“Daddy, do you have a checklist over there?”
“A mental one, yes.”He chuckled.
“Yes to both questions.”
“Cool. I still need to lay eyes on you myself.”
“Oh, my God, Daddy.”I snickered.“What, you don’t believe me?”
“Nah. It’s not that. I’m just able to see things you can’t or may not pay attention to. It’s a superpower that fathers have.”
“Oooohhh,”I let out with a nod.
“You talk to Pryce yet?”
I sighed.“We’ve said a few words to each other since I’ve been back.”I wasn’t going to mention the warning.
My father and Pryce were close, but not close enough to where he’d have any understanding of me being threatened. No matter if it was rooted in love.
“He still doesn’t know, huh?”
“Not yet. And you can hold off on the lecture. Mommy already covered that.”
“Oh, I don’t have one. I will say this though. The more you hold back, the more damage you do to the foundation of what y’all built in the first place. And so long as you still believe there’s something there worthrespecting, you need to be honest. I love you, and I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
I handed my mother back the phone and turned to the TV. My thoughts seemed to be louder than the argument between Joan and Toni. My parents were right. The longer I waited, the louder and heavier the truth became. And I didn’t want to be the reason that there was another crack in an already fractured foundation.
It was a little after eleven o’clock when I gave up pretending that I could sleep in my bed without thinking about the last time I’d been there wrapped in Pryce’s arms. The comforter that covered me was no match for the warmth of his body — his face buried in my neck and steady breathing in my ear. Laying in the bed made my body remember moments that my mind was still fighting to store in the past. So, I got up and made my way back into the living room.
I slept for a few hours but was up again, this time for the baby. Baby Boo was craving a piece of lemon pound cake that my mother had made earlier. Whenever I had a late-night craving, I used the baby as an excuse to get what I wanted and not feel guilty. It was a perk that came with pregnancy, a perk that I absolutely loved. Walking barefoot into the kitchen, I opened the fridge and pulled out the cake and set it on the table. I was a little overzealous in cutting and ended up with a slice bigger than I wanted, but I thought what the hell? I was eating for two.
I dug into the moist cake and chewed slowly to savor the sweetness. Leaning over the counter, I took small bites, and before I knew it, I’d eaten more than half of it.
“We greedy,” I said to my belly, picking up a crumb that had fallen onto my shirt and eating it.
As I went in for my final bite, the doorbell rang. I froze with the fork still in hand. My heart leaped, and goosebumps rose up on my arms instantly. Before I could even think, I knew who was at the door. The only person who would think to come by this late without calling — Pryce Sullivan. I set the plate down and swallowed hard before slowly walking to the door.
He didn’t ring the bell a second time. He didn’t need to. Pryce knew I was home, and he knew I was awake. It wasn’t because anyone had told him, but I was sure he’d sensed it. Even though I moved slow, somehow, I made it to the door quicker than I thought, like something was pushing me forward. I placed my hand on the door and looked through the peephole. There he was, standing directly in front of it. He wasn’t pacing; he wasn’t hiding or standing with his back toward the door, pretending he wasn’t sure if I was home.
His stance was intentional, his hood halfway pulled over his head, hands in his pockets, and his eyes locked straight ahead. Stepping back, I cast my eyes down at myself. I was in a short pajama set, and the shirt barely covered my baby bump.
It was too late to change. Too late to rewind back to the moment I found out I was pregnant. It was too late for anything other than facing the music and dealing with the consequences. I couldn’t hide behind the phone or the thousands of miles that once separated us because he was here. In the flesh. Reaching for the doorknob, I unlocked the door and hesitated…
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, Y’ALL. I’M NERVOUS! I’M WRITING THIS SHIT, AND MY HEART BEATINGFAST ASF. EVERYBODY CALM DOWN AND RELAX. WHAT Y’ALL THINK GON’ HAPPEN? SHIT, I’M NERVOUS! OKAY, OKAY. DEEP BREATHS. GET YOURSELF TOGETHER CAUSE WE GOING BACK IN.
…taking a deep breath,I pulled it open. The light from my porch framed his shoulders first then his face and his eyes. He pulled his hood back completely, and just like that, everything I’d been holding in cracked.
Tears streamed down my face as my heart called out to him. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me so bad, but he didn’t move. He didn’t speak. I didn’t think he even blinked. My chest tightened as I cried silently, too scared to make a sound or even move. Still, he said nothing. I watched as his gaze moved slowly from my eyes to my mouth, down my shoulders, and then it stopped at my swollen belly. He squinted, and his jaw tightened, telling me everything had just changed… again.
CHAPTER 6
Six Months Too Long
PRYCE
Apost on Instagram that I was sure I wasn’t supposed to see led me to Adai’s door at one in the morning. The way my heart was racing, I probably should’ve waited to get my mind right before I came over but fuck that. I needed answers, and I was going to get them tonight. I didn’t know if it was God’s doing or what because it was rare that I was on social media other than doing some meaningless scrolling when I was bored. Tonight, I happened to log on, and in my scrolling, I came across a post with Adai’s face.
