Page 164 of The Love of Priest

Seven's face screwed up. She wanted to question her daughter about the well-being of Jeremy but opted against it. "Who'd you meet?"

"A woman named Mrs. Cox. She told me a few things." Seven's face seemed to grow pale and blank at the mention of Mrs. Cox. She never really spoke about her past to her children because she didn't like it. Mrs. Cox played a pivotal role in her upbringing, especially when it came to her relationship with Jeremy.

Seven immediately sat up, swallowing down some of her nerves. "What'd she tell you?"

"Relax." Britain eyed her mother oddly. "She just told me some things about you and my dad."

"What things, Britain?" Seven's voice hitched in octave as she spoke in a sterner tone.

"She just told me how in love you guys were, Ma. It's not that big of a deal," Britain let out with a passive shrug.

Seven ran her fingers through her hair in a stressed manner. "That's not the story." Seven shook her head. "Me and Jeremy weren't in love. We were young and stupid." She waved it off dismissively.

"So, I'm just a young and stupid mistake?" Britain raised her brow at her mother questioningly.

"No, Britain, not you, but the way you came about. We went over this already. I was young, and so was Jeremy. We were there for each other, I got pregnant, Jeremy skated, and I pushed through school with you on my hip and raised you to be a beautiful and independent young lady. Now, he waltzes back into your life acting as if he's the father who didn't know when the whole time he knew. He knew everything!" Seven fumed in frustration. Her life with Jeremy was really hard to delve into, and it didn't help that Britain constantly sided with her father every chance she got. Seven spent a lot of time trying not to blame Britain, since she truly was oblivious to what all transpired between her and Remy, but God, it was so damn hard not to.

"He didn't know," Britain argued, not taking her mother's word. "My dad isn't that type of guy! He's never been!" Britain understood that she'd only known her father for a year, but Remy just didn't seem like the type to knowingly abandon his child. He'd spent most of his years patching up young men who had been abandoned by their parents, so how could he even be the type of man to abandon his own child?

"Congratulations, Britain. You met the new and improved Jeremy Pharaoh Demings." She clapped her hands, her words drenched in sarcasm. "The one I knew wasn't that damn honorable."

"But you loved him," Britain pointed out. "Right?" She was hoping that her mother could finally admit that things weren't always sour between her and Remy. From what she heard, they were a beautiful couple with a very strong bond.

Seven sighed. "Again," she prompted herself once more. "We were young and dumb. That's it," she concluded.

Britain stood up, an exasperated look etched on her face. "Ma, I really try to understand you and your pain, but it's clear that you can't even do that," Britain shamed her mother with a shake of her head. "All he wants is a conversation. So much would be resolved if you just talkedtohim instead of talkingabouthim."

Seven’s face softened. She really didn't want Britain upset with her. She knew once Britain grew attached to Remy this would happen. Remy knew all the right things to say and when to say them. Of course, Britain believed every word that came out of his mouth while her side held little to no truth to Britain. "Britain, you won't understand," Seven insisted.

"Don't talk to me about understanding. I understand completely. I understand that you're still in love with my dad, but you feel guilty about it because Henderson is everything you've ever dreamed of in a man. I understand that you're emotionally invested in one situation, but the past keeps haunting you. All I've done is understand you, but you've never taken the time out to understand me or anyone else for that matter," Britain vented to Seven, who didn't want to hear the truth.

Seven’s soft brown eyes bore onto Britain. She felt her tear ducts growing weak. She wanted to cry, but there was no use. Crying for Remy would be useless. She was happy. In love. Married with children. Remy was just the past.

"Let him tell you," she told Britain in a light voice. "He's always been better at telling stories than I have." Seven rose from her seat on the couch, brushing past Britain to head up the stairs.

"Ma," Britain called after her, feeling bad about confronting her with all types of different emotions at once.

Seven let out a sigh. "It's fine, Mocha. It really is," she assured. "I guess I have some reevaluating to do."

ChapterForty-One

Priest stoodin the center of one of the empty show rooms. An accomplished smirk spread across his face. "You did it," he heard J'Ru say in a congratulatory tone as he applied a light squeeze to his shoulder.

Priest shook his head. "Nah, we did it," he corrected J'Ru.

Mayor Jenkins had granted Priest the rights and ownership of the strip mall in a timely manner. Priest had plans to successfully use the space strategically for not only storage, but for legitimate business as well. J'Ru stood beside him, his eyes glancing around the huge amount of space they now owned. "We the youngest niggas doing this shit!" J'Ru boasted loudly, causing Priest to laugh while agreeing with him.

They dapped each other up in a celebratory manner. "I'm glad y'all celebrating before we start war." Kaymen grasped their attention with a taunting smirk.

Both J'Ru and Priest shrugged dismissively with a laugh. For now, they were taking everything with a grain of salt. They knew that June would be coming for them sooner or later, but they were prepared. Nothing was going to shake them.

"Can't go in with a loser’s mentality, Kay," J'Ru chuckled.

Kaymen shook his head. "I don't lose," he asserted. "This the winning team. Ain't it?"

"Always has been," Priest let out arrogantly.

J'Ru laughed. "Except for that time we were all working dead end jobs," he recalled, causing Kaymen and Priest to laugh as well.

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