by B. Love
She hadn’t been able to put her finger on it, but the way he described it made sense. Christian definitely was lighter now that she was with Nash, and every time someone noticed a change within her it made her smile.
“Thanks. I’m definitely growing with him. That’s how I know he’s the man I’m meant to be with. He’s cultivating me and making me better as a husband should do for his wife. And he allows me to influence him as well. So yea.”
“He’s pretty much it for you, huh?” His thumb caressed her hand. “No other man can stand a chance.”
“He is. And I know you think there was something between us while we were dating but that’s not true. Nash and I didn’t commit or get physical until you and I broke up.”
“I believe you. I’ve always believed you. I was just angry and in denial because I knew he was better for you than me. But you made me so happy that I didn’t want to accept that. I wanted to hold on to you for as long as I possibly could. But I’m really, truly happy that you’re happy with him. Let ‘em know that, too. He probably think I be calling you trying to get you back and shit, but it will always be about Trent with me. It’s not fair that he has to lose you because I couldn’t tell the truth. So for his sake I hope we can remain friends.”
“I’m cool with that. He’s… nothing less than confident, and he trusts me, so he’s not worried about anything happening between us.”
“Good. Well I guess I’ll get out of your…”
Her phone began to vibrate on the side of her, so she pulled her hand from under his to see who it was. It was someone calling from her bakery. Standing, Christian turned her back to him and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Christian, where are you?” Lisa questioned.
The sound of sirens blaring in the background filled the receiver.
“I’m at home. Is everything okay?”
“No. You need to get to the shop as quickly as you can.”
“Why? What happened?”
“It’s on fire. Someone drove by and tossed a homemade bomb through the window.”
Chapter 18
Ransom
Leigh was so fucking cute. Without even trying. It was early April, and her allergies were giving her a run for her money. She didn’t take anything, not wanting to take the wrong thing and it effect the baby, so she’d been sneezing and sniffling all morning and afternoon. Her richly brown skin had a red hue around and on her nose. Her eyes were constantly leaking and slightly puffy, but she’d covered them with huge sunglasses.
She’d tossed her hair up into a high bun, and Leigh dressed simply for their appointment in loose fitting brown nylon Fendi pants and a form fitting black t-shirt. Her stomach wasn’t as flat as it used to be, but it didn’t look like she was pregnant. More than anything, she looked bloated, but Ransom couldn’t resist touching it every chance he could get. He also knew that he’d be doing it more the bigger it got.
“You good?” he asked, placing his hand on her stomach as she wiped her nose for what had to be the tenth time since they’d made it back to the examination room.
Her head shook as she smiled and put the tissue back in her purse. “Yea. Just ready to get back in the house. My allergies are kicking my ass today.” Ransom chuckled as she grabbed her hand sanitizer just as the door gently swung open.
“Hey, Mommy and Daddy,” Doctor Robinson greeted, coming back with positive results from Leigh’s test. Yes, she knew she was pregnant and had shared that with Ransom, but it made it real hearing Andrea confirm it.
Taking her hand into his, Ransom inhaled a deep breath as Doctor Robinson sat next to Leigh on the opposite side of the examination table. There were two seats on his side, but Ransom wanted to be as close to her as possible.
“I’m really pregnant?”
Doctor Robinson chuckled. “Yes. You’re really pregnant. I can’t tell you the sex yet, but we can listen to your baby’s heartbeat and find out how far along you are.”
Nodding, Leigh squeezed his hand as she grinned. Ransom’s eyes didn’t leave her. He wasn’t expecting her to be as excited as she was knowing she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep the baby or not. But he wouldn’t question her about it. Hell, he wouldn’t even bring it to her attention. All he would do was enjoy it.
It took a few minutes, but eventually the room was being filled with the sound of their baby’s heartbeat.
“Ransom,” Leigh whispered before gasping and covering her mouth with her free hand.
