Her Best Friend's Baby

by Teona Bell

  Zaierra bristled but still tried for civility. “I’m sorry. Leith has already left for work. He leaves at about seven thirty.”

  “And you would know how, dear?” His mother rounded on her, eyeballing Zaierra from head to toe. Zaierra gritted her teeth. “Are you living here? You’re pregnant I see. I’m sure it’s not my son’s.”

  “Whoa, what?” Zaierra put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? Leith told you about the baby like six months ago.”

  Mrs. Stone looked toward the front door and frowned. “Oh heavens.” She scurried to open it again, casting Zaierra a disparaging look. “Come inside, dear. No one will harm you here.”

  Zaierra almost fell out on the floor when Leith’s mother tugged Jenna of all people into the house. The long blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the pink dress could not hide the ho, but then it appeared that Mr. and Mrs. Stone were easier to fool.

  Mrs. Stone faced Zaierra. “We’ve come here to straighten some things out. Our son has informed us that this sweet young lady is having his child, and here we find you in his house, eating his food no doubt, and pretending your illegitimate child is his. Well, I will tell you right now I’m not going to stand for it.”

  “My illegitimate child? Who the hell do you think you are? And what do you think Jenna’s baby is, an immaculate conception?”

  “Don’t be vulgar, Zaierra.”

  “Oh, so you remember my name?” Zaierra shook her head. “What makes you so determined that I’m the liar and not her? Because I’m black?”

  Mr. Stone scoffed. “Why must everything come down to that with you people?”

  Zaierra raised her eyebrows. “Oh you people now? Uh-huh, okay. Well, you know what? I don’t give a damn what you two think about me or my baby. I will deal with me and mine. Leith and I understand each other, and that’s the only thing that matters.”

  “Zaierra, I don’t think we should argue with Leith’s parents,” Jenna cut in, continuing her good girl act. “They are our elders, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been to taught to respect them.”

  Before she could cuss out the witch in front of “the elders,” Zaierra spun on her heel to walk away. She would take her shower real quick and get out of there. Let Leith deal with his snobby parents. She would go in early to work just to get away from them.

  “How much will it take for you to go away and never contact our son again?” Mrs. Stone announced.

  Zaierra froze with her hand on the banister to walk upstairs. She turned in degrees to face them. “You’re trying to buy me off?” A bitter laugh erupted from her before she knew it. “How cliché is that? It’s not like you’re the rich and famous either. You’re upper middle class, pretty much just like everybody else with a little extra.”

  “I have some savings,” Mrs. Stone added.

  Zaierra glanced at Jenna and saw the interest there. They were so barking up the wrong tree. Zaierra moved away from the steps and strolled to the kitchen where she’d left her cell phone. She returned with it and speed-dialed Leith. He answered on the first ring as he always did because he never stopped worrying about her. If only these fools knew.

  After clearing her throat and blinking to avoid the humiliation of crying, Zaierra spoke with deadly calm into the phone. “Your parents and Jenna are here. Your mom just made me a proposition. She wants to offer me money to go away with my illegitimate child and never see you again. Apparently, they are welcoming Jenna and her baby into the family.”

  Leith swore. “Zai, baby, I’m sorry. I’m going to take care of this.”

  “Oh no, no. Don’t worry about it. You don’t even have to leave work. After I finish telling your mom how far up her ass she can stuff her money, I’m out.”

  With Mrs. Stone’s face turning beet red, Zaierra stabbed the disconnect button. She studied Leith’s parents.

  “On second thought, that’s enough,” she decided. “I hope you will all be one big happy family.”

  She hurried upstairs and threw on her clothes. A shower could wait until later. After packing everything she owned in Leith’s closet, she headed downstairs with all of it. No one stood in the foyer, but she caught voices somewhere else in the house. In minutes, her car had been packed up, and she pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. Driving toward home, she cried nonstop. She knew she should have handled things better and that she shouldn’t have let those people get to her, but the fight just wasn’t there.

