Chapter 11
Four weeks later, Brixton and I were a mere sixteen weeks out from my due date.
That meant that in my quest to have his house decorated before she arrived, the nursery was my top priority.
I’d finished it two weeks before, and as I leaned against the doorjamb peering into the room, I was proud of myself.
It was definitely over-the-top for the average newborn, but this child would be the daughter of a very successful professional basketball player.
Overindulgence was the anticipated norm.
Not only that, Brixton gave me a… healthy budget to get it done.
Suffice it to say that I didn’t cut any corners.
The fluffy, ivory colored floor rug was a fur alternative that was thick and sumptuous.
The white crib, changing table, and dressers were handcrafted, hand carved wood done by black artisans who lived in the low country in South Carolina.
They would become heirloom pieces that my daughter could have forever.
The bedding and the curtains were made of a blend of organic cotton and silk, making them both durable and very luxurious to the touch.
I’d had the walls painted a very pale pink, so pale that they almost looked white.
I loved it, but my favorite part was that I had a medallion adhered to the ceiling, then added a bejeweled chandelier. It was a room fit for a princess.
“Which she isn’t gonna care about one iota,” I mumbled to myself. I knew my daughter wouldn’t understand anything about the care I had taken decorating her room, but I would know. And every time I walked into the room, my heart would smile.
Brixton asked me to tackle the great room after the nursery.
His home was an open concept. The great room included the entryway, the living room, and the dining room.
Once I finished the great room, it was on to his bedroom.
By the time I finished his bedroom, I was pretty sure that the baby would be close to making her arrival.
I shot a text to the furniture manufacturer who was custom building both his sofa and his dining set.
They were supposed to arrive the next day.
I needed to make sure they were still on track.
I took a sip of water, then checked my to-do list to see what still needed addressing before I could leave for the day.
A text came through.
Zyah:
Sissy, wyd?
Me:
Working.
Zyah:
Where? Because I’m at Christian’s and you are not here.
Me:
Brix’s house. I finished the nursery. You should come see it. It’s making me want to cry.
Zyah:
Awwww. I’ll come see it tomorrow. Tonight me and Amari are going to see the baby bears play baseball. His homeboy has a suite. It’s all you can eat.
I laughed at the looking eyes emoji she put in her text.
Me:
You tryna say I’m greedy?
Zyah:
Nah, boo. You just preggers. And you need to feed my niece. She be hungry in there.
I looked across the hall toward Brixton’s bedroom.
Me:
I don’t know. I have so much to do over here and so little time.
Zyah:
Not you acting like taking one night off is gone cause the project to collapse.
I laughed at myself. She was right.
Me:
Okay. I’ll come. I don’t want to stay out too late, though, Zy. Little baby be having me sleepy af.
Zyah:
I know. I’m having Amari send a car for you. It’ll pick you up at 6:00pm
Me:
Okay.
I sat in the suite at the baseball game, and just as my sister had promised, there was plenty of food.
I bit into a slice of cheese pizza with the perfect amount of cheese to sauce ratio.
I loved pizza, and luckily for me, my daughter seemed to like it too.
I washed the pizza down with a long sip of pop, then belched loudly.
Kolby Gardner, Amari’s homeboy and the owner of the suite, looked over at me. “You good?”
Since we’d arrived, he never strayed far from me.
I was flattered, but at the same time, I didn’t really care.
If I was on the hunt for a man, I would’ve been giving him my attention.
Kolby Gardner was a good catch. He was young, handsome, rich, and nice.
His entire vibe gave “cool dude.” He sort of reminded me of Christian—somebody who had an impressive skill set but didn’t let that be their entire personality.
Unfortunately, I was twenty-four weeks pregnant.
All I wanted to do was bake my baby, sleep, and eat.
I didn’t want to court, date, talk to anybody or anything.
I giggled. “I’m good.”
“I apologize for staring, but you’re… you’re fucking gorgeous. There’s no politically correct way for me to say it. I’m sitting here looking at you and you’re taking my breath away.”
“Thank you.”
“You have this… glow about you.”
“Well, I am pregnant,” I deadpanned.
His eyes darted to my stomach region. “I’m aware,” he confessed. “Amari mentioned it. Congratulations. Not to get all in your business, but I don’t see a ring.”
“I’m not married.”
“Maybe because your future husband just met you today.”
The blush was instantaneous. “Wow. Nobody could ever accuse you of being shy, huh?”
