Page 39

SERENITY

I didn’t go with Creed to Phoenix right after Christmas. Instead I went back home to my apartment in the city.

The scent of vanilla candles and fresh flowers filled the air as I stepped into the apartment coming back from NYU to withdraw for the rest of the semester. It was one of the hardest things I had to do, so close to my goal of earning my degree in Dance only to have this roadblock put up.

My feet, already aching from a long day of packing, came to a halt as I took in the fully decorated living room.

The apartment was covered in soft pink and gold decorations, delicate balloons floating to the ceiling.

Arielle, Egypt, and Averi stood in the center of the room, grinning ear to ear, a banner stretched across the wall that read:

"Baby Cree’s First Party!"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I took it all in. "What is all of this?"

"A surprise baby shower, duh," Egypt smirked.

"You really thought we were just gonna let you leave without celebrating first?" Ari added, crossing her arms.

Averi clapped her hands excitedly. "We had to! It wouldn’t feel right sending you off without doing something special."

I let out a shaky laugh, shaking my head. "Y’all are crazy."

Egypt hooked an arm around my shoulder. "And you love us for it."

I really did.

The entire living room had been transformed into a cozy, intimate baby shower.

The coffee table was piled high with food—plates filled with Big Wong’s dumplings, crispy orange chicken, shrimp fried rice, and trays of homemade cupcakes that Ari had personally decorated with pink and gold frosting.

Averi had a playlist of soft R I didn’t discourage it either.

I invited her here for the wrong reasons and I should have never invited her into the home you share with my son. "

I let out a slow breath, feeling the tension ease from my body.

"Listen, I can’t promise we’ll ever be best friends," I told her. "But for the sake of my baby and yours too, I promise to try. Believe it or not; even though we’re just figuring things out right now and aren’t technically together, I love Creed just as much, if not more than he loves me.

I’m not going anywhere; we’ll be in each other’s lives for the rest of our lives. "

Her eyes softened. "I know that and I’m glad that he’ll always have you."