  Knowing Leith would chase after her, she decided to call her cousin, the only family she had left. Leith didn’t know Sade because they weren’t as close as she would have liked. She made the phone call anyway and got her cousin to agree to let her stay. Then in keeping with her promise to Leith, she pulled to the side of the road and texted him.

  “I’m going to be with my cousin for a while. I’m safe and okay. Please don’t chase after me, Leith. Just give me some time.”

  “Zai! I thought we agreed you wouldn’t run from me anymore,” he typed back. Her phone rang, and she saw it was him, but she swiped the bottom to ignore the call. Fresh tears fell.

  “I’m sorry. I will always make sure you know the baby and me are all right.”

  “Work?”

  “I’m taking leave.” One way or another she couldn’t face him. Not without him finding out her secret. She had been living in a fantasy world, staying at his house. Leith’s parents would never accept her, and if somehow they insisted on having Jenna around, she thought she’d kill the woman.

  Sometime later, she arrived at her cousin’s house, and Sade gave her a hug. “So what did he do?”

  “Huh?” Zaierra didn’t follow being so distracted thinking about Leith.

  “What did the asshole do? Cheat? Tell you to get an abortion?”

  Embarrassment and guilt rolled over Zaierra. “Leith is not an asshole, and of course he couldn’t tell me to get an abortion. It’s way too late for that. Not that he would anyway.”

  Her cousin put her hands on her hips frowning. Zaierra took the woman in from the ratty sneakers to the worn jeans to the sloppy T-shirt. Sade kept her haircut so short she looked like a guy. Sade worked in a mechanic’s shop, and Zaierra had never seen her with a boyfriend. If her cousin was gay, she’d never said, but Sade walked to her own tune, and Zaierra had to respect that.

  “I’m having trouble understanding what your issue is. This is your best friend, right? You’re having his baby? I always thought you two would end up getting your freak on, and then here you are telling me he didn’t do anything wrong. So why did you run?”

  “Just drop it, okay? I don’t want to talk about it!”

  Zaierra and her cousin avoided talking much about anything straight through dinner and watching boring shows on TV. Zaierra took herself off to bed early and lay in the spare room on a lumpy mattress that made her sides and back cramp. She considered how Leith had special-ordered pillows for her to give extra support, and he had consulted with her doctor about a good mattress for the bed. Of course it had turned out his bed was better than her own. She had wondered if he’d been as thorough for Jenna and wouldn’t put it past him if he had been.

  In the dark house alone because her cousin had decided to go out, she closed her eyes and cried. This was about her and her insecurities, and she took it out on Leith. If he didn’t love her, she had to accept that, but she knew without a doubt he already loved their baby, and it must be killing him not to be nearby. She rolled off the bed and paced the small room. When that didn’t calm her enough, she went to the kitchen to look for a snack. Sade’s refrigerator and cupboards held the bare minimums to keep a person from starving to death but none of her usual food cravings. She cried some more recalling how Leith made sure to stock up everything she ever needed, and he had run out to the store late at night when she resisted asking him to.

  At two in the morning, she could no longer stand it. She punched the speed-dial button to call him, and he answered right away. His deep voice sent tingles down her spin
e, but there was none of the thickness from having been asleep. She wondered if he had rested at all, and new guilt assailed her.

  “I’m selfish,” she whispered.

  “No, you’re not. You’re pregnant.”

  A sob escaped her. “That’s no excuse. I’m sorry, Leith.”

  He went quiet for a while.

  “Leith?”

  “I’m here.” He cleared his throat, making her wonder. “You know I’ll do anything for you, Zai. Anything. All you have to do is ask me.”

  She chewed her bottom lip and fiddled with the sheet on the bed. Her stomach knotted. “W-Would you consider coming to get me?”

  “Give me the address. I’m putting my shoes on.”

  She gasped. “I meant in the morning. You don’t have—”

  “The address, baby.”

