I smirked. “Common courtesy, my dude.” We slapped hands and then snapped. My gaze slid over to Chris, who was watching us with wide eyes and a goofy grin on his face. Dude was a fan for real.
“You good, man?”
He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. Super good. Man, I know imma probably sound like a simp, but I’m just glad Nedra found somebody to be here for her like this.”
He was definitely simping, but that reminded me of the question I’d had since I’d first arrived.
“Where is everyone else? Her family and friends and ‘nem. Why are we,” I pointed between Boobie and me, “the only ones here?”
“Oh, Niecy and Byron were here for about an hour, but they got a call from Jada’s daycare and had to leave. I guess it was an emergency. And Rose never liked coming over here, so I’m assuming she’s going to help Ned unpack…wherever she’s going.” He shrugged and raised his eyebrows at me. I hope he didn’t think I was going to give him any information with that lame ass bait he tried to lay out there.
“Oh, okay.” I knew of Niecy, that was one of Nedra’s best friends. I’d met her and her boyfriend, Byron, a young but cool dude. I had no idea who Rose was, though. But he didn’t have to know that.
“She’s really lucky to have you.”
What? My head jerked back like something burned me. Did he really just say what it sounded like he said? This nigga was tripping.
“Nah, you got it backwards, bruh; I’m lucky that she even gave me the time of day after the way you ended things with her.”
A panicked look overtook him. “No, no, no! I’m just saying; you’re this multi-millionaire, celebrity athlete and she’s—”
“She’s a fucking celestial ass being who decided to grace the both of us with her wonders!” I huffed in an even tone, annoyed that this fool had gotten to see and know parts of the Nedra that I’d loved most. And I’m not just talking physically. “Fortunately for me, it looks like I’m the only one who can recognize a goddess when I see one. I’m the chosen one, bruh. You’re a clown.” I was 31-hot and I needed to get away from this dude before I was called to lay hands on him.
I motioned to Boobie, who had moved closer to me when I started going off, probably so he’d be ready to pull me back if I heeded that call. We rounded the truck and stopped short. Nedra stood there with her hand on the handle and parted lips and an indecipherable look on her face.
“You ready to bounce?”
She nodded silently.
“Aight; Boobie is going to drive the truck, so gon’ head and slide him those keys. You’ll be riding with me.”
She gaped at me for a moment longer before holding her hand out to Boobie. He plucked the keys from her grasp and put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her toward me. Seconds later, he was in the truck and cranking the engine.
Grabbing her hand, I forced myself to walk calmly and not drag Nedra to the truck and throw her inside. I needed to get away from her ex in the worst way. After helping her step up into the SUV, I rounded the hood and climbed in. I glanced back at the house and saw this. Damn. Dude. Standing on the sidewalk, staring at the truck. I cursed under my breath, causing Nedra to look over. She rolled down her window.
“Chris, what are you doing?”
“Oh, I was just…um…wondering if I could still get a picture with Hawk? Ya know…before he heads off. ‘Cause I don’t know when I’ll see him again…” Then he rubbed the back of his neck. Again. I swear I saw fucking red.
If this muthafucka rubbed the back of his neck one more time, I was going to set something on fire. What is he rubbing for? Is he trying to stimulate his brain cells so he can give a halfway decent answer? Damn!
Leaning across Nedra’s lap, I pasted the fake smile I gave the interviewers who asked me dumb ass questions after we lost a game.
“Hey man, I want to get Nedra settled and get her things out of the truck, and I need to do it before I head to practice so I can’t today. I got you next time I see you though, aight?”
He nodded and started walking backward, to his house. “Yeah, okay. That’s makes sense. I got you. It was good to see you, man. I’m a huge fan.”
I nodded and sat back, squeezing Nedra’s thigh. “Roll up the window.”
I threw the truck into gear and sped down the street, not even waiting to see if Boobie was behind me. He knew where to go and didn’t have to follow me to get there. Once I’d cleared the neighborhood, Nedra looked over and smirked.
“So, y’all taking selfies the next time you see each other?”
“If I can help it, I won’t be seeing him again. Ever.”
She giggled. “That was…interesting to witness. Chris’ whole face changed when you were around. He probably don’t even care that I’ve moved on because it’s with you.”
