Sianni McWashington-Maddox #3
“I’m sorry.” I wiped under my eye. “It’s cute.”
“Cute?”
“Very cute.”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping. “I’m not trying to be cute.”
“Well, you failed.”
His eyes narrowed, but he was smiling now, too. “You lucky we in public.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’d show you what else I’m good at.”
“Kyrie.”
“What?” He sat back like he hadn’t said anything wrong. “You asked.”
I shook my head, still smiling while cleaning my brush.
This wasn’t what I expected when he told me to get dressed, but sitting here with him, watching him pretend he knew what he was doing with paint, made something in me soften.
He didn’t have to bring me here.
He didn’t have to care about the stuff I cared about.
But he did.
And that was the part I couldn’t stop thinking about.
A few minutes later, we left the studio and headed back toward the truck.
The entire time, Kyrie carried his little ugly-ass painting around like it belonged in a museum.
I glanced over at him and shook my head.
“You know ain't nobody hanging that up, right?”
He opened my door and looked offended.
“First of all, watch your mouth.”
A laugh slipped out of me. “I'm serious.”
“Nawl.” He waited until I got inside before shutting the door. “Y'all just don't understand real art.”
“Is that what we calling it?”
“Yep.”
I laughed and buckled my seat belt.
By the time Kyrie climbed in on his side, I was still smiling.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You laughing at me.”
“Maybe a little.”
He sucked his teeth and pulled out of the parking lot.
“It’s cool. When my painting is worth a million dollars, don't ask me for shit.”
“Boy, please.”
The ride stayed light after that. For once, neither of us talked about Jamal, security, paparazzi, or any of the other bullshit that had been hanging over us lately.
It was nice.
Just me and him.
A few minutes later, Kyrie pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant near the water.
I looked over at him.
“You still got plans?”
“Obviously.”
“Kyrie.”
“What?”
“I thought we was going home.”
“Why?”
I frowned.
“Because we've been out all day.”
“And?”
I stared at him.
This man really did have too much free time.
A grin spread across his face.
“Come on.”
He climbed out before I could argue.
By the time I got out, he was already waiting beside my door.
“Your ass don't sit still, do it?”
“Not when I don't have to.”
I laughed and let him take my hand.
The restaurant wasn't crowded, which I was grateful for. The last thing I felt like dealing with was a bunch of people staring.
We ended up getting seated near the windows overlooking the water.
For a second, I just sat there taking everything in.
The view was beautiful.
“Whatchu want?” Kyrie asked, glancing at the menu.
“I don't know.”
“You been looking at the menu for five minutes.”
“No, I haven't.”
“You have.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Stop timing me.”
“Then order.”
Before I could respond, a waitress appeared beside the table.
“Are y'all ready?”
I glanced down at the menu again.
“Yeah.”
After we placed our orders, the waitress disappeared.
Kyrie leaned back in his chair and looked at me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You staring.”
He smirked. “’Cause you cute.”
“Boy.”
“What?”
I shook my head and reached for my drink.
A few minutes later, our food arrived.
The second the plate hit the table, something felt… off.
At first, I ignored it.
I picked up my fork and took a bite.
Then another. Then another.
Halfway through chewing, my stomach rolled.
I immediately set my fork down.
Kyrie's eyes narrowed.
“You good?”
“Yeah.”
The answer came too fast.
He noticed.
“Nawl.”
I grabbed my drink and took a sip.
“I'm fine.”
For a second, I thought the feeling was gone.
Then it hit me again.
Not enough to make me sick. Just enough to make me pause.
Maybe it was the coffee.
Hell, maybe I hadn't eaten enough earlier.
Whatever it was, I didn't feel like making a big deal of it.
“You sure?” Kyrie asked.
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
His eyes stayed on me for another second before he finally looked away.
I picked my fork back up and tried again.
The weird feeling eventually settled, but I noticed myself eating much more slowly than usual.
Of course, Kyrie noticed that too.
He noticed every damn thing.
“You don't like it?”
I looked up. “I do.”
“Then why you barely touching it?”
I pointed my fork at him. “Do you ever stop paying attention?”
“No.”
I already knew that answer before he said it.
A small smile pulled at my lips.
“It's good. I'm just not that hungry.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but thankfully, he let it go.
For now.
And honestly?
I was glad.
Because I wasn't even sure what was going on myself.
By the time we got back to the house, I was tired.
Not exhausted.
Just… tired.
The kind of tired that made me want to kick my shoes off and lie down for a little while.
The second we stepped through the front door, Kyrie dropped his keys on the table near the entrance and stretched.
“Today was nice,” I admitted.
A grin spread across his face.
“See. I told you.”
“Don't start.”
“What?”
