Page 7 of Falling for Lucifer

Ellodie turned to face Harley and absentmindedly placed her hand on her stomach before she remembered there was no longer a bump.

There was a slight pudge, but she knew her flat stomach would be back in no time.

“I’m . . . fine. Physically, I mean. I’m good physically.

I mean, my breasts hurt, but when I pump, it’s better.

Other than that, mentally has been . . .

” She glanced over at Lucifer and wondered how much she should say in front of him.

Then she remembered he had been with her during the most vulnerable and important moment of her life and decided him knowing her feelings wouldn’t do any harm.

“It’s been hard. I feel sad a lot and lonely. ”

She looked at the ground when she said that last part.

“That’s normal, honey,” Harley encouraged. “When does Yasmine get back?”

“A few more days.”

“And have you talked to your parents at all?” Harley asked.

Ellodie stiffened. She hadn’t. Her mother called her a few times, but Ellodie hadn’t answered. If Kamilah wanted to see her daughter or granddaughter, she would pop up at her house. All her mother wanted was to berate Ellodie more and remind her of how much of a fuck up she was in her eyes.

Her father not reaching out surprised her. Of course, she could have called him, but she knew with him always came her mother. She typically avoided him for that reason. It sucked for her, because if her mom wasn’t in the way, she knew she would be such a daddy’s girl.

“No.” Elodie kept her response short.

Harley sighed, and she looked tired. “I would normally do more of a checkup with you, Ellodie, but I have to be real. I have the itis, and I’m tired as hell.

I’ll just say this . . . You just had a baby.

Your first baby. You need people around you to support you.

You can absolutely do it on your own, but if you don’t have to, don’t. Okay?”

All Ellodie could do was nod because she felt tears gathering in her eyes.

Harley didn’t understand that she really did have to do it alone, at least until Yasmine got back home.

Her mother would only make her want to jump off a damn bridge, and she didn’t really talk to the rest of her family like that.

The only person she could think of to call would be her uncle Martin, Yasmine’s father, but he didn’t know anything about taking care of a baby or offering emotional support.

He was the overprotector of Ellodie and Yasmine and would fuck anyone up over them.

He spoiled them and could buy her whatever she wanted, but Ellodie could already do that for herself.

Harley slowly stood. “Where’s Etta?”

“She’s sleeping in my room. I’ll show you.

” Ellodie walked ahead of Harley and down the hall to her room.

Ellodie padded over to the bassinet and smiled as she gently picked Etta up.

Etta squirmed a little and whined, but Ellodie quickly soothed her by bouncing her slightly and patting her back.

“We can go to the nursery across the hall.”

Ellodie led Harley across the hall and into the light pink painted room. Harley spotted the rocking chair and made a beeline toward it. Ellodie giggled. She spent a long time researching the perfect rocking chair, and if Harley wasn’t careful, she would fall asleep in it.

“Hand me that baby. I can check her out right from here. You go on and talk to Lu. I know you want to.” Harley smiled up at Ellodie knowingly as she stretched her arms out for Etta.

Ellodie handed the baby over as she giggled. “Not necessarily. I can stay?—”

“Go,” Harley said with a tone of finality.

Ellodie stood there awkwardly for a moment before she looked down at her daughter. She seemed content with Harley, so she felt comfortable to turn around and go back into the living room.

Lucifer still stood in the living room with his hands in the pockets of his joggers.

He looked at her wall, where photos of her and Yasmine filled the space.

It gave Ellodie a moment to admire him. He was tall.

Taller than the average man, and his skin was beautifully dark.

He had a ton of tattoos and muscles all over his hard frame.

The smell filling her living room because of his cologne was heavenly.

“You just gonna stare at me, or you gonna say something?” Lucifer asked with his back still turned toward her. It startled her a bit, but she quickly smiled as she shook her head.

“It’s good to see you, Lu.” She took a few steps toward him, unable to stop herself. She craved to be near him.

“I bet it is,” he replied as he turned around. “Why you ain’t call me if you were lonely?”

That question caused her head to swim. “I didn’t even know that was an option.”

“You got my number, don’t you?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, but?—”

“I don’t give my number out for no reason, love. If you’re lonely, hit me up.”

Something about what he said and the way he said it made her heart stir with security. She looked directly into his eyes and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He nodded and looked like he was going to say something else, and she longed to know what it was because she could listen to him talk all damn day, but her phone rang and interrupted the moment.

She peeked over the couch at her phone where she left it earlier and realized it was her father calling. Her heart skipped a beat, and fresh tears threatened to fall.

Lucifer must have seen who was calling, too, because he said, “You should get that.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, she obeyed. Ellodie picked up her phone and swiped her finger across the screen.

