Baby Momma 2

Ni'chelle Genovese

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Table of Contents

 

 

It's funny because I used to complain about never getting any sleep, and now I never complain because it's my dream that keeps me awake. To the Creator of all things including this wonderful talent that I've been blessed with—I give God all the glory.

There was shock and awe the first time around and now I'm just happy knowing I've made you both so very proud—to my parents, Haywood and Cheryl Boyd, you set me loose into the world scared that I wasn't ready . . . and um I think it's safe to finally say it's the world that you should have been more worried about. I love you both so very very much.

My adopted big bro, mentor, manager, coconspirator, spiritual warfare counselor, financial advisor lol! You have too many titles for me to list them all! Maurice Tonia, I love you and thank you for the idea and the foundation that started it all—you made the impossible a possibility and then together we turned it into a reality.

My Sunshine Tiffany Wynn and My Smoochie Katey Kocsis I owe you both a world of thank-you's for all the inspiration, patience, and the distractions even when I should've been writing <3

Author Dahni McPhail, aka Dj Sporty—I've got so much love and respect for you, you are one of the most creative and multifaceted people I know and I'm happy to step aside and watch you take off, it's definitely your time. Iisha, Pk Allday, Christie, Angel—thank you all for accepting me with open arms. I owe all of my Bruncher's a huge thank you for all the warmth and support, oh yeah and the crazy adventures.

Brandy V., Beverly H., Keshara, Stephanie P., Gwen-netta aka my Gigi, y'all all kept me from going crazy in between those three walls of my cubicle on more than one occasion. Marie H., thank you all for your friendship and understanding. My literary agent, Joylynn, thank you for keeping me on track.

To my oh so supportive FB fam Lana, Eve, Detra, Velma, Terricka, Jina, Mrs. Stephanie H.L., Leslie H.J., Shatika, Jerrell, Elmyra, Dawnsheika, Marissa, Deirdra, Aray, Lanika, Shannon, Kristine, Anoosha, Brandi, Sonya, Penny, Shauna, Lakesha and the Diamond Divas Book Club, Keyiona and Angie B's Reading Between the Lines book club in Cincinnati. Everyone that's shown their support I <3 you all. Ni'chelle G.

Everything I do is for Jazmyn. Montre. Bryce. Asia. Kailah. Techa aka Westside Carman Ayala and Carol Mackey of Black Expression book club my two BFF for life. To all my sisters & FB friends: To Sissy Tonya Clay. Saran Day. Gwen. Cherly. Erica. LeQuisha. Brooke Taylor. Tia Pic. Mishelle. NiQua. Latoya. Glynnis Tasha Felder. Tracy Jeter. Renay. Mellissa. Latoya. Andrea, aka Miss Sunshine. Mocha. Connie. Helena. QuTasha. Carlene. Anza. Marissa Palmer. Jennifer of NJ. Pansy. Michelle Rawls. Jatoria, aka LuxHair. Adina. Tasha Powell. Renatta. Tara. Rashida Elisha, my Jersey sis. Shanell Red, one of the best songwriters in the world, thank U for all the advice. Darren Hicks & Tish, thank U. To my brothers. Governor. Moosh. Mark. TKO. Shawn Clay. Marysol, aka Ms Latin. Stephanie. Juilia McElligott. Tracey Jenkins. Albert. T-Black Big Mike. Gary. Larry Jr. & Toya Tonia. To my wife, I don't need to say a word just “I Love You.”

RIP Yvetta Tonia: When I thought God couldn't hear my voice, she prayed for me. When everyone turned their back, she stayed with me. When I failed, she stood for me. When I felt suffocated, she breathed for me. When I felt like nothing, I was her everything.
She is everything to me.

An extra special thank you to the cast and crew of
Baby Momma The Movie:

“I hate this picture, Chelle; it look like I'm cock-eyed or somethin'.”

We were sitting in first class, ready to start our flight from Virginia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Taking her driver's license from her I glanced at the photo, and handed it back. “You look fine, baby. Stop bein' so dramatic; ain't nothing wrong with that picture.”

“Larissa Laurel. I do like our new last name though. It looks like I could be a model or a actress, some kinda shit you would see on the big screen. . . .” Her voice trailed off.

