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He shook his head and left.
While I ate, I thought about the pregnancy tests in the back of my underwear drawer. They’d been sitting in there like a grenade with the pin half pulled, waiting for me to be brave enough to take them.
But today was the day.
I got the box and took them into the bathroom. I opened the first one and read the instructions even though I knew what to do. You just pee on the stick and wait. Scamming niggas was more complicated than this.
My hands were shaking so bad, I almost dropped the test in the toilet. I did what I had to do, placed it on the counter, and set a timer on my phone for three minutes. I scrolled my phone and tried to distract myself, but I nearly jumped out of my skin when the alarm went off.
Two clear lines.
I took the second test. Same result.
I sat on the edge of the tub with both tests in my hands. “Well shit,” I said.
Me, La’Belle Mafia Evans, a recently reformed scammer, reluctant fiancée, and now soon to be mother.
My foot tapped as I tried to figure out what I was feeling. I was pregnant by a man who’d forced a ring on my finger…but somehow became the man I loved.
I jumped at the sound of my phone vibrating on the sink. I was about to ignore it—I wasn’t in any state to talk to anybody right now—but the name on the screen stopped me.
Jody.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hi. Is this a good time?”
“Yeah. Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “What’s up?”
She exhaled. “I’ve been meaning to call.”
“Jody, I’m sorry—”
She cut me off. “La’Belle, stop. I didn’t call to hear you apologize. I’ve had some time to sit with everything and yeah, I was mad. Still a little pissed to be honest, but you’re my cousin and one of my best friends.”
I sniffled. “I thought you hated me.”
“I couldn’t hate you if I tried. I was scared and angry. I had to wear a wrist brace for two weeks after I fell running from Marco’s big ass.” She let out a small laugh. “But I made my own choices. You didn’t hold a gun to my head and force me to get into those accounts. That shit’s on me too.”
“I am still sorry,” I said. “I should’ve told Dez about Gideon from the jump and never let it go as far as it did. How’ve you been though? I miss you.”
“I’m good. Better.” She paused. “Marco’s actually been checking on me.”
I frowned. “Wait. Marco. Cardez’s Marco?”
“How many Marcos do you know, Belle?”
“The same nigga that snatched you up?”
She laughed. “Yes, bitch. He came by after everything went down because he felt bad about how it happened. And… he just kept coming back.”
This was a twist I never saw coming. “Jody. Are you messing with Marco?”
“We’re talking. That’s it.”
“Uh huh. Talking.” I stood and left the bathroom. “Talking to the nigga who kidnapped you. You sure this isn’t Stockholm Syndrome?”
“I know it sounds crazy—”
