “Wait!” he dragged out again, a shit eating grin that resembled his fathers spreading across his face. 

Sage gritted her teeth as her father pierced the air with a forceful whistle. Everyone fell silent, she shifted her seated position next to Willow and looked between the two. When their father clarified her mouth dropped, “really?” she said this time. She looked at Drew shaking her head, she wanted to ask how it happened but that would be stupid she knew how. Her mother and father had slept with each other but when was on the tip of her tongue. Right up under their noses they’d been sleeping with each other. “You guys have been seeing each other in secret? Behind our backs? How sneaky” she smirked widely. She was more entertained by her parents' teen-like love affair than the idea of a baby. 

Willow shut her eyes tightly at the sound of her fathers whistle. She opened them when the man began to speak again. He corrected them all and her eyebrows rose to her hairline. What was the timeline? She squinted looking at her mother, there were so many questions she needed answers to. She knew something was different and now she knew her mother was pregnant, it wasn’t a random onset of weight gain, it was a baby. Looking between Drew and Sage she sighed, she would have to be the one to say it she guessed. “And Miranda?” she said looking at her father now. She gazed at the man stoned face. 

Harper bit her lip, she pulled her legs up in the chair and cradled them. “Sorry” she said honestly “I didn’t mean to…” she paused as the man whistled. He explained further and her eyes grew again. Despite everything her siblings had thrown out at her parents already there was only one thing she cared about. “Who cares about Miranda” she barked at Willow “are you guys getting back together?” she said her tone a little more forcefully than it should have been when she looked back towards her parents. Nothing else was more important than that right now she felt. She gazed at them both expecting her ranking to result in her question being answered first. 

Mercedes looked at Drew tilting her head at him, she squinted at him slightly before she looked towards Sage. Usually the quiet of the two twins she actually found her amusing most of all during all of this. They couldn’t get a word in, after one outburst overlapped another. But it was Willow who decided to take center stage, Mercedes should have known she would. The mention of Miranda made Mercedes squirm in her seat she should have known someone would ask, she and Samuel both should have. She was going to straighten Willow out after this, the girl had no right to question Samuel especially if even she hadn’t. Willow’s pettiness only won her about 5 seconds of fame however, before Harper’s voice boomed again. She looked at the mild mannered girl, her brows stitching downwards. “Harper calm down” she said, reaching a hand out to her. 

Samuel rubbed Mercedes thigh absently, letting his word be digested by his children.  Sage and Drew took him out. He couldn’t help but laugh at both of them, “We are adults, we don’t sneak.” Of course Sage was right. To right for her own good actually. He grabbed Mercedes hand and looked at her with a shit eating grin on his face. Sameul pulled his eyes away from Mercedes, he glared at Willow. Her daggers aimed at him had hit Mercedes. But he didn’t have to respond as his sensible child stepped in. He rose and took Harper’s other hand, pulling her to come sit between him and Mercedes. It was heartbreaking the way Harper was reacting to the situation. It was as if she needed this to be true. It confirmed his fears about revealing anything to the kids too soon. He caught Mercedes' eyes, before speaking. “I’m sorry we kept our relationship from you all” he said, taking the room, before returning to Harper holding her hand. “But, yes. We are together. I’ve never been good at hiding how much I adore your mother. And I just got tired of trying” he said, honestly. “And now, I can’t have her taking care of another set of twins alone.” 

Drew wiggled his eyebrows playfully at his father, he didn’t think his parents actually had it in them to sneak around. The idea of it amused him greatly, the two conservative adults had a playful side, the thought made him smile to himself. When Harper snapped his smile fell, Harper never raised her voice at them so he shut his mouth and kept it shut. He realized all playfulness was over, he didn’t know why Willow had to mention Miranda either it was causing doubt to resurface. But, his father had reassured them that they were back together and planned to stay. The older guy did not clarify anything involving Miranda but Drew personally did not care, gone were the days of dealing with the wicked witch. He hoped his father had put the woman out flat on her ass. He watched as Samuel reached for Harper, sitting her down between them. “Twins?” Drew said back to his parents “whoa!” he said, releasing a quiet whistle of his own. Here he thought he was going off to college and leaving the two with an empty nest, but his parents had managed to fill it again. 

Sage looked at Harper and then up at Willow, she elbowed her sister’s leg. Her older sister’s demeanor was startling her a little but she understood her desperation. When their father confirmed that they were getting back together she sighed, relief washing over her. The clarification actually washed away all other questions and concerns, she was sure that her father would have never juggled both women; he was not that kind of guy and her mother was not that kind of woman. Harper joined her parents on the couch and Sage moved back towards the coffee table, moving in closer. At the mention of twins her mouth fell open “no way” she exclaimed excitedly “you are kidding!”

Willow turned her head slowly to Harper, she looked the older girl up and down, raising one brow. “I care” she challenged before she felt Sage’s bony elbow jabbing her thigh. She licked her lips turning her eyes back to her father, he must have thought they were dumb. Her eyes moved from the man to her mother, folding her arms over her chest. Her eyes followed Harper as she sat down between her parents, her father explained further and she sighed to herself. Don't get her wrong, she was happy about this, but mainly she was skeptical about the entire thing. If you asked her, her parents cheated with each other, her mother got pregnant and now this was their way of doing damage control. The reveal of twins caused the girl to pick her eyes up from the floor “wait really?”

Harper grabbed her mom’s hand and she looked towards the only real father she’d known. When he summoned her she moved standing to her feet, lowering herself between them. She looked between both parents and nodded her head. “Are you sure?” she asked again “I think I speak for all of us when I say I don’t think any of us can go through another divorce again” she told them darkly. Her eyes stared at the chocolate chip cookies as she said in a low voice unlike her usual one “we know you love each other but are you in love with each other?” she asked as she looked between the two of them again. 

Mercedes looked back at Samuel smirking at him despite herself. Brushing her bangs once more she squeezed Harper’s hand, shifting her feet so that the girl could sit beside them. She looked at Samuel again as he spoke for them both and she nodded her head. “You guys do not have to worry about that, that will never happen again” she breathed honestly. “I know how damaging the divorces were for everyone, I am truly sorry that I put us all through that but I swear on my life I won’t put you guys through that a third time” she told them. She hoped they believed her because she truly meant it, not that she thought Samuel would marry her again anyhow. As a matter of fact she knew he never would and that was something she was willingly to live with, she had no choice. The alternative was not having him at all. That she couldn’t live with. “I have been in love with your father my entire life Harp” she smiled, she reached into the drawer in the coffee table and pulled out the sonogram she’d hidden there. “What else could create this?” she said, offering the girl the sonogram. “You all are the living embodiment of how much me and your father love each other. I hope you know that” she said softly, her hand moving to rest against her ever growing bump.

[cedes-raquel]

Looking good Cedes, Happy Birthday and congratulations! I hope you are doing well.

Thank you! I appreciate it! I am doing amazing, thanks for asking.

[cedes-raquel]

→ instagram: @miss_mrj uploaded a new photo:

I have so many things to be grateful for I simply can't list them all. I am so thankful to have had another opportunity to travel around the sun. But the biggest has to be the expansion of the Evans family. I still can't believe that the love of my life @samuel_drew and I managed to make 2 new pieces of our hearts to love all over again. I hope year 47 continues to blow my mind. ❤️️

↳❤️️10,333 likes, 🖊️2,287 comments, 📍Nashville, Tennessee

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@willow_xoxo: Happy Birthday Mommy! I love you more than life itself!

@astoldbysagee: Happy Birthday Mommy!! So grateful to have you as my Mommy!

@camila_mila: Happy birthday Sister!! ❤️️

@drew_skii2: HBD Queen!!

@tc_chang: Happy Birthday Mercedes! Omg Congrats to you and Sam! I hope you had an amazing day!!!! xoxo

@drjenmiller: Happy Birthday honey! You look amazing!

@valentinawilliams_: Happy Birthday gorgeous! Love you girly! ❤️️

@bennyford: Happy birthday sweetie I love ya lots

@mrkha_xo: Ahhhhh happy birthday bestie!!! And Congrats!! We need to connect soon!!!

