Page 15 of Certified Pressure 3 (Certified Pressure #3)

I set it aside carefully and reached into another bag.

There were glass jars filled with imported teas, each labeled with notes about easing nausea or calming stress.

There was a tin of organic ginger candies, so carefully wrapped it almost felt like jewelry.

And there was lavender oil in a crystal bottle, the kind of thing you would expect to see sitting on a wealthy woman’s vanity.

At the bottom of the bag, wrapped in soft tissue, was a water bottle.

Not a regular water bottle, but a diamond-studded one, gleaming under the bedroom light.

I almost laughed because only Pressure would think to turn something simple into a statement.

He couldn’t help himself. Even when it came to prenatal care, he had to do it in a way that screamed wealth.

I pressed my hands to my face, fighting the rush of emotions that threatened to take over.

I didn’t want to fold under him, but he had a way of making it hard to keep my guard up.

He was showing me that even though he could be harsh, even though he lived in a world that felt nothing like mine, he cared about me and this baby.

And regardless of him being with Kashmere, I cared too.

Zurie came skipping into the room with her iPad already glowing in her hands.

“Plu, look! It’s pink everywhere, even the charger!

” she said, grinning wide before climbing onto the bed.

I smiled at her excitement and helped her adjust the settings so the brightness wouldn’t strain her eyes.

She sat with her legs crossed, scrolling and tapping like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.

By the time she dozed off, the iPad still glowing faintly against her small hands, I had cleaned up the bags and tucked everything neatly into the closet.

I sat on the edge of the bed watching her sleep, my thoughts circling back to what Pressure said earlier.

He told me I had decisions to make when it came to Zurie, and as much as I wanted to brush it off, I couldn’t.

He was right. Our parents hadn’t even tried.

My mama hadn’t called once since Zurie’s surgery, not even to check if she made it through.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around how a mother could ignore her own child like that, especially after something so serious.

My father’s silence was no surprise, not after everything that went down the night he put his hands on me, but my mama’s absence cut deeper.

I looked down at Zurie, her face soft in sleep with her lashes resting on her cheeks.

She was only six, too young to carry the kind of weight she had already lived through, but every day it became clearer that I was the one who had to step in.

Our parents didn’t want her, and I couldn’t keep letting that be an excuse to let her fall through the cracks.

I laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, my hand drifting to my stomach.

I was about to be twenty-five in a few months, and now I had a baby on the way.

My life couldn’t be about waiting around for people who didn’t care.

It was time for me to start moving like someone who knew exactly what she wanted.

If my parents didn’t want Zurie, then I had no choice but to take the steps to adopt her myself.

The thought made my chest heavy, but it also gave me a strange sense of relief. It was like the decision had already been made somewhere deep inside me, and I just had to say it out loud.

I slipped off the bed quietly and walked down the hall toward my uncle Lionel and Aunt Deanne’s room. The light was still on under the door, so I tapped softly.

“Come in,” Aunt Deanne called, her voice gentle.

I stepped inside and found them sitting up in bed. Uncle Lionel was reading something on his phone, and Deanne had her glasses on, scrolling on her tablet. They both looked up when they saw me, and Aunt Deanne gave me a warm smile. “What’s wrong, baby?”

I hesitated at the foot of the bed, suddenly nervous even though I knew I needed to say it. “I wanted to talk to y’all about something important.”

Uncle Lionel looked up from his phone and set it on the nightstand, giving me his full attention. “Go ahead.”

I took a deep breath and let the words come. “I want to adopt Zurie.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other, then back at me, like they were trying to make sure they heard me right. Finally, Aunt Deanne leaned forward, her eyes soft but searching. “Adopt her? As in… legally?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “I know it sounds like a lot, but our parents don’t care about her. They haven’t even checked on her since her surgery. She deserves more than being tossed aside. I’m going to be on my feet soon, and I just want your support and your help to move forward.”

Uncle Lionel rubbed his chin slowly, then nodded. “I can’t say I’m not surprised, but I can’t say I don’t understand either. You’ve already been raising that little girl. You’ve been her rock for as long as I can remember.”

Deanne tilted her head, studying me. “Have you talked to your parents about this?”

I shook my head. “No, and at this point, I don’t plan to. I just want to go through the court or whatever process it takes to make it official. I don’t want Zurie growing up wondering if anybody wants her. I want her to know she has me.“

Deanne reached over and touched my hand. “I’m proud of you, Pluto. You’re stepping into responsibility most people your age would run from. If this is what you truly want, then we’ll help you however we can. You won’t be doing this alone.”

The tightness in my chest loosened, and I felt tears sting my eyes. I nodded, swallowing hard. “Thank you. You don’t even know how much it means to hear that, but it’s everything right now.”

Uncle Lionel leaned back against the headboard. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, niece and if you ready to make this move, then we’ll back you up all the way.“

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight lift off me with every word. It wasn’t just about surviving anymore. It was about building something real.

I thanked them again and quietly left their room, walking back down the hall to the spare bedroom. Zurie was still curled up with the iPad in her hands. I smiled softly, slipped it out of her grasp, and put it on the charger. Then I slid into bed beside her, pulling the blanket over us both.

For the first time in a long time, I felt a flicker of hope. Pressure’s words at the park echoed in my mind, telling me I had decisions to make, and that now that I was carrying his baby, I had no choice but to live differently. I hated to admit it, but he was right.

As I laid still, listening to Zurie’s gentle breathing, I felt something shift inside me. I wasn’t just reacting to life anymore. I was about to start making the kind of choices that would change everything, and this time, I wasn’t afraid.