Chapter 19 #2
He moved around and took a seat between Truce and Brendon leaving me to sit alone.
He wasn’t fuckin’ with me but I wasn’t even bothered by it for real.
In a way, I was glad that he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
He took me through so many stages of insecurity that I couldn’t keep up myself.
I fixed me something to eat and continued on with my night. It was what it was. I never asked to be cheated on in the first place. If he would’ve put his family first, then we wouldn’t have to try and bury the hatchet and give this love thing another shot.
&
Walking into the restaurant, I looked toward our reserved table and saw the three women that had been by my side since we were kids. I loved them and respected their opinions. Because I wasn’t always the smartest when it came to this relationship shit, I looked to them for guidance and advice.
Making my way over, I caught Winnie doing a double take at my midsection. She was the only one and I didn’t know if I should be worried or not.
“Hey y’all.” I went around giving everyone an individual hug with Winnie still eyeing my stomach. They spoke back with a smile gracing their faces.
“You could’ve gotten here sooner. I went ahead and ordered wine for everyone,” Dawn stated as she pointed to the glasses that were filled.
“Sorry to burst y’all bubble but I don’t think she can drink that,” Winnie commented as she took a sip of wine.
“And why can’t I, Winnona?” I inquired as I took a sip from my glass as well.
“You’re pregnant.”
Her response caused both Calina and Dawn to spit their beverages out and look at me with curious eyes. Winnie was pranking us, or something cause there was no way I had anything growing in my womb. Trust and I tried for years after Brendon and that was to no avail.
“Girl.” I waved her off and placed the glass to my lips once more. The looks that they were giving me said that I needed to say more than that.
“How do you know she’s pregnant, Winnie?” Dawn asked as she conducted her own inspection.
“Because I’m an OB/GYN I know the glow of a mother and also what a pregnant belly looks like. Plus, her breast is swollen.”
“Yani, when was your last period?” Lina asked me as she pulled out her phone.
“I don’t know. I was stressed out and whatnot, so it probably became irregular.”
“Yani, if you don’t know then maybe you need to come by my office tomorrow and get checked out. I’m almost positive that you’re pregnant.”
Winnie was the more levelheaded one and she barely spoke on things but when she did, she was always right. I had no choice but to agree.
“I’ll come by but when you see that you’re wrong, you owe me lunch. Now, can we eat so I can go and see my man?”
“Which one?” Lina interrogated letting both Dawn and Winnie in on my dog ways.
“The hell she means by that, Yani? Don’t tell me you went and did something stupid,” Dawn said.
“Ha! Wait until you hear this shit.” Calina’s mouth was flowing a mile a minute and I was ready to hit her dead in it. She had no right to tell my business.
Clearing my throat, I dropped my head and spoke in a hushed tone.
“Trust and I are engaged.”
“What?” Even Lina was shocked. She thought we were just working toward a relationship.
I held up my hand and showed them the ring. It seemed as if I offended Dawn by doing so. She gave me the dirtiest look.
“Bitch, are you stupid? That nigga doesn’t love or respect yo’ ass. What? You miss the dick or something?”
“Dawn, you know how I feel about Trust. It’s not that easy to leave someone you’ve been with for ten fuckin’ years.”
“Yes, it is. Just leave! That man has a whole other family bruh and you’re acting like that can be forgiven. Paxton is a good man and you’re playing him for a nigga that doesn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as you.”
“You’re going mighty hard for a man you barely even know. Is there something you need to tell me because I’m confused? I mean I know you hate Trust but damn,” I responded, not liking the way Dawn was handling me.
“Bitch please. My nigga is Paxton’s brother. I have no choice but to be around him. I see the kind of men they are, and they are everything we’ve been wanting since we were little girls. You tell me repeatedly on how often that man spoils you. Why the fuck would you mess that up, Yani?”
“Who said I was messing anything up? Pax and I aren’t even in a relationship together. We’re just hanging out.”
“Y’all doing more than hanging out friend. If you’re pregnant like Winnie said, is it safe to say this baby belongs to Paxton?”
I nodded answering Calina’s question and that was it for Dawn. She guzzled her wine, threw her napkin on the table, and gathered her purse and phone.
“Why are you so bothered, Dawn? I truly don’t understand you right now.” I was confused on how my personal life had her so mad.
“Get your shit together Yani because if my relationship is effected by this, we’re going to have a problem.”
She walked off not caring about the scene she caused. Bystanders had eyes on our table and embarrassment surrounded me.
“Maybe we should rain check this dinner. I’ll call you in the morning Yani with a time. I’ll catch y’all later,” Winnie dismissed herself leaving me with Calina.
“Why did you have to open your mouth, Lina? I wanted to tell everyone on my own time.”
“So now I’m the blame for the raunchy shit you’re doing? What you won’t do is put your guilt on me. You created this mess, Yani, and you’re going to deal with the consequences however they come. The only reason you’re upset with me is because Dawn tore you a new one with nothing but facts.”
Lina was unbothered by my antics. She picked up her menu and began to scan it. Whether this outing went left or not due to her not holding water, I was grateful that she didn’t walk out and leave me alone.
“He’s changed though friend and I see the old him. The Trust I knew before Xara.”
“He is the same person. A dog can’t change their spots Yani, and you know it. I don’t know what kind of spell that nigga put on you, but you need to find a way out of it and quick. You’re pregnant with another man’s baby and engaged to the other. That’s not a good look.”
My friends were giving me layers of the truth and I was having a challenging time swallowing it.
For so long, my relationship was the one that was always intact.
Now, I was dealing with two men, and one wasn’t shit.
I knew it and so did everyone else, but somehow, I forgot that and welcomed him back with open arms.
The server came back ready to take our orders. We riddled them off and got back to the topic at hand… me.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“That I can’t advise you on. As a grown ass woman, you’re going to do whatever the fuck you want to do. I do know that karma is a bitch and works faster than the man upstairs. Be careful who you choose friend.”
I nodded not knowing what to do from there. I hated how love didn’t come with a fuckin’ manual.