When Love Knocks

Chapter 5 - Nevaeh's POV

Nevaeh was still seething when she pulled into her parents house after the incident at the grocery parking lot. She put on a smile though as she turned back to Jackson, “I’ll be right back bean, just need to grab Sammy and Lilah, then we can go home okay?” she said, “Okay mommy,” his sleepy voice came, he should've had a short nap this afternoon, but instead they had been getting groceries and she let him push one of the miniature carts picking out his own snacks and special dinners on nights she didn’t really eat. It was a bad habit she had picked up with working evenings when she’d just snack throughout the night on small snacks rather than a full meal. She got out of the car and up to her parents door, knocking before entering and two solid balls of muscle came tearing through the house and jumped on her for attention. “How’s my babies,” she said, planting a kiss on each of their wet noses. Samson and Delilah were twin boxer pups, they were dumped in a box out front of the apartment she was living in, so tiny and barely alive and after she found them and took them to get checked out she kept them both. A boy needed a dog and she couldn’t split up the brother and sister. She had spent several hours hand feeding them bottles and watched as they grew stronger pushing and fighting with a will to live. “Hey, mom I just came by to get the dogs. I’ll give you a call later.” she yelled out and snagged the leashes from the entryway table and clicked them on taking the dogs back out to the car and had them hop up in back with Jackson who was starting to doze off in his carseat.

Nevaeh drove back to her grandmother's house, her house, she had to remind herself. After the last couple of long days getting it ready for them she should be calling it that but some habits were hard to change. As she pulled into her spot in the driveway and parked she looked back at Jackson and gently shook his knee, “Hey buddy, we’re home. Are you ready to finally explore?” she asked a still sleepy eyed little boy. He nodded to her, his eyes wanting to drift back shut. Nevaeh figured he could wait just a few moments as she got out and went to the trunk grabbing the bag from the hardware store and went out back. She set up the posts and cables for the two dogs so that way she could hook them up to sniff out the backyard while she unloaded the groceries without them underfoot. After getting them hooked up, she tried once again to get her tired little boy to wake up, but he wasn’t having any of it. She unbuckled him and carried him in, having to shift his weight, he was growing up so much on her. Since she hadn’t arranged the living room furniture yet she took him up the stairs to his room and laid him on the bed covering him up with his favorite blanket. She stood and smiled back at her boy as she stood in the doorway, hoping he wouldn’t freak out when he woke up, and went to unload the groceries.

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As Nevaeh was finishing putting away the last of the groceries she heard Jackson’s voice calling out for her, “Downstairs little bean.” she called back and listened as footsteps came down the stairs. “I’m just about done with putting away the groceries, and mommy doesn’t want to cook. So how about I order some pizza?” she asked, which lit up the boy’s face, “Cheese pizza?” he asked. “Of course, I’ll get cheese for you and I’ll get mommy’s favorite too. How was your nap?” she asked, “Why didn’t you wake me up, I’m a big boy mommy. Big boys don’t need naps anymore.” he said which made him seem so much older than 4. Neva chuckled, “Baby having a nap has nothing to do with being big or little, because you know what? Mommy still likes to take naps too, but I can’t always do that.” she said, tapping his nose, making him laugh. “Mommy is going to step outside, you can play in your room if you want while waiting for the pizza.” she added and he turned around going back upstairs. After letting the dogs inside, she lit a smoke and called the pizza joint in town and ordered the pizzas along with some breadsticks and cheese sauce. She took a drag on her cigarette and then called Madi who answered after the first ring, “Everything okay?” her friend started off. “Yes everything’s fine, just finished getting groceries put away and ordered dinner. You wouldn’t believe who I ran into while loading groceries in the car earlier.” she said, taking a drag. “Wouldn’t be a particularly good looking man would it?” Madi asked with a slight tease, Neva couldn’t help the slight stain that colored her cheeks because her friend wasn’t wrong. The years had been so good to Ezra and any woman with eyes could see how handsome he was. He had filled out more since highschool, his muscles becoming more defined from what she had seen and hadn’t seen under his dirty work shirt and vest. “Whatever, Ezra, I ran into Ezra, and you want to know what that prick said? He called me a terrible mother.” she fumed. “Wait back up, why would he call you a bad mom?” Madi asked in a serious voice, dropping the teasing. Nevaeh puffed on her smoke and spoke, “I was loading the groceries and Jackson usually gets up in his booster, well he got distracted by the construction trucks and wandered onto the construction site there by the grocery store. Ezra brought him back to me when I was calling for Jackson. Madi, I was scared I thought someone had snatched him right under my nose.” she said taking another long drag, “Hey, hey, it’s okay nobody is going to take a kid in this town okay? Remember it was another pro for moving back, you wouldn’t have to worry about taking your eye off Jackson for a minute so you could do something.” Nevaeh took a breath, “Yea, you're right. Just I can’t help it after almost never being without him, I panicked.” she said. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do if I run into Ezra again, I have half a mind to smack the s**t out of him.” This made Madi chuckle, “Well I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, according to Brody, Ezra thinks you have a man.” Nevaeh sighed then rethought about what she had just heard, “Wait what about Brody?” she asked, “Oops, bye enjoy your pizza!” Madi said loudly and hung up on her. Nevaeh just stared shocked at her phone before shaking her head and headed inside.

