Chapter 18
I couldn’t fucking sit still. This shit didn’t look too bad to some, but I knew the media. I knew how they could spin shit and turn a beautiful moment into something ugly. It was what they did.
“You have to chill out.” Phileigh tried grabbing my arm. I’d paced my damn living room so many times since we got back, I was surprised I hadn’t walked a hole in the floor.
“I can’t chill right now. We’re plastered all over the damn internet.”
“It’s just a few pictures.”
“All the internet knows is drama, scandal, and the opportunity to stir shit.”
“Are you ashamed of being seen with me or something?” Her words stopped me dead in my tracks. Was that the vibe I was giving off?
“What? Hell naw.”
I moved to where she was sitting on the sofa. Her head was down like she was ashamed or some shit. “That’s not what I’m tripping about. I don’t give a damn who knows about us or sees us together.” I lifted her chin so she could see the sincerity in my eyes.
“I just… We don’t have to go public or anything. I know?—”
“Phileigh, stop that shit. I don’t care about the world seeing us. I care about the narrative they’re spinning… your privacy… your safety. The paparazzi will be swarming now that they know about us.”
She stared at me with concern flashing in her eyes. I knew it was only a matter of time before we were spotted together. I should have prepared us for this.
“You sure your mom will help?” she asked gently. “I know y’all are not on the best of terms.”
“I shouldn’t have waited this long to talk to her, but I’m still her son, and this is her job. She’ll help.” I nodded. “Besides, Ma is the best in the business. Why do you think I got one of the best images in the league?”
“One of the most boring images,” she joked, making me laugh.
“Damn, I’m boring?”
“I’m just repeating what those memes said.” She threw her hands up in the air.
“Boring, huh?”
I rolled on top of her, tickling her and landing kisses on her neck. Her soft laugh and moans egged me on. The sound of the doorbell ringing had me freezing in place.
“Your mom’s here.”
Phileigh pushed me off her, and I walked to the front door and pulled it open. Mom had a key, so I didn’t know why she hadn’t used it.
“The season ended ten days ago, and you already got yourself in some mess.” She walked in, looking like her well put together self.
“Hey, Ma,” I greeted her. Her face lit up at the sight of me.
“Hey, baby.” She pulled me into a hug. The way she squeezed me tight let me know she’d missed me as much as I had her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have?—”
She held up her hand, halting my words.
“No. You were right.”
“Ma—” I tried to interject, but she cut me off again.
“No. I need to say this. I have been shut down. When it comes to your brother, I’ve been pretending I’m okay for so long that I almost believed it. I’m not okay, Kellon. Not fully. You know why I don’t stop the press from asking you about him? Because I don’t like to bring it up. I have a hard time saying, ‘Don’t ask my baby about his deceased brother.’” Her voice was shaky, and there were tears in her eyes. “I want to do better, Kellon. I want to get to the point that talking about Jeronee doesn’t make me cry.”
“Ma, I was too hard on you. I definitely wasn’t seeing your side in all this. I’m sorry I disrespected you. It’s not fair to ask you to be my emotional support when you also lost him.”
Monte was right—the shit I needed to talk out needed to be done with a counselor. This one wasn’t her job.
“I started looking for a counselor last week. I found a nice lady who has experience with grief. I got an appointment next Tuesday,” she said.
I blinked in disbelief. “For real?”
She nodded. “And I want you to come with me sometimes. If you want. I already told her about you.”
“I’ll be there, Ma. Whenever you need me to come.”
Ma pulled me into her arms, and we embraced again. The heaviness that had been lingering between us disappeared. Pulling away, Mom walked forward, taking a seat on the couch.
“I see you made your way back.” She smiled at Phileigh.
“Yes, ma’am. Somebody came and got me.” She nodded her head in my direction, and my mama grinned.
“I’ve taught you well. How’s my grandbaby?”
Both Phileigh and I paused. We’d talked about what we would share with her on the way over here, but I knew Phileigh was nervous. She was worried that my mom would think she was some kind of gold digger, forcing me to raise a baby that wasn’t mine.
“Baby’s fine, Ma. We just left the doctor to confirm it,” I said quickly. “I know you saw the post.” I redirected the conversation.
“Uh huh. You two made quite the headlines.” She tossed her purse on the chair and flipped open her tablet. She was now entering business mode. “It’s already trending on three blogs, and I’m getting calls to confirm or deny a relationship.”
“We were just leaving the studio,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Yeah, but flowers, smiles, her sitting on your lap in bliss...” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you confirming a relationship?”
I hesitated because Phileigh and I hadn’t even had a chance to discuss being in a relationship.
“Yes, Phileigh and I are dating,” I confirmed.
“And expecting a child,” my mom added. “Are we leaking that?”
Phileigh shifted in her seat. “Um… Ms. Barnes, there’s something we need to share.”
“What do you mean?” My mom’s eyes bounced between both of us.
“We just started dating,” I said. “And she’s not pregnant by me.”
That stopped her cold. The air stilled like someone had hit pause.
