“So you admit it. That’s all I needed.”
“Fuck you.”
“We should talk sometime, Zah. I have a lot more I’d like to say. I’d also love to see Aaron. I miss him.”
“Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From my family. I’m warning you, Manning,” Bentley growls.
Erica cuts the call. I feel like I’m going to be sick. What the fuck just happened?
“So that was a fun episode,” I joke.
“I’m sorry, guys. I don’t play about my woman or my family. I will go through the proper channels to deal with that asshole.
“Zah is an amazing mother and partner. She has a huge heart and tried to help someone she thought was a friend. He took advantage and now we’re here.”
“I’m sorry, guys. I’ll do better at screening the calls,” Erica says.
“It’s not your fault. Thank you, everyone, for listening and watching. We hope you come back and join us in the future.
“Hug your loved ones and be good to them. From Zah and me, y’all be blessed,” Bentley says, ending the podcast.
I sit with my palms flat against the table as I try to wrap my head around what just happened. That’s exactly what I didn’t want. That asshole even said my son’s name, which I know he did on purpose.
I have no idea what his endgame is. I don’t want him and never did. He’s acting like we were in a real relationship.
“I tried to drop him; the controls locked up on me. Sorry, guys,” Erica says, breaking into my spiraling thoughts.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.”
“Yeah, but what did that just do to our podcast? Erica and I put in so much work to do this,” I say as I snap out of shock.
“I’ll work on damage control,” Garret says as he enters the studio we’re in.
“I’m not going to lie. He might have done you guys a favor,” Erica says. “People love drama.”
I groan. “Ugh, that’s not what we wanted. That’s exactly what we didn’t want.”
Bentley stands and comes to pull me up from my chair. He hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. I wrap my arms around him and melt into the comfort of his embrace.
“Babe, we did good. That might have been a tiny setback, but we’ll roll with it, together. I’m here, you’re here.
“We’re going to make this awesome. A few tweaks and we’ve got this. Just remember how much I love you and that I’ve always got you, promise.”
Gilbert
At this point,I don’t give a fuck anymore. Coswell doesn’t get to have a happily ever after with my woman and start a fucking podcast about it. I probably shouldn’t have called in, but fuck it.
At least everyone will know what kind of woman she is. Let’s see how everyone feels about their fiancé-stealing golden boy now. I hope he’s canceled and gets benched before the big game.
“Hello,” I answer my phone as it rings on my desk.
“We need to talk,” my uncle growls on the other end.
“What about?”
“Have you lost your mind? What the fuck are you thinking? If your grandmother finds out what I just heard, you’re finished. She isn’t going to give you shit.
“She liked that girl and was devastated that you two didn’t get married. She’s been talking about putting a trust in the kid’s name. Is he even yours, Gilbert?”
