She sat down with a pout on her face, refusing to look at Carmelo who she knew was sitting there with a smirk. CJ started to cry so she jumped up to tend to him.
“Let his father get him,” Mama Love said as she cut her eyes at her son.
“He ain’t been wanting to get him,” Dream mumbled as she sat back down.
“Which is exactly why were are here today.”
As soon as Melo picked CJ up, he started to cry even more.
“That’s what happens when you neglect your son just because you’re at odds with his mother,” Mama Love fussed at Carmelo.
“He doesn’t have to do anything for CJ. My son will be good regardless. I never seen him as the type to turn his back on his child,” Dream said.
“Yo, Dream, chill out and shut the fuck up, okay? Never have I or will I turn my back on mines. I’m not like you,” Melo spat.
Dream wasn't in any mood to argue with Carmelo so she just let that one slide. She could tell that he was still salty with her for leaving him but instead of being a man and accepting it like an adult, he wanted to act childish like a little boy.
Chapter Fourteen
Carmelo was still dealing with the fact that his Dream had actually left him. He didn't know if he wanted to be hurt or pissed, so, being who he was, he chose the latter. He was never the type to show his emotions or big on that love shit, but he changed all that for Dream. All of that just for her to show him why he didn't show females love in the first place. To think that everything he did for her was just for her to turn her back on him and leave him.
He wasn't going to dwell on that, though. She wanted to play games but she must have forgotten who he was. He had something for her ass that would most definitely have her feeling some type of way. When he heard his doorbell go off, he happily bounced down the stairs.
“You could have come to get me, you know that right?”
“Hello to you, too, Mo. I'm doing fine thanks for asking,” Carmelo said sarcastically as he took her bags.
“Oh hush.” Monica waved him off. “I never thought I would be seeing the inside of this house ever again. Come to the couch and tell me everything,” she said.
“Ain't nothing to tell you. I came home one day and she had her bags packed. She split without any explanation.” Carmelo shrugged.
He was leaving out the fact that he didn't give her a chance to explain because his heart wouldn't allow it. He didn't want to hear any bogus ass excuse she came up with as to why she wanted to leave.
“So tell me, how did that make you feel?” Monica asked.
“Yo, what the hell is this? A Dr. Phil session or something?” he asked.
“I'm just trying to figure out if I'm here because you want me here or is this something that you want until she walks through the door in three days.”
“She's been gone for a minute, Mo. You know better than anybody, if I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here,” he told her.
She was about to say something else but the sound of the front door shutting caught her attention. Summer walked past them and headed for the stairs but doubled back when something didn't sit right with her.
“Why is she back here?” Summer asked, not trying to hide her distaste.
“Wow, hello to you too, Summer,” Monica smirked.
Summer rolled her eyes. “Dad?”
“Mo is going to be staying here with us for a while, Sum,” Carmelo said.
“What do mean ‘staying here with us for a while’?” Summer asked as she mimicked him.
“Summer, look—”
Summer held up her hand to stop her before she could even finish what she was saying. “I was talking to my dad,” she spat.
“Yo, Sum, what the hell is wrong with you?” Carmelo asked.
“No, dad! What the hell is wrong with you?” Summer yelled before taking off for the stairs.
Carmelo sat there looking as if he had just been slapped. He had never seen Summer act like that in all her sixteen years of being on this earth. Sure, they’d had their disagreements here and there, but this shit just went to a whole other level.
“Hold up. I'll be back,” he said as he got up.
He went up the stairs and went straight for her room. When he opened the door, she was standing at her window looking out with her back towards him.
“I will apologize to you for blowing up like that, but I refuse to apologize for how I feel,” she said dryly.
“And exactly how do you feel?” Carmelo asked as he sat on her bed.
“It doesn't really matter too much, now does it?”
“Summer Love, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with my daughter and what's going on in that head of hers. Could you work with me instead of against me on this?” Carmelo asked.
“I'm saying, though, dad,” Summer sighed as she turned to look at him. “Why does it matter how I feel now? Mom didn't worry about how I felt before she packed her bags and left, you didn't care how I felt when you called your throwback ex-girlfriend to come back here. Why does it matter how I feel now? I'm used to people making decisions without being considerate of me and my feelings,” she ranted.
“Sum, look…”
“No, dad. Nothing you say is going to change the situation. You're going to continue to do what you want anyways. Monica is here and I live with you, so I have to deal with it. I don't respect it but there's nothing I can do about it. Just go do whatever makes you happy,” she said before putting her beats headphones in to let him know that she was done with the conversation.
Carmelo wanted to say something but he figured he would let it go for now. He understood where she was coming from. He didn't take her into consideration before he called Monica and asked her to come back, so he couldn't argue with that. He kissed the top of her head before leaving her room. He hated was when his Summer Love was mad at him so he was going to try to find a way to make it up to her.
