He nodded as he rounded the car and took the driver’s side. I watched as the car pulled away. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Phileigh leaving and getting into a fight with my mom wasn’t how the night was supposed to go. I made my way back up to the elevator, replaying everything that had been said in my mind.

“Fuck!” I groaned as I entered my home and plopped down on the couch. I allowed my body to sink into the cushions before I pulled my phone out. It only took me a second to end up scrolling through Phileigh’s social media page. I wanted to be there for her, to support her so badly. I had the sudden urge to hop on a private jet and pull up on her, but I had to be patient with all the press commitments I had piling up for the week. Besides, she needed space to sort being pregnant out in her own head, and I wanted to respect that.

I stared at her glowing smile on a post where she talked about her services, and peace swept over me. I clicked on her inbox and typed her a message.

KellonBarnes:

I’m not going anywhere. That’s my baby.

My thumb hovered over the send button before I deleted the message. That wasn’t what she needed right now. She needed time. Sending this message would only bombard her with a flood of emotions. Closing the app, I stood from the couch to head to bed.

“Give her time,” I said to myself.

I would come for her later. There was no way I was letting her go through this pregnancy alone.

Chapter 11

“I can’t believe you ditched that fine ass man,” Lolo blurted out like we weren’t sitting in the waiting room of my OBGYN.

I looked up from my phone and gave Lolo the side eye she deserved.

“Could you be any louder?” I whispered, glancing around the waiting room. Thankfully, nobody was paying attention to her crazy ass. “And to answer your question, yes I did. It was the right thing to do.”

“Blah, blah, blah. Bestie, are you seeing him, though?” Lolo exclaimed, gesturing toward a small television screen showing live footage of the Super Bowl victory parade. I reluctantly looked up at the screen I’d been avoiding since we arrived. There, Kellon was smiling and waving as the confetti rained onto the float he was riding.

I couldn’t deny that he looked fine as fuck up there. That sexy smile I missed radiated through the screen. Four days had gone by since I’d gotten my ass up out of his apartment and gone home. Ms. Barnes was practically planning our entire wedding. That woman was so happy to have a grandchild that it had my conscience going into overdrive. I had to bail.