Page 35

Six months later

T oday was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. Lexi and Denim were throwing me a gender reveal. But instead of being excited like everybody else, I was sitting in front of my closet, feeling all types of frustration.

Nothing seemed to fit. Not one damn thing, and that pissed me off. It was as if my stomach blew up overnight. The new shirts I bought last month either are too tight, too short, or make me look like a busted can of biscuits.

Lately, all I’ve been doing is eating and sleeping.

That’s if I wasn’t online looking for a building for my dance studio.

It had always been my dream to open a space where girls like me could come and feel safe, where we could dance our pain out, sweat through heartbreak, and move like we had a purpose.

I quit dancing at the club the moment I found out that I was pregnant.

It was time. I was getting bored with it anyway.

But what surprised me was that Bo didn’t press me about going back after I had our baby.

Never once had he looked down on me, nor had he made me feel any way about me being a stripper when he found out what I did for a living.

I loved that man. He is my knight in shining armor.

I stared at the pile of clothes on my bed, outfits I thought would work, just lying there, mocking me. Meanwhile, everybody was already at the venue, probably laughing, drinking, and waiting to pop balloons and scream “Team Boy” or “Team Girl” while I was up here having a hormonal breakdown.

I ran my hands over my belly, letting out a deep sigh. “You better be cute.” I giggled, talking to my unborn child. “’Cause you already got ya mama out here feeling like a stuffed turkey.”

I shuffled back to the mirror and caught my reflection. Eyes puffy from annoyance, edges sweating out from stress, belly big and bold like it had its own personality—my reflection was one of a hormonal first-time mom. I didn’t feel beautiful. I didn’t feel glowy. I felt huge.

As I attempted to find anything to wear, a knock came at the door.

“Liv, you good?” It was Lexi. “We are waiting on you!”

“Don’t play with me, Lexi!” I snapped, then groaned. “Sorry, boo. I’m coming.” I pouted.

“Aww! Boo, why the long face?”

“I can’t fit shit!” I groaned.

I grabbed the only thing that halfway fit, a stretchy maxi dress that Bo had bought me. I’d been avoiding it because it hugged everything. Throwing it on, I went to the mirror, slicked my edges back with a little gel, and took one last look in the mirror.

“You look beautiful, babe,” she complimented me.

“Lies! I want to fuck Bo’s ass up for sticking that good-ass dick in me!”

She laughed, but I didn’t see anything funny.

“Girl, bye! We barely got off the phone good last night before you were hoping on that same dick. Now, stop it. You look fine. Let’s go before you are late for your own gender reveal.”

“Okay… I’m ready. Let me slip on my shoes and grab my bag, and I’ll follow you out.”

“Should you be wearing them heels?” She pointed down at my feet.

“Not really. But they are the only thing that’s making me feel a little sexy. So let me be great; I already feel like a whale.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Bo is going to kick your ass.” We shared a laugh. “And you don’t look fat. Just big-boned.” She laughed. I rolled my eyes and gave her the finger. She blew me a kiss. “Let’s roll, baby mama.”

After locking up, we left the house and headed to the venue.

The Escalade rolled to a slow stop in front of the building, and I could already hear the bass thumping from inside.

The whole place was lit up in blue and pink neon lights.

The driver opened the door, and Lexi hopped out first like she was stepping onto a red carpet, not a sidewalk.

“Come on, Liv. I swear… you are a brat when pregnant,” she said, smacking her lip gloss on and adjusting her dress.

I rolled my eyes but smiled, then eased my way out of the backseat—one hand holding my bump and the other holding onto the door, so I didn’t fall on my ass in these heels.

As soon as we stepped inside, the energy smacked me in the face. The place was packed with family and friends. Blue and pink balloons were everywhere I turned. Lexi did a big one decorating the space so beautifully.

My eyes scanned the room for my baby daddy, but I didn’t see him anywhere. Everyone came up and congratulated me, touching my stomach, and I hated it.

“Aww! Look at my baby! You look so beautiful, sweetheart.” My mother came up and gave me a hug along with my father.

“You look so beautiful, Pumpkin.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” I beamed.

I walked around, speaking to everyone I came in contact with, but I had yet to see my man.

Just when I was about to go and ask Mama Zora, the music cut off, and the lights went low.

I turned toward the small stage, and there sat my baby daddy.

He was sitting on a tall stool, legs spread casually, one arm resting on his thigh, and the other holding a black guitar.

He had on all black, simple but smooth. His gold chain gleamed under the lights, and his eyes were locked dead on me as if nobody else in the room mattered.

My heart damn near stopped seeing how fine he looked, making my pussy thump in my panties. I felt the whole room disappear, and it was just us. Me standing there, belly round, and him, looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Bo’s country drawl rolled smoothly through the mic, thick like honey and suave like velvet, laced with that little smirk he always wore when he knew he had me caught up. My whole face lit up with passion, and I blushed like some schoolgirl with a crush.