@harpernobazaar: Happy Birthday Mamma! I love you so much!! I hope you enjoyed your day!!

[cedes-raquel]

Can We Just Be Honest

Involved: Mercedes Jones, Camila Jones-Austin, and Valentina Jones-Williams Time Frame: Saturday, March 14th, 2026

[cedes-raquel]

→ instagram: @miss_mrj uploaded a new photo:

I turn 47 Tuesday, I decided to spend more & work less this year. 🤭

↳❤️️12,662 likes, 🖊️2,091 comments, 📍Nashville, Tennessee

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@valentinawilliams_: not a big body Bentley!? 💅✨

@willow_xoxo: excuse me!!! 🤩

@astoldbysagee: come get us and take us shopping!! 😊

@harpernobazaar: I looooove!! Congrats mama!!

@camila_mila: ❤️❤️❤️

@miss_mrj: beep beep be ready! @astoldbysagee

@drew_skii2: not gonna lie ma you gonna have to gift me a Ferrari for graduation. 😏

@miss_mrj: Respectfully @drew_skii2 get off my IG!

@drew_skii2: @miss_mrj you wound me 🥺😔

[cedes-raquel]

Once More, Carefully

Involved: Mercedes Jones, Samuel Evans, Willow Evans, Sage Evans, Harper Ford, and Drew Evans Time Frame: Friday, March 13th, 2026

[cedes-raquel]

Technical Fouls [Part 2]

INVOLVED: Mercedes Jones, Willow Evans, Sage Evans, Drew Evans, Samuel Evans, and Theodore Brooks. LOCATION: Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Nashville, Tennessee. TIME FRAME: Monday, March 9th, 2026. NOTES: From Drew's basketball game Mercedes takes him to the ER where Samuel meets them there. Tensions rise again and Samuel/Mercedes finally speak about their prior fight. AUTHOR’S NOTE: mention of physical injuries. Also: there is a lengthy response from Mercedes that is separated by a gap because tumblr is idiotic so my apologies for that. However, every response by a singular character has their bolded name within the text/response, hope there is no confusion there.

“I am Dr. Brooks” Theodore breathed, pushing the white curtain aside and entering the confined space. His eyes were fixed on the clipboard in his hand, he looked up and saw a woman and teenage boy. The boy he’d never seen before but the woman he knew. He had to “you work here” he breathed with a smile “we ran into each other at a lounge, do you remember me?” he asked her happily. She still looked as radiant as she did that day, if not more so today. “I’m Dr. Brooks” he repeated again, extending his hand to her this time, flashing a bright white smile. 

Mercedes swayed in her heels as they waited for an ER doctor to show, her arms were folded over her chest impatiently. Drew’s fair skin was already starting to bruise near his eyes, his nose was surely broken. She bit her lip and asked “are you okay, is the Tylenol working?” she said to him curiously. When she heard a man’s deep voice she looked up to see a tall dark man in a white coat. “I do?” she said blinking slowly with a raised brow as he continued to speak her face turned to one of confusion. “I doubt it” she said with a slight chuckle and a headshake, if she did she surely didn’t remember him. “Ms. Evans” she said, offering him her hand, she pulled it away after a moment. “So…” she said, her eyes moving to her child. 

Drew looked at his mother nodding his head “yeah it is” he said simply. When the doctor walked in, his eyes moved from the man and then to his mother, he cocked his head to the side. They were here for him and his broken nose, not to get reacquainted. A small scowl formed on his lips but he pushed it away. 

“I’m looking for Drew Evans. He was brought in with a broken nose. My daughter’s” Samuel said, shifting into point to where Sage and Willow sat. “Said he’d already been taken back.” The nurse nodded stating “he’s in a room. I’ll buzz you in and it’s at the end of the hall on your right”. Samuel made his way up the hallway. He left his cane in the car now, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Making it to the room he could see Drew through the glass in the window. He knocked, before opening the door and stepping inside. “How are you feeling, son?” he asked, before recognizing Dr. Brooks.  “Good evening Doctor. How is my son doing?” his voice was neutral. He had no desire to outwardly acknowledge the man. He wasn’t keen on his family learning he had spent two days in the hospital. 

“My apologies” Theodore said quickly correcting himself, he needed to refocus and turn his professionalism back on. He just couldn’t believe he’d ran into the attractive woman whose number he was too scared to ask for weeks back. He looked to Drew and said “I hope the pain meds are kicking in. I know a nurse of mine gave you some a couple minutes ago” he told him. He sat the clipboard aside and grabbed a pair of gloves “I just want to remove these gauze and feel around for myself, it shouldn’t hurt you too much” he said as he did just that. Hearing another man's voice Theordore turned around, “fancy seeing you again” he said knowing the man looked very familiar to him, he was sure he was the drunk who wrecked his car and spent some time with him because of it. “Your leg and now your son’s nose, your household is truly keeping your wife on her toes” he said pointing to Mercedes. She was married, damn, he thought forgetting just a moment ago she introduced herself as Ms. and not Mrs. Evans. “I am going to see just how much damage was done as we speak” he told them both moving back for Drew’s nose and he felt around.

Mercedes looked to Samuel as he joined them, she folded her arms over her chest again. At the doctor's words she furrowed her brows looking over at Samuel “what happened to your leg?” she said before she turned to Theodore “we are not married he is my ex-husband” she corrected him without a second thought. “You came to the ER and you didn’t tell me?” she asked him, her eyes wild with confusion. “What happened?” she said again, her worry moving from Drew to Samuel, she felt like she was on a roller coaster. 

Drew looked at the doctor nodding his head at him as the man began to examine his nose, his eyes moved to his dad. He raised his eyebrows at the doctor’s words, he couldn’t wait until this was over so he could run to his sisters with his pipping hot tea. “I told you he was limping momma” Drew said aloud, “ouch” he breathed looking up at the tall man moving his nose around. 

Doctor patient confidentiality meant nothing to this man. Samuel sighed trying to displace his annoyance. Samuel held his hands up and surrendered. “I’m fine. Just had a little car accident. I’m more concerned about Drew right now.” He didn’t answer Mercedes questions about why he hadn’t contacted her. For the most part, it was shame that stopped him from contacting anyone but his assistant. “It was a none issue.  There was no need to worry anyone.” He watched as the doctor worked wincing along with Drew. “Son, that is one hell of a right hook you have.” He grinned trying to change the subject. 

Theodore's eyes grew at Mercedes' statement, he had just made a huge mistake. He was glad that she wasn’t married to this man, but he had not meant to disclose that information; however, his assumption was wrong. “It is broken, it will need to be set back into place” he said to both parents. “He will go home, rest, medication for pain relief, ice it for the swelling, I am going to refer you to a ENT, if all checks out his nose can be set back into place and after six weeks he can be cleared to play basketball again but he will need a protective mask to do so” he told the three of them. “I am referring him to an ENT…”

Mercedes' eyes bore holes into Samuel, he’d been in a car accident and said nothing to her. She tried to contain her anger, Samuel had a girlfriend she hoped that Miranda had been taking care of him properly or else. “In case he has a deviated septum or septal hematoma” Mercedes said finishing his statement before he could, her eyes still focused on Samuel. She nodded her head “great, I will make sure we see that ENT” she breathed no longer concerned with Drew, she practically knew that already. She turned back to Samuel “while you finish your examination, he and I are going to step right outside for a second, give you some room to do what you are here to do” she said, faking a smile. She wasn’t asking Samuel to step outside she was telling him to and if he didn’t follow her it would be hell to pay. 

“Car accident” Drew repeated and quickly shut his mouth after he said it, his mother’s face told a story. She was pissed at his father, it was written all over her and her body language. He stayed quiet, allowed the doctor to speak and he nodded, having no clue what the medical terms meant. What he did know is he couldn’t play ball for six weeks, he was beyond annoyed at that. It was his last year, what if some scouts came out and he did get the opportunity to play before them. He was pulled from his thoughts at his father’s words and a smirk formed on his lips “I know right” he said playfully before his mother ordered his father out the door. She’d posed it in a way that would fool others but he was aware that her tone was clipped.

