She didn’t know why she felt like crying, but her eyes burned as she retreated to their bedroom. The thought of a baby was terrifying. She loved Demi with her entire heart, but she was just figuring life out. Shewas only in her mid-twentiesand just becoming acquainted with the woman she wanted to be.I don’t want a baby,she thought. She noticed the dress Demi had laid out on the bed. The new heels that sat on top of it were beautiful. She didn’t have to read the tags to know the items were expensive. He did that a lot. The gifts, planning her clothes, arranging glam for her hair and her makeup. He provided everything, never missing a beat when it came to what she needed, but today these choices felt like chains. Charlie bypassed his gifts and went to their closet, pulling a different outfit from the hangers. Boyfriend jeans and a cropped cable knit sweater with a high neck. She didn’t even take the time to slip on shoes. It felt too formal. This was her home, their home. The people waiting were their friends; well his friends. Charlie had an overwhelming urge to ignore what he wanted and live in her comfort zone. She knew it wasn’t about the dress. It was about the baby. It was a no-baby-and-denim type of night because she was beginning to feel like she was losing her voice in this relationship. Demi had given her so much. She never had to ask. He just handled his business and made sure she was cared for, but if the cost for that would be her independence, he could keep all that shit. Charlie wanted a life that felt like hers, and having his baby felt like his dream. Demi was in his mid 30’s. She understood why he was ready to slow down and why the thought of having babies together felt like the goal, but Charlie was just getting started. A baby would be like a stoplight to herdreams. She knew she would have to address it soon before it became a problem between them.
Chapter 2
Stassi might have been a broke-ass bitch, but she shined like money as she stood on the porch of the opulent home.
“Wow,” she whispered in disbelief as she rang the doorbell.
She danced in her ankle boots as the crisp winter air cut through her. “This nigga really set her up,” Stassi said. “Get to the bag, sis.” Stassi was impressed. The property was beautiful. It was so perfect that even the untouched snow on the ground looked staged. She dug through her bag for her phone. “If this girl don’t hurry up, it’s freezing out…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened.
She was taken by surprise when coal dark eyes peered down at her.
“Oh, um… is, um,” she was speechless.
It was like her brain had cut off suddenly as she grasped for words.
He was dark and handsome and amused. He was holding back laughter as he watched her struggle. She was sure he was used to this. Fan shit. That’s what he assumed her reaction was. With his decorated music career, she knew he had groupies lined up around the block. He was that type of mogul. Popular and bossed up, and God, he smelled like heaven. He looked at her like he knew he was gon’ knock her uterus out of the park later that night, and she hadn’t even said hello yet.
Dayton “Day” Night, Grammy award-winning producer, famous rapper, and co-founder of Dynasty Records. He was the boss. He shared the title with Demi since they were partners, but he wore his status more openly. Money dripped from his neck as diamonds glistened under the porch light. It didn’t matter that she had been around him many times. He was best friends with her sister’s boyfriend. They were far from strangers, yet here she was screaming on the inside like she was a fan. Her body just reacted around him. She didn’t know what it was about this man, but every single time they were around one another, she felt like a teenager. Stassi was known to be a confident girl, but where Day Night was concerned, she turned into a stuttering, blushing mess. It was pathetic, and she was embarrassed, but still, she couldn’t stop the daydreams that filled her mind when he flashed his 100-watt smile.
“You good?” he asked. The slight leer that decorated those espresso cheeks told her he had already surmised that she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, yeah, I’m just…” She shook her head and then sighed. “I’ve had a rough day. Excuse me.”
He stepped out as she headed inside.
“If you looking for Charlie and Demi, you might want to give them a minute,” he said.
“I’m late, though? You sure? They haven’t started dinner?” Stassi asked, genuine confusion bending her brows.
“You would think this big-ass house wouldn’t carry sound the way it do,” Day answered. “Your sister’s range is insane.”
“She’s singing?”
Stassi was so confused, and Day smiled, rubbing his goatee as he glanced down at his feet. He was coy, and his reluctance to elaborate made Stassi smile. Was superstar Day Night shy?
“Nah, not singing,” Day answered.
“Then…”
“Screaming,” Day said. “On key.” He chuckled. “Demi a wild boy, man. House full of fucking people, and he can’t resist that girl for a few hours. That’s what love look like?”
“The jury’s still out on that,” she replied sarcastically.
Stassi knew that Charlie and Demi shared something. Passion perhaps. Maybe even lust. She wasn’t convinced that it was love. Love wasn’t supposed to decimate the way it had done in Demi and Charlie’s lives.
“You don’t like my nigga very much, do you?” Day asked.
She wondered if she was that transparent or if Demi had shared the tension of their non-existent relationship with his friend. Either way, it didn’t matter. Her disdain for Demi would have to be controlled. The last thing she wanted was to lose her sister or have a man be the reason they grew distant.
“I didn’t say that,” Stassi replied.
“You didn’t have to,” Day answered. “Your body speaks its own language.” He pulled a bag of weed out of his jacket pocket. “So, you going in, or you want to blaze one with a nigga and fix that fucked-up-ass vibe you got going on?”
Stassi pulled the front door closed and shrugged. “I’m that obvious?” Stassi didn’t want to rain on Charlie’s parade. She would seem like a hating-ass bitch if she walked into her sister’s home with an attitude. She didn’t want that. She was sure her discontent had more to do with the day she’d had than anything else. Energy could be misinterpreted, and Stassi didn’t want hers to give off vibes that would make Charlie feel unsupported.
“You’re dripping in disapproval,” Day replied casually.
