Blood Mates

The Battle For Jasper

Yasmine could see not evidence a shred of her existence still breathed in the house she spent nearly a decade in. And after two years, she thought the house would be in shambles by now.

Since she came unannounced Yasmine braced herself for dirty dishes, socks all over the place, clothes left to mold and mildew in the washing machine, and rooms resembling disaster zones.

Not to say Jasper or William were slobs, but they were “clean up as necessary” kind of people when she lived with them.

It drove her crazy how neither of them could wash a dish after using it or pick up after themselves. But something had changed, because the house was immaculate. She’d snooped up to the point of Jasper’s room and saw the house had been maintained, repainted, and not even a sock belonged to her.

She’d been purged from their lives, as the picture frames that once held some of her with them now held more photos of just them. And it hurt her to see it, the little family she’d built, was no longer her family.

William saw Davon sitting on the couch and winced before turning away from him and looking at Yasmine annoyed, “Can you do me a favor and not break into my house?” Yasmine wanted to retort that at one time it had been hers as well.

But realizing it was a too loaded response, she knew not to. So, she settled for, “Maybe change where you hide the spare key.” William exhaled and rubbed his eyes warily, “What do you want Yasmine?” Watching him warily lean on the wall, Yasmine looked at William surprised, “What do I want? I want to see my son, that’s the only reason I came.”

William checked his watch, “Well you got about another thirty minutes until he gets out of school.”

Yasmine’s mouth pursed as she observed William obviously just coming home for work, “And I want to talk to you,” William nodded for her continue and Yasmine straightened her spine as she declared, “I want Jasper to finish off the rest of the year with me.”

Not expecting that, William’s mouth moved on its own, “Wait what? You want to pull Jasper from school middle of first semester of his senior year? Are you crazy?”

Davon made a weird noise at the back of his throat that had William’s gaze snapping to him in surprise. But Yasmine waved Davon off and seriously told her ex, “No, I’m not. But I do miss him, and it’s been two years since we’ve spent ANY time together and that’s not fair to me.”

William looked at Yasmine seriously at what it sounded like she was implying, “It was you who said he should be here with me fulltime.” Yasmine’s face jerked painfully at the mention of that, “Yeah, but I thought you’d uphold the court agreement time and dates to when he was supposed to come and see me.”

Sighing in exhaustion William threw his hands up and Yasmine looked at her husband and then back to her ex with earnest sadness. “Will, I’m sorry how things went down, but Jasper is still my son. I never thought in my life you’d turn him against me.”

Righting himself William waved that last part off, “Whoa now, I will admit I was hurting, but I never once told our son he couldn’t reach out to you. As far as I’m concerned, you burned your bridge with him however you did, and he’s been hot under the collar at the mention of your name ever since.”

Yasmine of course denied doing anything and as William and her started another argument to top off all the others, their son sat down with his girlfriend to explain.

Outside on the bleachers like always, Jasper looked as Alaia cut up an apple and gave him a piece, “Are you two not close?” Alaia asked softly. Jasper thought of that and admitted, “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

Alaia nudged him gently as she whispered, “I think I can manage.”

Jasper blew a heavy breath, “Well she’s my mom, and yeah I love her. But when I found out…saw sort of what she’d been doing behind my dad’s back it all made sense. How she started to treat him like he was annoying or stupid. How she’d disappear for hours and then come home acting as if she’d been there all day.”

Feeling a lump in his throat, Jasper told Alaia, “It wasn’t until my mom left that I realized how much she hated living here. Being with us wasn’t what she wanted, I saw it, but I didn’t want to believe it. I mean I knew I was an unplanned pregnancy between two young kids who’d just gotten married. But I never thought my mom would cheat on my dad, break our family apart. Not like how she did it anyway.”

Reaching for Jasper, Alaia comforted him the best she knew how, “I know it hurt, and still hurts, and the things she did weren’t okay. And I know it’s not my place to put an opinion on your family’s issues, but maybe they are better off separated. Maybe it was for the best and they’re happier this way. Trust me anyone would prefer separated happy parents compared to fighting married parents.”

 Jasper agreed with that notion, “I know. But it doesn’t change what she did to us. And I don’t think I can forgive her for it.”

Yasmine and William stopped arguing long enough for Davon to put his two cents in. Which William wish he’d kept in the bank since the bastard had nothing to do with his son. “Look Jasper needs his mother, and this might be her last year to spend time with him. He’s going to college next fall and he’s going to need all the support he can get.”

William shrugged as he hotly tossed back, “Fine, send him a couple of meal packages when he gets there. But you’re not taking my son three hours away!” Yasmine scowled at her ex pissed, “I can take you back to court and file for full custody.”

William looked at Yasmine amazed at her tunnel vision, “You’d really go that far after everything he’s went through?” Yasmine looked at William guilty as she tried to defend herself, “I’m his mom, not a pair of shoes he can throw away whenever he’s done with them!”

Nodding William felt an old wound be cut open as he hissed, “But isn’t that what you did to us?” Yasmine paled and William shook his head as they started down a different road. One he didn’t want to go down again.

“You talk to your son yourself, but if going to court is what you want. Go to court we will, I’m sure a judge would love to hear about a mother with flighty tendencies and no explainable income. Not to mention has spent two years raising someone else’s kids instead of her own.”

Davon was livid as Yasmine stood shaking with emotions pilling high in her body. She started to yell at William, mostly out of anger or sheer frustration. But William left out of the house and sat on the porch feeling like he’d been kicked in the stomach.

