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“Creed…”

“Leave me alone SB, for real.” he replied, grabbing his car keys and storming out of the house.

I knew he was pissed. But I also knew he needed time to process things, the same way I did.

By the time he came home that night, the house was quiet. I had put the kids down with Trina’s help, and she had already turned in for the night in the guest room.

I was in the master suite, sitting up in bed when the door creaked open. Creed walked in, his face unreadable. He stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed.

“I know you’re doing what you think is best,” he finally said. “But I’m not gonna pretend I’m happy about it.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Creed ran a hand over his face, exhaling. “I don’t wanna miss time with Cree. For the rest of the summer, I’m gonna be in California with you. Gio too, I’ll ask if Trina doesn’t mind tagging along to help out. I want as much time with my daughter as I can get before the season starts.”

I nodded. That was fair.

“And one more thing,” he added, his voice low and firm. “We can’t do this anymore.”

I blinked. “Do what?”

He locked eyes with me, his meaning clear. “This...whatever we’re doing,” he said, gesturing between us. “I can’t keep pretending like we’re together one minute and not the next. It’s messing with my head. We need to just co-parent. That’s it.”

I let his words sink in, stinging a little more than I expected. Finally, I nodded. “You’re right,” I admitted. “It’s not good for either of us.”

Even though I had been the one pushing distance between us, he was the one closing the door now—and for some reason, that realization hurt.

But this was what was best.

A few weeks later,I was a homeowner. I had stayed in Phoenix while the house was fully furnished, so when we arrived in California, it was ready to be lived in. The house was more than I imagined it would be.

Everything was bright, airy, open—warm enough to be homey but luxurious enough to be exactly what I was used to.

Gio and Cree had their own rooms, decorated perfectly. Cree’s nursery was soft, feminine, elegant. Gio’s room was fun, filled with all his favorite colors and characters. Of course I made space for him, not only for the rest of the summer but going forward. He didn’t come from my body, but he was mine and as long as I lived to breathe a breath of air, he would have a space in my home.

I found Creed standing in the middle of the living room, taking it all in. “This is really happening, huh?” he muttered.

I exhaled, nodding. “Yeah... it is.”

“Damn SB.”

I didn’t know what to say in response. I knew what he was going through, but it was no longer up to me to comfort him through it. He’d drawn the line, more than I had done. Maybe if I had drawn the line earlier, if I hadn’t been giving him false hope, we wouldn’t be here.

For the next few days, we settled into our new normal. Creed was hands-on with both kids, falling into an easy rhythm. But things between us had shifted.

Instead of sleeping in my bed, he took the guest room. Instead of lingering touches, we kept our distance. We hadn’t been intimate since the trip. And as much as I knew this was right... it still felt like an ending. One I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

The California sunpoured in through the massive windows of my home, bathing the living room in a soft, golden glow. Cree was on her play mat, babbling at her stuffed animals, her chubby little fingers grasping at the pink plush elephant that had quickly become her favorite.

She was six months old now.

Six months of late nights and early mornings. Six months of watching her grow, change, and become this tiny, beautiful force in my world.

She had Creed’s face. Those same honey-brown eyes that always saw straight through me, those thick lashes and that soft caramel skin. But her curls? Those were mine.

Being back home in California after so much time just felt right; being able to experience it with my baby girl made it ten times better. Sevyn had become a permanent fixture in my home, practically living in my guest room despite having his ownapartment in downtown LA. I couldn’t say I minded. He spoiled Cree and helped me with her as much as he could since Creed and Gio left.

Family was important.