Page 47 of Beyond The Stars

“The fuck happened?” Renata asked after she’d beat on the door for what felt like an hour. “I know y’all ain’t in here jumping my baby?” Her dark eyes seared into everyone, stopping when they connected with Qamar who held Siasia like she was their newborn baby.

“Oh, I see what this is.” Renata kissed her teeth. “Get your shit and lets go, Janay.” She pointed her finger at Qamar to declare, “I don’t want to hear shit when Janay ain’t stunting you anymore. From this point on, it’s about Belinay and nothing else. You crossed the line so stay there.”

Qamar shrugged, truly unbothered by any of it.

Janay sucked in her tears as she gathered her things. Thoughts of nights without him close to help with Belinay created an ache in her chest. He had been such a good dad even when he found out he wasn’t biologically the father. She knew she could do it alone but didn’t want to. Still, that wasn’t something she would confess in a room full of people already judging her.

As she went to walk out the room behind her mother, Qamar gripped her elbow, pulling her close to him. With his lips puckered, he kissed Belinay on the head. Through all the chaos, she remained sleep like she was born in a war zone. Pulling away, he spoke to Janay through his eyes. She got the warning that didn’t need to be verbalized. The pain radiating through her wanted to blurt out how Belinay wasn’t even his daughter but even she wasn’t that crazy. That confession would only create more issues

14

“Ma, you really messy for that shit,” Qamar fussed at Stephanie while they sat in the living room.

The way his mama decided to drive two hours to stir up shit was beyond him and he needed to understand the reasoning behind it. He loved Stephanie but hated how his family always seemed to be in his business as if he couldn’t figure his own shit out.

Siasia was still a little riled up. It was evident in the way her leg bounced. Her disposition also showed she lacked confidence in that moment. Everyone’s eyes seemed to be on her, making her feel like she was in a fish tank and they tapped the glass taunting her—reminding her she didn’t belong in their world.

Stephanie waved him off. “Oh, there you go making your issues someone else’s. Ain’t no reason you had this girl in my house while you brought your ass back to Jade City to play house with Janay.”

“How was that your business though?” Qamar based.

Siasia looked him upside his head. “Oh so that’s what you was doing? Playing house with your bitch ass baby mama? Nigga, you could’ve left me in Lynn Beach for all this.”

“I’m a woman first, Qamar. It wasn’t right,” Stephanie added, squirming when Griff pinched her side.

“You know you ain’t right when Stephanie makes sense,” Solar hummed with pursed hips. She went between calling her mother by her name and calling her mama, depending on whatever childhood trauma she had swirling around in her head.

“Solar, chill.” French grilled her, making her kiss the back of her teeth before sitting back.

Qamar grilled her, hating how she always had something to say. Instead of addressing her, he put his focus back on Stephanie. “I ain’t say it was right but I wasn’t playing house with her. She just had my baby, the fuck I’m supposed to do be a deadbeat like the niggas you gave birth for?”

“Oh, you on one today,” Stephanie taunted. “Maybe I shouldn’t have done it but I ain’t mad about it either. You show up in the wee hours of the night with Siasia and her little sister. You didn’t tell me anything so I did what was right. That girl don’t know me from a can of paint, and I don’t know her.”

“You said all that to say what?”

Siasia jumped up. “To say, you was dead ass wrong, because you are!” she snapped, hating how Qamar couldn’t seem to take accountability for the hand he played in her whooping his baby mama’s ass. Yes, she knew Janay was somewhere in the cut but it hit different when she woke up and he was two hours away with the girl. She didn’t have that level of maturity and had never seen it to understand it.

Slowly, his honey brown eyes outlined her face. Qamar wanted to be mad but the way her braids hung towards her fat ass, all he could think about was bending her over and calming her down.

“Oop,” Solar’s lips popped.

“Sit down, mama.” Qamar glared at her, warning her to not make a scene—don’t let these muthafuckas get you in trouble.

Swallowing hard, Siasia sat back down, gaining herself a few snickers.

Qamar dragged his sight back to his mother. He loved her so much. Probably more than any of the other siblings. He’d gotten the better parts of her and was her baby. Where she usually coddled him, Stephanie seemed to be switching up on him and he needed to understand why.

“Ma, what’s up? Talk to me ‘cause you feeling like an enemy right now.”

“Oh, Qamar, you are so spoiled that the one time I make you man up, you think I’m against you. I’m for you… been for you since I brought my ass back into y’all lives but what you did was reckless. I told you to handle the situation with Janay and instead, you feed into her fantasy.”

“How? She know I don’t want her.”

“But does she know you want me?” Siasia was back in the mix with a little more courage.

“Mhm, cocky… I like.” Solar’s commentary gained her scolding look from French.

French stood, yanking Solar’s hand. “We out.”

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