Page 73 of My Heart Belongs to You

Raven snickered as I wiped my mouth with a tissue. She reached into her crossbody bag and passed my lipstick.

“I'm glad you smoothed things over. Nadir had smoke coming from his ears when he saw Joseph.” Raven covered her mouth to muffle her cackles. I regretted confiding in my sister.

“We’re fine.”

“Okay, girl. Opal wants to take more pictures in the kitchen. They’re adjusting the lighting and all that stuff.”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Raven held the door open for me. “My sis had both her men showing up to support her and they played nice. I taught you well.”

All I could do was laugh because the whole situation was bizarre.

Doing the right thing wasn’t always easy. I hated having unfinished business and this thing with Joseph needed to end. Something in my gut told me dinner with Joseph wouldn’t go as planned. Ghosting him would have been immature and a text message seemed impersonal. I needed to extend the courtesy I’d want to him. The drive from Roseville to D.C. gave me enough time to think about our relationship. We started off hot and heavy. Unfortunately, it died down quickly. The slightest change in my routine happened and our relationship went off track. Sleepovers superseded dates and texts replaced phone calls. Our connection was hanging on by lust alone. And that simply wasn’t enough to hold my interest.

Joseph seemed to have options; why was he so determined to keep me around? I dwelled on the notion as I entered L'Ardente, an Italian restaurant in D.C. Our first date was here. I smiled as a wave of nostalgia overcame me. Knowing this would become the place we had our last date was a sort of twisted poetic justice I hadn’t considered before. My stomach was in knots. The sensation intensified when I got the urge to text Nadir. He'd do nothing but worsen my frail nerves. If I did this right, I’d be in his arms by eleven. All thoughts of Nadir ceased once I spotted Joseph waiting for me at the host stand. Wearing his usual collared shirt and chinos, Joseph looked handsome. He grinned like he hadn’t seen me a few hours ago.

“Good to see you again... so soon,” he said as we hugged.

I laughed. “Funny.”

We were escorted to our seats near the panoramic window. I looked outside and the streets buzzed with pedestrians and motorists. Joseph sat next to me in the booth, his eyes giving way to his thoughts. I ignored the heat creeping down my spine and ordered us a bottle of wine. The moment we were alone, Joseph was in my ear waxing poetically, telling me how fine I looked. I expected nothing less while wearing the sexiest dress in my closet.

“Thank you for gracing me with your presence,” he teased.

I hated the icky feeling that followed his statement. It seemed as if I was hard to reach.

“You act like you were lonely without me.”

He chuckled. “Just because I met someone else didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you.”

“How are things going with that?”

“Jumping right into it, huh?”

I shrugged. “Yes. Since you brought it up.”

Joseph sat back, sighing. “Well. I met her shortly after I met you. Had a one-night stand... and now she’s expecting.”

“Expecting?” My eyes widened. I looked around the room, hoping the Impractical Jokers would come out of hiding.

“Yes. I wanted to tell you sooner but decided to wait on the paternity results.”

“A baby?” I interrupted with furrowed eyebrows. This was all too much. Our waiter came over with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I missed the sommelier’s spiel as Joseph's revelation looped in my mind. For months he’d sat on this news, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.

“I know it sounds crazy.”

“Crazy is putting it lightly. Joseph, why did you wait so long to tell me?”

He picked up his wine glass and gulped the cabernet. “Initially, I wanted to make sure the kid was mine. The longer I waited, the more I feared losing you.” He took another drink of wine. “Then once I got the results, I knew it would be the end for us.”

I snorted. “We never really started.”

“Another reason I waited. I thought that after things slowed down for you, we would pick up where we left off.”

“Pick up where we left off? While you’re taking care of a newborn?” I stared at him like he had three heads. Nothing he said made sense. To continue pursuing me, knowing his paternity was in question, was not only selfish but manipulative. I balled my fists in my lap. Heat flooded my body and my heart raced.

“Robyn, listen. I know it sounds bad.”