Samuel chuckled, “we’ll talk about it later” he said, shaking his head. While he didn’t want Drew fighting he was okay with it when you were standing up for yourself. He was at a loss with all the medical jargon however, the one thing he understood was that his son was going to have to sit out his senior year at least for a few weeks. “Six weeks huh?” placing his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Don’t worry over it too much son. That puts you back to finish up the season and playing in any championships” Samuel told him, squeezing his son's shoulder. He let Mercedes walk out first; he didn't want to show any annoyance in front of Drew. “I better go talk to your mom. We’ll be right back. Thanks Doc” he said, shaking his head as he left the room. Once in the hallway he turned and leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. “Yes ma’am” he said, looking down at the woman.

Mercedes walked out of the room and she stood in the hallway, a headache forming at the mere thought of Samuel. When he joined her in the hallway the words flew from her lips, “what the fuck is wrong with you?” she asked him snapping. “Your pride” she argued as she moved closer to him “allowed you to get into an accident, to end up here of all places and not pick up the fucking phone to call me?” she asked him seriously. “You storm out my house, didn’t even have the decency to call or text me once to ask me if I was okay, if the babies were fine, then you have a accident and even then you couldn’t sit your fucking pride aside? Am I fucking missing something?” she quizzed. “This between you and I will never fly with me, when have we ever been the petty ex’s Samuel?” she pressed him further. “If you have a problem with me you need to say it to my face, your attempt to cut me off like I am not pregnant with your kids” she pointed at him, “will come with consequences!” she threatened, she instinctively pushed him with the same hand. 

Samuel looked down at Mercedes’ petite hands, resting on his chest. Even when she argued with him there was this overwhelming urge to protect her. In spite of that his whole body went numb, “pride?” he repeated, tasting the word. He spat it out again, “pride?” as if it was bitter medicine. Miranda had always been right about one thing. He forsake even his pride for this woman. It was comical that she thought he had any self worth left. Between the hammering of his youth and the years chasing Mercedes’ unattainable love he was almost hollowed out. “Do you know me?” he caught Mercedes' soft hand and held it near his heart, “do you?” he questioned, staring directly in her almond colored eyes. “What pride do I have?” The laugh he let out was dry and brittle, like sun-bleached bone in a desert. “I do have a problem with you. You know what it is? I don’t understand what you truly want. You say it’s me, but this feels more like a game you are playing, just to see if you still have it. I hate that you question my loyalty, my word, and my love. Like it’s me who has something to prove to you. I have always tried to give you the best of me. The testament to that is you. Your own words and yet you fix your mouth to threaten me?” he inhaled, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you. Tell me this Mercedes, what was wrong with your phone?” 

Of course she knew him, she had known him her whole life. Knew him like the back of her own hand. The question however, was rhetorical and she made no real effort to answer it. She raised a brow at his next statement, in her mind he did know what she wanted. She had made that very clear after their initial rekindling, rather he believed her or not she felt was his own problem. She licked her lips pulling her hand away from him shaking her head as she folded her arms over her chest. She gazed into his eyes, she wasn’t playing any games in fact she found nothing funny about being pregnant by a man she was not with, while he was in a relationship with someone else. Where was the humor in that? “You can’t believe me?” Mercedes repeated dropping her arms, now she was chuckling at him. “In the last couple of months you and I have shared, I have become completely unrecognizable trying to fight for a relationship with a man who is unsure of us and himself. I ignored the situation with Miranda. I honored your wish to keep it from our children. I lied; to my kids, to my family - again to honor your wish! More importantly I became the other woman” she smirked, her eyes darkening. “And I was actually willing to wait however long it took, not once begging you or demanding you to get rid of her. I am a lot of things but even I knew I didn’t deserve that, I might even thought I was stupid for allowing it. But I preferred it over not having you at all. I wasn’t questioning your love that night, I simply wanted you to know that we didn’t have to be together to raise two children - clearly - we have co-parented for years. My point then and now is, if you knew you couldn’t really move past our past then we didn’t need to work towards a future. I don’t know how you expect to build on a foundation you are waiting to find a crack in at every turn. If that struck a chord with you I am sorry” she said raising her hands up defensively. “But I wouldn’t have wanted you to be with a woman you were only pretending to be in love with, considering you just did that for the last seven years allegedly.”

Samuel shook his head. A better word might have been trust. He didn’t trust that she meant forever; her forevers somehow only ever meant right now. That was more in line with how things had always played out between them. “Don’t. What was the alternative Mercedes? Bring everyone into the middle of us, trying to figure this out?” he pointed between the two of them. “What sense would that have made? It would have only served to put more pressure on us.” He stepped away from her. Mercedes was technically right and for a moment, the realization stung. He’d been a coward for not letting Miranda go sooner. However, he was positive that if you asked Miranda she would have a very different perspective on who the other woman was. Still, he should just apologize. “I…” he stepped forward, trying to pick words that would defuse this confrontation. “It was never my intention to make you ever feel less than. And if that is truly how you feel, I am sorry” he licked his lips. Coming to a halt right in front of Mercedes. Her words cut deeper than they should have, “I loved that Miranda actually wanted to be with me. It made me feel secure….what a bitch thing to admit,” he said out loud, the admission twisting in his gut. “I felt guilty because even in the midst of my relationship, I wanted the woman who had told me on more than one occasion that I was expendable. What kinda self-destructive bullshit is that?” he looked down at the person he’d adored for years. And realized that her pedestal was crumbling, “I hate that after all this time, you still put so little faith in me. And I’m sorry you feel that way right now. But your thoughts, your lack of real faith in me, have always been the architect of our destruction. I have always followed through on every promise I have ever made to you. When are you going to do the same? Why should I believe this time will be any different than the last three Mercedes? Huh?” 

“You are missing the point entirely Samuel, I did those things despite them being so unlike me because I was willing to do whatever it took to meet you right where you are today. I did not for once think I could step to you in the way I have always been. How is that fair to you?” she asked him, the statement laced in jabs he’d never catch. She was not stupid and it was not lost on her, he caused that accident because he was drunk. He would never admit that, she did not think she wanted him to actually. The realization actually made her sick to her stomach, she was fighting for a man who was still fighting the same demons that kept driving her away, it was maddening. And here he thought he was the stupid one for allowing her back into his heart, it was comical. She watched him as he moved closer, crowding her space “faith?” she repeated. The word ignited a fire inside of her, she had to slowly exhale to keep her racing heart from pounding against her chest. Her ears were ringing, she was livid. She blinked hard, staring at nothing at all, she was motionless as her brain worked to connect all the dots. Fitting in the missing puzzle pieces that she tried desperately to solve during their time apart. He would take no accountability for their divorces, he blamed her and so did everyone else. It was safe to say hiding his faults and taking the blame from everyone didn’t hurt anymore, the wound would never heal she accepted that years ago. Despite that, he also felt she owed it to him to fight for their love. The recognition of that was like a punch to the gut. Mercedes had assumed that they both were working towards a healthier them. What he wanted from her didn’t feel like love, it felt like punishment. He wanted to see her groveling at his feet. She finally snapped back to reality, turning down the internal rambling in her head “you want me to have faith in you but have none in me, that’s hypocritical Samuel. And I think your idea of faith is a little distorted” she measured out with her finger. “You're speaking to the woman whose whole life has centered around faith. Faith is going to sleep every night hoping you wake up again the next morning to send your four kids off to school with a smile before you go to a hospital and allow its staff to pump you full of a cocktail that is saving your life while simultaneously killing you because you have faith that God wouldn’t possibly take you away from your family. Your brain not even allowing death to be an option because it simply couldn’t be, that just won’t do” she argued. “Faith is simply believing it is so even if the odds are stacked up against you” she told him. “I can’t believe you out of all people are mentioning faith to me?” she said her anger turned into a full out belly laugh. “My faith in you kept us married longer than anyone around else thought was appropriate Samuel. My faith in you putting the bottle down kept me on my knees praying night after night even when you proved to me my prayers were being ignored. Because of my faith, food we didn’t have to feed our kids materialized out of thin air day after day. Faith?” she repeated again.