I glanced at her quickly. She probably didn’t even realize what she’d just revealed. Hearing her say that she’d “moved on” with me made my chest swell. I had been steadily becoming addicted to her, but I was trying to give her the space she needed to completely get over her ex. Now, she was saying that she was over him, and I wondered if it wasn’t too soon to claim her as my own.
“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” It was just after two p.m. and even though she’d just spent the morning officially closing one chapter of her life, all I wanted to do was make sure I was a main character in the rest of her book.
She shook her head. “Nothing at all. I rescheduled my lessons for today so that I could take care of this.”
I nodded, understanding completely. “I want you to come to the house with me.”
She eyed me. “To ‘The House’ or to the house you live in?”
I laughed. “Right now, just the house I live in. I would like to take you to The House one day, though.”
She bit her lip. “Okay.”
“Okay? To which one?”
Her lips curved up into a small grin. “Both.”
I know my smile was big and cheesy as shit, but I didn’t give a fuck.
My goddess.
I glanced at her one more time. “You ready?”
She giggled. “I think so. I’ve been to one multiple times, and I’ve met just about everyone who is important to you from the other one.”
My cheeks stretched even further at her answer. “I meant, are you ready to move in with me?”
Her mouth dropped into a perfect ‘o’, and her eyes glazed as she stared at me unblinkingly. Then, as if a switch was flipped, she burst into tears. Alarmed, I pulled onto the side of the road and put the truck in park. I lifted the center console and pulled her into my lap.
“Baby. Why the tears? Is that a yes?”
She gasped in a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m pregnant.”
It was my turn to drop my jaw. I knew it was only a matter of time since I’d been shooting up in her club on a regular basis. We never really discussed that, but it was understood that we both wanted children. Nedra even admitted to researching sperm banks before we met. My heart swelled with joy. I was getting my woman and my child. My family was in my arms.
Still crying in my lap, Nedra wrapped her arms around my neck. “I found out yesterday.”
I pressed my lips to her temple. “Thank you, baby. This is the ultimate gift.” I held her until she stopped crying then handed her some napkins to dry her face. Once she was settled back in her seat with her seatbelt secured, I maneuvered the truck back onto the road. I reached a hand across the console and grasped her hand, squeezing lightly.
“You know what this means, right?”
She tilted her head at me to indicate she was listening. I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed the center of her palm.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
Those luscious lips curved into a beatific smile.
“You promise?”
Chapter Fourteen
Nedra
When You're Not Through Yet
As soon as the blue gel plopped onto my rounded belly, I swore, jerking on the narrow table. I glared at my doctor.
“You could have a warned a bitch or something, Ashley!”
That damn gel was as cold as ice, and no matter how many times I was tortured with it, the temperature always caught me off guard. Why was it so cold anyway? Did it only work if it was near arctic levels? Inquiring minds demanded to know!
Jermaine chuckled and I aimed my glare up at him. He grabbed my hand from where he stood on my right and placed a kiss in the center of my palm. The tender, loving gesture melted some of my ire, and I pursed my lips in a request for a kiss, smiling pleasantly when he gave me what I asked for.
Dr. Vail didn’t pay us any mind; she just grinned as she positioned the handheld wand in the freezing goop and drove it across my belly. I held my breath as she stared at the black and white screen next to the bed.
“Well, Mom, Dad. Baby should be about the size of an avocado, but he or she is looking a little on the small side.” She glanced over and met my panicked gaze with a reassuring one. “But that’s nothing to worry about this early. You’re only four months in, and he or she has plenty of time to gain the weight they need.” Her eyebrows raised. “Have you been eating enough?”
I opened my mouth to respond when Jermaine burst out laughing.
“Yo, she never stops eating! She gotta be eating for three or four, Doc, because my baby is never full.”
I mugged his traitorous ass, but he just bucked his eyes at me in response.
“Gimme my purse.” I held out the hand that he wasn’t currently holding, but he slapped it away playfully.
“Hell naw. Leave all that shooting for the range. You know what I said is true. Shit, you should be telling her this yourself.”