<><><><>
Since she’d made the dress for his goddaughter, Dream and Chauncey had been communicating over the phone quite a bit. He had actually been a breath of fresh air for her while she was dealing with everything that she had been through. Tonight would be their first official date together. To say that she was nervous would be an understatement. She was happy that her mom decided to keep CJ for her so she could enjoy herself.
Karen didn't agree with her daughter dating so soon and while CJ was so young, but Dream was grown and she had no say over her life anymore. Dream didn't see any harm in going out with Chauncey; besides, they were just friends.
“Oh gosh.” Dream grinned as she heard knocking at her front door. She took a deep breath before answering it.
“Hey, beautiful,” Chauncey said as he held out some flowers for her.
“Hey, you. For me? I feel so special,” she gushed.
“As you should. You ready?” Chauncey asked.
“Yup, let me just grab my coat and we can walk right out the door.”
After putting her flowers in some water and putting her coat on, Dream was ready to go. On the ride to their destination, Chauncey had Dream cracking up. She liked the fact that he had a good sense of humor because she couldn't be around anyone who took things too seriously. Dream got a little quiet when she noticed that they pulled up to Michael Jordan’s The Steak House.
This was the exact same place Carmelo brought her on their very first date. This is where he told her about the dream he’d had about her when he was in a coma. He explained to her that it was fate that they met and it was then that she went out on a limb and decided to give the thought of a relationship with him a chance. That's when thing between us felt so perfect.
“Dream, you good? If you don't like this place, we can go somewhere else,” Chauncey said, oblivious to what she was feeling or thinking.
“No, it's fine, I just remembered I forgot to order a dress for one of my customers,” She lied. “No biggie, though. I'll do it when I get home.”
The two walked into the st
eakhouse and didn't say much more until they were seated and their drinks were ordered.
“So, how are you adjusting from being separated from your son’s father?” Chauncey asked.
“Ehh, I think I'm used to it now. It was hard at first because I didn't want CJ to go through all the back and forth stuff but we make it work, I guess.” Dream shrugged.
She was taking this transition one day at a time. It still wasn't easy for her but she was learning to deal with it. As long as Carmelo continued to be a father to CJ, which she didn't doubt he would do, then she didn't have any problems.
Chapter Fifteen
Dream heard someone knocking on her door and it woke her out of her sleep. Looking at the digital clock on her dresser, she took note that it was one o’clock in the morning. As she got out of the bed, she rushed down the stairs praying that whoever was knocking didn’t wake up CJ. When she opened the door, she was shocked at who was standing there.
“Summer? What the hell?” Dream said as she stepped aside and let her in. “It’s one in the morning. What are you doing out this late?”
“She’s back,” Summer said.
“Who is she?” Dream asked confused.
“Monica,” Summer said as if she had a bad taste in her mouth.
Dream didn’t say anything on the matter because she wasn’t surprised. Knowing Carmelo, he called her ass up and told her to come to New York.
“Does your dad know where you are?” Dream questioned her.
“No, I just had to get out of that house. This whole situation isn’t right, Dream. You and my dad are being selfish and only thinking about yourselves. What about CJ? What about me? What you guys are doing affects me, too. You’re…never mind. Can I stay here tonight and I promise I’ll be gone first thing in the morning.”
“Yea, sure. Come on,” Dream said, sounding defeated.
After showing Summer to the guestroom, Dream went to the nursery to check on CJ. Kissing him on one of his chubby cheeks, she made sure the baby monitor was on before walking out of the room.
The next morning, Dream woke up to the smell of food being cooked. She was a little confused at first but then she remembered that Summer came over last night. She climbed out of bed to check on CJ but when she reached his nursery, he wasn’t in there. Figuring he was downstairs with his sister, Dream went back to her room to take care of her hygiene. After a quick shower, Dream threw on a t-shirt and a pair of leggings.
When she got downstairs, CJ was in his bouncer, wide-eyed and being nosey while Summer was just sitting at the table texting on her phone.
“Hey, mommy baby,” Dream said as she picked CJ up and kissed him all over his face.
“I fed and burped him, your food is in the microwave. I’m gone,” Summer said as she got up from the table.
“Summer Love, sit down. Now,” Dream said.
Summer sighed as she sat back down with a slight attitude.
“Tell your sister to fix her attitude before I hurt her,” Dream said to CJ. “Get to talking, Summer.”
“I don’t have anything to say,” Summer huffed.
“I highly doubt that. You always have something to say. We can sit here all day if you want. I don’t have anything to do,” Dream told her.
“What difference would it make if I did say something? You and dad are going to continue to do what you want to do,” Summer told her.
“If you would just tell me the problem, I’m pretty sure we could work on a solution, Summer.”
“This,” Summer said as she waved her arms around. “This is the problem. You and my brother over here, me and dad over there. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. I understand you went through something, Dream. I really do, but I went through something, too. Having your body filled with lead is not fun, you know. You’re the only mother I’ve ever had besides my Nana, then you just up and left me, left us. I’m pretty sure you remember what I said to you the last time you tried to leave, so I’m not even going to bother to repeat it,” Summer ranted.
