“Environment?”Dimitri asked as if the word was foreign.“Who else knew?”
“Cedella, of course,” Jediah stated.“I’d never trust anyone else with Dimitria’s life.”
“Dimitria… Her name’s Dimitria.”
Reaching for a pawn, Jediah paused.His focus dragged to the man across the table.Dimitri had a small, tender smile on his face.Full of disbelief.Already full of love for an almost six-month-old daughter he didn’t know.
“Reka also knew,” Jediah added.“Then, I had to tell Cameron.”
The wistful expression faded from Dimitri’s face.He gulped hard before telling Jediah, “Thanks.”
Jediah nodded.He leaned back in his chair, watching Dimitri carefully.
“Mi understand why yu do it, but…”
“What’s your move?”
“I love Reine,” Dimitri confessed, no regret tainting his expression when Jediah glared at him.“Mi know yu don’ wan’ hear dat, but I do.”
“She loves you, too…” Jediah admitted.“Reine probably went to Bryony already.Bryony must’ve explained everything that I told her when I brought Sashoy home a few hours ago.”
“But mi also love Sashoy.She match mi in a ways mi caan’ even explain.Yu know how mi love her, dawg.”
Jediah nodded.“Yes.”
“When we stop hear from her, mi think she did gone back to her old life of petty crime.Mi swear she neva mean it when she say she woulda deh by mi side until mi get better.”
“She meant it.But becoming a mother changes priorities.”
Dimitri sighed.He quieted for a while, then asked, “Will she stay?”Dimitri sighed again after Jediah shrugged.“Then how me a go see Dimitria?Mi want a life wid her.Mi lose mi father at a young age.Mi caan’ afford fi mi youth grow up and don’ know mi.”
Jediah gulped hard, wondering if Dimitri realized he said the quiet part out loud.Jediah shuffled about the chair.“That can be arranged… if it’s what Sashoy wants.You have a lot that you need to figure out.”
Dimitri huffed.He propped an elbow atop the abandoned chessboard, then rested his head in his hand.“Mi caan’ choose.”
“You have to,” Jediah said, glancing toward the door as a fisttappedagainst it.“Come in.”
Bryony entered the room.Her glasses were tucked haphazardly into her hair.
“A go tek another walk,” Dimitri said while standing.
Jediah nodded.He resetted the board while Dimitri left the room and Bryony marched toward him.
“Mi just talk to Ash,” Bryony announced, crossing one arm over the other.
“She told you?”he asked, daring to glance at Bryony.Jediah wasn’t surprised to find her livid, but he didn’t expect it to have him second-guessing himself like this.“You can’t change our minds.”
Bryony frowned.“Giving unu baby up fi adoption a no waa sensible decision.”
“You’re saying that because you’re already attached.”
“No.Mi a say it ’cause that baby is a Richardson,” Bryony insisted.“Wa unu mean by give weh?How unu know the overseas agency actually trustworthy?This is nonsense.Me will take care of the baby while unu sort out whatever it is unu a go through.”
“A dat we a do.No time’s better than now.”
Bryony’s brows furrowed.“Wa yu mean?”
Jediah looked at the chessboard.Every piece sat comfortably in their designated spots.“My mother is back for her empire, and I will give it to her.”