“Look how she standing here. Look at her face,” Legend said. “That’s the only reason to keep it from us. He don’t want kids.”
Livia slipped a comforting arm around my waist. Aria started petting my fucking hair like I was a puppy.
“Reek, answer the question,” Icon bit. “Do you plan on taking care of your child or not?”
Reek’s jaw tightened. “I’m still processing this.”
Saint threw his hands up. “Processing? Nigga, the baby is already here. It’s not a maybe. Ava is pregnant now.”
Zahra finally made it to her husband and grabbed Saint’s arm. “Calm down.”
“I am calm,” he said, very clearly not calm. Then he glared at Reek again. “You don’t get to turn your back on this baby when you laid down and made it.”
Reek snapped back then. “And she didn’t get to hide it from me for months and then expect me to smile about it either.”
That made the room erupt all over again.
I felt pressure from everywhere at once, and I couldn’t take one more second of it. The tears came before I could stop them. Ashamed, angry, and overwhelmed, I turned and ran out of the room before anybody could see me fully break.
I didn’t stop until I got to Aria’s wing. Then I finally let myself fall apart.
TARIQ “REEK” HORTON
The second Ava ran out crying, everyone’s eyes were on me.
Everybody had watched her leave with that same look of pity on their faces for her and disgust for me too. I stood there in a room amongst men who loved loudly and proud, looking like an ain’t shit nigga.
And I hated that all around me were men who had done this better. They willingly built lives, peace, and families with their women. They built a bond with their families that everyone admired and envied.
Then there was me, standing there after making a pregnant woman cry in front of everybody.
Saint seethed, “No matter how scared you are of being a father, there is no way in hell you’re about to work with this family while acting like my niece or nephew don’t exist.”
My nostrils flared as I tried to control the rage and feeling of losing control. “You know exactly why I feel how I feel about kids.”
“I do,” he shot back. “And I still don’t give a fuck.”
Zahra tried to touch his arm. He shrugged her off without even looking at her.
I stepped closer too. “You understand the wound more than anybody. I’ve talked to you about this shit. So don’t stand here acting like this came out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, I understand the wound, but I don’t understand you thinking it’s cool to abandon her, especially in my fucking face.”
“That’s not what I did.”
“The fuck it ain’t,” he barked. “That girl was standing here looking broken.”
Sincere strengthened his stance between us before either one of us pushed it too far. “A’ight,” he forced. “Enough. The kids are right here.”
I looked past him and caught Sire peeking from behind Aria’s leg. Truth was staring. Reign had that confused little-kid look like she knew something bad was happening but didn’t know what.
Aria stepped forward then, holding Major against her shoulder. Her face was softer than the men’s but no less serious. “You need to go talk to her.”
I looked at her like she was asking me to perform surgery.
“The cameras pinged my phone,” she added. “She ran to my wing.”
“What the fuck am I supposed to say?” I asked, more frustrated than I meant to sound.