“Summer, I understand how you feel but—”
“Do you really?” Summer cut Dream off.
“Yes, I do, Summer. Do you really think it was easy for me to leave you two? Do you really think I wanted to leave? Hell no! But I made that decision so now I have to deal with it. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love you and your dad. Of course I still love you two, but you know things will probably never go back to the way they were,” Dream told her.
“And you’re okay with that?” Summer questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“I have no choice but to accept it. I got what I wanted, so there’s no use in crying over spilled milk.” Dream would be lying if she said she didn’t feel some type of way about how things between her and Carmelo were, but she was the cause so how could she be mad? She made her bed so now she had to lay in it.
Chapter Sixteen
The last few weeks for Carmelo had been crazy. He and Dream still weren’t on good terms, Summer was barely talking to him and was locking herself in her room, and Monica was back in town per his request; so he was dealing with a lot. He hated the fact that his daughter was mad at him but there was nothing he could do.
“What’s on your mind?” Monica asked as she climbed on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.
“My daughter,” Carmelo sighed.
“Have you tried talking to her?”
“Of course I have. She just doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say. Her little ass can talk to Dream but will ignore the hell out of my ass like I’m the problem.” Carmelo shook his head.
“I think she only talks to Dream so she can see her brother,” Monica gave her two cents.
“Nah, Dream wouldn’t keep CJ from us so it’s not like Summer has to talk to her. The two of them just have this crazy bond that I don’t understand and probably never will.” Carmelo shrugged.
Monica was a little jealous. Even when she was younger, Summer never really too much cared for her. Now her attitude towards Monica was just horrible. She wouldn’t talk to her or even look her way if they were in the same room and she would throw subliminal messages that she didn’t want Monica around, it was crazy.
Both of them looked up when they heard the front door close. They knew Summer was upstairs so Carmelo was trying to figure out who the hell had just walked through his door. Imagine the shock on his face when he saw Dream walking past with CJ’s car seat.
“Sum!” Dream yelled out.
“So you don’t see us sitting here?” Carmelo asked.
Dream just looked at him with a stank face before returning her attention back to the stairs as Summer was coming down.
“Okay, I’ll be back in about three hours to get him. I promise you won’t be stuck with him all night. Everything is packed in his bag. If you need anything else just tell your dad, I’m pretty sure he’ll get it for you,” Dream said as she gave CJ and his diaper bag to Summer.
“Gotcha,” Summer said.
Dream leaned in to whisper in Dream’s ear, “Keep my baby away from that bitch.”
“Oh, of course. That goes without saying,” Summer said.
“Alright, CJ, be good for your sister,” Dream said before giving him a kiss. She turned to leave, acting as if Monica and Carmelo weren’t sitting there watching her like a hawk.
“Sum, what the hell was that?” Carmelo asked.
Summer just shrugged her shoulders as she took her brother back to her room. Carmelo sat there scratching his head because he was confused as to what the hell had just happened. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Dream in weeks but yet she just walks in his house, not speaking to him and then just leaves. This shit is crazy, he thought to himself.
“What?” he asked when he noticed Monica staring at him.
“She has a key?” Monica asked.
“Uhh, yea. Why wouldn’t she when she lived here?” Melo asked, letting her know that was a stupid question.
“Why you didn’t change your locks?”
/> “Why you questioning me?” he retorted.
Monica stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth to help her refrain from saying anything else. She thought it was funny that he would check her for questioning him but not check his ex-bitch for just walking in his house.
<><><><>
Later that night, Summer lay in bed with CJ on her chest. She had texted her mom and asked her if it was okay that CJ spend that night and she would drop him off first thing in the morning. Of course, Dream texted back and said that was cool and she had no problem with that. Summer glanced down at him as he looked at the TV wide-eyed like he really knew what was going on. She thought the noises coming from him sucking his pacifier were so cute.
She got highly pissed off when she heard sex noises coming from her dad's room. It was one thing to have this chick in the house, but to allow your daughter to hear you two going at it was just down right disrespectful.
Summer reached for her remote and turned the volume on her TV up to drown out the two animals. In her mind, she knew Monica was doing that on purpose just to be spiteful. She couldn't wait for the day when her mom came back home and shut all this foolishness down.
“Don't worry, CJ. Things won't always be like this. I can promise you this,” she told her brother. “Believe it or not, but we used to be one happy family, but that was before tragedy struck and caused our family to fall apart. One day, and one day soon, it's going to be just you, me, mom and dad living together like the happy family we used to be.”
Summer chuckled a little when she realized he’d dozed off just that quick. She straightened her pillows out for him so she could lay him down and not worry about him moving and falling out the bed. She kissed his forehead before lying next to him and just staring at him. She hoped her mom and dad did get it together. If not for her or themselves, then they would at least do it for CJ.
Chapter Seventeen
Caiden sat outside of Summer’s school waiting for it to get out. He hadn’t seen or spoken to her since the day she was discharged from the hospital. After Alex revealed to him that Carmelo was Summer’s real father, he’d felt his heart crush instantly.
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