They stared at the monitor intently, neither moving nor speaking as their baby’s heartbeat serenaded them. Doctor Robinson confirmed that Leigh was ten weeks pregnant and apologized for them having to wait so long to be able to come in. But Leigh didn’t care. Truthfully, she hadn’t been in a rush to confirm her pregnancy at all.
Doctor Robinson told them that they could learn the sex in as early as four weeks, but she recommended they wait at least six for a more accurate determination. Once she printed their sonogram pictures and cleaned off Leigh’s stomach, she congratulated them both before telling them to make a follow up appointment up front and made her exit.
Leigh’s smile was wide as she pulled her shirt down and sat up. Ransom couldn’t front… his was too. He was able to hold back his tears, but they would probably come when he was alone and the weight of what he’d just experienced settled in.
“How do you feel?” he asked, helping her step down from the table.
“How do you feel?” she repeated, giggling softly.
“Like the luckiest man in the world.” Cupping her cheeks, Leigh shook her head as she giggled again. “You seem happy.”
Leigh dropped her hands and stepped into his arms. “I am. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat and seeing them…” Her head shook as her eyes watered. Inhaling a deep breath, Leigh willed herself not to cry. “I wasn’t expecting it to hit me this way.”
“Are you sure you want to give him up?”
Rolling her eyes, Leigh pushed him away gently. “Him? How do you know we aren’t having a girl?”
“Because my daddy, his daddy, and his daddy’s daddy all had boys first. So I am too.”
“Boy whatever.” Leigh chuckled as he took her hand into his. “I bet you ten stacks it’ll be a girl.”
“Come on now, pretty girl. If you want to waste money like that you can just give me the shit now.”
She elbowed him in his chest as she laughed. Ransom pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “This definitely gave me a lot to think about in all honestly. It was easier for me to say I’d give the baby up before I saw them. Heard them. Now… I’m not sure.”
Ransom didn’t want to show his excitement too much, so he remained quiet as they walked into the waiting room to make the next appointment. As Leigh handled her business, Ransom couldn’t help but look around the room. Someone was wearing a familiar scent, though he couldn’t place where he’d smelled it or who he’d smelled it on. When his eyes landed on the woman that was walking over to them, his heart dropped.
He couldn’t remember her name, but he did know that he’d fucked off with her the night he found out about Leigh’s infidelity. The fact that she was here sent warning bells off in his head, but Ransom didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Even if she was pregnant, that didn’t mean it was his baby.
“Hey,” she greeted, cupping her hands in the center of her. “This must be fate.”
Casually looking over at Leigh, Ransom noticed she was already looking at them.
“What you mean?”
“I mean…” She smiled and ran her hand over the top of her head. “I was feeling really anxious about raising a child conceived during a one-night stand. Since I didn’t know how to contact you, I figured that would be my only option. But here you are, when I need you most. That has to be God.”
God?
Nah.
God wouldn’t do some shit like this.
He wouldn’t crash his heaven with this hell.
He wouldn’t ruin this beautiful moment with Leigh that was building with this bullshit.
There was no way in hell he could have possibly gotten her pregnant.
Well… maybe. He did wake up in a hotel room with her cum around his dick. And they couldn’t have used a condom because he didn’t have any. It was reckless… and stupid as fuck… but he was drunk… and mad as hell at Leigh for having sex with someone else. But that was supposed to be about getting even. Giving her a taste of her own medicine.
Ransom had never told Leigh about the one-night stand though. Quite frankly, it hadn’t made him feel any better. She was still the only one he’d ever wanted.
While he wished he could have confidently said there was no way he came in her, her presence here was saying otherwise. And unfortunately, there was nothing he could do right now to find out if it was the truth.
“What did she say?” Leigh asked, stepping closer to them. “Who is she, Ransom?”
His mouth opened but closed as he looked from one woman to the other. He didn’t even know her name. Sensing that, the woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Cinde.”
