11. Micaiah
“I wanna take your word, Sam, you know I do. I just can’t run with it like you want me to though. We’re talking about a lifetime commitment.” –Love You Hard, MJ Stone
I set the copy of Love You Hard back on the shelf and grabbed a copy of Heart of Stone.
I slid the handwritten note into chapter six and closed the book again, just as I heard someone approach me from behind.
I hadn’t been looking over my shoulder as I usually did; otherwise, I wouldn’t have almost been caught.
“What are you doing?” Myraj asked.
I had arranged to meet her at VC Winery they were pregnancy books that I had picked up to gift her.
“Uhm, no, . . . I’m fine. Are those for me?” she asked, gesturing to the books in my hand.
I took her hand in my free one and led her to the register. “Yeah. I thought these might be helpful. One of them I purchased for Karen when she was pregnant with Malachi. These other two, I’ve done research on, and I thought they might be helpful to you.”
She smiled sweetly at me as we stood in line. “You’re so sweet, Micaiah. I-I was worried about how you might react.”
“I’m good. One day at a time, right?”
“Right,” she mumbled and bobbed her head. She turned her gaze to the coffee shop inside the store.
“Hey, go grab us something to drink on the way to the restaurant,” I suggested, removing a twenty from my wallet and handing it to her.
“Mkay,” she mumbled and walked off.
I focused on her body admiringly as she headed to the coffee shop. She had gotten a little thicker, but not much. It was mostly in her ass, but her thighs and even her waistline appeared to be the same.
I stepped out of line and returned to grab three hardback copies of Heart of Stone. I rushed back to the line, which had decreased since I left it. I slid a Benjamin to the cashier. “Would you please ring up these copies of Heart of Stone separately from my purchases?”
“Sure.”
When she finished and prepared to bag them up, I stopped her. “No. They’re not for me. The next three people that come through here to purchase a copy of one of those books, just gift it to them.”
“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Livingstone,” she declared, glancing at my credit card as she handed it back to me.
I bobbed my head, waited for her to complete the rest of my purchase, and then went in search of Myraj at the coffee shop.
“This is delicious.” Myraj groaned between bites.
I had taken her to dinner at Dawson Castle’s Steakhouse.
I had ordered a Porterhouse steak, sauteed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and roasted potatoes.
Myraj had opted for a rack of lamb, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli.
A large plate of rolls sat in the middle of the table between us.
I had already ordered strawberry cheesecake for our dessert.
Myraj had lamented the fact that she couldn’t have the white wine with her meal and opted instead for the sweet tea. When I had chosen to order a water, she insisted that I should order what I might normally order, so I had a glass of bourbon.
I requested a private booth so that we could have a conversation about the baby without others overhearing us.
“How are you and the baby doing?”
“Everything is fine. My bloodwork and oxygen levels look good, and I’ve been making sure that I stay hydrated for the baby.”
“And for you too. You should be taking good care of yourself whether you’re pregnant or not.”
“I know. Sometimes, I have the best intentions, but my schedule gets so busy that I forget to take care of myself. I’ve placed a schedule in my phone to keep me on my toes about eating and drinking.”
“You might take a midday rest too.”
She twisted her lips and waved her hand. “Chile, please. Nobody has time for naps around here.”
“Okay. I hear you, but if you feel the need to do so, you might have to do that. How is your office set up? Do you have a couch in there?”
“I do.”
“Take advantage of it. Uhm, do you know the gender yet?” I rubbed my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans.
A beautiful smile softened her features. “It’s a girl.”
“That’s beautiful. How are you feeling about everything? The changes in your mood, your body, and your life?”
“Honestly, Micaiah, it’s a welcome feeling.
I’ve been wanting to have a baby for a couple of years now.
I’m so excited. I mean, I know that I’m getting older and my chances at conception are growing slimmer with each passing year, so this works for me.
It may not be the way I planned to have a baby, but I’ll take what I can get. ”
“What do you mean it wasn’t the way you planned?”
“I found out that I was pregnant when I was attending an appointment for intrauterine insemination. They discovered during my exam that I was already pregnant.”
Something tightened in my chest, and I thought about what Arabella suggested, that maybe she did know who I was, and she had intentionally tried to get pregnant.
I had thought it was odd that she was pregnant, knowing that I had used condoms each time we had sex.
It was time to broach the conversation I had been wanting to have, but she spoke first.
“Micaiah, I know you must have some concerns—and I know this came at you from out of nowhere, so, if you want a paternity test, just know that I’m open to it.”
I cleared my throat. “I do, and thank you for understanding that. It’s no reflection on you. It’s about establishing firm guidelines and clearing up any misconceptions or confusion.”
She wore a tight smile but spoke pleasantly. “Sure, it’s no less than what I expected. I’ll look up some places Monday to—”
“You don’t have to. I can make an appointment for us next Tuesday with a provider I know, if you’d like.”
“Okay, that’s fine,” she responded in a soft voice and looked away. I reached across the table and tilted her chin.
“Are you okay?”
“I am.”
I reached inside of my back pocket and removed my phone. She kept her gaze on me as I texted Joshua. I already had a conversation about it with him, and he linked me up with his best friend who had a clinic specializing in prenatal DNA testing.
“I’ll text you the link with all the details when I get it. I’ll send a car service to you to pick you up, and I’ll bring you back home.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to. Please, let me do this, and don’t resent me for wanting assurances for myself.”
She sighed and replied, “I don’t resent you, Micaiah, just the situation. I’m frustrated that my ho-ish behavior led to you needing a DNA test.”
“Your behaviors weren’t whorish, Myraj. You simply wanted a reason to believe, and I gave you that. There was nothing wrong with what you asked for or expected. Neither of us could have known that we would end up here. We took precautions.”
“I guess it would’ve helped if I’d been on birth control, but I didn’t have a reason to be.”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I’m a firm believer that whatever is meant to be, will be. If this baby was going to come into this world, your birth control wouldn’t have stopped it. Whatever the Lord wanted to happen is what would happen.”
“You’re right, but I’m still so embarrassed. I mean, I told you that I didn’t want to stay in touch, and here I am having to call you about a baby. Honestly, I didn’t want to make the call.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t want you thinking bad about me. Most of all, I didn’t want to have that wonderful night ruined by coming to you and finding out that you were really a frog and not a prince if you acted an ass on me.”
I chuckled. “I’m not that guy, Myraj. I know that discussing the DNA test couldn’t help either.
Ladies feel like there’s a stain on their reputation or their integrity is being called into question.
You shouldn’t have to suffer through that, but unfortunately, just as many women out there that have integrity, there are that many and more who are out here duping men to take care of kids they know don’t belong to those men.
“Unfortunately, I’ve known a couple. One of them didn’t find out the truth until his son was in high school and decided to do one of those family tree projects.
The other one was a friend of mine who learned the truth in his thirties.
He had a medical emergency. His father came through for him, because his mama was out of the country, and they found out he wasn’t his dad. ”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, and those are just the two I know about. Unfortunately, there are so many scandalous women out here ready to take their secrets to the grave with them. They’ll never admit it to anyone, maybe not even their best friends.
I’m glad that you suggested it. This will give baby girl and me assurances in the future.
We all deserve that, wouldn’t you agree? ”
“I agree, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
I reached out and caressed her hand. “I know. Once we get it done, we can plan our next steps, like introducing you to her big brother.”
She smiled shyly and looked into her glass of iced tea. I could tell that she was still bothered, and while I hated it, too, I knew it was something we had to do.