“You acting like I doubted you.”
“You did.”
I rolled my eyes. “I did not.”
“Mmhm.”
Before I could argue, he pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head.
“You had fun?”
I smiled despite myself.
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Something about the way he said it made my chest feel warm.
Like he genuinely cared.
Not that I didn't already know that.
But seeing him take an interest in something that had absolutely nothing to do with football, money, or anything else made me appreciate him a little more.
“I'ma take a shower,” I said.
“Aight.”
I started toward the stairs before stopping.
“You not coming?”
“Nawl.”
“Why?”
He dropped onto the couch. “’Cause I'm not moving.”
A laugh slipped out of me.
“You're so lazy.”
“Today I am.”
Shaking my head, I headed upstairs.
A little while later, I stepped out of the shower and changed into something comfortable.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
For a second, I thought Kyrie might've left.
When I made my way downstairs, I found him exactly where I expected.
Spread across the couch with one arm hanging off the side.
Sleep.
A smile pulled at my lips. This man could fall asleep anywhere. Pulling my phone out, I snapped a quick picture.
Just because. Then I headed toward the kitchen. I wasn't even hungry, but I opened the refrigerator anyway.
The second the smell of the leftovers hit me, my stomach rolled. I immediately shut the door.
The hell?
Frowning, I leaned against the counter. Maybe it was something I ate.
That had to be it.
I didn't know what the hell was going on with me.
As I sat there staring off into space, my phone started ringing. Reaching over, I grabbed it and frowned when I saw Drayla's name flash across the screen.
Sliding my finger across the answer button, I placed the phone to my ear.
“Hey, girly!” she shouted the second I answered.
A laugh almost slipped out, but I wasn't really in the mood.
“Hey, girl.”
Drayla immediately caught the difference in my voice.
“Girl, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
I rubbed the side of my face and glanced toward the bedroom door.
At least I hoped it was nothing.
“Bitch, I know you better than that,” she replied. “Are you and Kyrie at odds or something?”
“Nawl.” I shook my head. “We actually had a good day.”
“Word?”
“Yeah.” A small smile pulled at my lips as I thought about the art studio. “He took me on a little date.”
“Oooh.” Her voice stretched out. “Look at Kyrie being romantic.”
I laughed.
“Girl, shut up.”
“Nawl, for real. That's cute.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“And you had fun?”
“I did.”
“Good.”
For a second, neither of us said anything.
Then, I cleared my throat.
“So, what's up?”
“I called my people and got everything set up for the trip.”
That finally pulled me out of my head.
“For real?”
“Yep. Room booked and everything.”
“Yay.”
The word came out quieter than I intended.
Mostly because the last thing I needed was for Kyrie's ass to wake up. One thing about that man, he loved his sleep.
“Don't get too excited yet,” Drayla laughed. “’Cause we still gotta go shopping.”
I groaned.
“Girl.”
“No. We gon’ be out there looking good.”
A smile tugged at my lips.
“You right.”
“I know I'm right.”
“Actually, if you want, we can go today.”
“Bet.”
I glanced down at my phone for a second.
“Yeah, but I gotta make one stop before I meet up with you.”
“Where?”
“Walmart.”
“Why?”
My stomach tightened.
For a second, I thought about telling her.
Then I decided against it.
Because honestly?
I wasn't even sure if there was anything to tell.
“I just need to grab a few things.”
Drayla was quiet for a second. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah.” I nodded even though she couldn't see me. “Everything good.”
At least I hoped it was.
Because the truth was, I planned to grab a pregnancy test while I was there.
The thought alone made my stomach flip.
Maybe I was overthinking.
Maybe I wasn't.
Either way, I needed to know.
“Well, call me when you’re headed my way.”
“Aight. I got you.”
After hanging up, I sat there for another minute, staring at my phone.
My mind was moving a mile a minute.
Part of me wanted to forget the whole thing.
The other part needed answers.
Letting out a slow breath, I pushed myself off the bed and grabbed my purse.
A few minutes later, I headed downstairs.
Kyrie was still knocked out on the couch, exactly where I’d left him.
A small smile pulled at my lips.
This man could sleep through damn near anything.
Shaking my head, I grabbed his keys off the table and headed for the door.
As soon as I stepped outside, reality started to set in.
I was nervous as hell.
Not because I didn’t want kids.
I did.
I always had.
The thought of being a mother had crossed my mind more times than I could count, especially after losing my first pregnancy in high school.
The memory still hurt if I thought about it too long.
Back then, everything was falling apart around me. The stress, the pressure, the constant chaos—it had all become too much.
And in the middle of it, I lost my baby.
Swallowing hard, I tightened my grip on my purse.
Maybe that was another reason I was scared.