“You don’t want me to have faith in you Samuel, your entire life you have never even had faith in yourself. My faith is why you have what you have today! You want me to make an impossible promise that everything will be sunshine and fucking rainbows this time and the fact that you don’t think I want that shit too just shows me it is I that YOU don’t really know! I would love to lasso the fucking moon and give it to you if it meant you believing me. I just willingly allowed you to string me along because I had faith that you and I would be together again. I love you! Endlessly, it is unmeasurable how much I have managed to love you, my entire life. I have faith in us, I believe I am meant to be with you albeit I don’t think I am much wife material but I am better with you than apart from you that much I am sure of. Don’t make me promise you a fairytale, pretending that your demons were not a part of the problem all while you make no effort to offer me a Samuel I hadn’t seen before either. How would that be fair to me? I am willing to do whatever it takes but while I do that what will you be doing? You can’t be arrogant enough to think the Samuel before me is the best version of you that you can offer me…. let alone anyone else!”

Samuel surrendered, moving back against the wall, he hugged himself. Mercedes laid out his life in black and white and he realized a deep truth about himself, he’d run from “I am never going to be a better version of me.” He announced like a death tome, “and I’ve only ever believed in one fairytale” he said, looking directly at Mercedes. His shoulders slumped, “I apologize. I wanted the single thing my father always had. My mother, she would never leave him. Despite what that meant for me and my siblings.” He quieted thinking over all the fights, the chaos of his youth. He huffed out a laugh,  “You have saved me from making a mess with my children. Thank you for being a better person, a better parent then I could have ever hoped to be.” He pushed off the wall, “I don’t want you or my children to be harmed by my demons. I thought I had a handle on all this. Clearly I don’t. You loving me and thinking I’m worthy can no longer be the star by which I navigate my life” he exhaled. Searching her lovely face. “I haven’t changed.  And you should never have to lower yourself for someone like me. I’ve always known that much to be true. I guess it’s time I figured my shit out” he said earnestly.     

“Oh you think this is a pity party Samuel?” Mercedes said, shaking her head, they were not children anymore trying to navigate raising children. They were grown and their babies weren’t babies anymore. “I fucked up, you fucked up, we fucked up. We fucked up together. We’ve fucked up together and are sure to fuck up a little more in life but we are supposed to be fixing things, together. As one?” she said furrowing her brows. “Is that not the whole point?” she asked him before adding “was that not the whole point?” quizzically, she would have sworn they both admitted all of this already, why were they circling back here. What wasn’t getting resolved? “My whole life I have worked to no end to protect you Samuel, from my family, our kids, and yourself… I want to pretend like I don’t have it in me to do it another forty more years but that is a lie. I am willing to do far worse for your betterment. I did not try hard enough before, I know that. You and other people have reminded me of how much I could have done before I signed those papers. Well now I am willing. I don’t want to enter this next phase of my life without you please don’t make me do that. I am not asking for perfection from you, I don’t think I ever have Samuel. And no” she shook her head. “You didn’t deserve me out of all people to have kept giving up on you, you would have never done that to me” she admitted honestly. “And I am sorry… I know you have been let down a lot in your life and I definitely stuck the knife in further. I am not dismissing your feelings at all. I am just asking you to give us a chance, with an open mind. There is no way for us to move forward if you are sitting and waiting for the ball to drop again. If I had really known that is what was going on in your head I would have actually pressed send or call… trust me plenty of times I attempted but I could never bring myself to do it. Maybe I was the idiot with all the pride…” 

Sameul made a move to return to Drew’s bedside. What more was there to say? She was free from all his bullshit and he could try to become a better person. It was perfect only, she wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. His head dropped back. What the hell was the right thing to do? He turned back to Mercedes head dropping, “What happens when I fuck it all up again?” He asked in a voice barely above a whisper. “What if I am just like my father? I don’t want that for my children.”

“I don’t have all the answers Samuel, contrary to popular belief I never do” Mercedes said shrugging. She didn’t get his point at all anyway, he was a good father she didn’t understand why he questioned that about himself. If he were not a good father, there is no way she would be having two more kids with him right now. “I am sure things will happen, but I guess I was hoping we could figure it out together, instead of running like we always do…” she breathed folding her arms over her chest again. “You aren’t like your father…” she said, pausing, she couldn’t think of anything more to say to make him believe her “you won’t believe me but it’s true, our children adore you… I don’t know why that is so hard for you to understand.” 

Samuel knew she didn’t understand his mind and at the moment he didn’t have the strength to explain any further. The plain truth was her protection of their children had made him into a good father. He was there but she’d done all the heavy lifting. Maybe he was really just like his father and he would fold like a house of cards if he actually tried to be a present father. He walked over, placing his arms on Mercedes shoulders, rubbing them softly, “you don’t need to answer those questions.” The relationship with his kids was his, he could no longer look to Mercedes to reassure him. “You know I’d never let you raise our children alone. I’ll try. If that is what you truly want” he said pulling her into a hug.

“Samuel I want you, just as much as I want these babies. I want us together. I want our family to be one…” Mercedes breathed looking up at him “you do get that right?” she asked him seriously. “Please?” she begged, the act so foreign to her it almost didn’t register to her own ears. When it did it made her feel both defeated and pathetic. “I’m sorry, I need to stop putting so much pressure on you,” she said, rubbing her forehead gently. A headache was starting to throb at her temples. “You trying is enough” she added leaning into his hug, she rested her head on his chest wrapping her arms around his midsection. She couldn’t decipher for herself if any progress had been made in the wake of their conversation. What she did know is Samuel would always be present for her, they had two more kids on the way, and Drew had a broken nose. 

“Shhhh” Samuel breathed, a soft rebuke of her tone. “I know. I want that too” he confessed, kissing her on the top of her head. He needed to prove to himself he could be a good and present father. “You don’t have to convince me. You’ve never lied about what you wanted or about how you feel. You are right. I jumped to conclusions. It will not happen again. I promise” he said, surrendering to the unknown.

Mercedes looked up at him, looking into his eyes as she continued to stand there with her arms wrapped around his tall frame. Despite the small voice telling her it was all a lie she refused to believe it, she would believe him instead. “I know I don’t deserve your trust, but you can trust in me. I love you, no matter what that will never change” she told him, speaking as honestly as she ever had. “Kiss me” she wasn’t asking him, she was commanding it. She’d not felt his lips against hers in so long, she craved it. 

Samuel rocked slowly, letting the warmth from Mercedes body, soothe away the weeks of deep routed despair and self inflicted pain. He held her eyes as she spoke. He knew she was telling the truth. No part of him could ever doubt her feelings for him. That was what he would have to hold on to, “I’m going to hold you to that.” He told her, with a trace of a smile on his face. She commanded him to kiss her. He didn’t know why that shocked him, he gathered himself and ran his long fingers up her delicate neck, cradling her face in his hands. He kissed her tenderly. Savoring her full soft lips, in an unhurried manner that he infused with all the love he had in him to give.

[cedes-raquel]

Technical Fouls [Part 1]

INVOLVED: Mercedes Jones, Calvin Jones, Samuel Evans, Willow Evans, Sage Evans, and Drew Evans. LOCATION: University School of Nashville - Nashville, Tennessee. TIME FRAME: Monday, March 9th, 2026. NOTES: Mercedes, Samuel, and their family show up to Drew’s basketball game; the tension is thick in the air. AUTHOR’S NOTE: mention of blood and physical injuries.

