Page 86 of Beyond The Stars

“He told you that?” Janay was on her feet pacing with a look of disbelief. Her eyes went from worry to anger because Qamar told her he would never tell anyone that. “So what now? You here to tell me he changed his mind and he ain’t gonna be Belinay’s daddy anymore?”

“Calm down, Janay.”

“I can’t!” Janay yelled. “What—what happened? Tell him I’ll chill out on us being a family. Tell him he ain’t gotta give me money anymore. Just don’t take him away from Belinay. You—you can have him.” She was flustered.

“First, calm down. Second, you can’t give me what’s already mine, love.” Siasia didn’t raise her voice. “Let’s start there. Qamar will love you. Not in a romantic way. He will love you because he loves Belinay. I’m here because I need you to understand that.” She crossed her legs at the ankles. “I need you to not misconstrue that.”

Janay swallowed, hating the way Siasia’s words felt in her gut. Was she in love with Qamar? Janay knew she could be but from what his girlfriend was relaying to her, he wouldn’t love her back. At least not in the way that her daddy loved her mama. Qamar would love her in the way of being a united front for Belinay and supporting Belinay’s mom in whatever she wanted to pursue.

Qamar wouldn’t love her though.

Siasia watched Janay’s face take her through a range of emotions. When it settled on understanding, she continued, “Janay, I will never deter Qamar from loving and providing for Belinay. No matter what. As far as the three of us know, she is his. This secret will never get out. Even if you piss me off or make me mad. Even if me and Qamar don’t work out. I will never tell that secret because the truth is, she is his daughter.”

“Thank you,” Janay whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, but Siasia could hear the sincerity woven into those two simple words.

Siasia nodded, gratitude swelling in her chest. “I need you to move forward with all of this like you got some damn sense. All that messy baby mama drama you want to be with, kill all that. We are not enemies. I am an ally. I love your daughter and would never try to take her or turn her away from you.” The room felt charged with a newfound energy. The tension between them transformed into an unspoken pact; a bridge built on mutual respect and understanding.

Janay allowed everything Siasia said to her to sink in like a stone dropped into still water, rippling through her thoughts. At first, the truth stung sharply, but as the seconds passed, reality settled like a heavy blanket. It didn’t matter if Qamar had met Siasia or not; he still wouldn’t have chosen Janay. Swallowing hard, she acknowledged that painful acceptance.

“Thank you, for real, Siasia. It takes a special person to do this, which lets me know that my daughter will be well taken care of while in your presence. But she won’t be calling you Mommy.” Her fight to not smile lost as an organic one stretched across of face.

Siasia burst into laughter. She held her stomach, the joy of the moment breaking through the heaviness that had lingered. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They both realized that they were navigating this unconventional web together, forging a path that would allow them to coexist for the sake of Belinay.

Qamar pulled up to Noodle’s mama’s house. The engine of his shiny blacked-out SUV purring as he parked on the cracked pavement. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Nosey neighbors peeked from their windows or stopped what they were doing to see who he was and where he was going. The sky hung low, a blanket of gray clouds threatening to spill their contents at any moment. The air was thick with the scent of rain, mingling with the faint aroma of fried food wafting from a nearby window, a reminder of The Jig.

He stepped out, the humidity biting at his skin, and made his way to the front door, each step heavy with the weight of what he was about to do. The paint on the house was peeling, the yard overgrown—no place for his princess to be. And no place his queen would want her.

As he knocked, the sound echoed in the silence, and his heart raced.

Jackie opened the door, her expression a mix of surprise and wariness. “What do you want and who are you?” she asked, crossing her arms defensively.

Noodle stood off to the side but rushed to the door when she heard his voice. “Qamar!” she said with excitement. Her eyes grew a tad bit sad when she looked for Siasia but didn’t see her. The two days of being away from her sister had been tough on her. Jackie tried to be nice but had no patience for a kid.

He took a breath, steadying himself. “I’m here to talk about Noodle.” He looked at his princess and smiled. “I want to offer you some money to sign over your rights to Siasia.”

Jackie's brows furrowed. The tension was palpable. “You think you can just waltz in here and buy her? She’s my daughter!” The words were sharp, but beneath them laid a current of desperation.

“Was she your daughter when you handed her over fresh out the pussy to Stacy? Huh, was she you daughter then?” Qamar challenged. “Noodle, go wait in the back.”

When Qamar spoke, Noodle listened because he knew everything and all the answers. Without hesitating, she ran off to the kitchen that sat in the back of the one-bedroom home that reeked of cigarettes, beer, and fried bologna.

Jackie’s nose flared. “You can’t come over here telling me or my daughter what to do, nigga. I knew a man just like you,” she sneered, stepping onto the porch to get in his face. “He dead, would you like to join him?”

“Cut the bullshit, Jackie. Noodle gone, now.” He paid her anger no mind. Qamar was only there for one thing and he wasn’t leaving without it. He couldn’t go home without Noodle. He had to handle the big shit.

Her big, almond eyes that reminded him of his Noodle bounced around. “How much?” she whispered.

“I’m like Progressive, name your price?” His charming eyes sparkled when without the sun being on his side. Clasping his hands in front of him, he rocked, waiting for Jackie to name a number she felt would break him. There wasn’t a number she could come up with that would break him. His pockets had been deep since his family started making real money. Even without going pro, Qamar was good. His children would be good. However, he would allow the woman with Noodle’s whole face try her best.

“I don’t have all day.”

After what felt like an eternity, Jackie’s resolve began to waver. “Fifty… no a hundred,” she whispered, praying her daughter didn’t hear her. It was bad enough that she allowed Stacy to take her baby to be raised by another woman all while still sleeping with him whenever he decided he didn’t love Cynthia anymore. Now, she was willing to put a price on her daughter. She was disgusted with herself but needed the money and in only two days, she realized she wasn’t good at being a mother.

“Done.” Qamar smirked.

The thought of Noodle thriving with Siasia, surrounded by love and stability, tugged at her heart. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she relented, “And this isn’t just about money. You take care of her.” She wagged her finger with tears sitting at the rim of her eyes.

“That’s a given. My princess will thrive because she is royalty,” Qamar declared, pulling out the paperwork he had Elle, his family’s attorney draw up, a pen, and a blank check. Handing it all over to Jackie, he watched her fill out the documents as the breath he’d been holding eased out of him.

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