Fight for US

48. Family Therapy (Pt.2)

"Lauren are you pregnant?" The therapist found her sitting in the hallway crying her eyes out. "It's not my business but if your dad is correct then this is already too much stress." She helped her up and hugged her.

Lauren shrugged. "I don't know, I don't feel like I am. But I have been trying." She admitted before feeling her phone go off, and Rico had responded to her text.

MyMan🥵💕: Lauren calm down, don't work yourself up ma. Don't feel bad for telling them how you feel, if I got to come up there with you I will. But that's between y'all, and you need to learn how to face them. I'll come up there and sit outside for when you need a break though.

At that Lauren smiled at the message before telling him she was being dramatic and that she think she could handle it.

MyMan🥵💕: I love you.

Seeing that message brightened her whole mood, she knew as well as Rico knew that when one another says they love each other it makes any situation better.

MyMan🥵💕: One more thing- If you ain't pregnant then I'm done 🤣🤣 I ain't got no more nut. You got to stop swallowing when we want a baby.

Bursting into laughter she wiped her tears and the therapist just smiled at her seeing the men walk back into the room. "Let's go." She grabbed Lauren and they made their way back into the office and you could tell it was now awkward for them, since no one ran away and they actually wanted to speak on their problems.

"Okay, I see three of you in here had issues with Katherine?" The therapist started and passed around beverages. "So I'm going to ask each of you to explain what you saw when you looked at Katherine and Jared." She spoke to the children to get a little more background on Katherine and if their parents relationship effected them in any way.

"I hadn't heard much from you, so Anthony?" She asked seeing he was the least effected by today.

Anthony smiled taking a sip of his water. "It was perfect, we were the only kids with two parents growing up that caused family to hate because our parents were truly Inlove with each other and their kids, we all have issues and none of us could deny the love we saw our parents share. For each other and for us as a whole, I can only remember two times they even argued around us and both times they caught themselves knowing we were watching." Anthony said. "I just feel bad because I didn't know that the attention I was getting wasn't being the same as Lauren and Keven- I didn't know me being everyone's favorite would effect my big bro like that. I don't like the feeling or the attention, I thought we were all close but we gone fix this." Anthony said hopeful.

"That's beautiful." The therapist nodded. "Lauren?"

She smiled. "I agree with Anthony, I mean we all know mom was crazy but she was just Inlove as well as my dad, it wasn't until the night she died we'd ever seen my dad rough her up, not hit her but he did man handle her. We were all old enough to understand, but we all never knew he only did that because he was looking out for her. Growing up we had everything, both partners, living good and never had to deal with meeting new people and they always protected us. They were perfect." She smiled and sighed.

"Okay, that's wonderful." The therapist smiled again. "Now Keven you're the oldest and have seen more, how did you feel about them?"

Keven took a deep breath. "I couldn't even sit here and say one bad thing about their relationship honestly, I took after my dad a lot and he taught me how to treat a woman and cater to her. They were who I looked up too, and the reason I never gave up on love. They were perfect, and they loved us all but you could tell who they favorited more." He bit his lip. "The issue isn't the love at all, we got plenty of that, it's just as a whole me and Lauren would always be put last. For instance- if we all had to chose one thing they'd go with what Anthony wanted. When I was younger I used to use it to my advantage because I'll send Anthony to ask for everything." They laughed a little. "But as I got older I noticed that he was the favored child, then when Lauren came along I thought it'd be her but it still remained Anthony." He finished.

"Okay, that's good. This is progress." The therapist smiled and looked to Jared. "They all say you were perfect, how do you feel y'all were? Was it a front for the kids? Or were y'all really how your kids explained?"

Jared smiled at the thought of Katherine. "I wouldn't say we were perfect but I do agree with my children. We were very much Inlove, and I'd never stepped out on her and she'd never stepped out on me. I treated her right and she treated me right. That was my queen and she never failed to treat me like her king." He smiled. "That woman..." he paused. "That woman made me a better man, and she made me a father to all three of my children. No matter how bad we'd argued or what it was about that woman was in the kitchen everyday making sure her family was fed, and the days I used to cook for her she was just so appreciative of the small things, no matter how much money we had or what we had to do to get money we did that for our kids. So, when I lost her she took me with her, and the way I lost her still haunts me to this day." He choked up. "I lost the love of my life and I took that out on my kids." He finally admitted.

"That's step one, admitting to your faults." The therapist nodded for him to step out and take a minute. "Now, Lauren when you say Anthony is your favorite or you don't feel attached to Keven could you break it down for them?" She asked her.

Lauren took a drink of her water. "Well, emotionally Anthony was there for me and when Keven or daddy literally blow my chest out he never hit me like that and he'd risk getting beat up to protect me. I could talk to him about things like boys, and sex. He was there when I lost my virginity he may have hit me because I was disrespectful about it but then he turned around and talked to me, telling me how a man should value my body and how I should as well. He'd took me to get on birth control." She put her head down because this was all new news to Keven. "I never wanted favorites but when I kissed a boy on my sixteenth birthday Keven saw it and literally hit me so hard I could of died, versus Anthony who caught me having sex and having a conversation with me about it. I love them both but Anthony is just my go to person because he's more understanding." She finished up.

"Im sorry." Keven spoke before the therapist could. "I get it now, and I am truly sorry Lauren. I'd like to fix our relationship, I don't want to be your favorite but just like you can go to Anthony you can come to me as well. You're grown now, and I know sometimes you need me and I want to be there for you." He told her hugging her and wiping her eyes.

"So you wouldn't be mad if I was possibly pregnant by Rico then?" She slouched down causing Anthony and Keven to hop up and stare down at her.

"Excuse me?" They both frowned and paced back and forth.

"See this what she do, get us all buttered up and hit us with more fuck shit." Keven sucked his teeth. "See I ain't gone hit her, I grew already but imma kill him."