She checked the time on her phone and decided to start moving the furniture in the living room into place, at least the TV stand and TV would be easy enough. She grabbed some sliding coasters under the legs and pushed it into place where she wanted it followed by placing the television on it. While she was hooking up the movie player a knock came from the front door. The dogs barreling through the house from Jackson’s room, she assumed since they never strayed far from the boy. “Go lay down.” she said to them before going to answer the door, “I’ve got your cheese pizza, sausage and mushroom, breadsticks and cheese cups.” came the delivery guy's voice. “Thanks, give me just a minute to set these down.” she answered and walked them into the kitchen placing them on the counter, grabbing a ten out of her wallet and handing to him, “Have a great night.” she said with a smile and he took off towards his car. She walked up the steps to get Jackson, and just watched as he played in his room. He was always so imaginative, and had conversations with his stuffies. “Pizza’s here, are you hungry?” she asked. Which earned her an excited “Yes!” she laughed as the both went back downstairs and he got into his seat with the booster. The dogs sitting by his seat, ready to start begging. “You want one piece or two?” she asked him. “Two please mommy.” he answered. She dished him up his pizza along with a breadstick and a cup of cheese, then went back and got hers. They ate and she listened to him talk about his time with her parents. Then he talked about how cool the trucks were. “Bean, I know they are pretty cool trucks, but if you wanted to look at them you should’ve had mommy take you. We could’ve watched from a safe spot, okay? Next time you need to tell mommy and we’ll go together.” she said calmly. He nodded and went back to eating his pizza and getting sauce onto his cheeks. He really was a good kid, he just sometimes let the curiosity in him get the best of him and that’s where the trouble lay.

After they finished eating and leftovers were put away Neva sent Jack to get cleaned up and into some pajamas for the night while she went back to work in the living room finishing setting up the TV and moving the couch and recliner where she wanted them. Out of everything she had bought, the recliner was her favorite piece of furniture. It was comfortable, soft, and it rocked; which was nice on nights Jackson wanted to cuddle up because the rocking motion still put him to sleep just like when he was an infant. She cherished those moments because since he’s gotten older they were starting to get fewer and farther between and she just wasn’t prepared for her baby to grow up. He’d be starting kindergarten in the falland she already knew she was going to cry, because it already made her misty eyed thinking about it. Jack came back into the room wearing his superhero pajamas, and holding his blanket. She smiled as she looked at him, “Want to watch a movie Bean?” she asked and he got excited and started shouting, “Baymax, Baymax, Baymax.” Which caused Samson and Delilah to get worked up and start barking in play. Nevaeh shook her head and laughed, “Alright kiddo, but you need to settle down and I’ll get it going.” she said and he quieted.

They got settled in the recliner together and watched the movie. As it progressed Jackson’s body began to feel heavier, and when she looked his eyes had fallen shut. She kissed the top of his head and held him for a bit longer to make sure he was asleep for the night. As the ending credits began to roll she adjusted him in her arms and stood up carrying him up to his bed and tucked him in, shoo-ing the dogs out with her before shutting the door for the time being. She went back downstairs and slipped out back, hooking the dogs to go to the bathroom while she had a smoke. Scrolling through f*******: on her phone while she did. Putting the butt out she called for Samson and Delilah and they went back inside. She put some music on and began to work more in the living room unpacking boxes and adding them to the growing pile by the bottom of the stairs.

A while later and almost having the room completed Nevaeh called it quits for the night exhausted after the busy day. She went though the downstairs shutting off lights and locking the door before rousing the dogs to let them out a final time before bed. She lit up a smoke and was surprised when her phone went off with a text message. She checked the time and was surprised to see it was a bit after two in the morning. She clicked open the message and saw it was from Madi.

Madi: Girrrrrrrl, Ezra is f****d up about youuuuuu.

Nevaeh’s brow furrowed, she didn’t understand but responded.

Nevaeh: What the hell are you talking about?

She followed it quickly by: What are you doing anyway???

She didn’t have to wait long before getting several replies in a row.

Madi: Ezra is drunk off his ass

He called Brody for a ride home from the bar

He never gets drunk in public like this

Obviously seeing you affected him

Nevaeh shook her head, but before she even thought of a response another message came through,

Madi: I’m up because I rode with Brody to pick him and Scott up. They are plastered lol

Nevaeh: Just because he’s drunk doesn’t mean it’s over me

She thought for a moment as she took a drag of her cigarette,

Nevaeh: I’m heading to bed, he’s not drunk over me

She put her phone away, called the dogs putting them in, locked the door behind her and went up to bed. She stopped though to open Jackson’s door and Samson and Delilah went in jumping up on the bed and curling up with him. She made a mental list of things she needed to work on tomorrow as she fell asleep.