Page 297 of Kentrell

Reesie?

The nickname stuck in my head, but before I could get lost in the thought, she tilted her head and shifted back to the present.

“I’m sorry… I’m just going on and on.” She breathed deep, her chest lifting slow, then falling even slower. “What I ask you? Oh… you was telling me about your lil’ issue with my son.” She waved her hand like she was flipping the page. “Carry on.”

I cleared my throat with a small nod, swallowing hard to push down the knot forming there. “Right… um… yeah.”

“I found out that Kentrell was connected to somebody who wanted to…” I paused, careful with my words, even in a secure room where nothing said inside these walls would ever be admissible in court. “He wanted to harm me.”

“Who, Kentrell?” Her brows shot up.

“No. Malcolm.”

“And Malcolm is…?” Right. She didn’t know him.

“It’s complicated?—”

“I got all day, babygirl.” Jellybean stretched her arms across the sofa and smiled like we had nothing but time. “And now that Tasha’s been up here working on my appeal, I’ve been able to chill in here away from everybody.”

I caught the spark in her eyes at the mention of her appeal and it warmed something in my chest.

“Yeah… Attorney Williams is truly remarkable. Her appellant outcome is ninety-six percent. She’s meticulous, dedicated, and genuinely kindhearted,” I said, smiling wide as I sang her praises. “She was the only person I had in mind when I looked into your case.”

But just as fast as my smile bloomed, hers disappeared.

“You pulled my case?” she asked, tone sharp and steady. “What made you do that?” The second question came back-to-back, and I didn’t miss the implication behind it.

I licked my lips, trying to find the right response. I didn’t want to take too deep of a breath and make her think I was catching an attitude. The last thing I needed was to rub thiswoman the wrong way… only for her to go back and tell her son about it. Then Kentrell would definitely be looking for me.

“At first…” I decided to just be honest. “I came across your name when I looked into Kentrell. We met at his brother’s clothing event. He was… intense. Very sure of himself. Persistent.” I smiled as the memory came rushing back. “One minute we were staring at each other… the next he was telling me he’d be in my office the very next day—and he did show up. With food… and demands.” I laughed softly. “I just… wanted to be sure I knew what I was getting myself into.”

Jellybean waved her hand with a knowing smirk. “Aw girl, if you saw who his mama and daddy was and still chose to stick around… you knew exactly what you was walking into.” She shook her head with a little laugh. “Might not have been what you thought… but it’s not every day you run into a pimp’s son and a prostitute’s baby and think—ooooh, let me fuck him.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Oh my God—” I blurted, covering my mouth as heat rushed to my cheeks.

“Baby… I’m forty-one years old. Had my son when I was just fourteen. I been fast and running the streets a long time… so trust me… I know you wasn’t just looking at my son out of curiosity.”

“I never did anything with anybody before him!” The words exploded out of me before I could stop them. My hands flew right back over my mouth as soon as I realized what I’d said.

Jellybean froze… eyes going wide… then slow as hell… that smile stretched across her face like Christmas came early.

“Oh… wow…” she said, covering her mouth with one hand, still staring at me like she was seeing me for the first time. “Oh wow.” Her voice lifted with the repeat, full of laughter and disbelief. “When Trell was about nine… maybe ten… I’ll never forget… one of his uncles asked him which of the girls he wanted. And you know what he said?”

I shook my head, heart pounding.

“He was like… ‘I’on want none of these hoes. My shorty gon’ only be for me.’” She paused, swallowing back a soft laugh like the memory tickled her. “And he meant that.”

She giggled to herself… shaking her head in amazement. “Wow, Zoe… he love you.”

And just like that… my throat tightened all over again.

Because hearing her say it out loud… in this room… under these circumstances… hit way too deep.

Especially with everything I was hiding.

Especially with what I now carried inside me.

“Let me ask you something, Zoe.” Jellybean uncrossed her legs and sat up straighter, her tone shifting from casual to serious.

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