“Ugh!” Jada groaned and then turned to Jasmine. “Your mother is so 1960.”

My five-year-old squeezed her face into a frown. “What does that mean?”

“It means Mom’s old,” Jayden said as he strolled into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed a small bottle of orange juice.

But before he could make his way out of the kitchen, I stopped him. “Hold up.” Jayden spun around. “Since when do you just walk in here and grab something out of the refrigerator without asking me? Did you get a job that I didn’t hear about?”

Jasmine giggled. “Mommy, Jayden can’t get a job. He’s only seven,” she told me as if she seriously believed I needed that reminder.

“Well, he needs to start acting like he’s seven.”

I gave him a little side-eye and Jayden said, “Mom, can I have this juice, please?”

I waited a beat before I nodded. As he ran out of the room, Jada shouted out to him, “Don’t go too far, Jayden. I’m gonna do your nails next.” That sent Jasmine into a fit of giggles.

Jada set out a little manicure set she carried in her purse, just as I heard the garage door open. This was going to be interesting — interacting with Jeremy while Jada was here.

I was so glad for her presence; she was the distraction I needed to get through one day of my two-day wait for the paternity results. Since today was Sunday, Dru had told me the results would be in on Tuesday. So I truly thanked God for Jada today because waiting tomorrow was going to be brutal.

But while she was a great diversion, she also presented me with a dilemma. How was I going to hide everything from her? I really didn’t want to talk to Jada about Jeremy; she loved him. And until I knew everything for sure, there was no need to damage their relationship by telling her about his affair and the possible pregnancy. No, I had to find some way to keep this all from her — for now.

When the door opened, Jasmine slipped from the chair. “Daddy’s home,” she sang and ran into her father’s arms. He scooped her into the air. “Daddy, Auntie Jada is here.”

“I know,” he said. “I already saw her in church, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jasmine said before she climbed back into the chair to prepare for her manicure.

Jeremy kissed my cheek and because Jasmine was sitting inches from me and because my sister’s eyes were on me, I didn’t slap his face away. Then, he turned to Jada. “So what’s up, my favorite sister-in-love?” He pulled her into a one arm hug.

“Just you. But uh...Lauren said you say the same thing to her.”

He laughed. “I admit to nothing.”

I wondered if he’d said that on purpose or had that truth come from his soul.