Chapter 3
The morning sun beat down on my face like warm kisses.
My eyes slowly opened, and I looked around, remembering that I wasn’t in my own room. I sat up and took in the luxurious suite that I hadn’t paid attention to last night. I was so aggravated when I got here, and this nigga made me shower before he laid into my ass then fucked me right to sleep.
The place was beautiful, but that was to be expected.
Titan DeLuca never did anything small.
His side of the bed was empty, and it didn’t seem like he was here.
Tossing back the covers, I climbed my naked ass out of bed and walked around the space to locate my phone.
In true Titan fashion, he’d put it on the charger for me.
When I picked it up, I had several missed calls and voicemails from my mother, a text from Jaeda, and one from Titan letting me know he had to step out but would be back.
The family group chat was bumping as well.
I was half expecting it to be filled with the news of my marriage and pregnancy, but it wasn’t.
It was the usual banter or jokes, shit talking, and threats.
There were a few pictures of the kids sprinkles in and of course my sibling making fun of our father.
It was safe to say my sister and her husband kept their mouths closed, but for how long?
It was our news to share, even if Titan had blown up my spot last night.
As I scrolled through the thread, I got a little misty eyed.
I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or if I was just homesick, but I missed my family.
So much seemed to be going on. Shar and Jaeda were pregnant.
Steel found out he had a daughter… like, what the fuck!
A big part of me wanted to pack this shit up and go home.
If my grandfather knew I was pregnant, he never would have let me come.
Madeline James damn sure wouldn’t have let me come. My mother was already overprotective of me. If she knew I was carrying her grandchild before last night… that would have been my ass. Now I had to worry about her telling my father. Senior was going to flip his shit.
Sighing heavily, I backed out of the chat and called my sister first. She would be the least likely to spaz out on me. After slipping into a robe, I propped the phone up and initiated a FaceTime call. She answered on the third ring.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my married and with child little sister.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jaeda, please.”
“Don’t Jaeda please me. What the fuck were you thinking, Mia?”
“I didn’t call for—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you called for.
You know, I knew you were hard-headed and a bit selfish, but this takes the fucking cake.
You’re on a mission in another country, knowing you’re pregnant.
You must want me to beat your ass, and you know I would never put my hands on you.
But the shit you’re doing and the way you’re moving… you’re asking for that shit.”
I sighed. “Jaeda.”
“Mia. You can’t seriously tell me that no part of you thinks you’re right in this situation. You left the country carrying that man’s child. Our niece. Daddy’s grandchild. The whole family is gonna want your fucking head.”
“Let me guess, you want to snitch on me? I’m shocked you haven’t already.”
Jaeda kissed her teeth. “See, that’s one of your biggest problems. You always think somebody is against your ass. I didn’t say shit because it’s not my business to tell. You need to grow up, woman up, and own your shit.”
“Grow up? I’m grown!”
“Not with this little ass girl move you just pulled. I have to question if you even want this baby with the way you’re just putting it in danger. Have you even been to a doctor? Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Taking care of yourself?”
“You sound like Titan. Yes, to all the above. Damn.”
She stared at me with tears in her eyes, and it instantly made me tear up. Before I knew it, both of us were sitting there fucking crying.
“You’re my little sister!” she wailed. “I’m supposed to be sharing this pregnancy with you as my bump buddy. I know I have Shar, but this could have been special for us, Mia.”
I sniffled and wiped my face. “Jaeda… I’m scared,” I admitted. “I don’t have a maternal bone in my body. What am I gonna do with a kid besides fuck them up?”
“You ain’t fucking shit up,” I heard Titan say, causing me to jump.
I hadn’t even heard him come through the door.
“It’s not like you have to do this shit alone, Mia.
This is new territory for me too. You think I ain’t scared?
You think I ain’t been fucked up about you being over here in harm's way while you’re carrying our child?
For months, I’ve been battling snitching on your ass to your people, and you know I’ve never been the type of nigga to have the next muthafucka in my business. ”
“I know.”
“My point is, I got you and you’ve got me. We’re gonna figure this shit out. We won’t be perfect, but we’ve got an army behind us to make sure we get it right if we get it wrong.”
“That’s right,” Jaeda said. “Please listen to this man, Mia. He’s been worried sick about you. Now I understand why he’s been so obsessed with rubbing my belly since you’ve been gone.”
Titan blushed, and that was the first time I’d ever seen him do so.
“You really want this baby?” I asked him.
He stepped to me and cupped my face. “I want you both.”
Leaning in, he placed a passionate kiss to my lips. When he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I let out a moan, forgetting my sister was watching us until she cleared her throat.
“I don’t need to see how you two got in this position,” she stated. “I’m gonna let you go. I love you, Mia.”
“I love you too.”
“Damn, you don’t love me?” Titan asked, pretending to frown.
She rolled her eyes. “I love you too, Titan.”
“Pick me ass nigga!” Quaid yelled in the background.
“Fuck you!” Titan called.
We shared a laugh as the call disconnected. Titan kissed me once again, softer this time.
“You hungry, mamas?”
I nodded. “I’m starving since I didn’t get to eat last night.”