  She gave it to him and turned her light on to write her cousin a quick note. Coming here had been a mistake. Sade was right. Leith had done nothing wrong, and he should not be punished because of her cowardice. Within twenty minutes he pulled up on the street, and she watched him hurry to the door. She opened it and would have spoken, but he dragged her into his arms. His kiss turned her world topsy-turvy before he set her down again and stroked her cheek.

  “Where’s your car?” he asked.

  “Sade asked to use it earlier because hers is in the shop. I left her a note. We can get it later. Thank you for coming to get me.”

  He got her settled in his car and went back to the house for her bags. While they drove to his house, Leith squeezed the steering wheel under strong hands every now and then, indicating how upset he was.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Zai, I know you refused to marry me,” he began.

  “You don’t have—”

  “Let me finish!”

  She fell silent.

  “You are the number one person in my life—the most important one, Zai. Without you…my life doesn’t have much meaning. Do you get that? And now you’re giving me our son. My existence has gotten that much sweeter. I cannot—no, I will not—give that up. Do you understand?”

  She swallowed and nodded, although he never took his eyes off the dark road. When he stopped the car, she clutched her hands together so hard her fingers hurt, but Leith pulled them apart. He unbuckled her and tugged her onto his lap. With her hips so wide, she scarcely had enough room between him and steering wheel, but Leith’s long legs required the seat to go back as far as it could. She settled against his chest, breathing in his scent. Tears started, but she blinked them away. The emotional stuff couldn’t end fast enough.

  He spoke above her head. “Zaierra.”

  “Yeah?” She didn’t look up.

  “Zai!”

  She raised her gaze.

  “I love you.”

  A tremor took hold and would not let her go. “You…”

  “I’m in love with you. I have been a long time, and it’s why I agreed to have a baby with you, why I crossed the line too many times. I’m not ashamed to admit I couldn’t stay away from you.” He swiped a thumb across her cheek, and she realized she hadn’t been successful keeping the tears at bay. “You’re everything to me. Stay with me, baby, and I promise to do all in my power to make you happy. I’ll even get up in the middle of the night to feed and change the baby so you can sleep.”

  Zaierra covered her face and sobbed. Leith’s hold tightened, and it took her a long time to pull herself together enough to speak. “Your parents will never accept me.”

  “I don’t care. I let them know I will cut them out of my life completely if they ever again disrespect you the way they did. I also threw them out of the house. They’re staying at hotel until they decide they’ll drive back home.”

  “Leith, you threw your own parents out? They came a long way.”

  “I don’t give a damn. Let them learn not to treat my future wife the way they did.”

  She stared at him. “Wife?”

  He grinned. “Yes, I’m going to wear you down until you agree to marry me.”

  Zaierra slung her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. “You don’t have to go that far. I love you too, Leith. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, to have you love me. Yes, I will marry you.”

  He squished her belly hugging her, and their son kicked up a storm in protest. Leith released her immediately and stroked her stomach. “Easy, son. We don’t hurt Mommy. We protect her.”

  Zaierra marveled at the effect his deep voice had on the baby. Right away, the kicking stopped, and she watched with a lump in her throat as Leith continued to talk to their son. When she sighed in contentment, he deposited her in her chair and buckled her in. They continued on their way to his house, and by the time they arrived, Zaierra began to drift off. She had no energy to protest when Leith carried her inside and up to his room. The last thing she remembered before falling deeper into dream world was Leith reasserting his love and promising to always be by her side.

  Chapter Seven

  “One more big push, Mom,” the doctor encouraged her. “You can do it. Your little one is ready to meet you and Dad. Deep breath.”

  “I can’t, I can’t,” Zaierra sobbed, exhausted mentally and physically beyond belief.

  Beside her, Leith gripped her hand in his and used a cloth to wipe moisture from her forehead. “I know you can, baby. I’m here with you. I promise. One more, Zai. Just one.”