My mind wandered. It had been roughly three months since the day I'd visited Rasheed in prison to tell him what had happened and, after that, we'd packed up all of our shit and we were getting the hell out of Virginia for good. No looking back and no second thoughts. I glanced over to make sure the baby was still asleep, since we'd just taken off. I didn't want to be the woman with the loud-ass kids up in first class. She was unconscious, and Trey was busy with a pile of Goldfish—he'd be quiet until they disappeared.

I stared at my reflection in the window, my hazel eyes becoming part of one of the clouds and staring back at me.
Who am I?
Michelle Roberts—no, Michelle Laurel—a mother, wife, a heroine, or a monster . . .

“You ain't heard nothin' I been sayin', have you?”

I looked up. I couldn't lie; I hadn't heard a single thing. Ris could go on and on about any- and everything, and I zoned out so much it's a wonder she'd even talk to me sometimes.

“I'm sorry, baby, I was thinking about all the stuff we have to do once we get to the new house. You need a car, the kids need new clothes. I've got the new business starting up, and if this first buy goes through it could make it so neither of us has to work for anyone ever again, but then I'd have to start lookin' into staffing and building a client base—”

“Well I was
sayin'
we should decorate the house in Wang Chung.” She rolled her eyes at me and popped her tongue.

I was looking at her like she was crazy, trying to interpret whatever the hell it was she'd misinterpreted, so I could figure out what she was talkin' about. I couldn't help laughing at her faux pas. “You wanna decorate the house in what? Don't you mean feng shui?”

“Ain't that what the hell I said? Anyway, I was lookin' at this show an' they was talkin' 'bout all the shit that it's good for like wealth an'. . .”

She went on like she hadn't heard anything that I'd just said.

I rubbed my eyes; they were feeling tired and dry from the hours of researching and reading I'd been doing over the last few weeks. I'd been busy starting my own real estate company on top of getting our shit packed and making sure everything went through with adopting the baby and having her name changed with our name changes. The prison was telling me the child's name was Paris and, um, I was not having that shit. Lataya Katrice Laurel was a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl and, since I'd always wanted a daughter, she was the perfect fit for our little family. From day one, I'd been treating her as if she were my own.

I couldn't wait to finally get to a place that we could call home that didn't have any bad memories, or a bunch of bad vibes attached to it. Everything in Virginia felt tainted in some way, shape, or form. We couldn't go eat at Rockafeller's because Rah used to take me there and Ris would get all types of jealous. Then, we'd have an issue over something simple and she'd say, “The only reason you ordered that is 'cause he always ordered that shit. Why you can't try somethin' different?”

My answer to that would be, “Maybe it's because I just like this shit and don't want anything different.”

My statement would then be followed by Ris slamming down her menu and staring at me. Her eyes would have that “ready to fight” glow and she'd say, “Nah, I jus' think you miss that nigga.”

And
bam:
a fight over something as simple as dinner.

We couldn't eat at IHOP because Rah used to take Honey, and Lord knows who else, up in there and then I would start to feel some kind of way, wondering which waitresses knew he was there with which skank. I knew I shouldn't think like that about Lataya's birth mother and call her a skank, God rest her soul. But still, it bothered me knowing some of those people there knew he had a family at home and not only watched him, but
encouraged
him in his bullshit; parading them hoes around town, fuckin' whichever one was the flavor of the moment. Yes, a change was definitely going to do the entire family some good.

I didn't tell Larissa that, as part of the surprise, I'd already had the house decorated but, maybe, we could take everything out of one room and decorate it “Wang Chung” style just for her. I giggled to myself again for that one, besides it was a big-ass house we would grow into. It was way too big for just the four of us right now but when I saw it I knew it was perfect. There was a playroom for the kids with this beautiful jungle mural painted on the walls and ceiling, with monkeys swinging from the trees and a giraffe. The kids would be in awe. I had a library that I couldn't wait to fill up with all kinds of books, and a pool to swim in. It had all that fancy shit that neither of us grew up with. We'd have it all from now on if I could help it and we both deserved it so much. My family wasn't going to want for anything because I planned on doing
everything
in my power to see us all well taken care of.