Chapter 9
I sat quietly in the back seat of the SUV, glancing out the window and taking in the sights of New York. I’d never been to a city this big before. It was beautiful. A mix of excitement and nervousness filled my head as I tried to figure out how to strike up a conversation with Ms. Barnes. I couldn’t believe Kellon left me alone with his mom. From our prior encounters, I’d gathered she didn’t like me much, and I could fully understand why. In her eyes, I was a strange woman sniffing around her son for a come up.
Though it was far from the truth, I felt like a strange woman sniffing around this man. I still didn’t know what my pregnant ass was doing here with Kellon. He wanted to get to know me, pregnant or not, but I knew he would change his mind about me soon. On top of not being the beauty standard for an NFL star, I was with child. No successful, wealthy man wanted to be with a woman expecting another man’s baby.
I knew the idea of me and Kellon being together was far-fetched, but I would enjoy the ride while it lasted. I’d already crossed off two bucket list activities. I’d been to Disney, and now, I was in New York City.
“So, Phileigh…” Ms. Barnes called my name, interrupting my thoughts. “Have you ever been to New York City before?”
My wide eyes staring out the window had probably already answered that question.
“No, ma’am. It’s my first time on the East Coast.”
“Wow! A girl named Phileigh who has never been to the East Coast. Now, I’ve heard it all.”
“My mom gave birth to me in Philly. My dad thought it was a great idea.”
I gave her the quick version, not the ridiculously long one my mom loved to tell me. My parents were driving through Philly on their way to Jersey when my mother went into labor and had me in the back seat of my father’s ’89 Cadillac.
“And it was a good idea. Phileigh is a beautiful name.” Ms. Barnes smiled at me, and I stared at her in confusion. I thought she didn’t like me.
“It definitely made me stand out. I’m always the only Phileigh in the room.”
“I bet. I hope you are thankful to your parents for giving you that unique identifier. Standing out in a crowd is a gift.” She smiled. “Tell me… What do your parents do?”
“Well, my mom is a certified nurse assistant, and my dad is a retired barber,” I replied. “They’ve been married for twenty-five years and together for thirty.”
“That’s admirable… twenty-five years married,” she said, responding as most people do when they find out how long my parents have been married.
They didn’t know that fifteen of those years were filled with infidelity. They didn’t know how my mother used to put me in the car countless nights to go confront him at his mistress’s house. They didn’t know how I had to wipe my mother’s tears and try to build up her confidence every single time and how I lost more and more respect for my father until our relationship became non-existent. Nope. All everyone saw, including my mother, was twenty-five years of marital bliss.
“I guess so,” was all I could think to say. Anything else would have me disclosing my parent’s business to this woman, who probably couldn’t care less. A moment of silence passed between us before Ms. Barnes spoke.
“I often wished for a two-parent household when I was raising my sons alone after their dad was killed when Kellon was just a baby.”
I felt a pang of empathy pass through me. I knew about Kellon’s brother passing away, but I didn’t know about his father. That was a lot of grief for one person to have.
“You did an amazing job with them, Ms. Barnes. You raised two NFL stars, so kudos to you.”
“Thank you, baby,” she replied softly. I could hear the pride in her voice as the car slowed to a stop. My eyes darted back out the window, and a row of high-end stores appeared. My eyes lit up.
“Is this Fifth Avenue?” I asked.
“Yes, it is, and I have my son’s black card with strict orders to get what we want!” She displayed a black credit card, sporting a million-dollar smile.
I chuckled, feeling both relaxed and overwhelmed. Accepting this treatment from a man I’d just met didn’t feel right.
“This is a lot. I could grab a few things from Rainbow, or better yet, I could have my bestie bring me a few items.”
Ms. Barnes stopped to stare at me. She had a puzzled look on her face.
“Word of advice… When a man offers to get you nice things, be skeptical, but accept them, chile. You always deserve it.”
I nodded, taking in her words as we exited the vehicle, and then I realized I was on one of the best shopping streets in the country. I scanned the block and took it all in. What had my life become?
“Are you ready, honey? There is money to spend.”
