“And his grandmother apologized,but honestly, I felt like that was more for him than for me. She still doesn’t like me,” I said to LoLo as the two of us sat in my studio the day after Kaynaan and I had lunch with his grandmother. I was finishing up the very last of my Christmas orders. She was just hanging out.
“At least his mother and father like you. I guess you can’t win ’em all.
“Yeah. His grandfather’s cool, too. I just am not who Georgia Israel would’ve picked for her grandson to fall for.”
“Fuck her,” LoLo deadpanned, and I had to laugh. “Ugh. Let me go to the bathroom. I promise this period every twenty-eight days stuff is for the birds. Between the cramps and day threehaving me feeling like the literal Red Sea, they can have it.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Lucky ass.”
“Whatever.” I waved her off and kept working while she headed to the back to use the facilities.
No sooner than she disappeared from my sight did the bell to the shop ring. I checked the camera.
Oh no, Preston!I thought to myself. I hit the button for the speaker. “How may I help you?”
“Stop playing and let me in,” he practically growled.
He seemed upset. If LoLo hadn’t been in the shop with me, I would’ve called Kaynaan. Since I knew that LoLo never left home without her weapon, I figured I would let him in. It wasn’t like I hadn’t expected to hear from him eventually. After I made that post and wore Kaynaan’s jersey to the game, I figured he would pop out of the woodwork. But I also figured there was a chance he wouldn’t, because he didn’t care about me or the baby.
Before I let him in, I shot LoLo a text.
Me:
Just FYI, Preston just showed up and he seems mad as hell. Keep lil baby handy.
She texted right back.
LoLo:
Ready!
Preston came into my space, wearing a scowl. “We need to talk.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Okay.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
There was no way I was responding to a question like that. He had to be crazy if he felt that I owed him any kind ofexplanation about what was going on in my life. Instead, I gave him a blank stare.
“You hear me talking to you. I said?—”
“Right. I do hear you, and I wonder who the hell you think you’re talking to. If you wanna have a conversation, we can do that. But what’s not gonna happen is you coming into my place of business and talking shit to me, like you pay the rent around here.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Fuck all that. Why the hell you running around here letting Israel claim my seed? The fuck you think this is? I’m not that rapper, and that nigga ain’t that former Seahawks quarterback, so stop with the bullshit. That nigga is not the daddy.”
“Wait. What? You told me to get rid of the baby. Never reached out to me about an update. Now you’re in my studio talking about somebody else claiming a baby you didn’t want and never checked on? I’m so confused.”
“You’re definitely confused with your ditzy ass.”
As soon as he called me ditzy, the air went out of my bubble. I was back in the living room of the apartment that I shared with Channing. His face was twisted with a scowl so similar to the one Preston wore now, and he was yelling at me, telling me I was stupid.
I closed my eyes tightly, took a few deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. When I was back in the moment, I opened my eyes. “You need to leave, Preston. You need to leave. And don’t ever come here again.”
He took a deep breath, and some of his aggression seemed to simmer down. “Look, how would you feel if you were me?”
“I don’t know. In what way do you mean?”
“I’m saying. Here you are, supposedly pregnant by me. But you’re on social media holding your pregnant belly, talking’bout, it’s stepdaddy season. How would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot?”
“Nobody knows I’m pregnant by you except Kaynaan. And as far as I’m concerned, nobody ever has to.” I sighed. “My bad if the post came off as if I was trying to embarrass you. I really wasn’t. I was just trying to celebrate and support the man who’s been in my corner since I found out about this baby. You were out the door, Preston. And I don’t blame you for that, nor am I bitter about it. We were playing around. I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant. I get that. I never planned to try to make you be involved or attached your name in any shape, form, or fashion.”
