Page 44 of Certified Pressure 3 (Certified Pressure #3)
Crystal Bay
Three days later…
When the Uber driver parked in front of my parents’ house, I quickly slid out of the backseat, feeling anxious but trying not to show it.
My palms were sweating, and my stomach felt twisted in knots.
This wasn’t my first time pulling up here, but something about today felt heavier.
I was still trying to process the fact that I was pregnant, and even though I didn’t have the best relationship with my mama, a part of me needed to see her face when I told her.
I wanted to see that look of surprise, and that moment where she finally had to acknowledge that I was doing something right.
The house looked the same as always, big and beautiful with that fake warmth that came from the outside.
You would never know how cold it felt inside once you stepped through those doors.
I stood there for a second, adjusting my purse on my shoulder, then reached for my key.
The second the door clicked open, I could smell my mama’s perfume mixed with wine.
I walked in, closing the door behind me. The sound of heels tapping on the tile came from the bar area, and when I turned the corner, there she was.
She was sitting at the bar with a glass of red wine in her hand, wearing a silk robe that matched her name, her hair laid to perfection and makeup flawless like she was always ready for a camera. She looked up at me with that same unreadable expression she always had.
“Well, look who finally decided to visit,” she said, smirking a before taking another sip of her wine.
“Hey, Mama,” I said softly, walking over to give her a hug. She hugged me back, but it was one of those hugs that didn’t hold any warmth. It felt like a performance more than affection.
“It’s nice to see you,” she said, pulling back and giving me a once-over. “You look… grown.”
I could already feel the undertone in her voice. It was never just a compliment with her. I sat down on one of the stools across from her, trying to keep my energy calm.
“It’s nice to see you too,” I said.
She swirled her wine around before taking another slow sip. “So what brings you here? I thought you were too busy planning that big wedding of yours.”
I could feel the sarcasm dripping off her words, but I smiled anyway. “I’ve been busy, yeah. The wedding is a lot. I wish you could’ve come out to help me with it though.”
She looked at me over the rim of her glass and raised an eyebrow. “Oh baby, you know how things are. Your daddy had a business trip, and I didn’t want to leave the house empty. Plus, you have all those planners and stylists. What you need me for?”
I bit down on my tongue. She always had an excuse; every single time, but I wasn’t about to get into it. I had something else to share, and I wanted to get to it before the mood shifted.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I actually came to tell you something.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine again. “Oh? You finally picked your dress?”
I smiled to myself, this small confident smile that I had been holding in ever since I took that pregnancy test. “Nah. Something bigger than that.”
She put her glass down on the counter. “Well go ahead, spit it out.”
That was my moment. I reached into my purse, pulled out the pregnancy test, and slid it across the counter toward her. “I’m pregnant.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but the excitement I expected never came. She stared down at the test, squinting, then lifted it up toward the light.
“Well,” she said after a long pause, “that second line looks real faint. You sure this ain’t one of them cheap ones from the dollar store?”
Her words hit like a slap. I stared at her, stunned. “Mama, I’m serious. I missed my period. I’m pregnant.”
She took another sip of her wine, completely unbothered. “You’ve missed your period plenty of times before, Kashmere. You know your cycle ain’t never been regular. You probably just stressed.”
My chest started to burn. I tried to stay calm, but my patience was wearing thin. “I know my body, Mama. This ain’t stress. I’m pregnant for real.”
She sighed dramatically, like I was already tiring her out. “Well until a doctor tells you that, I’m not going to get my hopes up. You young girls love to jump the gun before getting real proof. It’s cute though.”
I felt my jaw clench. “You always do that.”
“Do what?” she asked innocently, swirling her wine again.
“Downplay everything I do, and make me feel like I’m never enough. I came to tell you something that’s important to me, and you can’t even be happy for me for five damn seconds.”
She rolled her eyes. “Kashmere, stop being dramatic. I’m just saying you should make sure before you start claiming babies. I’m not trying to come down on you, but that second line is barely there. That’s not my fault.”
