Four Years Later:

"Alright, everyone. Before we get started, I just want to say that we should approach this situation rationally and act like adults. Remember to keep the kids in mind because-"

"Hold up, hold up, hold the hell up. Back the car up and put it in park. I know you didn't just say 'kids'."

"Yes, Kyra. I said 'kids'."

"Well, your wife must be a freak in the sheets and a hoe in the streets. Did you know she was having children behind your back? Also, why do Tripp and I have to be involved with your love issues? As an 'adult', you must know that this is between you...and your dumpster fire. Okay? Alright, we're leaving now."

"How do your words make sense? Why would Journee and I have a seven-year old if we weren't together during that time he was conceived? This is all about Noah."

"Which is why I said 'hoe in the streets'. You're a trooper for marrying her because some people have a hard time dating sex workers."

"We have nothing to prove to you. We're really here to just talk to Tripp about Noah so if you could keep your lips shut, like the good little girl you are, that would be lovely."

A shocking silence falls between the two couples after Davin's slick comments about Kyra. Each couple looks to their beloved partners with questionable looks on their faces. In fact, Tripp and Kyra have one question on their minds.

"Who the hell is Noah?" Kyra calls out in confusion.

Journee was not ready. Had Davin not pleaded for this meeting nor spoiled her this past weekend, she would not be sitting across the table from her baby daddy. She'd be at home, taking a lovely bubble bath with her husband.

Sure, she has the option to just get up and leave. In fact, she would've just left the whole situation alone if it were her choice. Journee's happy with the life she has now. She was comfortable with Tripp not knowing.

But Noah and Davin weren't.

As Kyra throws herself back into her chair, dramatically, Trip lifts his eyes to see Journee with her left hand holding her forehead in stress. He could feel her attempting to hold up that wall again; that wall he had once shattered just to have her heart.

He knows she feels embarrassed and disrespected. Who wouldn't feel that way when they're sitting in front of the one person that broke their heart? She's definitely pissed off and he knows it. There's no getting out of this one.

"Sweetheart, do you feel comfortable talking about it? If not, I got you, babe," Davin asks while holding Journee's right hand close to him. Tripp's eyes follow their every movie, especially the man he 'didn't have to worry about'.

Journee sits up and rolls her eyes.

Fuck it. He's gotta know some day. Why not now?

"Noah's your child, Tripp."

Tripp's eyes widen, stretch like mad when he hears those words and that disappointed tone in her voice. He couldn't believe the words that have come out of her mouth.

"Bitch, you lying like you about to die. That's not his kid."

"Kyra, don't start with me-"

"In the case of 7-year-old Noah, Tripp, you are NOT the father. We're not playing Maury up in here, okay? Don't push that child on my man."

"Tripp, get your bitch-"

"IF you wanted Tripp back, all you had to do was say so. Not that you'd ever get that chance again but pinning a child on him is not the way to get him back, sis. I'll give you an A for effort though."

Here Kyra goes again with her mouth, talking out the side of her neck. She laughs in Journee's face like the words Journee said weren't true. If only she knew how true Journee's words are.

"Kyra, didn't we tell you to shut up? She's never chased this man down nor bothered you all. When I brought up the idea that her and Tripp should make amends, I called up Darian and Ryker-"

"So YOU'RE the one trying to fuck up my marriage. If you didn't want your wife, all you have to do is tell her. Don't push her up on my man. Tripp doesn't want her."

Or so she thinks.

Tripp has thought about Journee since the moment she left. Everything he wanted in a woman is all in Journee but everything a woman wanted in a man wasn't in Tripp. How could he compete with someone like Davin?

So much for Kyra being an actress. If there's one thing Kyra can't do, it's read a room. Journee, however, is no stranger to the obvious signs in the room. That hope, joy, and guilt that's all in Tripp's eyes is the same hope, joy, and guilt she saw when they left the restaurant that evening. That's the same evening they bumped into Kyra...

And the same evening Noah, a whole new world created by two hopeful dreamers, was conceived.

"You know what? I'm sick of being the adult here, Davin, okay? Bitch, you're the side chick. You're that one dish that nobody eats on Thanksgiving unless they're starving to death."

"Says the bitch that was forgotten after only a few months of dating. Who has the ring and Tripp's real baby again? It doesn't matter who eats the dish as long as it gets eaten."

Journee rolls her eyes and sits back down before Kyra continues.

"I actually feel bad for you, Journee, because Tripp never wanted you. Being ignored is way worse than being dumped. He was actually trying to make me jealous, according to him. It worked but...yeah."

Journee's shocked at what Kyra said to her.

Was that the real reason Tripp chose to ignore her all these years? Was that why he never said anything to her? Because he wanted his leftovers from high school? Why did he pursue her when Kyra was throwing herself at him the whole time Journee was there? He could've left Journee alone.

The one reason Journee chose to go with Cassidy and her other co-workers was because she wanted a change of scenery. She wanted to have fun and needed a break from work. She didn't care to get a man out of this. Tripp came into her space unannounced...like Kyra did with Tripp but he never let her in for a while.

