“That’s the baby daddy,” Raven continued, leaning forward again. “The fuck. You think we stupid?”
“I didn’t?—”
“You didn’t think Mama was gon’ tell us?” Raven shook her head. “Girl, please. She called me the same night that doctor showed up. Said you was doing something dangerous, and she didn’t know how to stop you.”
I looked at Saroya.
She nodded slowly. “She called all of us.”
“Even me,” Honor added quietly.
I felt my face heat with anger and embarrassment.
“So y’all been knowing this whole time?”
“We beenwaiting,” Saroya corrected gently. “Waiting for you to tell us yourself.”
“And now you have,” Honor said, reaching across the table to touch my hand. “So, we can talk about it.”
“Ain’t nothing to talk about,” Raven said, picking up her mimosa. “She already did it. Already got the money. Already got the rich nigga’s baby probably growing in her.”
“Raven.” Saroya’s voice was sharp now.
“What?” Raven looked at her. “I’m just saying what everybody thinking. She out here playing surrogate for some man we don’t know, carrying his baby, and we supposed to just smile and nod?”
“You’re supposed to support her,” Saroya snapped. “That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Iamsupporting her?—”
“By calling her stupid?”
“I didn’t call her stupid. I said we ain’t stupid.”
“Same thing.”
“It’s not?—”
“Both of y’all need to chill,” Honor said, her voice cutting through the argument. She looked at me. “Truth. You okay?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure.
My phone buzzed on the table.
I glanced down.
A text from Amai.Good. Let me know if you need anything.
That was it.
Professional. Distant. Exactly what I’d told myself I wanted.
So why did it feel like a door closing?
I set the phone face-down and looked back at my sisters.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” Raven asked, her voice softer now. Less sharp. “Because this ain’t like taking a job at Popeyes, Truth. You carrying a whole baby. For nine months. And then you gotta give it away.”