He adjusted the guitar in his lap, his eyes still locked on mine as he spoke into the microphone.

“I don’t usually do this in front of people,” he said, looking a little bashful but still cocky as hell.

“This song has been stuck in my head all day, though. Ever since I woke up and saw your fine ass laid up on my chest, knocked out from a dick coma…” He chuckled, and I gasped.

“Bo!” I covered my face because my parents were here.

Laughter broke out from the crowd, and I dipped my head, trying to hide my smile. He wasn’t lying. I was knocked out, drooling and snoring like I paid rent in that man’s lungs. Still, the way he said it, you’d think I looked like an angel.

“All I kept thinking about… was how I can’t ever let go of you, Cin.

” He let the silence hang in the air for a second.

It was like everybody in the room felt it.

“In the short time you've been in my life, you flipped my whole world. And now, you’re carrying my legacy.” I bit my bottom lip, and my eyes burned from the tears about to spill over my lids.

“All I can think about is protecting you, and loving you right. Making sure our baby knows what it looks like when a man really stands ten toes behind his woman. You ain’t just some girl I messed with, O.

You home to me. You’re my peace. And if I ain’t do nothing else right in this life, I know I did right by choosing you. ”

By the time his fingers hit the strings, my eyes were already full of tears. Then came that first note—that melody. “Can’t Let Go” by Calvin Richardson. I damn near lost it. His eyes never left mine, and the way he played every chord was like a love letter I didn’t even know I needed to read.

Right there, in front of everybody, he told the whole world he couldn’t let go of me.

And I knew I wasn’t letting go of him either.

He was my forever, and I chuckled because when I first met Josh, I thought he would be my forever, but he was just a placeholder.

God had a plan for me. He sent me the right puzzle piece to fit into my heart.

And that piece was Boris Anderson—the man who was the price of my sins.

After the song ended, Bo stood up, set the guitar down, and walked off the stage straight toward me. The spotlight followed him, but all I saw was him, eyes locked on me like I was gravity.

He pulled me close, one arm sliding around my waist and the other cradling the back of my head like I was fragile, and I was his soft place too.

“You feel that?” he whispered against my ear.

I nodded, unable to speak. The baby kicked again like he was feeling the love too.

“I meant every word,” Bo said. “Ain’t no running. Ain’t no second-guessing. I’m yours, Cin. For real.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him without caring who was watching. At that moment, I knew that I was loved. Fully. Loudly. Unapologetically. And I wasn’t about to let that go.

“So, how do you like this place?” Bo asked out of the blue.

“It’s nice. Big… but I like it. Why?” I asked, confused.

“Because it’s yours. You said you wanted to open your dance studio, so I brought this place for you.”

I blinked. “Wait… what do you mean it’s mine?”

“You said you wanted to open your own dance studio. So… I bought it… for you.”

My jaw dropped. “What?!” I damn near shouted, eyes wide as my heart did a whole backflip.

He chuckled. “Yeah. It has two floors, an office upstairs, and a full basement you can build out for whatever you want.”

Tears burned behind my lashes, but I blinked them back, walking up to him and pressing a hand to his chest. “Are you serious?”

“As a heartbeat, baby,” he said, pulling me in. “I believe in you, Cin. You got this, and I got you and my son.” He pecked my lips.

“Thank you so much, baby.”

“Nah. Say thanks, Big Bo.” He smirked, grabbing my ass.

“Thanks, Big Bo…” I blushed, wanting to grope him but knowing my limits.

“Aight y’all! That was real love right there! But now… let’s run it up! Y’all know what it is!” The DJ yelled through the mic.

The beat dropped heavy, and “Boots on the Ground” by 803Fresh began to blare through the venue. As soon as the bass hit, the whole room exploded. Chairs scooted back, heels came off, and folks rushed the dance floor like they’d been waiting all night for that one song.

Lexi grabbed my hand and screamed, “Come on, baby mama!” She pulled me away from Bo, who smiled as I kicked off my heels, pulled up the sides of my dress, and shuffled my way into the middle of the crowd. Everybody was moving, spinning, dipping, and hitting the routine like it was second nature.

The vibe was pure joy, and for the first time in weeks, I let myself breathe. I was surrounded by family, love, life, and music that felt like home. I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I was happy and ready to live life with the love of my life.

At the end of the gender reveal was when we decide to find out what we were having.

Bo and I was escorted out back where there was a table set up with pink and blue balloons, along with two fake AK-47 guns.

We both laughed as we were instructed to pick them up and point them to the sky.

On the count of three from the crowd, we squeezed the trigger and blue powder shot out.

“Hell yeah! I knew that was my junior!” Bo yelled, poking his chest out as he pumped his fist in the air.

I wanted a mini-me, but I was happy to have whatever God blessed us with.

How we started was messy, complicated, and completely unplanned. But what we are building now—I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else but my Big Bo.