Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Selah
A few days later
As always, when I woke up, Indiri wasn’t in bed next to me.
He was training and I was up much later than I was used to.
Lately I had been so exhausted I barely made it through the day.
It was like the moment I found out I was pregnant, my energy levels plummeted and my appetite did the absolute opposite.
I could smell food from miles away and I always wanted to taste something.
I rose from the bed knowing my sister would be calling soon.
Ever since she’d confirmed I had a positive pregnancy test, she had been calling like clockwork every morning to check in and remind me I needed to be telling our mother and grandmother.
That was easy for her to say; she was two kids in.
This was my first and I was scared out of my freaking mind.
After a quick shower and self-care/hygiene I left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. When I walked in, I immediately locked eyes with Jordyn. She smiled instantly.
“Good morning, Selah.” She grinned even harder, bringing a green cup to her lips. It was most likely tea, she didn’t like coffee that much.
The way she looked at me had me thinking she knew something I didn’t. Then again she was Indiri’s family away from family and his assistant, so she likely knew about the baby.
“Khia just made you an omelet and I took the liberty of getting you decaf coffee.”
As soon as she said that I knew and couldn’t help but laugh. “Somebody told you about something, huh?”
My statement had her smiling even harder. “And he did. Now do you need anything besides the decaf coffee and the omelet? Too many questions, too early. Come eat, we’ll talk about that a little later.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. Shortly after I sat down to eat, Jordyn excused herself to take a call around the same time my phone started ringing. I already knew it was my sister, this was her thing. I squeezed my AirPod to answer her call.
“Yes, Siyah Monroe Murray.”
“Um, okay. On this line saying my whole government, Selah Aurora Murray.”
I busted up laughing. “You’re a damn mess.”
“Nope, you started it. How are you feeling this morning, baby doll?”
“Um, well… Better than the last few days. I’m eating right now. How are you?”
“Good, wondering when you’re gonna tell yo’ mama and grandmother. You know they know when something is up. The longer you take, the more you’ll hear about it.”
“Seeing as how I haven’t been around them but you have, I’ll tell them at some point, I promise. You can’t hold water in the damn sun. Probably today, I’m going to see them in a little while, okay?”
“I can hold water and you know I can. When am I seeing you next? I don’t like how you’ve moved in with the boxer and I don’t see you as much as I normally do.”
I laughed. “I’m closer to you than ever. What five minutes away? At this point it’s you.”
“Whatever. You have a new life, so it’s like I have to make appointments with my own sister.”
“Girl, shut up. You surely didn’t make an appointment for this extravagant cake you ordered.”
She laughed. “That’s your niece and she knows her auntie is the hottest baker around. Blame yourself. You literally made her a Minnie Mouse cake last year.”
I cackled at the thought. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Uh, yeah. But the party isn’t for another month. You have time.”
“Mhmm.” I turned my face up.
“Don’t be frowned up, Selah. You love your niece and you’re going to make it happen for her. I have to get back to the front. I’ll try to call you tonight if you aren’t sleeping.”
“Okay.” After I hung up from my sister, I finished eating and cleaned up after myself. Instead of returning to the bedroom, I decided to peek in on Indiri’s training.
It always fascinated me how focused he was in the ring.
He was like a machine, focused only on his target.
Today it was his cousin Junior. They were in the ring moving around, going jab for jab.
Most of Junior’s were blocked by Indiri’s glove.
From the outside looking in, it was like Indiri was pulling Junior in, looking for the right moment to hit him.
I rounded the outside of the ring, watching Indiri in his element before I stepped beside Unc. He was too busy yelling at Indiri to pay me any attention, or so I thought, until he spoke.
“Haven’t seen you here in a minute. Are you here to train?”
I grinned. “Um, no. That’s too much work for me.”
“Yeah. I was thinking… to compensate for your lack of work ethic, you make an old man a 7-Up bundt cake. Something old school.”
I nodded. “Alright, I got you.”
I talked to him for a while longer before returning to the main part of the house. There I found Jordyn sitting at the island writing in her planner. She looked up at me and smiled warmly.
“I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.”
“To be nosy.”