I nodded as we entered the first high-end store together. I marveled at how clean and sleek everything was. Back home, I’d been in luxury stores, but none were this nice.
“Go ahead, honey. Look around. I see some items that got my name all over them,” she said before walking away and leaving me alone.
I peered around, trying to figure out where the plus-size section of the store was but came up empty.
“Hmmm.” I exhaled deeply as I moved around the store, checking the racks. A frown creased my pretty forehead. Everything was beautiful, but like most high-end stores, there were nothing in my size. I sighed in disappointment and embarrassment.
“And why haven’t you picked anything yet?”
Ms. Barnes approached me with a handful of clothes in her hand. I thought about lying and saying I didn’t find any of the clothes appealing, but that would only make me look snooty.
“Um, It’s just... I don’t see anything in here in my size.”
Ms. Barnes looked around, and her expression softened. “The website said they had bigger sizes. Let me see what you like.”
I hesitated for a moment before picking up a few items that were situated nearby.
“I like these,” I said, holding them up.
“Watch me work!” She took off toward the counter.
“Excuse me? Excuse me!” she called out, waving her hand. “Can you help me? My daughter-in-law here loves these pieces but needs them in a larger size. Do you have them in a larger size, or can it be custom made?”
Daughter-in-law? Did she just refer to me as her daughter-in-law? I tugged one of my ears. I had to have heard her wrong.
“We custom make pieces for special orders only. But I’ll have to check with the designer. What size do you need?”
“Great. We’re looking for a…” She turned to look at me.
“A 3X or 4X,” I replied confidently.
“She needs this as soon as possible. We have so many press events to attend. My son, Kellon Barnes, just won the Super Bowl.”
I could barely contain my giggles while listening to Ms. Barnes name drop to get my items.
“Kellon Barnes is your son?”
The clerk’s mouth fell open, and Ms. Barnes nodded.
“I can check if we can have some pieces made in those sizes. Give me a second.” She scurried off to the back of the store only to reappear a few moments later.
“Okay. Great news! We actually have several items available in a 3X or 4X that we can mail to you in two business days.”
“Really?” I gasped at how fast they were able to find my size. I guess the saying money talks was true.
“The rush job will come with a healthy price tag.” The clerk glanced between Ms. Barnes and me.
“No problem. I have my son’s card. Where do I swipe?”
“Right this way.” She led Ms. Barnes over to the cash register, and I watched in disbelief as Ms. Barnes took care of the ten thousand dollar tab like it was nothing.
“Ms. Barnes, thank you. I… I...”
“Thank me by doing right by my son,” she said, and I could feel the seriousness of her words. “He’s been through a lot, and he has a lot to lose, but he likes you, and he hasn’t liked anybody in a long time.”
All I could do was nod my head. I wanted to do right by Kellon, but that would mean taking me and my growing belly out of the picture.
“I hear you, Ms. Barnes.”
“Good. Now, let’s find somewhere to grab lunch,” Ms. Barnes suggested. “I’m starving!”
“Me too. I can’t believe that studio didn’t have any food.”
“Chile, they never do!”
We shared a laugh as we made our way through the bustling streets of New York.
“Here we are,” Ms. Barnes announced as we stepped out of the black SUV.
I felt excitement and nerves while I stared at the towering bricks of the high-rise building before us.
“This is where Kellon lives?” I asked.
“It’s his NYC home. He’s here a lot during the off-season.”
She gestured for me to follow her before she took off through the dark parking garage. I glanced around, marveling over all the expensive cars before I set out behind her, following her to the elevator. This parking garage resembled that of a showroom floor. It was crazy to think all the cars here belonged to one person.
“My son has quite the car problem,” Ms. Barnes stated as if she could read my mind. “One of the many things he collects.”
The elevator opened. I followed her on, trying to control my breathing, but my nerves were too bad. Kellon was welcoming me into his home. That was big. I twirled my hair, watching the elevator ascend to the fourth floor. The doors slid open, and my mouth dropped once again.
“Welcome!”
Ms. Barnes waved her hand around, stepping off the elevator. I stood there for a moment. My feet were frozen as I took it all in.