“Yo, you don’t get where I got being shy. I’m young, black, and from an impoverished neighborhood of a major city. People try to treat me like a YN, until they don’t.”
I turned my gaze on him. He was a good looking guy who was saying all the right things, and my hormones were all over the place. I couldn’t afford to fall for anybody. I had too much going on. Before I could respond, Zyah and Amari appeared.
“Hey, Sis, let’s get some pics for the Gram.”
So, we posed.
An hour or so later, my body was talking to me.
The suite was nicer than the bleachers, but my body wanted to be at home either on my own sofa or in my own bed.
Not only that, I’d spent the morning and early afternoon running point for Christian.
Then I’d spent the late afternoon and early evening doing the same for Brixton.
During the seventh inning stretch, I made my way over to Zyah. “Babe, I’m tired. Today is starting to give, I’m overdoing it. I wanna head home. Can you let the driver know to meet me out front?”
She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Yes. Sit down. I’ll let you know when he’s out front.” She typed into her phone. “Do you need me to go to the bathroom with you before you leave? You need something to drink? Some water?”
“If you’re going, I could give you a ride,” Kolby offered.
He was nice, but at the end of the day, I didn’t know him. I didn’t want him knowing where I stayed. “Thanks, but no.”
At the same time, Zyah said, “Don’t worry about it, Kolby. I got her.”
Less than ten minutes later, Zyah let me know that the driver was waiting on me. I gave hugs to my sister and brother-in-law. I even gave a quick one to Kolby.
“It was nice meeting you.”
“The pleasure was all mine. I hope to see you around, Ryann. And if you’re ever open to hanging out, please let me know. I would love the opportunity to spoil you.”
My cheeks heated with another blush. Kolby Gardner was charming if he wasn’t anything else. I nodded my head. “I will, Kolby. I like your energy.”
“Thank you. I like yours, too.” He took my hand and kissed it. And it wasn’t corny. It was sweet. Well, my pregnancy brain processed it as sweet. The warmth of his mouth was still on my mind even when I made it to the car.
When I got home, the first thing I did was make a beeline to the bathroom.
The stream of pee I let out was ridiculous.
There was no reason that a human should have that much liquid in their bladder.
I finished washing my hands just as my doorbell rang.
I hurried from the bathroom to the front door, surprised to find Brixton standing there.
“Hey,” I said in an upbeat tone, despite the frown on his face.
“What happened to you finishing the great room today, Ry? I thought maybe you left before I got home because you weren’t feeling well.
Then, I jump on my socials and you’re on there parlaying with some nigga?
” He took a breath. “I know you’re single.
You have the right to date. That’s not what I’m saying—”
“I’m not dating.”
“You sure? I mean, you were cheesing, he was cheesing. He had his arm around you caking—”
“Brix,” I began, but all of a sudden, I couldn’t catch my breath. I put my hand to my chest and then to my throat.
For a second he stood there, the frown remaining plastered on his face, but then, the frown dropped. “Oh shit! Are you okay? What the fuck?”
“Call my doctor,” I managed to force out with the little bit of air I could take in. The thought that my daughter wasn’t getting air caused my chest to constrict even more.
Finally, something like relief registered on Brixton’s face. “Panic attack,” he announced. “Ry!” He said my name forcefully, causing my eyes to fly to his. “Focus on breathing.”
What the hell did he think I was focusing on? If I could’ve spoken, I would’ve told his ass off.
“Imagine yourself forcing oxygen down to your womb for the princess. Long, deep breaths that go all the way down to your stomach and give her what she needs.”
I let my mind wrap around that and focused on calming myself.
Then I concentrated on imaging my breaths traveling through my body until they reached baby girl and provided her with necessary oxygen.
While I did that, Brixton spoke with the doctor, who apparently gave him more suggestions that he gave to me.
It didn’t take too long for the episode to pass, but once it did, I just wanted to go to bed.
Brixton carried me to my bedroom, respectfully undressed me, and help me into shorty pajamas. Then he divested himself of his own clothing, climbed into my bed, and held me all night.
The next morning, the two of us dressed in silence. He took me to the doctor’s office so that Dr. Butler could check little princess out and make sure everything was good with her. Once we got the all clear from the doctor, I asked Brixton to take me home. I needed time to think.
I was wasting time crushing on Brixton when somebody like Kolby was interested in getting to know me.