He handled everything, like always. I knew it was a part of his job as my manager, but I appreciated the genuine, big-brotherly love he showed me. However, I knew this wasn’t something he should manage for me.
I unlocked my phone and scrolled through the notifications. My name was trending, but only in small corners of the internet. Nothing was official yet, just whispers here and there. Hints.
I locked the screen. That shit could wait.
I swung my legs off the bed and stood there for a second, letting the silence stretch. I should’ve called Princess the night before. I knew that. I just convinced myself I needed one more hour. That turned into one more thought and then one more plan.
Quit being a bitch.
I unlocked my phone and quickly hit her name before I could talk myself out of it. I swore I heard the longest, loudest rings I’d ever heard in my life.
“Hello?” Princess answered the phone dryly. There was no softness to it, or at least that was what I thought I heard.
“Hey,” I said. My voice sounded heavier than I expected. “You good?”
“I’m fine.”
There was a brief moment of silence between us. Then she sliced through it.
“You ain’t ask how my flight was,” she added calmly.
That caught me off guard. “What?”
“My flight yesterday,” she said. “You ain’t ask.”
I closed my eyes briefly and let out the breath I was holding. “Oh, my bad. I just. . . I just got busy.”
She didn’t respond. It grew quiet again, so I cut in.
“Prin,” I said carefully. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “I’m straight, Zay.”
“Oh,” I said carefully.
“You good?” she asked with a puzzled tone.
“I’m okay.”
“Hmmm, that’s interesting. Because word on the internet is that Zay Woods got another baby,” Princess shot back. Her tone leveled. I couldn’t decipher if she was upset or not.
I sat down on the edge of the bed. I had rehearsed it in my head ten different ways, yet none of it felt right in the moment.
I opened my mouth, but before I could speak a word, she cut back in.
“Before you say anything,”—her voice was steady but firmer—“think hard. And be honest. I only want the truth, Zay.” That did something to me. I didn’t know what I expected her reaction to be, but what she whispered next was what shocked me the most. “Just please, tell me it’s not true.”
She didn’t yell. She didn’t scream. Her voice was small, almost defeated. I instantly felt bad. My initial thought was to deny it, or just downplay it a little, laugh it off. Then I realized she deserved the truth. No matter what it would do to our relationship, Princess deserved the truth.
I swallowed, then took a deep breath. “Amora had a baby.” Silence followed. I continued to pour it all out. “I went to see her. I brought Kam with me,” I added in with a little rush. “We’re doing a DNA test.”
There was another pause. I sighed, sat back on the bed, and placed one hand over my head. I felt as if it would be the end. I recalled the last time I was on the other end of the phone, when I went on tour in Amsterdam. I delivered her this same news. I felt terrible back then, the same way I felt when those words left my lips. After that conversation, she hadn’t spoken to me again. My heart pounded at that thought. Would I lose her? Would this be the end of what could be?
“Is it your baby, Zay?” she asked.
“I . . .” I hesitated. “I really don’t know.”
“What happened when you went over there? What did she say to you?”