“What?” She blinked, processing my words. Her mouth opened just a fraction. “Not yours? What the hell, Kellon Jamal Barnes?”
“It’s complicated,” I said quickly. I knew I needed to explain before she lost it. “It happened before we started anything. We weren’t even in each other’s lives when she got pregnant. The Super Bowl night… that was our first date.”
My mom stood there looking at me. Her face was unreadable.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Barnes. I promise none of this was intentional.”
“And the father?” She shot her eyes to Phileigh. Phileigh cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
“He’s an um… ex. He plays for LA and has a fiancée I didn’t know about. When I told him, he wanted me to get rid of it. When I didn’t, his fiancée lost it. Now, she’s blowing up my phone and calling me a liar. It’s getting messy.”
My mom sat back slowly. Her tablet lay forgotten.
“So let me get this straight,” she said, her tone neutral but heavy. “You’re in a new relationship with a woman who’s pregnant by another man. That man is engaged. His fiancée knows, and now, the press has gotten wind of you two being close, but no one knows about the baby.”
I nodded. This shot sounded crazy as hell when she laid it out dry like that.
“Boy, I said I was starting therapy. I didn’t say I was graduating.” She exhaled deeply and pressed two fingers to her temple. “Okay. Well, first of all… thank you for telling me the truth. I’m not thrilled about any of this. I would rather my son be with a woman who is not involved in such a mess, but I’m practicing this thing where I mind the business that pays me.”
I sighed, glancing at Phileigh. This was good. I knew my mom, and she could have acted ten times worse. I guess she was trying.
“Are you doing okay?” She turned to Phileigh, her expression softening.
Phileigh nodded slowly. “Trying to be. This is a lot.”
“I can only imagine,” she said. “We’ll handle it quietly if we can. We don’t say anything about the baby yet. Not until you want to. That’s your story, your moment, and it can create an entire shit storm we are not ready for right now.”
“Okay.” Phileigh nodded. “Yeah, I’m not ready for that.”
“I care about what happens to both of you,” she said. “But, Kellon… this could affect your brand, endorsements, and media. You sure about this?”
She wasn’t asking me about the press. She was asking if I was sure about Phileigh, and I was. I glanced at Phileigh, who looked up at me with so much uncertainty in her eyes.
“I’m sure,” I said, killing any doubt lingering in anyone’s mind. “I care about her. And I care about this baby. It doesn’t matter that it isn’t biologically mine.”
My mom sat back with her lips pressed together and sighed.
“Well then, let’s make sure the world sees that care and nothing else.”
Phileigh nodded, and I could see the tension in her shoulders ease just a little.
“We go on offense, not defense,” Mom continued. “The first rule of a media frenzy is to control the narrative. If we stay silent, the public will make up a story for you. And trust… it won’t be anything nice.”
I nodded. I already knew that shit. That’s why I called her first.
“We need to prepare the public to see you two together. Soft launch… no interviews… no sit downs. Thank God the Super Bowl press tour is over. We can do just a few social media breadcrumbs to show love, happiness, and chemistry. Kellon, maybe make a post about having someone special in your life and tag her. Don’t let them have to speculate.”
I gave a slow nod, taking it in. “I got it.”
“Phileigh, get ready because they are going to attack you, your looks, how you wear your hair, you being plus sized… everything. You’re taking one of the most eligible black bachelors off the market, and they’re going to crucify you for it before they cheer you on.”
I glanced over at Phileigh, feeling bad. She hadn’t asked for any of this, and we hadn’t even gotten a chance to discuss how being in the public eye would make her feel.
“I understand, Ms. Barnes. I don’t care about my image. I just want to make sure Kellon’s doesn’t suffer because of me,” she said, and I went over to her, sitting on the arm of the couch.
“We in this together, Phee baby.” I grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“They’re going to expect to see you together—charity things… red carpets. Anytime you’re out and she’s not there, they will speculate a scandal.”
“But, Ma, one thing. What about her baby daddy? He’s texting her. His fiancée’s harassing her. What if they try to sell a story?” I checked.
“They won’t,” she said calmly.
“It’s Reggie,” I told her, and her mouth fell open as she stared at me, pinching the bridge of my nose. “God dammit, Kellon! Of all the girls, you had to decide to date one of Reggie’s mistresses?”
“I didn’t know they were involved, Ma.” I tried to calm the storm, but she was already on her phone pressing buttons.
“I’ll have my legal team prepare some cease-and-desist letters in case they either speak to a blog or post any of your personal messages online. This could get messy, Kellon, especially with the team trying to acquire Reggie for next season.”
“And if they do post?” Phileigh questioned.
She smiled coldly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, you two will attend the couples’ pre-Valentine event tomorrow night. It’s a private function that’ll garner the teams’ support for your relationship. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for Phileigh to mingle with the WAGs. She’s going to need their support.”
“You good, baby? I know that was a lot.” I looked at Phileigh, who was sitting there with a stoic expression on her face.
“Yeah, just… um… I need to tell my parents I’m pregnant before Hollywood Tea Room does, and then I need to cut your hair.”