“Who is she to you?” Leigh questioned, turning more in his direction.
“We had a one-night stand,” he answered honestly.
“That got me pregnant,” Cinde answered. “And I’m definitely going to need your contact information before you leave. Even if you don’t want to be an active and present father you will have to come up off that child support, Randle.”
“Ransom,” he gritted, feeling his body heat.
Leigh chuckled as she squeezed her septum. “Yo. Are you fucking serious right now?” That smile… that smile was a bad sign. “You got this bitch pregnant? When, Ransom? Don’t tell me you fucked off on me after the hard time you gave me about Patrick!”
“I met her at the bar the night you told me about that nigga. I was pissed and got drunk and did some stupid shit. To be honest I don’t even remember sleeping with the broad.”
Leigh began to walk away, forcing Ransom to follow behind. But he couldn’t leave because he needed to talk to Cinde. This shit was all kinds of fucked up, and he had no clue what the hell to do.
Ransom tried to grab her arm, but Leigh jerked it away. “Do not touch me,” she seethed, shooting him an icy glare before continuing to the door.
“Leigh, stop walking so we can talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Ransom. The minute I finally allow myself to consider keeping this baby and making something happen with you this shit comes up. You know how I feel about my man having multiple kids.” Her voice broke as she burst through the door. “I’m not being my mother. Or any of his women. We’re not sharing you with other families.”
“Families? Bae… I don’t have another family. You’re my entire world. My legacy is in you. It’s just you.”
“No, it’s not just me,” she yelled, turning quickly and punching him in his chest. “It’s her too! And her baby! That’ll be the same age as mine! And you’ll have to split your time! And it’ll become too much! And you’ll leave! Just like he did!”
Ransom’s head tilted as his chest caved. As his heart sank. He wanted desperately to try and convince her that that wasn’t the case, but there was no point in wasting words now. Not while she was this distraught. In this moment, all he could do was give her space to calm down and prayed she heard him out later.
“Let me take you home. We can talk about this later.”
“No.” Her head shook as she turned her back to him and pulled her phone out of her purse. “I’ll get one of my sisters to pick me up. Go back in there with your other baby mama.” She chuckled and shook her head again. Taking two steps away from him, Leigh put her phone to her ear. “I guess you don’t need our baby now. So maybe I will get that abortion. Or at least let you have the baby so you can have your family with her.”
“I’ma let you have that, because if I try to talk to your silly ass right now you gon say some shit I promise you gon regret.”
Ignoring him, Leigh mumbled, “Gucci, you at the bakery? Will you answer your damn phone? I need you to come and get me.”
Ransom slowly turned around and walked back into the waiting room. Cinde was standing in the same place that he’d left her, arms still crossed over her chest. As much as he didn’t want to feel resentment towards her, he couldn’t help but glare at her with disgust for fucking up all the progress they’d made.
Maria wasn’t sure why, but her heart was heavy. As fuck. As it beat hard and slow inside of her chest, Maria closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. She wished she could say it was something as simple as her nerves but that wasn’t the case. This was bigger than being nervous about meeting Jax’s parents.
Two weeks had passed, and as promised, they had a romantically intimate day lined up that was sure to lead to some amazing sex. Hell, at this point, all Jax would have to do was blow on her pussy and she’d cum. That’s how open he had her. Every day he was filling her with so much love, attention, affection and appreciation… she was vulnerable and sensitive to him and him alone.
Today was no different. Their day started with brunch and mimosas before he paid for her to get her hair, nails, and wax done. When they met back up, they went to the mall to pick up a few things for their impromptu overnight trip. Before they headed out for the surprise destination, Jax first wanted to stop by his parents’ home so Maria could finally meet them.
He’d stepped out of his car to take a phone call before coming to let her out. With it being a Friday evening, the front of his parents’ home was already lined up with cars. While Maria wasn’t too fond of meeting his parents with other family members around, she knew there was no getting out of it at this point. Besides, maybe meeting them all at one time was for the best.