I pouted as he frowned at me. Ashley, as she had instructed us to call her during our initial consult, didn’t need to know how many patty melts and chocolate shakes I could consume in a thirty-minute sitting. As long as I continued taking the gummy prenatal vitamins she had prescribed me, I was good.
“No worries,” she said, interrupting our stare-off. “I’ll just make a note to monitor that in the next couple of months. If baby doesn’t start to put on the weight they need, I might have to change up your diet a bit.”
I nodded and Jermaine squeezed my hand.
Smiling, Ashley tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard below the screen. “Do you two want to know the sex of the baby?”
I glanced up at Jermaine again. We’d gone back and forth over whether we wanted to wait to find out but finally, I decided that I need to know. He nodded at me, and I looked at the doctor and dipped my chin once. She moved the wand across my belly and a few minutes went by before she said anything. I assumed she was trying to catch the baby before he or she flipped around inside of me but suddenly, her movements stuttered.
“Oh, wow!”
My eyes widened and I craned my neck to see the screen as Jermaine grabbed my hand quickly. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Just a moment,” she murmured distractedly as she alternated between moving the wand around and typing keys. Finally, after three tense minutes, she turned to us with excitement in her eyes. “Okay, are you ready?”
I nodded haltingly. I was ready to find out what she saw on that screen. She turned around and pointed to the screen.
“That is your baby boy. You can see his penis sticking out just there.”
She pointed to a glob on the screen, but I couldn’t see anything through the tears in my eyes. I was having a boy. A baby boy, who would be so handsome, just like his daddy. I looked up at Jermaine, and my heart swelled to see him glassy-eyed as well. He was getting the son that he wanted; his legacy.
“A boy,” I whispered. When Jermaine looked down at me, he smiled and kissed me sweetly on the lips.
“I love you. Thank you for carrying my son.”
Ashley cleared her throat. “If I can, regretfully, interrupt and get you to turn your attention back to the screen.”
I whipped my neck around, fear clutching at me, once again. She winked at me and moved the wand to the other side of my belly, closer to her and pointed to the screen.
“Now if you look here, you’ll see your baby girl. She’s curled up behind her brother.”
It was like a record scratched. The room went still. “What?!”
“Twins,” Jermaine whispered in awe.
I shook my head at him. “Nah, that’s not what she said.” I looked at the doctor and she smiled at me. “Right?”
“Actually, Nedra, that is exactly what I’m saying. You’re having a set of fraternal twins. A girl and a boy.”
I nodded absently, tears falling silently down my cheeks as I glanced down at my exposed belly. There were two babies in there. Two. Two people were growing inside of me. It was unreal. I’d spent so much time wishing for just one child and now, I was getting two in one go.
“Baby?”
I looked up just as Jermaine brought his thumbs to my face and brushed the salty droplets away from my cheeks. The question in his eyes was clear. How did I feel about this revelation?
I smiled up at him. “We’re getting a twofer.”
When he unleashed the bright, ecstatic smile—he’d apparently been trying to mute—on me, my breath caught. This beautiful man—in body and soul—had given me my hearts’ greatest desire. Because of him, I was going to be a mother of not one but two precious babies. I was a little overwhelmed at the prospect of having two times the diapers to change at once, but more than anything, I was over the moon.
I reached up and Jermaine bent down, meeting me halfway. He kissed me gently, nibbling on my lower lip and pulling away before I could deepen it. His forehead pressed to mine as he stared into my eyes, allowing me to see all of him in those chestnut orbs.
“You know what this means, right?”
I nodded, my eyes fluttering closed as tears once again attempted to escape. He kissed each of my eyelids and I sighed contentedly.
“I’m yours.”
The End
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Other titles by Chencia C. Higgins
JustOneNight.com Novella Series:
No Strings Allowed - Book 1
No Love Allowed - Book 2
No Games Allowed - Book 3
The Vow Series:
To Buy a Vow
To Build a Vow
The Color Spectrum Duet:
a collaborative duet with Sabrina B. Scales
The Color Spectrum: Ebony
The Color Spectrum: Ivory by Sabrina B. Scales
Wolves of West Texas Series:
Janine: His True Alpha
Standalones:
Her & Them
Novelettes:
Remember Our Love
Loud & Lew’d
To Buy a Vow Page 21