“We can order room service. Then we have to go face Maddie. She’s already beat my ass this morning. I went to meet with DaVinchi, and she was with him. The woman took off her belt and beat my ass in the parking lot.”
I tried not to laugh, but I could see her doing just that. She treated Titan and his crew like they were her own kids, and his mother gave her permission to whip his ass years ago.
“Don’t laugh. It ain’t funny.”
“It kinda is.”
He playfully mushed my head before pulling me to my feet.
“Let me see my baby.”
He pulled at the strings of the robe, allowing the plush fabric to fall apart. His large hands went to my belly where he gave soft rubs.
“I can’t believe a nigga done shot up the club,” he jested.
Stooping, he kissed my stomach all over. I gently rubbed his head. It was weird seeing him be so soft and gentle. This man was as hard and reckless as they came, just like my brothers. In this moment, I felt like I was looking at a different person.
“I can’t wait to meet you,” he said, continuing to rub my stomach. “Daddy gon’ fuck up the world behind you. That’s on my mama.”
He kissed my stomach once more, then stood to his feet and kissed my lips.
“Come on. Let’s order this food so we can go face the music.”
I groaned inwardly, knowing my mama was about to get deep in my ass.
Titan and I sat across from my mother, who was glaring at us both.
We’d gotten back to the house I was temporarily living in about thirty minutes ago and she hadn’t said a word.
I had to take a shower and get dressed for the day before going back downstairs, so I thought that would give her time to cool off a bit.
She had Titan sitting at the kitchen table while she made her coffee. I said good morning when I walked in, and she gave me this look that only a mother could give. It meant sit your ass down and shut the fuck up.
And that's exactly what I did.
For five painstakingly slow minutes, she made her coffee and prepared a breakfast of fruit and a bagel before she sat at the table. She ate a few bites while she stared us down. At this point, I was tired of the dramatics and decided to speak first.
“Are you gonna say something, Ma?”
She paused, lifting the coffee mug to her lips.
“I’m not the one who has anything to explain.”
“Mom—”
“You’re pregnant. Fucking. Pregnant! And married! You didn’t think I needed to know that!”
I jumped as she swiped the plate of food from the table and sprang to her feet.
“You allowed me and your grandfather to blindly put you and my grandchild in danger. For what?”
“I just… I needed to get away—”
“Then take a fucking vacation!”
“That wasn’t enough, Mom! I needed to work. I needed the distraction.”
“From what? Him?” She glared at Titan before taking a deep breath and rubbing her temples.
“I’m so sick of this back and forth between you two.
It’s exhausting, and you’re making everyone around you miserable with your bullshit.
One minute you love him. The next minute, you hate him.
Why the fuck would you two go off and get married when you can’t even have a stable relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend? ”
I shrugged. “It just happened.”
She scoffed. “It just happened? Whose idea was it?”
“Ms. Maddie—” Titan tried but was cut off.
“Shut up.”
“You asked a question.”
“It was rhetorical because it doesn’t matter whose idea it was. It was stupid.”
Titan reached for my hand. “Ms. Maddie, I love your daughter.”
“If you loved her, you would have done what she didn’t and tell me or her father that she was pregnant. You are just as much to blame for her being here as she is.”
“I’ll take that and own it. I should’ve said something. I know better than anyone that Mia can be hardheaded as a muthafucka. I told her not to come here.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t mean shit if you didn’t stop her.”
Titan raised his hands. “She doesn’t listen to me. I’m not her daddy.”
My mother looked at him with disgust. “Oh, but I bet she calls your ass daddy.”
“Mama!” I exclaimed. “I was wrong, okay? I was wrong and I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late to be sorry. I’m pulling the plug on this whole thing.”
“You can’t!” I protested. “I’m this close to getting what I need from him.”
She pointed at me. “No. We will find another way. You heard what I said.”
“There are too many missing girls out there for me to back down now—”
“You’re gonna come up missing if you don’t get your ass back on that jet and head home,” Titan threatened me. “This is over, Mia.”
I glared at him. “Excuse you?”
“You heard what I said, mamas. You and my baby need to be stateside by the end of the week.”
I looked from him to my mother with a frown on my face. I knew they were right, but I was so close to getting JacQues. He bragged a little too much for my liking about getting away with the shit he was doing. I wanted to be the one to put him down. I’d put in too much work not to.
“Let me have this,” I begged, something I never did.
Titan shook his head. “What did I say? If you don’t listen to me about shit else, you’re gonna listen to me about this.
Like your mama said, we will find another way.
Niggas like him will still be up to their shit after you give birth.
You’re going home with your husband, and we’re gonna focus on what’s important right now. ”
My jaw ticked as I looked at him.
He was not about to play the husband card with me. I wasn’t the wife to jump when a nigga said jump. He knew that, so the fact that he thought he could tell me what I was going to do was sending me.
Clearing my throat, I stood to my feet. “Get out of my house, Titan.”
“Nah, I’m good. I think I’ll stay so I can make sure you get your ass on this jet. Vinchi is bringing my shit over.”
I bit my lip as I glared at him. My mother sat there with a smirk on her face and her arms folded. My chest heaved as I looked between the both of them. Without another word, I left the kitchen and went upstairs to my bedroom, locking the door behind me. They could enjoy each other’s company.