  Through blurred vision, she looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes. His voice might be calm, but Leith worried about her. She had to do it for him and for their little one. She caught sight of the ring on her finger, and her heart stirred even more. Their marriage was a whirlwind affair, but it had been special, and they planned to have something bigger when she got her figure back. Maybe then his parents would come. At least she hadn’t had to see Jenna all this time. Leith had kept that part of his life separate for her sanity, but he was always honest about what he did and where he went. She adored him for that.

  Zaierra leaned on Leith and fought with the last of her strength to push. The welcome cry of her little boy split the air to a cheer around the room. Soon she laid back on the bed with her tiny, sweet baby napping on her chest. Leith alternated between kissing her lips and kissing the top of the baby’s head.

  When they were alone, she turned to him. Her eyelids were too heavy to lift all the way, but she fought to stay awake so she could watch him holding their son. “Are you sure about this, Leith? Her child’s older.” She hadn’t asked for any details of Jenna’s baby.

  Leith settled in a chair and rested the baby on his shoulder. “His name is Leith Junior, Zai. I’m not giving in on that point.” He grinned. “Shall I give you a girl so you can name her?”

  She rolled her sleepy eyes. “Boy, please, don’t even think about touching me after what I went through.”

  An expression of desperation came over his face, and she almost laughed, but then he sobered. “I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks. I went to check in as usual, and her mother said she went away for a little while to get some rest. She wouldn’t give me the number or address.”

  “That’s weird.” Zaierra had her suspicions.

  He nodded, his gaze distant. “I’m going to give her some time, and if I don’t hear anything within a couple of weeks, I’ll hire someone to find her. I don’t like the games Jenna and her mother play. I want to provide for my other son and be a part of his life.”

  Zaierra winced.

  “Never mind about that, Zai. Time for you to rest,” he encouraged her. Get some sleep, and I will watch the baby until you wake.”

  “You’re okay?”

  “It’s fine. I made a promise to you I intend to keep. Rest, woman.”

  She took in his handsome face and how fatherly he already was holding their son. Her chest constricted, and love for this man grew to monumental proportions as she watched the two of them together. After a while, sleepiness took hold, and she drifted off still thinking about her best friend,
her husband.

  Zaierra’s time in the hospital came to a quick end, and Leith drove her and Junior home to his house where she lived on a permanent basis now. She had let her apartment go and moved all the things she needed to his house while getting rid of those she didn’t. They’d redone one of the guest rooms for the baby, and that damn frisky husband of hers kept reminding her he had three bedrooms they could fill with kids. She threatened to get her tubes snatched out and burned, but she only teased him. More kids would be great, but not for a while.

  “What’s wrong?” Leith demanded, a crease in his forehead when she asked if he would take her and the baby to the baby’s first pediatrician appointment.

  Zaierra reached up to smooth the spot between his eyes. “Stop worrying, Daddy. He’s fine. He just has to see his doctor within the first three to five days after birth. It’s customary. I know you’re doing half days for a little while at work, so I can handle it if you’re busy.”

  “No.”

  He turned her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Zaierra nuzzled into his hold, glad she was starting to drop the extra weight already. Of course her boobs were big as her damn head and leaking all the time. Regardless, the breastfeeding helped make her stomach go down faster, so she dealt with it. From the looks she got from Leith when she fed the baby, she knew he still got off on her breasts, and it made her feel good. Even though she breastfed, he rose in the middle of the night with her. The man was everything she could ever want.

  “I’m taking you,” he insisted.

  Zaierra let him pamper her, and she did all she could not to need him so much that he couldn’t take a breather or get rest himself. They worked together like a well-oiled machine for the most part, except during times when her exhaustion made her yell at him. He’d snapped once or twice too, but they were good. The only thing that would make her life complete was if Leith wasn’t still concerned about the other baby. She knew he had already been inquiring about a private investigator.

  They left the house, and Zaierra tucked Junior in his car seat. Leith made sure the straps were secure and helped her into the passenger seat. Soon after, they pulled off headed to the doctor’s office. Zaierra chose the time to sleep, but during the smooth ride in Leith’s new, bigger SUV, she opened her eyes to look out the window. The small gasp was out before she checked herself.