“Go ahead and try, you fuckin’ idiot. Your name isn’t even on the birth certificate. Remember you wasn’t there for his birth, just like you not here now. Trust and believe Jordan is straight like muhfuckin’ nine fifteen cause his real father, Chaz, came through and scooped him. No matter what’s going on, he’s always there.”

Even as foul as Brian had been toward his child by neglecting his fatherly duties for seven years, he hated the thought of another man taking his place in his son’s life. He was jealous of the relationship that Jordan had with Chaz. He hated even more when Jordan talked about Chaz in a glorious light. Kennedy’s words crawled right beneath his skin and shot anger all through him. “Fuck you and your husband. Fuckin’ lame-ass rapper. I’ma take my son just so he don’t grow up to be like that herb.”

“Any more conversation with you would just be wasted seconds of my life.” Kennedy sighed. “Do what you feel you need to do in order to soothe your ego, you fuckin’ loser.” She slammed the phone down.

“This ho is really trying me,” Brian said to himself, steaming mad at the way he felt Kennedy had just disrespected him.

“Who you talking about?” his female companion asked, walking out the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

“My baby mother. She’s a dumb fuckin’ bitch, yo. Here I am trying to do right by my son, and she stay coming out her mouth fly. That’s okay, ’cause I’ma punish her. I’m going to show who the loser is.”

I knew he was gonna go to sleep, Chaz thought, looking at Jordan through the rearview mirror. A smile came across his face as he remembered how Jordan’s face lit up when he’d arrived to pick him up from Karen’s house. Chaz absolutely loved Jordan and was highly disappointed by the way Brian was handling him. Chaz was more than upset; he was so pissed that if he saw Brian, he would duff him on sight. He knew firsthand how it felt to have a deadbeat father, an issue that he still struggled with as an adult. Chaz vowed to himself, regardless of the outcome of his and Kennedy’s relationship, he would always be there for Jordan.

Jordan was still sound asleep when Chaz pulled up in front of Shorty’s suburban New Jersey home. I’m not going to wake him, Chaz thought when he opened the rear passenger door, unbuckled Jordan’s seat belt, and picked him up. Carefully, Chaz placed Jordan’s head upon his shoulder, then tried to shut the door quietly. The thud of the heavy truck door closing awoke Jordan, “Are we at Shorty’s yet?” he asked groggily.

“Yeah, champ, we’re here, but you can finish your nap.”

“I’m not sleepy anymore.”