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I shook my head, irritated that she'd gone behind my back but unable to completely disagree with her. “You sound just like Malachi.”

“Good. Maybe somebody will finally get through that hard head of yours,” she replied, making me roll my eyes.

“Fuck you,” I muttered, earning a loud laugh from her. “Anyway, we found out the baby's gender today.”

Ashlynn gasped so loudly I nearly jumped. “BITCH! WHAT IS IT?”

I laughed, rubbing my stomach. “A girl.”

Her scream nearly blew out my speakers. “MY NIECE! Oh, I'm about to act a fucking fool!”

“Girl, you already got two babies to spoil.”

“And now I got another one. Mind your business,” she replied, laughing.

I shook my head, smiling as I turned toward my apartment. “Anyway, I can't stand you. Give my babies a kiss for me, and I'll see y'all this weekend.”

“Might be sooner than that,” she teased before bursting into laughter.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I demanded, but she'd already hung up.

“Messy ass.”

Ezra followed me inside, glancing around briefly while I kicked off my shoes. He slipped his hands into his pockets, taking another look before turning toward me.

“This is cool,” he said, nodding approvingly.

“Yeah. It ain’t no mansion, but it’s mine. Can’t nobody take it from me.” I set my purse on the counter, catching the slight change in his expression.

“Ain’t nobody took nothing from you, Jru.”

I turned toward him, folding my arms. “Speaking of which, what happened to that restaurant you promised me forty percent of? Because I remember walking through that building with you, telling you exactly how I wanted everything. But how can I trust any of that paperwork after the mess you pulled.”

Ezra rubbed his beard, looking almost offended. “Woman, that restaurant is finished. The bar, the kitchen, everything. Got a whole damn staff waiting to work. Your forty percent is legally documented, and you can have a lawyer look at every page. I ain’t opened it because I was waiting on you.”

I stared at him, surprised. “You’ve been sitting on a finished restaurant this whole time?”

“Shit, what you want me to do? Have the grand opening without my business partner?” He shook his head before his expression softened. “I meant what I told you, Jru. That place belongs to you too.”

I looked away, trying to process what he’d said. The restaurant was finished. He’d actually followed through with everything we’d discussed, even after I left. Somehow, knowing that made the conversation I’d been avoiding even harder.

I walked over to the couch and sat down, rubbing my stomach as Ezra took a seat at the opposite end. For a moment, neither of us spoke. I could feel him watching me, but for once, he wasn’t rushing to fill the silence.

“You know what hurt me the most?” I finally asked, turning toward him. “It wasn’t even just that woman in your office. It was hearing you say you were married and realizing I might’ve been somebody’s mistress without knowing it.”

Ezra’s jaw tightened, but he stayed quiet as I continued.

“And while I was trying to deal with that, my mama died. I had to identify her body, Ezra. Then I found out I was pregnant, and suddenly I’m trying to figure out how to be somebody’s mother when I ain’t even finished grieving my own.” My throat tightened, and I wiped at my eyes before the tears could fall. “I needed you. That’s the part that pisses me off. I needed you, and I couldn’t trust you.”

“Fuck, baby.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I knew you was hurting, but I ain’t realize how much of that shit you was carrying by yourself.”

“Because you never gave me a chance to tell you.” I looked directly at him, no longer trying to hide my tears. “You made me your wife without asking me, Ezra. Then everybody around me knew things about my own life that I didn’t. I felt like I couldn’t trust nobody, not even Ashlynn. I’m tired of people making decisions for me.”

He sat back, dragging a hand over his face before meeting my eyes. “You right. I was a selfish motherfucker. I wanted you so bad I convinced myself marrying you would keep you from leaving. That was fucked up, and I ain’t got no excuse for it.”

I watched him carefully, surprised that he wasn’t trying to justify himself.

“I’m forty-one years old, Jru, and you got my mind fucked up,” he continued, shaking his head. “Your smart mouth, that attitude, the way you work your ass off because you refuse to depend on anybody. Hell, even that damn perfume you won’t tell me the name of. I’m obsessed with all of it. But loving you don’t mean I get to make your choices. I understand that now.”