Speaking of stepping into spaces...

"Kyra, you're doing too much now. Please leave."

Tripp finally speaks up but Kyra isn't listening to him. She doesn't know why he wants her to leave, of course, but she believes that she needs to be in this conversation.

"You're telling the wrong person to leave, Trippy. This is our place, baby. Now-"

"KYRA, LEAVE NOW!"

Tripp has had enough. Speaking out on his wife's behavior, Tripp's face shapes itself in anger and directs it to Kyra.

How dare Tripp yell at her like that? He's never done that before. He should've been defending her. Where'd all this aggression come from? What did she do?

Kyra abruptly stands to her feet, with her resting bitch face, and grits her teeth. Leaning down towards Tripp's ear, she grunts "You try anything with this bitch, your life will be a living hell. Try me."

And with that, she marches out of the dining area.

What a display. Tripp isn't bothered in the slightest. In fact, he's still keeping an eye on handsy Davin touching on the girl that was once his; the woman that still held his heart in her hands.

"Babe, you want me to stick around?" Davin asks while smiling at his beautiful wife.

That did it for Tripp.

"Why the hell would you stick around if Kyra's gone? This is between Journee and me."

The tension builds between the three of them as Tripp folds his arms. Journee scoffs at Tripp's sudden outburst and rolls her eyes.

"Boy, if you don't quit with the tough guy act. He was talking to me, not you. Anyway, you're good to go, babe. Thanks."

The tone Journee used to call him a boy frightens him. That came out of the blue and surprised Tripp. The attitude she has now was not the same one she had before.

Davin stands up to kiss Journee on the side of her head and walks by Tripp, giving him the biggest snarl.

As much as Tripp wants to strangle him, who was he to even touch Davin. Tripp messed up bad and he knows he can't change the past. The damage was already done.

He does owe Journee an apology and explanation at least. That's if she really wanted to hear what he had to say.

Tripp's anger subsides as he begins to feel small in the presence of the woman he'd wronged, feeling like less of the man he once was. Now, just a lost boy in a world that was created by somebody else.

"Look, we only called so you could meet Noah. He's caught on to the fact that Davin's not his father so it's up to you if you want to see him."

This lost boy's heart drowned in a sea of salty tears that filled his mind. After all this time, ten years, he finds out he has a little boy. Finally, he has that mini Tripp he always wanted, the little boy hat he can raise to be a respectable and compassionate young man.

Respectable and compassionate. Yeah, how's he supposed to learn that from his actual father when his father disrespected his mother?

Being happy is the furthest thing from Tripp. He never got to see his first-born son come into this world. He never got to raise him, never got to hold him, love him, help him up when he was down. Nothing.

Now, he's almost a preteen and can only do so much. His kid days are almost over and Tripp can't do much now.

Ruined his chance to be a father all because he was scared. He was afraid that he couldn't love Journee the way she deserved to be loved. After hearing about Davin and how established he was, Tripp felt like he had no chance. This was the actual reason why he quit talking to Journee cold turkey.

Tripp wanted to tell her but felt that she'd see him as less of a man. It was bad enough that everybody else saw him that way. He didn't want one of the greatest women in his life to see him as such. So, he just walked away, thinking he'd never see or talk to Journee again.

He wants to say all of that to her so bad. She needs to know. But all he could say was...

"Yes, I'd like to see him."

Nodding his head, he blinked so fast just to stop the salty, hopeless romantic, tears from falling. This was not how his love story was supposed to be. This was supposed to be his 'happily ever after'.

Journee stands up while watching Tripp fight back his tears. Instead of doing what she usually does, she chooses to ignore the glossy eyes and walks towards the exit in silence.

Seeing Tripp in tears breaks her heart but there's nothing else that can be fixed. What they once had is buried away in the dirt, never to return again.

A heavy sigh falls between the two as Journee stands by the exit, watching the back of Tripp's head. She hopes and prays that he doesn't mention anything else. She knows him. She knows he's the worst with communication and will let his heart speak for him at the last minute. This could be that last minute so she needs to make a beeline for Noah now.

Before she exits the decorative white and blue dining room, Tripp says "This wasn't how our relationship was supposed to go."

There he goes. All she wants is a peaceful meeting between Tripp and Noah, not for their old relationship to be brought up again. All of that is irrelevant at this point.

Stopping her in her tracks, she speaks to him over her shoulder, not looking at him.

"Well, that's how it went. It happens, Tripp."

"It does with other people, Journee. Regular, everyday people."

Journee's shoulders fall at the sound of his voice. She begs herself not to turn around but her heart makes her do the complete opposite.

She and Tripp are both standing, facing each other, and studying each other's facial expressions. Tripp's looking at this new woman while Journee's looking at the sensitive man she's always known.

"Maybe it's time we start being 'regular, everyday' people, Tripp."

He's so confused. Where was the dreamer he once saw in Journee? Where was the woman that was full of life?

