“Pregnant,” Mekhi repeated like he didn’t hear her the first time.
“Yeah, seven weeks,” Janice said as she sat up to see his reaction.
“Aren’t you on birth control or something?” He asked her.
“No,” Janice said sounding like a child.
“The fuck you mean no?” Mekhi yelled, scaring her. “You don’t think you should have told me that shit from day one.”
“Don’t scream at me. You strapped up faithfully in the beginning, but you stopped using protection for whatever reason,” Janice informed him.
“That’s because I thought you were on birth control,” Mekhi barked.
“You never asked if I was on anything. You walk through the door with your dick hanging out and you don’t care about anything else but a nut. Don’t try to make me out to be the bad guy. You’re just as much to blame as I am,” Janice said as a few tears fell down her cheeks.
Mekhi wanted to scream at the sudden turn of events. Janice getting pregnant was not a part of his plan, but it was already done. There was no need for him to ask if he was the father. She was too hung up on him to be with anybody else. He still needed her to do a few things for him and his business, so pissing her off was out of the question.
“Come here,” Mekhi said as he reached out and pulled Janice to him. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry for getting upset.”
“You’re talking like I planned this or something,” Janice sniffled.
“I know you didn’t plan this, but what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?” Janice asked him.
“I mean, are you keeping it?” Mekhi questioned.
“What kind of stupid ass question is that? Of course, I’m keeping it. What? You don’t me to?” She questioned.
“It’s just that the timing is all wrong. I’m just now trying to get another business off the ground, and my finances aren’t right. I really don’t think that having a baby right now is the best thing to do,” Mekhi reasoned.
“You can come up with a million excuses, but I’m having my baby. I’m financially stable enough to do it on my own if I have to.”
“I didn’t say that you would be doing it on your own. I just said that it’s not the right time.”
“I understand that Mekhi, but you can’t put a timer on everything. I’m in my mid-thirties, and there’s no telling when I’ll be able to start a family again. I’m doing this with or without you. I won’t force you to be a father if you don’t want to be,” Janice said with finality.
“I never said I didn’t want to be a father,” Mekhi said even though that was exactly how he felt.
He still wasn’t in Mekhya’s life like he should have been. He would never admit it out loud, but he knew that’s why his life was going downhill the way it was. He didn’t do right by his wife, or his daughter and karma was kicking his ass. Shay had been going crazy trying to find a current address for him, but she hadn’t had any luck so far. Janice looked it up in the system, and he was over ten thousand dollars in the rears with child support. Since he didn’t keep his end of the deal before, they added up the money that he owed from when she first put him on. He couldn’t see himself giving Shay that kind of money, even if it was supposedly for their daughter.
“So, what about the contract thing? You got me?” Mekhi asked just to make sure she was on board.
“I always got you. Even more so now since you’re my baby’s daddy,” Janice laughed.
Mekhi cringed when the words left her mouth, but he had to play it off. Shay was a bad bitch, but he didn’t even want her for a baby mama. Having Janice for a baby mama was even worse. He was embarrassed for people to know that they even slept together. Now the world would know that he didn’t use protection when he did it.
***
Crackers and ginger ale had become Janice’s best friends over the last couple of days. Morning sickness was kicking her ass, and she couldn’t wait to go back to the doctor. She was sure her supervisors were tired of her leaving early every other day, but she couldn’t help it. After finishing up the details of Mekhi’s contract, she headed out a few hours early once again. He and Tommy were scheduled to have their grand opening the following week, and she wanted everything to be signed and filed away before then.
“Can you tell me what aisle the crackers are on?” Janice asked the gas station clerk as soon as she walked through the doors. She followed the directions the woman gave her and picked up a box of saltines. Once she grabbed a bottle of ginger ale and a few mints, she headed to the register to pay for her items.
“It must be about to snow in New Orleans for me to run into you,” a male voice said from behind her in line. Janice turned around, and a huge smile appeared on her face when she saw one of her old friends standing there with another man.