She laughed. “Nah, to see your man. You both are so cute and tethered. When the fight is over, you should both definitely go on another vacation. Little longer, you know.”
“Now that would be nice, but I feel like I’m already going to miss some time when this really becomes a thing.” I motioned toward my belly.
She grinned. “Oh, it is. Have you already set up your appointment?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been meaning to. Every time I call the line is either busy or they’re closed. The truth is, I need to find another doctor. I guess I’m just too lazy to do the leg work.”
“And that is what I’m here for. My sister-in-law had a wonderful OB. I’ll get her information and set your appointment up. How does this week look? Any time off limits?”
“Um, not that I know of. I can fit my schedule around whatever date or time you set.”
She smiled and clapped, then glanced down at her planner. “Great. I cannot wait until the gender reveal. I can see it now, little baker or boxer. Though that sounds kind of sexist, it works to me. What do you think?”
I laughed. I definitely hadn’t thought that far down the line.
“If you don’t like it, we have time. Another thing I wanna run by you…
I know neither you nor Indi like the idea of social media these days, especially with everything going on.
But I need to get a feel for what our next steps over there are.
As long as big mouth is still talking, there will be negative press.
At least until after the fight. When he gets his ass handed to him, that’ll be the only news. ”
I nodded. “Honestly, I can keep ignoring it. I don’t get on there. Lori, my shop manager, runs the bakery Instagram and I have mine muted.”
“How do you do that?”
I was confused. “Do what?”
“Ignore the entire world the way you do. I mean Indi does it, but I just call him a hermit. You on the other hand, you’re so normal. How?”
A small laugh escaped my lips. “Honestly, I’ve always been such an offline person that I don’t even consider it. I mean, unless it has to do with the bakeries… or him.”
She smiled hard as hell. “Oh, the love in your eyes. Ew.” Her phone began to ring and she rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I’m headed out. Please don’t hesitate to call if you need me. I’ll be in touch.”
I nodded and watched her exit, smashing her phone against the side of her face.
Shortly after she left, I found my way to the bedroom. While I should have been getting dressed to go out the door, I was lying across the bed watching baking videos. It was literally my favorite pastime, plus I was fascinated with the technique this YouTube baker was using on a multi-tier cake.
“Are you good here?” Indiri’s voice made me look up from my phone to him.
“Yeah. I was supposed to be getting dressed to go see my grandmother, but this mattress called my name. You look exhausted.”
“I am.” He pushed the sweat soaked shorts from his frame to the floor, then leaned down and picked them up, carrying them to the hamper.
“When you get out of the shower, you should definitely join me.”
He returned to the bedroom void of any clothing, giving me a good look at all of him. “Or you could get up and come join me. I’ll give us both some energy.” A wink followed.
“I doubt that. If I join you, I know for a fact I won’t make it to see my grandmother today.”
“You would, you’d be just a lil late.” This time he tossed the words over his shoulder, going into the washroom.
When he was in the room, I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.
It was like there was nothing better to do than look at him.
There was always something about taking Indiri in, like his presence was the most intoxicating aroma.
Jordyn said she’d set the doctor’s appointment up and did just that.
We discussed it Tuesday morning and now here we were Friday afternoon, sitting in one of the quietest doctor’s offices I had ever been in.
All my life I’d been a patient at Briar South Memorial, in the center of the city, never once stepping foot in Founders Medical Center.
I’d never had a need to until now. Founders Medical Center in Uptown Briar was where the uppity people went.
But not only that, it was also where folks went for privacy if they could afford it.
“You’ve been quiet as hell since we got in here. You wanna talk about it, Muffs?” Indiri’s voice and the newly minted nickname had me side eyeing him. Muffs was short for Muffin.
“Stop calling me that.”
“Hell nah. That’s the one right there.” He laughed.
“It’s really not.” I rolled my eyes.
“The way you hit that basket of muffins this morning, yes the fuck it is. It’s cute and it fits. Now tell me why you’re so quiet.”
I glanced around the empty waiting room before I looked at him. “This is really real. We’re having a baby.” Being here cemented the idea for me.
He was about to respond, but the nurse calling my name had us both looking in her direction. She stood in the doorway waiting on us. I was on my feet moving in her direction not a second later with Indiri in tow.