That was it. Something in me snapped. “You know what, Mama? You lowkey hate me. You always got something slick to say, like it kills you to see me happy.”
She laughed softly, like I was a child throwing a tantrum. “You sound ridiculous, baby. I’m your mother. I could never hate you.”
I stood up, anger rising fast. “You won’t even come help me with my wedding. I’m getting married, Mama. This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life, and you act like it don’t even matter.”
“You’re in over your head, Kash,” she said calmly, still sipping her wine. “You think getting married and having babies makes you grown, but you don’t know what being a wife really means.”
I shook my head, laughing bitterly. “I’m in over my head? You in over yours for lettin’ Daddy sleep with every woman in the city and still staying with him.”
Her glass froze halfway to her lips. She put it down slowly. “Watch your mouth.”
“Nah,” I said, my voice rising. “I’m tired of watching my mouth. You sit up here acting like you above me when you ain’t got no control over your own damn man. You mad at me because Daddy actually love me the way you want him to love you. That’s your problem.”
Her face changed. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into that tight smile she got when she was about to explode. She stood up slowly, grabbed her glass, and before I could say another word, she threw it right in my face.
The red wine splashed across my cheeks and burned my eyes. I gasped, wiping it away as tears mixed with the wine. My chest felt heavy, not just from the sting but from the hurt that came with it.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” she snapped. “And don’t you ever come back.”
I stood there for a second, shaking, blinking away the sting as my heart pounded in my ears. My throat felt tight, but I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.
I took a deep breath and looked her dead in the eye. “Putting me out and trying to push me away ain’t gon’ make Daddy love you better.”
Her expression froze. For a second, I thought she might throw something else, but I didn’t wait to find out. I grabbed my purse and walked toward the door.
The moment I stepped outside, the air hit my face. I didn’t realize I was crying until the tears started falling faster. I wiped them with the back of my hand, walking down the path toward the street.
I had lost my mama that day, but the truth was, I never really had her to begin with.
Days later…
Words couldn’t express the joy I felt when me and Pressure arrived at the doctor’s office.
I had been waiting for this day ever since I took that test. Even though things between me and my mama had gone left, I was trying my hardest to believe something good could still come out of everything.
The drive over had been quiet, Pressure barely saying anything as usual, but just having him here beside me meant something.
After the way I broke down in his arms the other night, I didn’t think he’d leave my side for a while, and he didn’t.
He was right here, doing what he was supposed to do, being the man I needed him to be.
The doctor’s office wasn’t like the regular ones I had grown up seeing.
This was a private clinic, clean and quiet with the kind of luxury you could only afford when your man had money.
The walls were a soft ivory with gold accents, a water fountain trickled from somewhere in the corner, and the whole room smelled like eucalyptus and fresh linen instead of hand sanitizer.
Everything about it made me nervous because it felt like something real was about to happen.
The receptionist wore a soft smile when we walked in. She greeted us politely, then handed me a clipboard with paperwork. Pressure told her to just bill it to his account, and she nodded quickly, like she had already been told that would be the case.
I sat down next to him and started filling out the forms, my hand trembling just a little. Every now and then I would glance at him, but he was just scrolling through his phone, calm and unreadable as always. His posture was relaxed, but I could tell his mind was somewhere else.
When I finished the paperwork, the nurse called my name, and Pressure stood with me. We followed her through a long hallway lined with framed photos of smiling families and healthy babies. It made my stomach twist because I wanted that to be us.
The nurse led us into a private room that looked more like a spa than a clinic.
There was a sleek hospital bed in the center, surrounded by silver equipment that looked brand new.
A soft instrumental track played from a speaker in the ceiling, and I could tell this was the kind of place where everything was done quietly, carefully, and discreetly.
“Go ahead and change into the gown for me,” the nurse said kindly before handing me one folded neatly from the counter.
Pressure sat down in the chair near the bed with his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at his phone again. I slipped behind the curtain, changed into the gown, and tied it up in the back. My heart was pounding, and I kept telling myself to relax, but my thoughts were everywhere.