Samuel slipped his sunglasses off, a huge grin spreading across his face. He placed his new accessory, a cane, over his arm. He was pleased to be greeted by a life-size picture of Drew hung from the rafters, his name and Senior prominent on the poster.  The words last one made to swirl up in his mind. A thought that was quickly dashed. Nope. Somehow, he was about to be a dad for the fifth time. ‘What life is this?’ he thought pulling out his case and pocketing the glasses. Setting the cane back down, he walked tapping across the floor, eyes scanning for his son in the flesh. He found the boy, the thick mop of curly hair easy to spot in the throng. Drew’s face was a wash of concentration, mouth tight as he bent his knees then exploded up. The move was surgical even in warm-up mode. Samuel nodded approvingly, "Practice how you play” he mouthed, a crooked grin appearing on his face. He threw his hand in the air as he locked eyes with his son waving. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he let his pride in the young man manifest in a huge shit-eating grin. He lowered his hand signaling for Drew to keep warming up. Now came the hard part. His eyes went to the stands, scanning for Mercedes. He had to sit with her. For Drew. He searched both sides of the gym without success. He exhaled, a tangle of emotion hitting him. Fear, relief, annoyance, and sadness. It was a thick stew of feeling he was getting tired of feeling.  One more search and he found Calvin in the crowd. Nodding towards the man, easing to where Mercedes' dad sat, “Mr. Jones” he said sitting just behind, the man in the bleachers. “How have you been?”

Drew caught the ball, his teammate passing the ball forcefully, he was at the center of the court he tossed the ball up making the shot easily. His eyes moved towards his father, his smile growing instantly as he waved back to him. His mother had always supported whatever sport he wanted to play, she showed up and she learned everything about each sport he joined to be able to keep up accordingly. However, the pride he felt in making his father proud with sports was a far different feeling when it came to the two. As his father ushered him back to his warm ups he did, grabbing a ball from his classmate and jogging across the court making a lay-up easily. 

Calvin looked down at his watch and then back up at the boys on the court warming up. The game should start fairly soon, there was nothing more he loved then watching his grandchildren in their allotted extracurriculars. He wouldn’t admit he favored watching Drew over the others but the boy was a beast behind the ball, Samuel had trained him up well. Looking around the space seeing how packed the crowd was he caught Samuel as he headed in his direction. Calvin took in the cane confused “Sam” he said back to the younger man greeting him respectfully, despite his and Mercedes' conversation Samuel was a human-being who deserved to be respected like everyone else. “I should be asking you that son,” he said, looking back at him. “You getting old on me?” he joked, though he truly was curious to know why he had a cane. 

Samuel laid the cane down just in front of his feet, moving it out of sight. He laughed off the observation, the sound forced. He coughed, then smiled, “maybe, it seems that walking is no longer as easy as it used to be,” his eyes went back to the court following Drew. “No seriously, I had a little accident. It’s nothing. The doctor just wanted me to take it easy. The cane just helps keep some of the weight off my leg.” It was the whole truth or rather the only version he was going to give anyone. He wasn’t proud of himself and was just lucky he hadn’t hurt anyone in the process. He was never going to drink and drive again. He thought, promising himself for the hundredth time. “Drew looks good!” he said, changing to a more pleasant subject.”Where is everyone?” he asked casually.  

“I see,” Calvin said, nodding his head slowly, he looked back at Samuel before he turned his attention back to the two teams on the court. “Wishing you a speedy recovery” the older man added sympathetically though Samuel’s statement was very telling. “Yes he does, you trained him up well!” Calvin complimented. “How many points do you think he’ll average?” the man asked with a smirk turning to look back at Samuel again. At the mention of everyone else the man looked down at his watch again “they should be here any moment now I believe” he told him before he reached down to grab his diet coke, he opened the bottle and took a sip. 

Sage turned the corner navigating the sports center, she looked towards the court seeing her little brother. Then she looked towards the bleachers in section A looking for her grandfather, she spotted him and Samuel easily. She moved towards them jogging up the stairs, she slid in beside her father giving the man a hug “hey daddy” she said lovingly. “Hey grandpa,” she added, rubbing the older man’s shoulder gently. 

Willow followed her sister, her eyes sweeping across the large crowd, the game hadn’t started yet which she was happy about. She climbed up the stairs allowing Sage to lead the way “daddy!” she smiled and then moved in next to Sage on the bleacher. “Grandpa” she mimicked, sitting her gatorade down on the ground in front of her. 

Mercedes allowed Willow and Sage to rush off ahead of her, when she walked through the double doors she removed her sunglasses resting them on top of her head. She looked around, her eyes spotting Drew right away she smiled at him, then moved her eyes towards the crowd. Drew’s games were always packed, his team was excellent and it was filled with rich kids whose parents paid their way on the team. Outside of the team, the games double as a fashion show for all the rich mothers and fathers who wanted to flaunt their wealth, so of course she acted accordingly. She clicked towards the direction her children moved, looking up to see her ex-husband in the stands. That amused her, Drew had asked her to send Samuel his schedule, for the first time in her life she made it Drew’s task to complete instead, she guessed he had. Moving up the stairs one at a time she looked at Calvin, slid into his row moving to sit down beside him “hey daddy” she said politely bumping his shoulder playfully. “I had to get the twins” she breathed knowing she hadn’t talked to her sisters since the Bahamas trip there was no way they would show up until they had a conversation and she knew that very well. 

Samuel ran his hand over his face. He didn’t deserve the man’s concern, but he accepted it sheepishly with a curt nod, “Thank you, sir.” Always offering Calvin a respect he’d never dream of affording his parents. “He was a fast learner. To be honest, I wish I had half his natural talent.” His foot tapped uncontrollably against the bleacher floor, his nerves fraying at the edges. He caught sight of his beautiful twins, he was always happy to see them, however his stomach flipped, eyes darting to the entrance repeatedly. It was unnatural to be at odds with Mercedes. There was only ever a brief moment of turmoil and then everything would become calm again. Maybe she was right and they just weren’t suited for each other. After all, they had spent more time apart than together. She walked in and his breath caught. He shifted his eyes away quickly, not wanting her to catch him staring. “Ummm, thirty points” he said to Calvin, bringing his mind back to the conversation. He hugged Sage as she slipped in beside him. “Hey baby,” he said, kissing her temple. “What no hug for your old man." He said, smirking as he reached over to squeeze Willow's shoulder. His nose twitched as Mercedes sat, she smelled so good. He missed her and that annoyed him especially now, when only fear and pride stood between them.

“Sorry dad” Willow said, she reached over her sister and managed to give Samuel a slight hug. “Sorry” she said to Sage as she moved to sit back down. She looked down at her mother when she sat, she didn’t utter a single word to their father and Willow slowly turned her head to look at him reading his face. What was going on? She wanted to say something but she was also too scared to poke the dormant beast. 

Sage leaned backwards allowing her sister to hug their father “you’re okay sis” she said back to the girl rubbing Willow’s leg reassuringly. She assumed her mother would sit on their row but she didn’t, she sat below them next to their grandfather and she didn’t greet their dad. Sage looked at Willow, she felt awkward; she could not remember a day her mother and father did not regard each other. 

Calvin repeated “thirty points” with a head nod, “I’ll take thirty” he chuckled at Samuel. When the girls showed he patted their hands “it’s spring break I am shocked to see you two” he joked, his grandchildren lived a life he could only dream of. Whenever he asked about them, they all seemed to be running off to do one thing or the other. Calvin watched Mercedes as she sat down “hey baby” he told her knowingly. She did not speak to Samuel which rubbed him the wrong way, he was usually the peacemaker in the bunch but he couldn’t allow her to get away with that. So he said without a second thought “Samuel’s behind you” using his thumb to point behind them. He cut his eyes at her, she had not heard anything he said to her while they were golfing that much was apparent.

Mercedes sat her Birkin bag down in the seat in front of her, she pulled her thick coat off and sat it beside herself. She reached for a piece of mint gum, it helped her a lot while she was pregnant with the girls and history had seemed to be repeating itself. She unwrapped the piece of gum and stuck it into her mouth, chewing lightly. At her father’s words she looked at him, if her eyes were daggers he would be dead. “Samuel” she breathed, she didn’t bother looking back instead she flipped ginger hair over her shoulder and looked towards the court as the game began. Samuel hadn’t spoken to her either, however she assumed she would always have to be the bigger person in her father’s eyes. 

Samuel nodded, accepting Willow's hug.  At least one thing, Mercedes hadn’t said anything to anyone yet. If so, he was sure neither of his daughters or Drew would be talking to him, “is your older sister coming?” he asked the girls. Calvin pointed him out to Mercedes, he was grateful to the man but he was pretty sure Mercedes didn’t miss him.  The greeting was thrown with the care he was sure she had for him. “Ms. Jones” he returned, annoyed with her dismissive tone.

