Page 65 of You Make Me Feel

I chuckled and slowly shook my head at her calling me mister. The moment we walked in, the receptionist said, “Hello. You must be Attorney Sidney Taylor. Please come on in and follow me.”

That li’l girl looked so excited to see Sidney in the flesh. If I were into law, I probably would be too. The woman was a beast. She was known nationwide for the high-profile cases she’d won. I learned from Shawn that she’d gotten the commissioner of the Professional Basketball League incarcerated at the beginning of her career while avenging his mother’s death. That had catapulted her into stardom, and celebrities sought her services after that.

What I liked about her was that she didn’t let that go to her head. She still represented everyday people without turning their pockets inside out. Kinisha said she had yet to give her a price for her services. She didn’t charge her for the last case either. There was no way I could allow her to do all this work for free, though.

I opened the door to the conference room for the ladies, and they all thanked me. Sidney and Amanda shook hands with Jarod and his attorney when I stepped in. Before going to the table to sit, I realized that I probably shouldn’t be in the meeting since it didn’t concern me legally. As I was about to go to the waiting area, Kinisha turned around and asked, “Oliver, where are you going?”

“To the waiting area, baby.”

“No. I need you here with me. Please.”

Amanda asked the room, “Gentlemen, will that be a problem?”

Jarod’s attorney looked over at him, and he shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t care, so his attorney responded, “No, ma’am. He can stay.”

I sat next to Kinisha, and she grabbed my hand as the proceedings began. Jarod’s attorney introduced himself as Alex Spectrum and started by saying, “My client is seeking full custody of the child once he or she is born. He intends to raise the child in what he believes will be a better environment in love and one where he can provide for the child’s needs and some of its wants.”

“Why does Mr. Speights think that’s acceptable, Attorney Spectrum?” Ms. Spears asked.

“Well, after Ms. Jordan’s involvement in a fight at a club and her assault charge from a month or so ago, which I might add happened while she was pregnant, he believes Ms. Jordan is incapable of providing the protection and guidance the child will need. He’s respected in the community, has an established career as an insurance agent, and has a village to help him raise the child.”

“Is that it?” Amanda asked.

My frown was ever present, as was Kinisha’s. Jarod had a smirk on his face like they’d dropped a bomb on us. That nigga was clueless. Had to be. What judge was gonna grant him custody of a child before it was even born? The attorney chuckled and asked, “Isn’t that enough, Mrs. Spears?”

Amanda looked over at Sidney with a slight smile on her face. Sidney pulled a thick file from her satchel and dropped it on the table. Jarod and Mr. Spectrum’s eyes went to the folder. “Mr. Spectrum, in this file are all the questionable things we brought up on your client. So, first, I will point out that he didn’t want this baby to begin with.”

“I only said that because I wasn’t sure it was mine. That was why I had a paternity test done,” Jarod said.

Amanda stared at Jarod with narrowed eyes. “Right. Anyway. Also in this file is proof that Mr. Speights is seeking custody to avoid breaking the ethics clause in a religious organization he’s a part of. He’s currently trying to be the president of said organization. I’m told that will come with a hefty salary and bonus. If they were to find out that he has a baby on the way with a woman who isn’t even his girlfriend, let alone wife, he wouldn’t be eligible for the position. For the record, that’s barely the tip of the iceberg. Icango on.”

“Jarod, you wanted nothing to do with the baby until you saw I had a man willing to take care of your responsibilities anyway. You’re a narcissistic individual who can’t handle rejection, although you rejected me first. Your desire to have women chasing your pitiful ass is sickening. You were just fine as long as I was texting you, trying to contact you, while you ignored me. The minute I started ignoringyou,you couldn’t handle it. However, knowing that money is your driving force doesn’t surprise me. You and the people involved with your conniving ass give the church a bad rep,” Kinisha added as Ms. Spears gently patted her hand.

I assumed she was silently telling Kinisha to let them handle his ass. Jarod leaned over and said something in his attorney’s ear. His attorney said, “We are also aware of your client’s philandering ways.”

“Just as we are aware of your client’s tendencies,” Sidney said, leaning forward, clearly irritated, as she started pulling pictures from her file of Jarod with different women. “We can do this all day. You’re actually making me angry, and I’m two steps away from being unprofessional. What you’re gonna do is drop this foolishness. If you want to be a part of your child’s life, fine, but if you wanna drag my client through the mud, we’re gonna drag you to hell. You don’t want this battle. I’m a winner, Mr. Spectrum, Mr. Speights. Idon’tlose.”

“Oh, and yourex-fiancée is willing to testify against you. She has receipts as well,” Amanda added.

These women were efficient as hell. Jarod’s eyes had widened at the mention of his ex-fiancée. She finally gathered the nerve to leave his ass.Good for her.He leaned over again to consult with his attorney as Kinisha and I looked on. “We’ll settle for joint custody.”

“What youwilldo is pay one grand a month in child support if you want to be a part of the baby’s life. Kinisha Jordan will remain the custodial parent, and you will pay all her legal fees for this bull—See, you almost got me. I’m heated at your audacity. This was an inconvenience for my client. If you don’t agree to that, then you can sign this stating that you are giving up your parental rights. Oliver Andrews will gladly be your child’s father. You will still be responsible for the legal fees, though.”

His face twitched at the mention of my name, but he responded, “I will sign over my rights if the information is sealed.”

Kinisha slapped the table. “It would have been sealed had you not gone running your mouth. Everyone who knows is becauseyoutold them . . . even my family. You were so concerned about making me look bad you contributed to your own downfall. Idiot. Everyone in our circles know, thanks to you. So that stipulation is inadmissible.”

Sidney and Amanda smiled at Kinisha, then gave Jarod a “now what” look. Once again, his face twitched. He snatched the paper and signed it. Sidney slowly shook her head. “You know, it’s a sad day when parents will sell their children. That stipend won’t get you far. Because of this, the joys of having a kid will elude you for the rest of your life. Have a great day, gentlemen.”

We stood from our seats, and when we got outside, Kinisha threw her arms around me. “Oliver, I’m so happy.”

“Me too, baby.”

I kissed her forehead, and she pulled away from me to hug Sidney. “Thank you so much. You are amazing.”

“I didn’t want to tell you everything I had up my sleeve. We bluffed him a li’l bit, though. The rest of those papers in that file were all filled with random stuff that had nothing to do with him.”

Kinisha’s eyes widened as I chuckled. That went to show just how much shit he’d gotten away with. He thought all that shit was stuff he’d done. Jarod joined us at the elevator as we made our way out, talking amongst ourselves. Kinisha tried to go to him, but I pulled her to me. “Let it go. Let him go and be miserable. He deserves that shit for what he put you through.”

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