Then, Raven laughed—sharp and disbelieving.
“Awhat?”
“A surrogate,” I repeated, my voice steadier now. “I’m carrying a baby for someone. That’s where the money came from. I already started the injections. Got my first payment.”
Honor’s mouth fell open. I told her about it, but I guess she didn’t think I’d go through it.
Saroya just blinked, processing. “So that’s the interview you had?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Raven leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her expression shifting from disbelief to something sharper.
“Who?” she asked.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“The fuck you mean you can’t tell us?”
“I signed an NDA,” I said. “I legally can’t tell you who it is. That’s part of the contract.”
Raven sat back, her jaw tight.
“So, you just out here carrying some random person’s baby, and we supposed to be okay with that?”
“I didn’t say you had to be okay with it,” I said, my voice rising slightly. “I’m just telling you what I’m doing.”
“Truth—” Saroya started, but Raven cut her off.
“Nah, hold on.” Raven pointed at me. “You really expect us to believe you signed some contract with a stranger and now you just walking around pregnant for money?”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “Because that’s exactly what I did.”
“And you can’t tell us who it is?”
“No.”
“Not even a little bit?”
“No, Raven. That’s what NDA means.”
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then she laughed again—but this time it was different. Knowing.
“Ain’t nobody stupid, Truth.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Mama already told us.”
My stomach dropped.
“Told you what?”
“About that fine ass rich nigga who came to the house,” Raven said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “The one who was in the yard with Mama nem eating crawfish and shit in an expensive ass outfit. The one who sent a whole doctor to the house in the middle of the night.”
I opened my mouth and closed it.
