“Okay. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, Ma. Do you mind if I ask Coach Kilo to come too?”
“No, I don’t mind if that’s what you want.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
The call ended, and I returned to the table. My eyes met Kilo’s, and his were filled with questions, as mine probably were.
“What do you think this is about?”
Before I could respond, his phone rang. He answered it quickly, and I listened as my son apologized for his behavior yesterday and asked Kilo if he could meet with his family. Of course, Kilo agreed, and Nyeem promised to text him my parents’ address right away.
“I’m sure this has everything to do with Nyeem quitting because of Ambrose. We’ve never talked to him about it, but we’ve had conversations privately about why he never embraced football the way he did basketball and track. My parents, brother, and I think it’s because of the connection to Ambrose.”
“I’m no therapist, but I’m pretty sure there’s a connection. You want to ride together or?—”
“Absolutely not,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s too soon for that, and now isn’t the time to tell him about us.”
“It ain’t too soon for shit, Nyomi. Did you forget you’re carrying my seed?”
“No, I didn’t forget, but?—”
“It’s cool.”
The tension in the air let me know it was, in fact, not cool. He stood, gathered our plates, and put them into the dishwasher.
“Let’s go,” he said, walking past me and out of the kitchen.
“Wait. You’re mad?”
I followed him through the house and into his bedroom. He stopped abruptly, causing me to run into his chest, and caught me before I fell back. With his hands at the small of my back, he looked at me with a serious expression.
“This is the one and only time I’ll play it cool, and I’m only doing this because I know Nyeem is dealing with a lot right now.”
“But—”
“Nah, baby. I said what I said, and I mean that shit. We’re too old to be sneaking around, especially since you’re carrying my seed.”
“We don’t have to sneak around, but?—”
“That’s all I need to hear. Ain’t no buts. Let’s go.”
He kissed my lips, got what he needed from his bedroom, and left. I remained standing in the same spot, wondering what I’d gotten myself into.
As soon as I started my car to head to Nyomi’s parents’ house, I called my brother. I hadn’t had time to update him on recent events.
“You’re about to be an uncle,” I announced as soon as Knox answered the phone.
“The fuck? Explain, please.”
“Do I really need to explain how this happened?”
“You know what the fuck I mean, nigga. The last time we talked, I thought her being pregnant was ruled out.”
I shared what had transpired last night and this morning, and thankfully, he listened without interruption.