“This is the living room,” she announced.
The living room? My entire apartment could fit inside here. I stepped off the elevator, following Ms. Barnes as we walked through the living room. The beautiful view of the city could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows that greeted me.
“This is beautiful.” I roamed around admiring Kellon’s home, trying not to act like I’d never seen nice things before because I had but nothing as lovely as this.
“Kellon loves it here. I prefer the beach, but hey, who am I?” Ms. Barnes smiled. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
I placed my purse on a nearby table and walked alongside Ms. Barnes as she showed me around the home. Every room had the sleek feel of a bachelor pad, but small things like flowers and prop books let me know a woman had assisted in the decorating.
“You helped decorate?” I asked as we walked onto the balcony overlooking the skyline. “It’s nice.”
“Kellon’s ex is an interior designer,” she replied, staring at the city as if she hadn’t dropped a seed of doubt in my ear.
The mention of Kellon’s ex made me feel a tinge of jealousy I couldn’t explain. She’d picked and placed everything in his home, meaning her presence still lingered here. I didn’t know how to feel about that, nor did I know if I should be feeling anything at all.
“This is pretty much it. I’ll let Kellon show you the rest when he gets here,” she said before stepping back inside.
I allowed the city air to soothe my nerves before joining her inside. When I returned, Ms. Barnes was already putting back on her coat and heading for the door.
“You leaving?”
“I have to get back to the studio with Kellon. Make yourself at?—”
“Uh, excuse me,” I interrupted.
A wave of nausea hit me, and I knew immediately I needed to find the nearest bathroom. I racked my brain trying to remember the closest restroom and made a beeline to it. I barely made it to the toilet before vomit spilled from my mouth. This was it. My first pregnancy symptom had reared its ugly head in front of Kellon’s mom.
“Phileigh, are you okay?” Ms. Barnes rushed inside the bathroom with concern etched on her face.
“I’m sorry. I just…” My words trailed off as more vomit spilled from my mouth. “I don’t know what happened.”
My voice trembled as I ran my hand across my mouth, trying to clean myself up.
“Here.” Ms. Barnes handed me a towel.
“Thank you.” I quickly stepped back from the toilet and began cleaning myself up. I was lucky that none of its contents had gotten on me. “Must be something I ate at lunch.”
Ms. Barnes stood there staring at me. Her eyes were full of suspicion. “Morning sickness is the worst.”
My head swiveled in her direction. What did she just say?
“Phileigh, I wasn’t born yesterday. I know you and Kellon didn’t just meet. I know you’re more than his barber.”
My heart raced. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been pregnant enough to know the signs,” she replied gently. Her gaze was piercing yet kind. “I know you’re pregnant with my son’s baby.”
My breath caught in my throat. “I... I...”
I didn’t know what to say. She knew I was pregnant, and worse, she thought I was pregnant by Kellon.
“I knew something was up when you popped up after the win. Kellon doesn’t invite women to his home. The fact that you two are trying to keep this a secret from me is disappointing.”
I stared at her. My entire body heated up. What was I supposed to say? I am pregnant but not by your son, even though he still wants to get to know me. It sounded crazy in my head, so I knew it sounded crazy out loud.
“It’s… um… I haven’t announced it yet.” I stumbled over my words, choosing them carefully.
“Wait. He doesn’t know?”
“He… um... he… no,” I lied.
Ms. Barnes walked closer to me. Her arms wrapped around my body, soothing my trembling.
“You’re scared.” She tightened her grip on me.
“My son may be a handful sometimes, but he has a good heart. He’ll be there for you. You don’t have to hide it. Just be honest with him.”
“Okay.”
I looked down at Ms. Barnes. This mess was already spiraling out of control. When Kellon got here, I would tell him I was going home. This was too much. Ms. Barnes pulled back from me, swatting my arm softly.
“Not y’all making me a grandma already like I’m old,” she joked, but I couldn’t laugh. This was not funny. Ms. Barnes stared at me before taking me in her arms once more. I guess she could sense my hesitation.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’re going to take this one step at a time,” she said with a reassuring smile. “You’re part of the family now, and I’m here for you.”