Running her hands up and down her thighs to wipe away the sweat, Maria released a loud breath as she watched Jax walk over to her. Whatever whoever had said on the other line had caused a scowl to cover his face. When her phone began to vibrate, Maria looked down to see who was calling her. At the sight of Leigh’s name, she smiled as Jax opened her door.
“Hold on. This is Leigh.” Jax nodded and leaned against the car with his arms crossed over his chest. “What’s up, sis?”
“Bruh! Tell me why this nigga got a whole baby on the way!”
“What? Who?”
“Ransom! Then the nigga stayed in there with the broad instead of chasing after me!”
Sitting up in her seat, Maria tilted her head away from Jax as she massaged her temple. “Start from the beginning, Leigh. Who did Ransom get pregnant, and how did you find out?”
“Ransom got somebody pregnant?” Jax asked, lowering himself inside the car.
Maria playfully pushed him away, holding back her laugh at his nosiness.
“We came to the doctor so I could get an official test done, and ol’ girl was here for an appointment too.”
“So you’re pregnant too? Why didn’t you tell me!”
“Girl. We can talk about that later. What the fuck am I supposed to do, Maria? This nigga had a whole baby on me.”
“Shit,” Maria whispered, sitting back in her seat. Not once did she ever consider Ransom fucking off, but she couldn’t blame him. Everyone knew how sick of Leigh’s shit he’d gotten. It didn’t surprise her at all that he’d tried to move on. It did surprise her that he hadn’t strapped up, though. And now, it sounded like he was about to have two babies on the way. “Okay. Um… did he actually cheat on you, sis? Or did this happen on a break?”
“Fuck that,” Leigh roared. “I’m not about to be like mama.” She chuckled, but Maria could hear the pain laced within it. So much so that her own eyes watered. “Just when I think life is finally about to start working out for me.”
“Where you at, baby? I’m about to come see you.”
“I’m still at the doctor. I called Gucci to…” Leigh paused, and shortly after, Maria
heard Ransom’s voice say…
“Maria?”
“Yea?”
“She’ll call you later.”
Not bothering to wait for her to agree, Ransom disconnected the call. Maria shook her head as she got out of the car.
“What’s goin’ on?” Jax asked, closing the door behind her.
“Apparently Leigh and Ransom were at the doctor to see if she was pregnant and they found out he got a baby on the way by somebody else.”
“Word? Damn. I ain’t know cuz was moving like that. And his ass ain’t even tell me Leigh was pregnant.”
Maria’s head shook as her nostrils flared. “Hell, she ain’t even tell me. I guess they maybe wanted to wait and see if she really was or something before they started telling people.”
“Well, let them handle their business and tell us when they are ready. Tonight is about us, and I don’t want you worrying about that fucking up the flow.”
Maria nodded in agreement, though it wouldn’t be as easy for her to completely get her sister off her mind. She did feel better knowing that she was with Ransom, but honestly, that could go either way. Either he could make Leigh’s attitude better or a hell of a lot worse.
Sensing the worry within her spirit, Jax used Maria’s wrist to tug her into his chest.
“I’m good,” she assured quickly, forcing a smile.
“No you ain’t. And I don’t want you going in there with this shit on your heart. We can leave and you can meet my folks another time.”
“Jax, it’s not that deep, I promise. I’m good.”
“You sure?” he asked as a black car pulled up behind his.
“I’m positive.”
This time when she smiled, it was more sincere. Jax took her hand and led her inside of his parents’ home, telling her to wait in the entry hallway while he helped whoever was in the car with their bags. She agreed, deciding to look the pictures over while she waited for him. As her eyes scanned the pictures, she alternated between smiling and laughing at the ones that showcased a younger Jax – and she could tell by his expressions and poses that he was just as much of a troublemaker then as he was now.