Chapter 114 - This Is Far From Over.

Chapter 114: This is far from over.

Jason wondered why she was lying to him. It made no sense. He has proof that she was trying to get EJ out of the country without his consent.

"Why did you book plane tickets out of Nigeria? Are you trying to say that I am deaf or you are not leaving the country tomorrow?" Jason asked her.

Tamara exhaled and looked at him.

"Well, now I am! I never thought for once that you are a bully that would file for the sole custody of my daughter. A child I labored all my life for, a child that all until last week, you didn't even know existed. When did you become a bully, Jassy?" Tamara asked him.

"Probably around the time you tried to wreck my marriage and turn me into a cheat!" Jason yelled back at her.

"I am sorry okay?! I just spent years thinking about you…thinking about how perfect our little family would be if you didn't try to have me kill our child. Then I find out that you didn't. I found out that you are not the monster I painted you to be and I got emotional and did a stupid thing! I am sorry, Jason!" 

She was so close to tears now. She was barely holding it back.

"I am sorry, okay?" Tamara whispered this time around. "But taking my child from me is not right! I carried her for nine months and two weeks, had a cesarean section to get her out and I provided for her the best way I could while juggling a medical career. Don't take her! I can't fight you. You are rich and you are powerful and she is all I have!" Tammy was crying visibly now.

Jason simply stared at her. He hated to see her this way.

"Stop it! Stop fighting. It's my fault"

They both turned around to the sound of EJ's voice.

They hadn't notice her approached them holding a bottle of water in her left hand.

Jason came closer to her.

"No, baby…this is not your fault. Sometimes parents fight and it has absolutely nothing to do with you, EJ. Do you hear me?" Jason patted her hair like she was a furry cat that needed soothing.

"Your father is right, EJ. We were just talking" Tamara said and wiped her face quickly.

EJ turned to her mother and her eyes began to tear up again. She wiped the single drop of tears that fell down on her cheek.

"I am sorry, Momma. I told grandma you book the airplane tickets and you said that you will never let me come back to Nigeria again. I told her that I don't want to go with you. I…don't…wanna live with you anymore, momma" 

EJ buried her face in her mother's chest.

Tamara felt her whole world stop moving and her worst fear coming to pass. She felt the grief and the heart breaking fear of her worst nightmare coming through.

Oh God!

The dread that was constantly nagging her at the back of her head, was now sitting heavily in her entire body.

Oh God! 

She chose him. She couldn't believe that EJ chose him.

"I am sorry, Momma"

"It's okay, EJ" Tammy murmured.

But it wasn't. It was far from okay. She was beginning to feel the tightness in her chest. The razor sharp pain that came with every breath she took.

"EJ why? Did your mother do something that you don't like, sweetheart?" Jason asked her.

EJ pulled away from Tammy.

"No" she whispered.

"Jason,.. it's fine" Tamara tried to brush it off but EJ spoke again.

"You don't do a lot of things because of me, Momma. You can't go to Haiti with Waylen because of me or go out with your friends. I heard Aunt Janet saying I am the reason you don't have a life but if I stay here with Daddy maybe I wouldn't be such a burden to you" EJ finally opened up.

"No! God no!" Tamara wrapped her arms around her instantly. Now, she understood.

"You are not a burden, Elixir Jason Yagazie! Hey, look at me! There is nothing I would rather be than a mother to you. I would give up the entire world for you…."

EJ looked at her "But maybe I don't want you to, Mom. Maybe I can stay here with Dad and you can go to Haiti with Waylen for a year. And later, I can come back home"

Tammy looked at her. God! She must have had this planned for a long time now. 

"I love you, EJ"

"I love you too momma"

"Go to your bedroom, we will continue this discussion later, okay?"

EJ gave the bottle of water to Jason and left.

Tamara tried to get over her initial shock.

"Who is Waylen?" Jason asked her.

"The surgeon I am engaged to" 

"Why does she think you should be in Haiti?" Jason asked her again

He grabbed her hand and they started walking to the playground they shared as children.

"It's been a lifelong dream to join Doctors without borders and earlier in the year, Waylen and I decided to do it but…I couldn't leave EJ with my parents at the last minute. So, Waylen went without me"

Tamara Jones sat on the swing and she shut her eyes to calm her nerves. Jason simply watched her in silence.

"I had no idea that she felt that way, Jason. You have to believe me" She tried to defend herself to her child's father.

Jason made her look at him.

"You don't owe me or anyone any explanation, Tammy. You are a good mother and you raised a sensible kid all on your own with no help whatsoever. As far as I am concerned, you are my new hero"

Jason grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks Jason and I am sorry. I did a stupid thing by kissing you. It's no excuse for my poor behavior but I dreamt so much about what a kiss with you would feel like that I had to find out. I was thinking about myself and it was selfish. I am sorry"

"Do you have feelings for me, Tammy?" Jason asked out of nowhere. It was a question he needed an answer to.

Tamara was quiet before she answered.

"Probably. you are my first love, Jason. I think that kind of love doesn't go away at all but I am…" 

Jason interrupted her before she finished talking.

"I love you, Tammy"

Tamara was surprised.

"You do?"

"Yes, of course I do. I mean I spent ten years looking for you, ten years combing every inch of the world trying to find you. So, yes, I love you Tamara Jones but…" Jason looked away from her.

Tamara laughed nervously "I knew there was a 'but' coming. I have seen the way you look at Mckenna. You love me Jason but you are in love with her, aren't you?" Tamara asked him.

Jason smiled and nodded "Yeah, I am crazy about her. She is the one. Mckenna is the one for me" Jason had this look on his face like he was reliving a memory and he was.

He was looking back on how he first met Mckenna and their love story so far. It was bumpy and tedious but it was a match made in heaven.

"She is my greatest love story, Tammy"

"And I respect that. I love you Jason but I am not in love with you too. After that kiss, I expected butterfly and tingling feelings but none came. It felt wrong. I think all those years that I wasn't missing my lover, I was missing my best friend. I hope we can be friends again" Tamara asked him.

"Of course but you owe my wife an apology, Jones"

Tamara smiled and nodded. "I know"

She rested her head on his shoulder and Jason didn't object. It felt right. They were just friends.

"You know she is way out of your league, right?" Tamara reminded him.

Jason laughed heartily "Totally! I hit the jackpot"

****

Mckenna was let into the mansion and she stopped her car. First she looked for him inside the mansion but found only EJ in the sitting room.

"Umma!" EJ sounded excited to see her.

"Hi EJ. How are you doing?"

"I am fine. Are you looking for daddy and momma?" EJ asked her.

"They are together? Where are they?" Mckenna asked her.

"Outside" EJ answered.

Mckenna spared a smile and she left to find her husband and the woman that kissed her.

She was halfway towards the garden when she heard voices coming from the playground.

She stopped and listened. She recognized the male voice as Jason's and the female voice she assumed it was Tammy.

McKenna's heart skipped a beat. She moved closer until she could make out figures on the swing.

But what made her heart skip again was seeing Tammy's head on the shoulder of the man she loves and was pregnant for.

Mckenna let out a quivering breath and she turned around and fled.