“Aubrey!” Janice squealed as she put her items on the counter and rushed over to hug him. “How have you been?”
“I can’t complain. I see you’re still just as fine as ever,” he flirted just like always.
Janice knew that it was harmless, though. Aubrey was always like a little brother to her. He started his law intern at the legal aid office where she worked, and they became good friends in no time at all. Janice was going through a bitter divorce at the time, and Aubrey was her shoulder to cry on. Of course, she tried to take it a step further, but he quickly put a stop to it.
“What are you doing around this way? I don’t see you anymore since you left and went all Hollywood on me. How’s it going with your new internship anyway?”
“That didn’t work out too well. I moved to another law firm uptown,” Aubrey replied. Aubrey and Janice were cool, but he didn’t want to go into details about why he left. It would make him seem like a punk if they knew that he was being threatened and feared for his life. He was still having trouble believing it himself. He was no fool, though. Zyrian sent some straight killers at him, and he gave up his pursuit of Rylee soon after.
“Oh okay. I’m sorry to hear that. Hi, I apologize for my rudeness. We’re standing here holding a conversation like you don’t even exist,” Janice said to the man who was standing there with Aubrey.
“That’s my fault. Janice this is my cousin Tommy. He just purchased a new night club, and I went with him to sign off on it,” Aubrey announced.
“Tommy?” Janice quizzed. “You wouldn’t happen to be the same Tommy that’s going into business with Mekhi?”
“Yeah, how do you...,” Tommy said letting his words trail off. “Wait, you’re the Janice that’s been helping him?”
“In the flesh,” Janice smiled. Tommy only looked at her, realizing that everything that Mekhi said was true. Janice wasn’t the prettiest girl in the world, but that body was all that and more.
“What did I miss?” Aubrey questioned.
“She’s friends with my business partner,” Tommy spoke up.
“Well, we’re about to be more than just friends,” Janice said as he rubbed her still flat stomach.
“You’re pregnant by Mekhi?” Tommy asked in shock.
“Yeah, but why do you seem so surprised?” She asked him. She was sure Mekhi would have told him, but obviously, he didn’t.
“Hold up,” Aubrey demanded. “What Mekhi are y’all talking about?”
“You don’t know him,” Tommy waved him off.
“Was he married to a chick named Rylee?” Aubrey questioned.
“Yeah, that’s my ex-wife’s best friend,” Tommy answered. “Why?”
Aubrey shook his head at how complicated the entire situation was. Out of all the people that Tommy could be affiliated with, it had to be Rylee and her ex-husband. He hadn’t seen Tommy since they were teenagers. He started to turn his cousin down when he called after so long and asked for his help. Now he was happy that he didn’t. He didn’t know much about Mekhi, but he knew that he couldn’t be trusted. He saw that just from the few weeks he helped out with him and Rylee’s divorce case.
“Me and Rylee went
out a few times,” Aubrey said surprising his cousin and Janice.
“What? When?” Tommy questioned.
“I met her when I did my internship over there. I was helping her lawyer with her case. We kicked it for a little while until her lil boyfriend started sending people to threaten me.”
“What boyfriend?” Tommy wanted to know.
“Some thug named Zyrian,” Aubrey frowned.
“Her and that nigga are married and expecting twins now. Zyrian is my ex-wife’s brother,” Tommy replied with a smirk.
It gave him great pleasure to look at the frown that covered Aubrey’s face. He hated rejection and had been that way since he was younger. He had to have the best girl, car and everything else. He was just like Mekhi in a way, but not nearly as bad. That was one of the reasons why they hadn’t seen each other for so many years.
“And you trust that Mekhi character?” Aubrey asked his cousin.
“Yeah I trust him. Why wouldn’t I?” Tommy inquired.
“You said yourself that he tried to play his own wife. What do you think he’ll do to you?” Aubrey asked.
