Page 33

COCO

“Many in the healthcare community are mourning the loss of the beloved Dr. Genika Grace. Grace was found unresponsive in her home by her father this morning. Medical officials were able to successfully deliver Dr. Grace’s baby boy. Unfortunately, Dr. Grace did not regain consciousness. Authorities haven’t released a cause of death, but her family has issued a statement. They say this all seems to be a terrible tragedy. According to Mr. Grace, Genika appears to have stumbled down her stairs. Many are saddened and horrified by the loss of such a beautiful and vibrant member of Niceville Shores’s community.”

Something inside of me truly felt bad for Genika.

No matter what she did to me throughout the time I’d known her, never getting to meet her son was a travesty.

I thought back to the last time we crossed paths.

That was weeks ago. Hearing the excitement in Genika’s voice to finally meet her baby brought out the mother inside me.

The boys meant everything to me and so did the baby I carried.

Standing from the bed, I solemnly ascended the stairs to prepare myself a bath.

Adir wouldn’t be home until later, and I needed to do something to keep my mind off Genika’s untimely death.

A warm bath and sleep was what I needed.

While the water ran, I stood at the sink to brush my teeth and handle my face routine.

Lastly, I secured my hair inside of a bonnet before stripping and climbing into the piping hot water.

I giggled at my baby wiggling inside my belly.

In just three short months, I would be delivering him or her.

Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the porcelain tub and gently rubbed my belly.

What seemed like hours later, something jarred me awake.

The water was cold around me, causing me to wince.

Gently, I climbed from the tub and grabbed a towel.

Hurrying from the bathroom, I rushed down the stairs to get to my phone.

Hopefully, Adir hadn’t been blowing me up.

Swiping the phone off the bed, I found a single message from him.

Hubby: Call me when you get out of the tub.

I should’ve known , I thought with a chuckle.

Tossing the phone back on the bed, I went back up the stairs to get something to wear to bed.

After moisturizing my body, I settled for a light pink loungewear set and pink socks.

Sighing, I headed back down the stairs.

Once I was comfortable, I video called my man.

“Baby,” he answered.

“Hey, baby.” I was certain that Adir felt some type of way about Genika’s passing.

Looking at his face right now, I searched for anything that told me he was upset.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him.

“Are you good?” he questioned instead.

I nodded. “I am.”

“Then, I’m good.”

Softly, I smiled.

“I won’t be upset if you feel a way.”

His grin was mischievous.

“If I felt a way, you’d be the first to know. Did I fuck with Genika heavy for a time? Yes, I did. It was never about love. The only woman I’ve ever loved is staring at me like she wants me to come home early.”

Smacking my teeth, I said, “This isn’t a joke, Adir.”

“Ooh, I’m Adir?” His head tilted, and his lip slightly lifted with the way he screwed his face up.

“I’m just saying… Genika was a part of your life.”

“Which I’ve already agreed to. My concern is my family.”

“What about her baby?”

For a second, he said nothing.

“Exactly.”

“That’s not why I’m quiet, my baby.”

“Then, why are you?”

He sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“He looks just like I did as a baby.”

His admission stunned me into silence.

“I wanted to deny it, but…”

“You can’t,” I mumbled.

“I can’t. It didn’t help that my mama confirmed it.”

I should’ve prepared myself for this.

The devastation caused tears to well up in my eyes.

All the time I spent going back and forth with Genika and now she was dead.

There was no way I could apologize to her for thinking that she’d been lying.

“Don’t cry,” Adir uttered.

“Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Wiping my eyes, I hated to feel like we had taken a step back.

Through everything we’d been through, this was something that I truly wasn’t prepared for.

“This doesn’t change the way I feel about you or what we have.”

“It changes everything,” I whispered.

This time his face read something deadly.

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like the fact that you can’t let someone else raise your child, Adir.” There was no way he would allow that.

Which meant Genika’s…

his baby was likely to be raised in this house.

His office door opened, snagging his attention.

Briefly, he talked to the person who entered.

“Baby girl, I have a patient I need to see. We’ll talk when I get home, aight?”

I simply nodded.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too, baby.” And I did.

Regardless, I had to find a way to be okay with the turn of events.

Hanging up the phone, I placed it down, put my face in my hands, and cried.

Just that quickly, things seemed to shift.

Feeling like I needed some fresh air, I donned my slippers and slipped out of the room.

The backyard was my second sanctuary.

Sinking my feet into the grass was what I needed right now.

Especially since I felt myself filling with anxiety over what was to come for our household.

Stepping out of my shoes and removing my socks, I sank my feet into the lush grass and walked the perimeter of the yard.

It was newly evening, and the insects of the night had yet to make their appearance.

As I walked, I thought about what welcoming another child into our home meant.

I wouldn’t dare mistreat the baby Adir made with Genika.

Welcoming their son into our home wasn’t even the issue.

My issue was…this was no longer starting to feel like the fairytale I’d thought it to be.

Especially since the shooting.

Reality was that my husband was a Bell, and his ex gave birth to a Bell.

“You can have ten of his children and my baby will still bear the Bell name. My baby is a Bell.”

Right.

Genika’s last statement to me rang so loudly in my head that the tears started again.

To think I’d been so smug and sure that my man hadn’t impregnated her, and now she was gone.

Leaning my head toward the sky, I inhaled a deep breath, then slowly released it.

I wanted to call Haven.

However, she was still mentally recovering from being shot.

The last thing I wanted to do was dump my problems on her.

These last few days started to weigh on me.

I went from being shot at to realizing that everything wasn’t as it seemed.

Russ nearly lost his life protecting me and that even had me afraid to leave Bell Estates.

I loved my life. However, the shooting had me stuck in fear.

It was like an ocean of cold water raining down on me.

“You can have ten of his children and my baby will still bear the Bell name. My baby is a Bell.”

Genika’s statement ate at me.

So much so, that I took another lap around the yard.

“Yep, girl, your baby is a Bell,” I mumbled to the air.

Something deep within me rose up, claiming the breath in my body.

My steps slowed as my heart pounded in my ears.

Chewing at my bottom lip, I paced, worrying over those last words Genika said to me.

“You’re crazy,” I said to myself.

There was no way what I thought was actually true.

“You’re grasping at straws, Coco. Just accept what it is.”

I couldn’t though. Something was off.