Page 33 of Before I Say I Don’t

Chapter Nineteen

ROMAN

I sat in the back corner of the bar, nursing a whiskey I hadn’t even sipped yet, eyes scanning the entrance every few seconds.

My mind wasn’t on the liquor; it was on Kamira.

The way she smiled when she thought I wasn’t looking.

The way she trusted me enough to tell me things she probably hadn’t said to anyone, not even out loud to herself.

And the way her scent was still clinging to my shirt as I prepared to sit across from her fiancé—evidence that what he called his was already slipping into mine.

This shit is getting dangerous.

I kept telling myself to be a gentleman, to give her space and let her come to me on her terms. But every time I was near Kamira, my patience took another hit. I wanted to cross every line there was, and the only thing stopping me was that I knew she wasn’t ready to burn her life down… not yet.

I saw him before he saw me—Viangelo, walking in with that cocky stride like the world owed him an audience. My thumb slid over the screen of my phone, hitting record before I waved him over.

“Roman,” he greeted, slapping my hand.

“Angelo,” I nodded. “You been good?”

“Man, just ready to get this wedding over with,” he admitted, dropping into the seat across from me. “Everything’s a damn checklist. Kam’s been… different lately, though.”

I raised a brow. “Different how?”

He shrugged. “Not cold exactly, but she ain’t been the same since last weeknd. It’s like… she’s somewhere else in her head. I keep telling myself I’ma tell her about the baby… but every time I freeze up.”

“Why?” I asked, even though I already knew.

Viangelo sighed, glancing around like somebody might overhear.

“It’s too close to the wedding, man. I can’t drop no heavy shit on her now. Hell, I’m marrying her next week. I’ll just tell her after the honeymoon. At that point… we’re married. She ain’t going nowhere.”

This nigga doesn’t even know he’s rehearsing for my moment and practicing vows for a crowd that won’t even remember his name once she’s mine.

“So your plan is to let her walk down that aisle… knowing damn well you got a whole baby tucked away and secrets stacked higher than your tux collar?”

He scoffed. “It ain’t like that; I just don’t want to ruin what we got over a mistake.”

“A mistake?” I scoffed lightly. “Nigga, a mistake is forgetting an anniversary or leaving the toilet seat up. Having an outside baby on yo’ girl ain’t no slip-up; that’s a whole other life you built on the side.

You think Kam is gonna swallow that shit better after she’s locked in?

She’ll swallow it, alright… then spit it right back in your face in front of everybody she knows. ”

Viangelo’s smirk faltered, just a crack.

“Damn, you sound like you’re rooting for her to leave my ass.”

Shid, I am, nigga.

“I’m rooting for her not to get blindsided,” I clarified.

“And I’m telling you this as someone who’s seen women turn ice cold for less.

If you wait, you’ll lose control of how she finds out.

Then it’s not just the truth that breaks her…

it’s the fact you let her stand up there smiling, promising forever, while you made her say vows with your hands full of lies. ”

Viangelo reclined, quiet for a second, like my words were heavier than he wanted to admit. Then he squinted at me.

“You think she’d cheat on me? I’m just asking because you know her.”

“ Knew , ” I corrected. “See, the Kam I knew back then? Different woman. The Kam you’re with now? That’s a new breed. And if you think she ain’t smart enough to see through you eventually… that’s your mistake number two.”

Truth was, I did know Kamira—the new her. I knew she deserved better. I knew she didn’t give a fuck about him the way he wanted to believe, and that she was already leaning my way, although neither of us had expressed it aloud.

Viangelo finally picked up his glass and took a long sip, covering silence with liquor.

“ Well, I appreciate the advice,” he said at last, forcing a laugh. “Don’t mean I’m gonna take it, but… I hear you.”

I smiled, slow. “ Good. Just remember, you can ignore advice, but you can’t ignore consequences. And trust me… consequences don’t whisper. Cheers to truth… and to the people strong enough to face it.”

I tilted my glass toward him. Viangelo clinked his against mine, smirk shaky but present, and downed it like liquor could drown what I’d just put in his head.

In my thoughts, though, I was already a mile ahead of him.

Toast all you want, nigga. You think this is a drink? Nah. This is a countdown. And when Kamira finally confronts yo’ ass, don’t worry; she won’t be left empty-handed… she’ll have me.