“Ex-wife and he was only doing that to piss Zyrian off. No matter what went on with him and Rylee, he’s always been straight up with me,” Tommy defended.
Janice shifted uncomfortably when he said that. Tommy seemed like a nice person, but he was a little naïve in her opinion. She would never go into business with someone without having a lawyer look over the paperwork. She’d seen so many good people get messed over in her line of work, and Tommy was about to be added to that list. With the paperwork that she had drawn up for Mekhi, Tommy wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if Mekhi decided to buy him out.
“He doesn’t seem like the kind of man that you would go for Janice,” Aubrey said pulling Janice away from her thoughts.
“He’s not, but things happen. I started out helping him with legal advice, and we just grew closer,” she shrugged like it was simple.
“Are you helping him with their new business venture?” Aubrey asked.
“I’m the one who put the contract together for them to sign,” she answered.
“Oh, well you’re straight then cuz. Janice knows the law like the back of her hand. I feel better knowing that she has a hand in it,” Aubrey said smiling at her.
Janice really felt like shit after that. To know that Aubrey had that much faith in her didn’t make her feel any better. It didn’t help that he’d spoken so highly of her to his cousin. She loved Aubrey as a person, but Mekhi was her unborn child’s father, and she loved him more. It was nothing personal against Tommy, but she had to have Mekhi’s back and secure a future for her new addition.
Chapter 7
“That’s it, baby. You like it?” Zyrian asked Rylee once he finished putting up the pink and blue rocking chairs with their kid’s names personalized on them that they received as a baby shower gift. Zyria and Zyrian Jr. were going to enter the world in style. Thanks to his father and uncles helping him, the twin’s room came out even better than Zyrian and Rylee expected. The prince and princess theme that Rylee chose was on point too.
“Yes baby, it’s perfect,” Rylee smiled as she stood next to her husband and admired their kids’ room.
“A few more weeks and my babies will be here. I can’t wait,” Zyrian said excitedly.
A term birth was usually considered between thirty-seven to forty-one weeks. Being that Rylee was pregnant with two babies her doctor estimated she’d deliver around thirty-six weeks. Thankfully, she didn’t have any complications so her doctor said that she could have a vaginal birth. That was providing she didn’t have any complications towards the end. Rylee was already thirty weeks, so they were just playing the waiting game now. Her mother-in-law made sure that the parents to be as well as the babies’ bags were packed for when the time came.
“Yep, so we better get as much rest as we can right now,” Rylee replied after a long pause.
“Right,” Zyrian agreed right as their doorbell started ringing.
They were expecting Amber and Derrick, so they already knew who it was. Rylee had a huge baby shower three weeks prior, and they got lots of duplicate gifts. Amber and Derrick were nice enough to return everything for them and get gift cards instead.
“Y’all are just in time to see the babies’ room,” Rylee smiled when they walked into the house.
Derrick was smiling as he greeted her and Zyrian, but Amber wasn’t. Rylee knew her cousin well enough to know that something was wrong. She didn’t want to bring it up in front of Zyrian, so she played along and showed them to the twins’ room. When Zyra showed up with food about an hour later, they all sat around and talked while they ate.
“Come on downstairs and let me whip your ass on the game nigga,” Zyrian said to Derrick. Just like two kids, they both raced to the basement in search of Zyrian’s PlayStation four.
“Okay bitch, what’s the deal,” Rylee asked Amber as soon as the men were gone.
“What do you mean?” Amber asked feigning ignorance.
“Amber please, I saw that stupid look on your face the minute you walked through the door. Now, what’s up?” Rylee asked again.
“Yeah Amber, even I can see that something is wrong,” Zyra acknowledged.
“I’m okay,” Amber said trying to convince herself as well as the two women who were sitting there staring at her.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or do I have to wobble downstairs and ask Derrick?” Rylee questioned.
“No!” Amber yelled. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”
“We’re listening,” Rylee replied.
“Well, and I’m sorry if you get pissed at me Zyra, but I hate some of your cousins. Some of them are cool, but China is the worst.”