“Daddy?”

“Now why the hell did I have to hear from your mother that you had your baby?”

Ellodie had to pull her ear away from the phone. Her father’s voice always sounded as loud as thunder, even when she turned the volume all the way down on her phone.

“Dad, you know how it is?—”

“My granddaughter has been in the world for three days, and I’m just finding out? You don’t think that’s a problem?”

“Wait, you just found out? I thought you knew the day I gave birth. I thought you might come to the hospital to meet her . . .” Tears gathered in her eyes, and she finally allowed them to fall.

The realization that her mother waited to tell her father about Etta broke her heart.

It had never crossed her mind that her mother would do that, but it made sense.

She didn’t do anything that didn’t benefit her.

Most likely, Kamilah let it slip on accident.

“Daddy, I’m sorry. I should have known better.

That woman hates me . . . Of course she didn’t tell you. ”

Silence filled the line before her father spoke. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll deal with her for not telling me, but you and me have to work on our communication. I have a granddaughter, and I don’t want to miss anything else. You hear me?”

Ellodie sniffled. Her father wasn’t wrong, but she felt like what he asked was impossible. “We can try, Daddy, but you know how that wife of yours is.”

He sighed. “We gon’ work something out, sweet pea. Tell me about my granddaughter.”

“Antoinetta is perfect,” she said with a smile as she glanced at Lucifer. It was clear to her that he could clearly hear her conversation. Her father was that loud, but it didn’t bother her that he was listening. She pointed at the couch and whispered, “Sit.”

He kept his eyes on her as he slowly walked to the couch and sat down. She took that opportunity to walk over to the refrigerator in the open concept kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She walked over to Lucifer and handed it to him as she listened to her father speak.

“Antoinetta.” She heard the emotion in his voice. “After Mama?”

Ellodie giggled as she sat on the couch.

She realized she sat extremely close to Lucifer.

When he put his arm across the back of the couch behind her, she almost melted.

Being this close to him did something to her insides that she wanted to explore, but first, she had to get her father off the phone.

“Yes, after that old woman.” She paused for a moment as she thought about her grandmother. Her death had been hard on the family, but especially on her. Her grandmother hated her mother and was Ellodie’s biggest advocate. “I miss her.”

“Me too.”

“Listen, Daddy, my midwife is here, so let me get back to her. I’ll send you some photos of Etta and call you back later, okay?”

“Well, hold on now. I was going to stop by. You up to seeing your old man?”

Ellodie shook her head as if her father could see her. “I don’t want to see Mama. You know if you even look like you’re about to leave the house, she’s either going to come with you or follow your location.”

Her father grumbled something under his breath before saying, “Fine. But your mother put together a huge party this weekend so the family can meet Antoinetta?—”

“Etta, Daddy. We’ll call her Etta for short.”

“Etta. Your mother planned a party for Etta,” he finished.

“She doesn’t even know her damn name, but she’s planning her a party?” That irritated Ellodie.

“I know, sweet pea, but try to keep the peace and come, okay? I want to meet her, and I know the rest of the family does. My baby has a baby. This is one thing your mother got right. You and Etta should be celebrated.”

“Fine,” Ellodie replied. She didn’t want to share Etta with her mother, but she didn’t want to keep her daughter away from the rest of her extended family. They were good people, even though she wasn’t that close with them, and Etta deserved to grow up around their love.

“Good. And bring Etta’s father. Your mother had plenty to say about him, but I want to meet him for myself, and sweet pea? That’s not up for negotiation. Love you.”

Before Ellodie could reply, her father hung up. She looked over at Lucifer with wide eyes. He shook his head, and Ellodie immediately knew he heard exactly what her father said.

When he looked at her again, a playful smirk formed on his lips. “Let me guess? You want me to play pretend?”

She bit her lip, completely unsure of how to respond.

The other day when she brought it up, she had been only half joking about pretending that he was her baby daddy.

Now, she felt like her back was up against a wall.

Her family didn’t really know how to take no for an answer, and she could only imagine the words her mother would have for her if she showed up without Lucifer.

Looking into his eyes, she asked, “If I said yes, are you going to turn me down again?”

He chuckled and dropped his chin to his chest before glancing over at her. “It was hard enough to say no to you the first time. You expect me to say no now?”

Her eyes lit up with relief. In the back of her head, she knew this was childish.

She knew she should just stand up to her parents and let them know the truth.

Her baby daddy was an abusive asshole that had yet to meet his daughter, but the allure of spending more time with Lucifer and not having to hear her mother’s mouth overpowered that voice.

With a challenge in her eyes, she gazed at him as her lips turned up, before she said the words that felt like they might change her life forever. “Not really.”