"Journee, I'm sorry and I know I did you wrong-"

"There is no need for you to tell me sorry, Tripp. I've already forgiven you. What's done is done."

Journee harbors no anger towards Tripp but Tripp still believes she's owed an explanation. But why was she just brushing him and his feelings off?

"You have your own version of the story but you have yet to see mine. Please..."

He's not chipping at my wall. He's not breaking me. He will not do what he did last time. She's fallen for this shtick time after time. She can't deal with that again.

Journee stands with her arms folded. She's curious of what Tripp has to say but his words won't change her mind.

"First of all, what Kyra said is completely far off from the truth. The real reason I stopped talking to you was because I was scared that I couldn't love you the way you deserved to be loved. I knew I couldn't compete with a man like Davin. I just didn't know-"

"HOW DARE YOU-"

The conversation stops so Journee can gather herself, calm herself down before she ripped this nigga a new one. The one thing she tried to prevent is actually happening. She knew this would happen but wasn't prepared.

"How dare you decide how I deserve to be loved, Tripp? You didn't even think to ask me how I wanted to be loved, did you?"

Now, Journee's mad. Journee's annoyed. She did not want to break but she did anyway. She knows exactly why she did.

Tripp lowers his head in guilt and lets her finish.

"You let me down, Tripp. You came into my space time after time and I let you in. I went along for the ride, thinking that the trip would be a good one, and you destroy it because you were scared? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Davin had everything you needed and-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Tripp."

Silence falls over the two as they just stand there, studying each other. Journee can see him crumbling inside. He doesn't know what to say and that's a good thing, in her eyes.

Tripp has no idea who this new person is. This is not the same Journee that he fell in love with. Though she has this rough exterior, he still loves her.

"You're not 'everyday' people, J. You have something that no one else has and I thought I wasn't worthy of that because I wasn't established enough. Doing what I loved to do wasn't paying me enough so I barely had anything. I didn't want you to see me like that; like less of a man."

Journee feels bad for Tripp as he throws his arms in the air. Her arms fall down to her sides and she bites the inside of her cheek. Shaking her head, she opens her lips to speak.

"Tripp, had you told me how you felt, you would've known that you're more than worthy. You have that gumption, that hope, the heart, and soul that made me love you more than I've loved any other man. You're not a regular person either and that's what made me want you."

Tripp and Journee smile at each other, both thinking of old memories they had on in the sand ten years ago. Silence creeps back in between them before they walk towards each other, closing the space between them.

Tripp looks into her umber-colored eyes and grins tightly as he says "I know we can't have what we had before again but...I want to say thank you for everything. And...I still love you."

Something about the way he looks at her takes Journee back to the evening they went to the pub. They danced through the night with their arms around each other and their eyes never left each other. That same glow he had that evening was the same glow he has now. Journee missed that glow.

"Tripp, I will forever love you."

After those words were spoken, they lean in to kiss each other until...

"MOMMY! That girl hit me and Nicky!"

Down the stairs comes Noah, holding his brother's hand while Nicholas is in tears. Journee and Tripp separate themselves from each other as soon as they catch sight of the sorry event.

Tripp reprimands Safari while Journee hugs little Nicholas tightly. Journee catches sight of Noah staring at Tripp as he talks to his daughter. Noah tilts his head and continues to watch intensely. Journee realizes that Noah's trying to put the pieces together.

As Tripp leads Safari over to apologize, he catches Noah watching him curiously. Tripp turns to Journee and she pushes him to talk to Noah while she deals with Nicholas and Safari.

Tripp's scared. How does he approach this young dark-skinned boy when he may not know who he is? He might have questions or freak out. Tripp doesn't know what to do.

He slowly kneels to Noah's level and says "Hey, my name is Tripp...and....uh....I'm your dad."

He awaits Noah's reaction, shaking in his shoes. To his surprise, Noah smiles at his father and nods politely.

"I know you are my daddy. You look just like me. Can I tell you something?"

Tripp's eyes shine at the positive reaction to the news. He can't control the smile that appears on his face and the excitement brewing in his chest.

"Yeah, tell me anything, son. Whatever you want!"

"Well, Momma says you like to write just like Grandma. I like to write just like Grandma. Can you read some of your words to me?"

Tripp couldn't believe what he was hearing. He quickly turns to see Journee smiling back at him. Once he sees that smile, he knows exactly what to do.

"Absolutely. I'll go get my little green journal just for you."

****

I know! I know! It may not be how you wanted it to end, but I like the 'official' ending. Lol

It shows that we can love other people but also befriend or at least be courteous to those we once had a relationship with.

The stereotype is so wrong. We're not angry and bitter. We are allowed to express our feelings and deserve to not be stereotyped.

Also, I thought to throw Journee's mom in there because there was a connection.

Anyway, please tell me what you think and thank you to everybody that's read the book. Y'all don't know how much it means to me. I'll forever say it!

See y'all later! Thanks again!