She was holding a large brown envelope. I wished I could have jumped up and smacked the shit out of this bitch.

“What’s inside?” Trae looked at the envelope as if she was carrying a ticking time bomb.

“Some recorded sessions that I think you need to hear. Also, I have something visual that I think you need to see. Take them, please. I have copies.”

Kaylin stepped over and he and I stuck our hands out to grab the envelope. But Trae was quicker than both of us, grabbing it and placing it behind his back. “No. I’m good, dawg. She said it’s just some tapes that I needed to listen to and something I needed to see. So, we’re going to check them out.”

The look on Kaylin’s face let me know that he was going to get into Mari’s ass.

I looked at the envelope, and I could say that now my festive mood was beginning to sink. Fast.

“Yo, didn’t I just say it? Shit was going to be coming at us, testing our bond. I barely got the words out of my mouth.” Trae reached back and held up the envelope. “Out of nowhere, Tasha. But don’t worry. I promised you we gonna handle shit as it comes. Whatever comes at us, it won’t shake us. Ride or Die. Our shit is unbreakable.”

“We are unbreakable,” I mumbled, trying to convince myself that the words coming out of my mouth were true.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Unbreakable,” I said louder, while wondering what in the world could be on those tapes.

At the same time, I wondered if Trae was for real about us being unbreakable. Coming from Mari, I just knew those tapes held something deep and dark. Was it going to be some shit that was gonna fuck up our marriage once and for all?

Chapter Eight

RICK

After I fluffed up Kyra’s pillows, I went to get a bottle of water and a warm cloth. Seeing her small body curled up into a knot on the bed had me worried.

“Kyra, maybe we should call an ambulance.”

“Rick, I’m not in labor and I’m not dying. I’m just a little lightheaded.” She unraveled and sat up. I opened the water and placed the bottle to her lips. She took a few swallows, bumping off half the bottle.

“I hope you’re not dehydrated,” I told her as she rested her head against the headboard.

“I’m fine.” She closed her eyes, and I placed the damp cloth to her forehead.

“Kyra, I—”

“Please. Not–oh!” She grabbed her stomach.

“What? What is it, Kyra?” I got excited.

“It felt like she just did two backwards flips.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?”

“The doctor told me.”

“When were you planning on telling me, the daddy, that I have a baby girl on the way?”