Page 38

Your baby is the size of a cabbage this week.

Baby's brain is taking on characteristic grooves and indentations to allow for an increased amount of brain tissue.

Bone marrow has taken over the production of red blood cells.

This means she'll be better able to thrive on her own when she's born Baby is now weighing about 3 lbs and is 11 inches.

By week 30, Christmas was here and I was excited because we were planning to spend Christmas at Colts Neck as a family, this would be the first time in years that we all made it to the east coast.

The estate was decked out from top to bottom.

Three massive Christmas trees stood proudly in the great room, covered in ornaments, gold ribbons, and twinkling lights.

One tree was for our grandparents, and two others for each of their sons and their son’s families.

Gifts were stacked high, covering almost the entire floor. As always, we went all out.

I was excited because this year, Creed who for the past few Christmases had games on Christmas day was spending the holidays with us. This was thanks to the fact that he was playing the Knicks on Christmas Eve and would have a few days off before he needed to return to Phoenix.

Since he was playing in New York, my family had gotten a luxury box to watch him in person. Whenever I normally went to a game, Creed always made sure I had seats near the team’s bench and this was no exception.

I alternated between sitting with my family and watching from my fourth-row seat, directly behind the Suns’ bench. It was always exciting watching him play, but tonight? He was on fire.

He’d asked me before the game how many points I needed from him and when I told him 30, he acted like it was no big deal. I wasn’t surprised when he hit 6 three pointers in a row. He didn’t miss a single free throw and he ended the night with 32 points.

After the win, during his post-game interview, when they asked how he felt going into tonight’s game he said, "I felt lucky tonight. My good luck charm is in the building."

Later that night, we were all back at the estate together as a family.

Really, the only missing piece was Giovanni.

He had been a part of our tribe from the moment he was able and we all loved him.

He had several gifts underneath the three trees waiting for him; all of which Creed would be taking back to Phoenix with him.

A part of me wished I could be there when he opened them; but I also knew I likely wouldn’t get the opportunity.

The family was buzzing, everyone enjoying the warmth of the holiday.

We had changed into Christmas pajamas and were sitting around the theater room watching Elf—Ari’s pick.

Creed was next to me, fitting into this mold like he was meant to be here.

As always when we were together, that familiar tension was present between us.

The same pull we had when we were last here two years ago, the same pull we’d shared since the day we met.

It was only a matter of time before we found ourselves under the mistletoe, this time in the kitchen after I had gone to grab a snack for our hungry little one.

"You planned this," Creed smirked, looking down at me.

"I did not," I grinned.

He tilted my chin up, brushing his lips softly against mine and as always, I melted.

Just as things were getting heated, a voice cut through the moment.

"That’s how you got pregnant in the first place."

I pulled back, startled, as Sienna stood there arms crossed, shaking her head.

"Mommy,” I whined.

She smirked walking to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "I’m just saying."

Creed chuckled. "She ain’t wrong."

That night, as we lay in my bed wrapped around each other, Creed pressed a kiss to my belly. “SB.”

“Huh?”

“You know how much I love you.”

“I know Langston.” I chuckled. “You tell me all the time.”

“I know I do baby.” He got quiet and I waited for him to say more. "I want you back in Phoenix before the baby comes," he murmured.

I stiffened.

"Creed—"

“Please?”

“My doctor is in New York.”

“I will fly her to Phoenix when the baby comes. But, I just want you back in our home with our baby. What if I’m in Phoenix and she comes, I gotta make my way all the way to New York and I don’t want to miss this.

It’s been long enough. We keep playing this game of cat and mouse.

And listen, for as long as you want me to chase you I will. All I ask is for this one thing.”

“What support will I have in Phoenix? In New York, I have my girls.”

“You will have me, ain’t that good enough?” I didn’t respond just let my silence echo around the room. “You don’t have to decide now," he sighed. "Just think about it."

I let out a deep breath, staring at the ceiling. I knew it was the right decision. But I couldn’t forget what he did to our space, what he did in our space, with another woman; that woman.

“I don’t know if I can go back.”

“It’s our home though SB.”

“And you ruined it.” I could taste the bite of the venom in the words and honestly, I couldn’t care less.

“I did, I can admit that. But that don’t change the fact that I love you more than anything in this world and I need you with me. I ain’t saying we just gon magically be fixed but can we at least try? Will you try for me, for our family?”

I stared at Creed, taking in this man who was not perfect. He wanted us to work so bad and maybe at one point I did too, hell maybe I still do.

“I’ll go,” I whispered. “I love you, so I’ll go.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes Creed.” I inhaled a large breath. “But I don’t know how long I’ll stay.”