“Okay, have a good meeting, Jacob.”
“Thanks, beautiful.”
I hung up and an eerie feeling that something bad was going to happen washed over me. I shook those negative thoughts and stepped into the piping hot shower. After a relaxing shower and a quick pampering, I dressed in a pink romper and matching pink heels with a pink bow. I wore my hair in an array of natural curls. I applied a coat of natural tone makeup and soft pink gloss. Not long after I put on my earrings, there was a knock at the door.
“Just a second,” I said as I came out of the bathroom and into the hall leading to the doorway.
“Hey Mama!” Junior said running into the room as soon as the door opened. He rushed past me and into the suite. “Where’s Pops?” he said, when he didn’t find Jacob.
“Mama!” Montana’s tiny voice echoed as she stood at my knee tugging on my pants to be picked up.
Hoisting Montana on my hip, I picked up my purse. “Jacob had to go to work this morning, Junior.”
“Awe man! I thought we were on a vacation,” said Junior.
“Well, this is kind of a mini vacation. Do you guys want to see your father?” I asked.
“Yeah! Yay!” they both yelled in excitement.
“This morning, they asked me what city we were in. When I told them we were in Atlanta, they started talking about going to see their father,” Lynetta said with a smile, as she clasped her hands together joining Junior and Montana’s excitement.
“And Montie will be equally excited when we surprise him,” I said.
“Mrs. Destiny, I packed some necessities they might need while we’re out, and the car is waiting for us in the loop.”
“Well, let’s get going then,” I said, happy to be reuniting my children with their father. Montie deserved all the time he could spend with them. He had always been an excellent father, and I couldn’t imagine how he felt with them living so far away.
When we walked out into the hallway, a security guard stood by the elevator and rode down with us to the car. Henry hopped out of a black Lincoln and opened the door for us to enter his vehicle. Our motorcade drove away consisting of a black Denali in the back of us and another Denali in the front.
Chapter Six
Destiny
Never Can Say Goodbye
“Heeyy, Destiny!” Montie’s long-time dedicated secretary and friend, Shalanda, jumped from her chair and ran around her desk to hug my neck.
She had been a loyal worker for Montie since he began his firm. Shalanda was always polite and respectful toward me, and had long ago adopted our children as her own. She hugged Junior and Montana so tight before letting them go.
“Oh, my god. You guys are growing up to fast. I need you both to stop it right now, so Auntie Shalanda can have time to spend with you while you’re still babies,” she said.
Montana looked at Junior with a wide-eyed ‘what did we do wrong’ look, and he giggled at her. “We can’t stop growing up. I’m going to turn seven soon, and I can’t wait,” said Junior.
“I’m three.” Montana added.
“Oh, my, my, my. Well, if you can’t stop getting older, I guess that’s too bad. I won’t be able to give you suckers once you get too old,” she said reaching into the bowl on her desk and pulling out two suckers.
“I can stay six a little while longer,” Junior said, seriously.
“And I can be three,” Montana chimed in credibly.
“Okay, if you will stay six and three, I’ll give these to your mother and you can eat them after breakfast with your dad.”
“Thank you!” they said in unison with huge grins. Junior hugged her again and Montana followed suit.
“Thanks Shalanda,” I said taking the candy. “Is it okay if we wait in his office to surprise him?”
“Yes, that’ll be fine. I’ll open it for you,” Shalanda said as she walked ahead of us down the hall. She stopped in front of Montie’s office door and opened it.