Sage turned her head in Samuel's direction, before she could answer him her mother offered the man a pathetic greeting. Something was definitely going on. “Uh” she said “no she is on a date” the girl said back to Samuel. Her eyes snapping back at her mother as she spoke again. 

“Ms. Evans actually” Mercedes quipped, looking back at Samuel now, she gazed into his eyes, her face hard. If he were going to be funny he needed to at least get his punchline correct. She didn’t know when they had graduated to petty banter but she guessed they were doing this now and in front of their children no less. It killed her to pull her eyes away from him without rolling them, she turned her body forward once more and she continued to chew her gum silently. 

Willow pulled her lip into her mouth as her mother and father shared words, she looked at the woman’s face. It sent a shiver down her spine, she would always be scared of that facial expression, adult or not. She desperately wanted to know what happened and why they were acting like this, she didn’t like it at all. 

Calvin looked at Mercedes as she turned her body around to face Samuel, he had to pull his eyes away saying “Jesus” under his breath. She and Samuel needed to get a handle on whatever this was, he moved his eyes back to the court watching someone pass the ball to Drew. 

‘There we go’. Samuel thought, looking down outwardly unfazed by Mercedes hazel eyes. “Ouch. Sorry,” he corrected, smirking as he felt her anger pouring off her in buckets. Okay she was still really mad. He shouldn’t care. It was all her fault. Even when he gave her exactly what she wanted, she doubted him. The thought strengthened his resolve. Not wanting to argue further in front of their children, he went back to the court and watched as everyone gathered for the jump off.   

Drew caught the pass from his teammate, he locked eyes with the equally tall boy the other team appointed to guard him. He smirked to himself dribbling the ball with his right hand, he gestured for his other teammate to shift to the left. As the boy lunged forward a bit but Drew shifted on his feet “you can’t think I am going to let you take it that easily” he said to him. He dribbled between his legs and faked as if he were going to push off to his left before running to his right, with his feet on the line he tossed the ball up and began to jog backwards down the court, his eyes locking on the taller boy again as the ball went through the net. “I’mma make you work for it” he challenged. 

Mercedes rolled her eyes to herself. She was really starting to hate Samuel, the idea of that bothered her so much. Samuel and hate in the same sentence never coexist. She just needed to center herself, she said a quick prayer asking God to help her remain true to herself at least if nothing else. As Drew started the game dropping three points she smirked to herself, he looked so much like Samuel on the court it was almost painful to watch. 

Willow looked between her mother and father again, she licked her lips and pulled her eyes away looking towards the court. They needed to give Harper a phone call, she needed the play by play immediately. 

Sage looked at Willow out of the corner of her eye for a moment before she looked towards the court. Her sister was thinking the same thing she was thinking. The four of them would need to link up and unpack this later. 

Calvin tried his best to mind his business, he told himself he would not get in between Samuel and Mercedes, he meant that. When Drew faked a play, tossing up the ball and landing a three point shot with ease he nodded his head “this is going to be a good game” he said aloud. 

“Yes!” Samuel cheered as the first shot of the game came from Drew. The swish sound coming from the net was a declaration of what was to come. He pat, Calvin on shoulder, congratulation and pride mixing.  “Let’s go.” He yelled, cheering on the team, “Defence.”

Drew moved towards the other basketball hoop, he watched number six closely. He remembers the boy now, the last time they played each other he pushed Drew and it resulted in a foul. Drew made both free throws and won the game for his team. Drew was going to make the boy pay for that during this game. So he stopped short, he crisscrossed his arms over his chest, watching as the unsuspecting boy bumped him losing the ball, his hand didn’t make contact with the other player, it was not a foul. Drew reached for the ball quickly and powered down the court dribbling the ball as he moved  towards the home hoop. Once he reached it he jumped up slamming the ball in, hanging from the rim for a moment before he dropped down to his feet. Two of Drew’s teammates roughed him up enthusiastically after the slam dunk. Drew jogged back towards the other end of the court looking for his dad in the crowd he pointed to the older guy nodding his head playfully. 

Calvin shifted to the edge of seat a bit, his eyes were hyper focused on Drew and a few teammates he had that could actually play the game well. Drew blocked a boy in a number six jersey, the older man didn’t think the boy would reach the ball before another member of the opposing team reached it but Drew did. And then his grandson took off down the court and Calvin watched Drew with his mouth open assuming he would go for an easy lay-up but instead he dunked the ball. “Damn!” Calvin said, stunned.

Hearing Samuel cheering behind her did loosen up the tension a little bit, after all they were here to watch Drew play ball they could sit their differences aside for one day. Mercedes watched Drew, he’d stolen the ball from the other team her eyes followed him down the court and in Drew fashion he dunked the ball. She smirked, shaking her head despite herself as the crowd cheered. 

The game had only just begun and already Drew was making moves. He was such an amazing kid. Great at sports, smart, and caring. He glanced down at Mercedes. He was all those things because of her. Maybe apologizing was the right thing to do. He lowered himself, carefully. He opened his mouth, but then the crowd erupted and Samuel jumped to his feet grimacing. Drew was sprinting up the court and a smile broke across his face. He knew exactly what was coming. Drew did not hesitate; the normally sweet-faced kid was a monster on the court. The dunk was brutal. “That is my boy!” He said, pointing. Punching out with both hands at the young man. “My boy!” he celebrated, reaching down he squeezed Mercedes’ shoulder. “Our boy.”   

Drew moved into position, he stood at the three point line waiting for jersey number six to reach the other end of the court. He and the other boy locked eyes, he watched the boy’s eyes stare into his as he dribbled the ball in his left hand. “Not only are we going to win this game, but I am going to beat your ass for that,” the boy said to Drew directly. Drew smirked at the chocolate skinned kid “boy you can’t even handle the ball how the fuck are you going to handle me?” he asked. The banter took Drew’s focus off the ball, jersey number six tossed it to his teammate who then tossed it into the basket. “Like that” the boy said as he jogged backwards to the other side of the court, holding up his middle finger at Drew. Nodding his head Drew hustled to the other side of the court once more, he turned to see his teammate dribbling the ball towards him, the boy held up his hand signaling for him to pass it and he did. However, Jersey number six ran up behind Drew and smacked the ball away, his chest bumping into Drew’s back. Drew lost his footing and tripped, the whistle was blown. “You love a foul!” Drew barked at the boy as he got up with his teammates' help “they need to bench you, you are trash and you are a bitch” he said brushing past the boy to move to the free throw line. 

Calvin clapped loudly as Drew rushed back down to the other end of the court. He would make Mercedes get that footage for him on the back end there was always people recording Drew’s games. He can’t wait to see this season's highlight reel. The other team scored and Calvin watched as Drew ran back towards the side of the home court, jersey number six tried to block the ball from Drew which resulted in him knocking Drew down the whistle was blown. A clear foul and Calvin knew Drew could make a free throw easily. 

Mercedes looked back at Samuel with a sly smirk. She turned back around and watched Drew and the other player, who tripped Drew and the boy fell. She watched Drew’s demeanor, he was clearly bantering back and forth with the other tall kid. 

Samuel looked between his daughters bumping them both slightly. Winking at Sage.  “He is so good,” he laughed, knowing it would make the girls roll their eyes, annoyed but proud. Samuel eased back down to his seat wincing slightly. He watched Drew reading his body language and shook his head. First the shot and then the fast break that ended in a foul shot for Drew. “Keep your head in the game” Samuel yelled, knowing his son was becoming emotional.  