When his son appeared having just come from talking about his mom to Alaia, he didn’t expect to find her car in the driveway. Shocked seeing the red car sitting shiny and red like it never peeled off, Jasper walked past it and looked at his dad sitting on the porch.

Looking sickly, William jerked his head towards the door, “Your mom wants to talk to you.” Jasper took a minute with his dad to make sure he was okay. But William waved him off and Jasper went into the house.

Seeing his mom after two years felt weird for Jasper. A part of him wanted to rush and give her a hug, but the other part recoiled as she looked at him happily. Her brown eyes shined as she took him in, her ash blonde hair fell around her face in long silky strands.

“Sweetie, hi.” Yasmine said putting a hand over her racing heart. Jasper looked at his mom for a moment. She had gotten a golden hue added to her skin that had use to be just as pale as his when she lived here.

But since moving to the reservation she’d changed. Everything about her had changed.

She dressed differently, always in shorts and a tank top now, a jacket was thrown over it now. And while her essence was the same, Jasper could tell it wasn’t the same woman who raised him.

Which made him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Jasper avoided a hug from her, and Yasmine wanted to cry as he moved away from her casually and asked, “So what brings you here? The skid marks you left on the road on your way out suggested you weren’t coming back.”

Yasmine sniffled as she observed Jasper for a moment, “Well I wanted to give you space at first. But it’s been almost two years and I haven’t seen you.” Jasper shrugged as he mumbled, “I’ve had a lot going on.”

Yasmine understood that, but her son wasn’t supposed be taking care of her ex, he was supposed to be a teenager. “I know. And I’ve been thinking…why don’t you come down to the reservation with us for the rest of the year?”

Jasper froze as his brain tried to compute what she was saying. But when it finally registered his reaction broke free without warning, “What? Are you nuts! I’m not going anywhere!”

Davon made the weird noise again, but Jasper paid him not a spec of attention. Yasmine looked at her son desperately as she explained, “I haven’t seen you in two years! And the custody agreement your dad signed said I’d get you for summers, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s. I haven’t seen you on any of those days and it’s not fair.”

Jasper laughed mockingly, “Now we talk about fair.”

Yasmine blanched as Davon looked at his stepson with a strict, “Don’t speak to your mother that way.” Jasper looked at the taller, buffer man, scoffed and looked back at his mom.

Yasmine breathed in and out as she tried to calm herself and met her son’s grey eyes, “I know your dad has filled your head with how horrible I was for what I did-.” Jasper held up his hand in disgust, “Please don’t do that.”

Yasmine watched as Jasper grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and told her, “I’m not five and inept. I know the ends and out of doing someone wrong, you just don’t want to admit what you did was wrong.”

Before Yasmine could protest Jasper shrugged, “It’s fine really. I don’t care if you didn’t want to be with dad anymore. He’s great and for forty he’s still got a couple prime candidates.” Yasmine jerked back at the part and Jasper laughed amused, “And we’re doing just fine without you. The first three months was rocky, but we adapted.”

And that hurt. It only took them three months to get over her leaving. While she still to this day sometimes went on autopilot and did things Jasper preferred them. Or worse, how William preferred them.

“Jas, I just want to see you more.” Jasper shook his head at the idea of it, “I’m not leaving my dad.” Davon spoke again with his deep voice, “But your mother deserves to spend time with you as well.”

Jasper still didn’t look at the man beside her mother, “I’m not changing my mind.” He told his mother flatly. Yasmine’s jaw tightened as she clenched out, “Well it’s not really up to you. You’re a minor-.” Jasper shrugged as he pointed out, “But I’m seventeen. Old enough to work, drive, and I have somewhat of a voice. I’m practically an adult and by the time you two work through all the legal bullshit, and try to get a hearing, I’d be eighteen.”

Yasmine watched her son take a swig of his beer and angrily snatched the bottle from him, “You are still a child! My child, and I want you to come home with me for a while. Just so we can reconnect again. Please.”

Jasper looked at his mom for a moment and then answered with a bland, “No.”

Walking past her, Jasper started to his room when Davon grabbed his arm. “You shouldn’t dismiss her so callously. You never know when you might look up and not have her anymore.” Jasper yanked from him, “For starters, never put your f*****g hands on me again,” Davon was surprised by the nuts on the smaller man in front of him.

But Jasper was far from done, “And I’ve learned to look up and expect her not to be there. Trust me when I say, Yasmine’s presence in my life makes me no different. And third,” Jasper looked Davon over disgusted by him, “Considering you were the asshole banging someone else’s wife. In his house, on the table her family had breakfast on that morning, never try to give someone else life advice. It’s pathetic.”

Yasmine told Jasper to apologize but Jasper wouldn’t dare fix his mouth and Davon didn’t hold his breath. The dark look in Jasper’s eyes was angry and not at all shamed by what he said.

“Look son, I know you have your issues with me. But this is about your mother, she really misses you.” Davon said through clenched teeth. Jasper rolled his eyes at the baloney he was being served, “I graduate in six months. I wouldn’t have been happy, but I expected her to show up there. She’s still free too, and she’s seeing me now.”

Yasmine was in shock at how cynical her son sounded. But it was watching Jasper start up the stairs turning his back on her that had her crying out, “What did I ever do to you! I left your father, but I never left you! I called, I texted, but you shut me out anyway!”

Jasper looked down at his mom and shook his head, “It doesn’t matter now. Just go mom,” Jasper looked around the house his mom had fled from with her lover two years ago, “I am home. And you? You should go back to yours.”