“What did that messy bitch do this time?” Zyra wanted to know.
“Derrick’s mom invited me to a barbecue and China was there with some of your other cousins. She just kept saying something to me every time I passed. It didn’t help that some of your other cousins were sitting there laughing with her,” Amber replied.
“And what did you do?” Rylee asked her.
“I just told Derrick that I was ready to go, and we left,” she sighed.
Rylee felt her temperature rising, but she remained calm and listened to what was being said. She loved her cousin to death, but her passive ways were really starting to annoy her. Amber was the sweetest person that she knew, but she allowed peopled to walk over her entirely too much. Rylee didn’t mind having her back, but she needed to stand up for herself at times too.
“You need to get a backbone Amber. People are going to keep fucking over you because you don’t stand up for yourself. You better start telling them bitches off and dare them to step to you. Don’t be scared to fight. You win some, and you lose some, but stop letting people mess over you. I’m not gonna always be around to help you,” Rylee argued.
She meant what she said, but she still had her cousin’s back. She’d already told Zyrian that she was fucking China up on site the minute she dropped her babies. He laughed her off, but she was dead ass serious. China was a bully and people backed down because she had a lot of mouth. Rylee was going to beat her ass for everything that she’d said about her and Amber. Buck’s girlfriend Asia and her cousin Renata were on her list too. Asia was on some bullshit showing up everywhere Zyrian was at with her cousin. Although Mekhi had done Rylee wrong, she refused to make Zyrian suffer because of it. She trusted her husband and he never gave her any reason not to. Asia, on the other hand, was a different story. A few of Zyrian’s cousins told her how Asia had been trying to push her cousin up to step to him. They hated Asia, so they were all too happy to tell Rylee what was going on.
“I know Rylee, you’re right. But there’s more,” Amber responded.
“What is it?” Rylee inquired.
“I’m not a virgin anymore,” Amber blurted out.
“What? Is that all?” Rylee said as she and Zyra chuckled.
; They kind of figured that anyway since Amber and Derick couldn’t seem to stay away from each other. Amber was very shy, so Rylee never expected her to come right out and talk about her sex life.
“No, that’s not all. Derrick and I have had sex a few times, but I don’t think he’s enjoying it. He seems liked he’s bored every time we do it,” Amber confessed.
“Exactly what do you do Amber?” Zyra inquired.
“Nothing much. I really don’t know what to do. I just lay there until he’s done and then I hop in the shower and go to sleep,” Amber shrugged.
“That’s the problem then. I guess the man is bored if you’re just lying there like a corpse,” Rylee said.
“Everybody be talking like sex is so great, but I don’t see what all of the hype is about,” Amber sighed.
“Bitch don’t get it twisted. Sex is great if you know what you’re doing. I’m almost ready to drop two babies, but I still put Zyrian’s ass to sleep every night,” Rylee informed her as she took a sip of her sweet tea.
“I tried giving him oral sex a few times,” Amber confessed, making Rylee choke on her ice cold beverage. She and Zyra both jumped up and started patting Rylee’s back when she started coughing uncontrollably.
“Oh my God Rylee. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you choke,” Amber apologized.
“It’s okay, but you can’t drop that kind of information on a bitch when she’s drinking something,” Rylee responded once she gained her composure.
“Sorry,” Amber said once again.
She was happy to finally tell her cousin what was going on. She and Derrick had been having sex for the past two months, and it was nothing like Rylee and Zyra had told her it would be. The first time hurt like hell and the blood scared her to death. Once Derrick explained to her that it was normal, she relaxed and let him finish. She was waiting for this gut wrenching orgasm that everybody swore that she would have, but it never came. The best part of it all was when he went down on her. She tried to return the favor a few times, but it was an epic fail. Amber was so desperate to learn that she purchased a dildo and practiced for hours at a time. She had gotten better with her gag reflexes, but she still hadn’t tried to do it with Derrick again.
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