Drew fixed his uniform, tucking his jersey back into his shorts; honestly he was just stalling. He lifted his right foot wiping his hand across the soles of his shoe and he did it once more with his left. He needed to rid his hands of their moisture and concentrate despite hearing his father’s loud announcement from the stands. The referee tossed the basketball at Drew, he caught it with one hand licking his lips. Gripping the ball with both hands he took a deep breath and dribbled the ball before himself then he took the shot. The ball hit the side of the basket and Drew eyebrows stitched downward, he swallowed down his disappointment and caught the ball again as it was tossed to him. This time he really tried to focus on dribbling the ball and tossing it up again, the ball made it in and Drew walked away from the free throw line with his hands on his hips headed for his coach hearing the man screaming his name from afar. Drew held his hand out knowingly tapping his teammate in, his coach was going to sit him down for missing the free throw. He sat in a chair and looked up as the older guy stood before him, fussing over his mistake. Drew picked up his gatorade and poured some into his mouth ignoring the man. 

Willow was deep into a text message thread with a guy she liked, she didn’t mind supporting her brother but she was not interested in basketball. She and Sage played Volley Ball and participated in Ballet that was the most Mercedes could get out of them both. Hearing their dad she looked at him and nodded “mhm” at him. She looked back to the court seeing her brother miss his first shot “mm mm mm” she said moving back to her phone. 

Sage took a sip of her gatorade before closing the top, she understood basketball enough to know her brother was good and scored a lot. Anything else was foreign but she tried to follow it. She looked to her dad and pursed her lips “yeah we know” she said only half jokingly as she turned her eyes back to the court. She combed her nails through her mother’s hair playfully as she watched as Drew sat down on the sidelines. 

Calvin watched Drew, he missed the first shot. It wasn't a really big deal to him but he knew it would piss his grandson off. It was still early in the game, though a free throw was not something he would throw away personally. Drew made the second shot and moved towards his coach. “Oh come on” he said with a headshake as he grabbed his coke and took a sip. He always felt Drew’s coach was too hard on the kids but he understood the man was trying to make pro athletes out of the teens. 

Mercedes watched Drew nibbling her finger nail nervously, the sport was too anxiety inducing if you asked her but the kid loved it. Subsequently so did Samuel, she learned to adapt as early as their high school years when it came to it. Drew missed and the crowd groaned. She bit her lips pulling her nail away from her mouth, she chewed her gum watching as he made a second shot and actually landed it. Drew moved to sit down on the sidelines and she looked to her father knowingly as men in the stand complained over Drew’s absences on the court. 

Samuel grunted, clapping as Drew left the court. “That is alright" he said, even as the ref blew the whistle. “You got this, son!” he yelled out, Drew was pissed. He hoped a few words of encouragement would calm the boy down. He doubted it would work, but it was worth a shot. “He’s too much like I was. A hot head on the court” he said to the group. Though only Mercedes truly knew what he was like back in the day.  

“That is your son,” Mercedes said simply as she folded her arms over her chest watching Drew. She would have a talk with him later, well actually, as she thought about it perhaps Samuel should talk to him instead. She sighed heavily to herself as her eyes moved back to the players and the game. 

________________________________________________________________

Drew’s coach sat him out for most of the game, it was not until after half-time and their team was down twelve points did he put Drew back into the game. Despite his annoyance the lean boy tucked his jersey in and tapped hands with his teammate moving to the middle of the court. He already knew the expectations long before his coach yelled them out to him, Drew was to drop three’s to make up for the twelve points his team was behind by. Jersey number six was put back into the game, Drew chewed on his mouth piece as he waited for the swapping out of players to finish. He leaned bent over, his hands on his knees as he gazed towards jersey number six on the other team, the sly smirk on his lips would fuel Drew’s next moves. 

Mercedes entered the gymnasium once more, when nausea wasn’t exhausting her to no end she was peeing repeatedly. She moved back towards her family with a new bottle of water in her hand, moving up the steps carefully in her heeled boots. She sat back down next to Calvin seeing Drew back on the court she smiled thankfully. She knew if his coach did not put him back at some point of time for this game Drew would be livid going home tonight. The team was down but she assumed the coach but Drew back in with the hopes of him helping the team out. 

Calvin stretched his back, the small half time show was over and the game's continuation was starting. Drew was off the bench and back in the game once the older man sat up giving all of this attention to the court. He had high hopes for Drew and for his team, he wanted to see them steal this win. 

Willow chuckled showing Sage a photo on instagram of a boy who liked her on campus, he wasn’t her type at all. He wasn’t bad looking per say but he was too clean cut, she needed a guy who was a little rough around the edges, someone the opposite of her father and brother. 

Sage scrolled up on Willow’s phone “he’s kinda cute though” she said with a shrug putting a chip into her mouth and chewing lightly. But she knew Willow was already talking to two guys from school, how she managed she didn’t know. But her sister was a lot more playful when dating, whereas she preferred something more serious and exclusive. 

Samuel tapped his foot, fidgeting in his seat. His eyes kept wandering towards the exit Mercedes had left through, easing down the stairs with deliberate steps. He’d shaken his head; she really didn’t always need to wear high heels. He sighed, lowering his head when she reappeared. The applause of the crowd and the whistle blows signaled half time was over. “They are putting Drew back in. Thank goodness, because we have some ground to make up.” He was speaking to Calvin, though he could not help but watch Mercedes climbing the stairs with the same measured steps used to leave the bleachers. He waited for her to sit, then leaned forward, “Why didn’t you wear flats?” he asked, closer to her ear than he needed to be. 

“Yeah they need him real bad” Calvin said to Samuel looking back at the guy before he looked towards the court again. Calvin hoped Drew could work his magic, after sitting on the bench for so long he was sure the boy had the energy to make up for it. 

Mercedes cracked her water bottle open and took a long sip from it, before she pulled it from her lips and closed the bottle with its cap. Sitting the bottle next to her feet, she looked back at Samuel furrowing her brows slightly. “Samuel I’m having a baby or two, I am not dead” she said to him in a hushed whisper. If they weren’t on such rocky terms she would find his concern a bit cute, she was only eleven weeks pregnant he acted like she was further along than that. What harm could high heels do right now?

Samuel nodded solemnly in total agreement with Calvin. Hopefully, Drew had cooled off enough to keep his head in the game this time. Mercedes sure was being cute. He’d almost forgotten about his comment when she got his attention. Tentatively, he moved forward, leaning in close enough to smell her perfume. She had no right to look this good and be mad with him. It was not fair. Again, I am sorry, pounded on his pursed lips trying to liberate the words from his mouth. However, her reprimand was quick and dismissive. His face flushed, his mouth going dry.  “No, no, no… superwoman. I forgot who I was talking to, sorry to show concern,“ he said straight up, zeroing in on Drew and trying to forget his mother was in the building. 

Mercedes looked Samuel up and down, her eyes squinted slightly but she chose to ignore his words. He was tapping dance on her nerves, if she allowed him he’d get the best of her in front of their children and she didn’t want that. “Now you want show concern where the fuck was the concern for the last couple of weeks Samuel?” she said despite herself. He’d struck a nerve with his last statement, it was unfair for him to fake concern in front of her father who she knew was listening and pretending not to be. “You are unbelievable” she breathed, turning away from him again, just when she thought she was over it, she was reminded of why she could not stand him all over again. 

Samuel felt Mercedes' eyes. They were daggers being dug into his skin. He licked his lips, nostril flaring. He locked eyes with Mercedes. “The concern was exactly where you sent it, Mercedes.” Both of his eyebrows raised. “No, I am believable. I’m just always your…” he shook his head, chuckling, buttoning his lips. There was no point in going on. His biggest concern was his reputation with his children. He didn’t want his kids choosing sides. No, they had already chosen and it was as it should be their mother’s. He couldn’t and wouldn’t risk losing the only people in this world who truly loved him. He glanced at the girls, smiling sadly, before refocusing his attention on Drew. 

Calvin sighed heavily to himself, he licked his lips he could hardly focus on the game as Samuel and Mercedes bantered back and forth. Hearing Samuel’s words he sucked in a harsh breath, she turned Mercedes body back towards the game. Instinctively he rubbed her back he didn’t want to say anything, he didn’t want to make anything worse. 

Mercedes turned back around, shifting her actual body this time. Her eyebrows were raised to her hairline, before she could even snap Calvin ushered her to turn back around. Though her blood was boiling on the inside Mercedes eyes moved towards the court, she had to inhale and exhale a few times calming herself down. She could not believe after all the time they’d shared in the last couple of months that this is how it would all end. It was unfortunate, but she was done with Samuel. Today had confirmed that for her indefinitely. 

