Lights Please II

5: Fix Ya Face

Tess

It'd been ages since I'd gone out with the girls, but El and Zoe kept insisting—they didn't have kids so they wanted to be out all the time—so Jermaine said he'd hold it down and watch Lex and Riley so that me and Leish could go out. Leish had gotten here a while ago but I was still up in my room fixing my face and changing my outfit a total of 7 times before I could settle with one. Jermaine came up the stairs and sat on the chair behind my vanity mirror just watching me for a minute. "Ya girl said hurry up, you the only one not ready." He said as he watched me.

"Telling me to hurry up isn't going to speed up the process at all so I'm gonna need you to chill," I said as I slowly placed my lashes on.

"Aye don't shoot the messenger—" he put his arms up in surrender.

"Whatever," I mumbled focused on the mirror in front of me.

"You look beautiful baby," he then said clearing his throat.

"Thank you bubbba," I couldn't help but grin. "Can I get a kiss before I put my lipstick on?" He stood up and stretched a lil before coming over to me and kissing me slowly. He then proceeded to kiss all over my face. "Don't fuck up my contour!!!!" I pulled away from him.

"Oh shit my bad," he chuckled before licking his lips. "Im'a leave you alone then, don't ask me for no kisses."

He left out the room while I finished getting ready. I grabbed my clutch and took a final look at myself in the mirror. This high waisted midi black skirt and crop top with heeled sandal was gonna have to do. I don't even know what we were doing tonight, we normally let Zoe take care of that. Once I got to the living room, Lex was running around with Riley and Biggie and Leish and Cole were sitting on the couch with the tv on. She looked cute—with her lil romper and heeled booties.

"Am I surprised you're late?" Leish said boredly.

"Well you shouldn't be look how good I look," I winked exaggeratedly.

She blinked at me, dismissing my statement. "Anyway.... Thanks for watching my son Cole, I'll be back for him."

"Don't worry bout it, yall go out and have fun," he chuckled. "and make sure this one behaves." He said pointing at me light heartedly.

"I always behave whatchu mean?" I smirked before pecking him once and he wiped it off, given I had lipstick on.

"Okay well let's go cause we're late for dinner reservations," Leish stood up and grabbed her bags and we called the kids so we could tell them bye.

Riley came running in and Lex was right behind him. He was just 2 years older than her but the two of them were two peas in a pod, they were basically cousins. You know, when your parents are so tight and you call them auntie and uncle so you just become cousins by default even though you not related at all.

Leish told him to behave and he nodded before hugging her legs while I said the same to Alexia who had more of a problem with me leaving her. "Where's ya goin mama?"

"I'm going somewhere baby, now give me a kiss so I can go—"

"Can I come wiff you please??? Cuz u be leavin me wiff da boys—" she frowned up at me.

"Naw baby, I'm going somewhere for grownups... I'm coming right back, you get to play with daddy and Riley okay?" I picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"But I wanna be wiff mommy," she mumbled. She was being difficult today. I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of guilt in the pit of my stomach.

"We'll hang out tomorrow okay?" I gave her some more kisses and looked over her shoulder at Cole frowning a lil. I always felt bad going out and leaving her.

He sighed and took her from my arms. "Fix your face baby, your momma's comin right back—" he told her and she nodded, still looking sad. "Give her a kiss so she can go and we'll play games when she leaves." He instructed and she did just that but still looked sad. Aleisha basically then forced me out the house even though I didn't wanna leave my baby and I felt bad doing so.

- - -

Jermaine

After Tess finally left, I ordered some pizza for the kids and we'd gone down to the basement to watch movies and shit—I also had to double check that the pantry was full with enough snacks and shit. I just wasn't gon tell Leish and Tess about all the unhealthy shit I had them eating. I loved hanging with the kids and shit, but I was getting a lil bored so I hit up Ib and Mike and they said they'd come through any minute and help out with them until they went to bed then we could just kick it.

"daddy Riley said that santa comes in December but doesn't come in my birfday???" Lex yelled running up to me.

I chuckled, shaking my head, "Nah baby girl, Riley's right... Santa comes in December—your birthday aint in December."

"See!! I told ya!!" Riley yelled, "Cause that's what my momma be tellin me so I have to be good the whoOooLE year,"

"Ya but I also be bein good the whole year cause he be comin to my house too,"

I sighed listening to their conversation, I couldn't imagine having two kids—the worst headache ever.

- - -

A while later, Ib and Mike had gotten here and we'd relocated to the living room with the kids and they were playing some game while us grown men sat on the couch with wings and pizza. We had the basketball game on in the background while we just talked. One thing I hated about working with my best friends, was even if we was just tryna chill, work would always somehow come up—it was the most frustrating shit ever.

"You look like you runnin' a daddy day care out here," Mike said laughing as the kids ran off and I shook my head with a sigh.

"Tess is too hard on herself, you know? She needs time off to just chill and kick it with her girls and shit so I don't mind watching the kids while they go out. Shit, it's only two of them." I shrugged. It could've been worse.

"Yeah I feel that," Ib nodded, "plus you just gotta get them some food and let them run around it aint too hard."

We all kinda focused on the game for a bit before Ib pulled out his phone and sighed. "Yo, the way shits lookin right now—we gon have to leave for tour next week..."

"Nah," I shook my head, "no way—I need atleast another 2 or 3 weeks to make sure shits okay back here before I can leave on tour,"

"It's the only solution though Cole, we already got two shows next week—"

"I said I'd do those shows then come back home,"

"Naw nigga you can't do that—they too far, it doesn't make any sense financially and practically. If the case is your girl and Lex, you can fly them out—cause you goin up and down aint gon make no kinda sense."

I sighed, "Aight man, I'll think about it."

/