Page 32

GENIKA

Two days later…

“I plan on going to see Adir again.”

“Why did you even go up there in the first place?” I grilled my sister for overstepping my boundaries once again.

First, she had to go embarrass herself by fighting Coco at that damn football game.

Then, she called me to gloat about how she actually showed up at Adir’s place of business begging him to take me back like I was that desperate.

Well, I was that desperate.

Still, I hadn’t told my sister about Minnie Bell visiting me.

That shit was going with me to the grave.

My family was wealthy and had connections.

However, they weren’t on the level of fuckery that Adir was on.

There was no way they’d go up against him.

Not successfully anyway.

“What the hell you mean, Genika? You are pregnant with his child! You better not let him think he’s just gon’ get away without taking responsibility! Shit, he got all those damn kids and wants to disown yours! I’m not standing for that!”

“Gensen, I stopped talkin’ to you for weeks just because you went to see that man. Leave him alone, please. Especially after what happened the other day.” She was stressing me the hell out, and that was the last thing I needed.

Adir was out for blood, and I didn’t want that shit darkening my sister’s doorstep.

She smacked her teeth loudly.

“Fuck everything connected to Adir! That fuckin’ wife of his is the reason you’re in this situation in the first damn place. What you’re doing is stupid, Genika. I just want you to know that. I don’t agree with you letting him get away with this.”

“You don’t have to like it. I’m cool on Adir.”

My comment rendered my sister speechless.

It even sounded crazy to me coming out of my mouth.

Just a little while ago, I’d confronted Coco about the fact that Adir would in fact be in his child’s life.

Now… Now I just wanted this shit to blow over.

“You’re insane,” Gensen mumbled.

“I’m not. I just want to enjoy my new year without stressing over what a man will or won’t do for me and his child.”

Out done, my sister stared at me.

She’d shown up a few minutes ago bearing lunch.

I wasn’t surprised. I’d gone the entire holiday season without speaking to her.

Gensen and I were only two years apart and as close as twins.

We got our beautiful bone structure, high eyebrows, and long ginger hair from our mother.

Our light eyes were the only thing we inherited from our father.

We were absolutely stunning to the eyes and could have had any and everything we wanted.

Including a man. Any man.

“So, that’s it?”

I nodded.

“Thank you for lunch, though.” I kissed her cheek, then sailed to my office to prepare for my afternoon clinic.

Moving through my afternoon clinic was rough.

If I wasn’t thinking about the cramping in my lower back, I was wondering how I was going to raise a child on my own.

I knew it was possible.

However, I’d never wanted this for my life.

I wanted to be married, settled down, and…

happy. Instead, I was knee deep in patients and lacking any type of love from a man.

Truthfully, it was depressing as hell.

I arrived home and thought about nothing other than enjoying a nice dinner and settling in for a good movie.

My living room was covered in baby items from diapers to an expensive swing set.

Against my parents’ wishes, I didn’t have a baby shower.

Once I realized this was serious business, the fluff of it all died on me.

I was no longer excited and no longer looking forward to seeing my baby like I once did.

I hated that for me because I truly wanted my baby more than anything.

Tears formed in my eyes, which I quickly dashed away.

Instead of wallowing in grief for what would never be, I ordered myself some takeout and drew a nice warm bath to soak in before it arrived.

Thirty minutes later, I was a little more refreshed and just in time to catch the door as the delivery man showed up.

I paid his handsome self a nice tip, then carried my big belly self to the couch to enjoy my meal.

My due date was two weeks away.

Some thought I was crazy to continue to work through my pregnancy.

I had to though. It was the only way I kept my mind from continuously wandering throughout the day.

Work kept me busy and kept Adir off my mind.

After eating my entire meal, I fell asleep watching my favorite dinosaur movie.

What seemed like hours later, I was jarred awake by someone standing over me.

“Shit! You scared me!” Sitting up, I glared at him.

“What are you doing here?” I hated that he had a key to my place.

However, it was the only way I could keep him from harassing me otherwise.

“The fuck you mean? I pay for this shit.”

I stood and placed my hand on my hip as my eyebrows bunched together.

“Has it skipped your mind that I can afford to pay my own shit? Let’s not get it twisted. The only reason you’re paying for this place is because you owe me. Right?

Some of the wind left his chest. “I’m sorry, baby.

”

Inwardly, I cringed at him calling me that.

“Look, it’s been crazy lately, aight. I’m sorry.”

He attempted to touch me, but I took a step back.

“What are you here for?”

Scratching the back of his head, he brushed off my rejection and said, “We gotta think of a plan B.”

I cocked my head.

“Excuse me? We don’t have to think of shit. I’m done. Adir is tearing the city apart, and you want me to risk everything I have for the likes of you?”

He chuckled.

“What? What happened to I want my man back by any means necessary ?”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I asked, “Where did you hear that?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just know that I know you want the same thing that I do.”

Putting some space between us, I grimaced at a cramp that attacked my lower back.

“I don’t want anything. Leave me out of whatever you have going on.”

This time he laughed heartily.

“You think it’s that easy? You’re knee deep in this shit, Genika. Sooner or later, he’ll find out.”

“No, he won’t. If I go down, do you really think I’m going to give a fuck about who you are?”

“You should give a fuck.” His tone deepened.

“You’re right, I probably should. No matter how afraid of you I am, I won’t take the fall for you.”

He approached me with his hands resting deep in his pockets.

“What happened to you, Genika? You used to be so…arrogant and willing to do anything for what you wanted.”

He was right.

That used to be the old me before a child knocked some damn sense into me.

I spent too much time trying to fight for a man who wasn’t mine.

“What changed you?”

“My son,” I answered and rubbed my belly.

My baby boy was in there doing tricks.

“He’s the offspring of a man like Adir. Don’t get ya hopes up.”

Perturbed, I pursed my lips.

“If you don’t need anything, I’d like for you to leave.”

“You’re really gon’ protect him? After all he’s done to you?”

I said nothing.

“I’d be surprised if he even takes one look at the child y’all made.”

“ We made,” I corrected him.

His eyes held something distant and cold.

“We?”

Reluctantly, I nodded.

“That’s a lie!” he blasted.

“It isn’t!” I exclaimed.

Shit! I wasn’t thrilled to be having this man’s child.

“My due date is in less than two weeks. If I try to petition him for child support, he will find out that this baby does not belong to him. I’d rather bow out gracefully and leave that man alone.”

“It’s not that fuckin’ simple, Genika!”

“Why the hell not—”

Before I could finish my statement, he had me in the air.

I came down hard, cracking my arm against the hardwood floor beneath me.

“Ahh!” I cried out in pain and shielded my stomach.

“Dumb bitch! This was never the fuckin’ plan!”

With tears rolling down my face, I attempted to stand to my feet.

He pushed me hard, and my feet weren’t quick enough to keep me from falling.

Laying in the middle of the floor, I cried and fought like hell to catch my breath.

He disappeared for a minute, leaving me there writhing in pain.

Then, there he was again.

Dazed, I went in and out of consciousness as I felt something dripping onto my face.

He opened my mouth and as I fruitlessly tried moving my arms, I couldn’t.