Willow looked at her mother and father. She couldn’t hear much of anything over the loud crowd around them but their body language spoke volumes. 

Sage popped another chip into her mouth hearing her fathers words she looked over at him. She looked down at her mother and looked at Willow. She didn’t know what was going on. She was too busy enjoying her snack but the attitude of both of them was off. 

Drew was passed the ball and he dribbled his way down the court directing his team mate where to go. He used his hand pointing towards his left, however his team mate wasn’t paying attention so Drew took a gamble, he knew jersey six was hot on his trail so he tossed the ball up at the three point line. He made it in and yelled “get the fucking rebound”, which his teammate did and tossed the ball across the court to Drew. Drew jumped up to receive the ball just as jersey number six purposefully elbowed him in the nose. Drew ignored the blood running from his nose, gripping the ball tightly he wiped his face on his shoulder and dribbled to his right. He ignored the whistle and tossed the ball up again making the shot. The pain hadn’t even had the chance to set in when Drew charged for jersey number six, he slammed the boy to the ground. He got one hard blow in before players on both teams began to fight each other. 

Controlled breaths.The flight part of Samuel wanted to leave, or at least change positions. He rubbed at his eyes clearing his mind before actually focusing on Drew. His son was setting up a play, leading the team. ‘Good, good’. He thought, then he watched him plant his feet. Samuel was on his own feet. Drew was going for it. He held his breath, fist pumping as the ball sank into the net. Samuel followed the ball; shockingly, it was already back in Drew’s hand. “Fuck.” Blood erupted, spilling down his son’s face.  Basketball was not that kind of sport. There was no need for Drew to be bleeding.  Especially at a fucking prep school. Samuel quickly limped past the girls. Using his injured leg despite the jolts of pain, he raced around the court. “Drew” he yelled, grabbing the boy and pulling him off the number six player, as the fight raged between the other boys.  

“That was a cheap shot and you are a bitch for that” Drew barked punching the boy in the face again, he felt someone tugging him off the player pinned beneath him. He released a growl “get the fuck off me” he said snatching away from the person forcefully, he looked to see his father there his eyes growing wide. “Sorry Pops” he rushed out, he lifted his shirt to his nose trying to contain the bleeding helplessly. The brawl behind them being broken up by parents, school staff, and referees. “He broke my nose” he said to his dad as he pulled his jersey from his face, the pain was starting to kick in “is it really bad” he asked his dad as the Athletic trainer approached Drew ushering him towards a seat. When Drew did sit down the trainer checked him over, pinching his nose to stop the bleeding, telling his father he needed to go to the ER. 

Mercedes watched Drew, she picked her water bottle up and took another long sip her heart was racing in her chest. She exhaled again, she was irritated and ready to go home, she couldn’t stand the idea of being around Samuel another second. However all hell broke loose on the court, her mind cleared itself of the issues she and Samuel was having to Drew. She looked at Drew’s face as blood ran down it and she jumped up. “What happened?” she asked looking at her father, seemingly at lightning speed her son’s father had managed to reach the court. “Shit” she echoed much like Samuel had and she grabbed her purse then her jacket moving to rush down the stands despite all of the commotion both on and off the court. She carefully navigated bodies and players being mindful of her condition, moving towards Samuel and Drew she knew Willow and Sage would be hot on her trail. “Drew?” she said as she approached them “oh my God is your nose broken?” she asked, lowering herself down in a seat next to the boy. “Are you okay?” she asked him, catching the tail end of the athletic trainer suggesting he be taken to the ER. 

Calvin watched the entire thing unfold and he stood up in time with Mercedes. He swapped a glance with her and grabbed his drink and hers mindfully, he allowed Willow and Sage to climb down, she helped each one holding their hand as the three of them tried to get down the stairs towards Drew as well.

“Chill out!” Samuel barked at Drew, hopping back on one foot to avoid putting pressure on his injured leg. Sameul waved Drew’s comments off and limped forward, nodding. Hand going to Drew’s shoulder as he tried to get a better look at his nose. “Safe bet, judging from the blood.” Once Drew was seated, he watched the trainer give him the once-over. Trainer's words were all but confirmed when Mercedes arrived. Though she asked as if his nose was broken as a question. Samuel knew if she thought it, it was most likely true. “Thank you,” Samuel glanced around, noting several other boys with injuries. He nodded and told the man, “Thank you. We'll see that he is looked after. His mother’s a doctor.”  He reached for the girls, gathering them to him, to ensure they were out of the bustle. 

“I’m fine” Drew said though his nose and the surrounding area did hurt a lot. He was handed an ice pack from the athletic trainer and he accepted it. He placed it against his nose looking up at his dad and then his mother. 

“CRNA” Mercedes corrected without looking at Samuel, she hated it when he told people she was a doctor. She was just a nurse in her mind. “But he is in good hands and we will go to the ER right now” she breathed looking Drew over. “You aren’t having trouble breathing right?” she asked him seriously, though he didn’t look to be. She was sure the doctors would reposition his nose and bench him for a couple weeks, he won’t like that but he would be fine. “Come on” she said standing up and offering Drew her hand though she knew he didn’t need it. “We will meet you there” she said dismissively to Samuel not even bothering to look in his direction “Willow, Sage” she said, calling for her children as she wrapped an arm around Drew’s waist moving him towards the exit, looking him over intensely. 

Samuel inhaled deeply. Was this really the time to split hairs? Despite her correction, she confirmed Drew was in good hands, which was enough for Samuel. She gathered the children like a good mother hen, dismissing Samuel. He kissed Sage and Willow on the forehead stating, “I’ll meet you all there.”  He exhaled soberly and watched the group file out. The door of the gym shutting behind his family, was the physical manifestation of how he felt in the moment. Shoulders hunched and he rubbed his leg. Gritting his teeth as he limped around the basketball court, back into the stands. Easing down onto the bleachers, he rubbed the knot in his thigh for a moment, before grabbing his cane and moving to exit the building himself.  

Willow hugged her dad, she was concerned for both Drew and him. Something was going on between her parents and now Drew was injured it was a bit overwhelming. She followed her mother, being summoned to leave with her and she did as she was told. Looking back at Samuel sadly for a moment as they walked through the double doors towards the parking lot. 

Sage hugged Samuel behind Willow, she followed her mother and Drew “you good?” she asked the young boy as she looked at his nose for herself fully. She walked beside him through the door and said “that kid was bleeding from his eyebrow” quietly referencing the player Drew punched in the face multiple times. 

Calvin licked his lips; he didn't think he needed to intrude on the family “call me with an update” he told his daughter as she trotted off. He knew very well Drew was her only concern right now, she’d have tunnel vision until she got him cleared at her place of work. “Keep me updated please” he told Samuel patting his shoulder “it was good seeing you” he added as the older man left himself, headed for his car and his home. 

Drew looked to his mother and said “I am fine” again, he didn't want her worrying about him. He then turned his head and looked at Sage “serves him right” he breathed agitatedly. He licked his lips and asked the three women “did dad get hurt?” curiously, “I swear he was limping…” he told them with furrowed brows. 

“He looked fine to me” Mercedes replied back to the boy nonchalantly as she grabbed her keys out of her bag. Headed for her car, she didn’t think she saw Samuel limping; she was sure Drew had just made a mistake during all of the commotion.

[thoughtkick]

“You have to meet people where they are, and sometimes you have to leave them there.”

— Iyanla Vanzant

[cedes-raquel]

→ instagram: @miss_mrj uploaded a new photo:

miss put that s*** on!

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[cedes-raquel]

→ instagram: @miss_mrj uploaded a new photo:

Big Mama 🐯🍒🐅❤️ #AprilsFinest

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@willow_xoxo: I love your life! 🥹

@astoldbysagee: Big Mama 6 kids! 🫶🏻

@harpernobazaar: 🤎🤎🤎

@miss_mrj: @willow_xoxo I love your life more 💋

@miss_mrj: @astoldbysagee that part! 😌🤭