Chapter 16
AVA REYNOLDS
It was now January. The holidays hadn’t been nearly as painful as I thought they were going to be.
I had gone into Christmas and New Year’s expecting to feel like the single baby mama amongst a bunch of well-kept wives, but somewhere after that moment in the kitchen when Reek felt the baby kick, he had started changing.
He was doing everything he felt like he should do and anything I asked.
He never missed a prenatal appointment, no matter how insignificant it might be, and instead of sitting there like somebody had forced him to be there, he was more engaged and attentive now.
When the baby moved and he was around, he always wanted to touch my stomach and feel it for himself.
Sometimes he would be talking to me and stop in the middle of the sentence because he saw my stomach jump under my shirt.
Then he would come over and put his hand there with this goofy grin on his face.
He had even started talking to the baby.
But I still had PTSD from how cruel he had been in the beginning.
I still heard his anger in the back of my mind, and I refused to let myself just melt because he suddenly was willing to act right.
But at least he was there, acknowledging my child, and was involved.
He had spent an obnoxious amount of money on Baby for Christmas too.
Reek had bought so many little designer outfits, baby coats, tiny hats, socks, and gym shoes that Baby probably wouldn’t even get a chance to wear half of it before growing out of the sizes.
I had sat on my living room floor surrounded by boxes from Dior, Burberry, Jordan, Nike, Gucci, and Baby Vuitton with my mouth hanging open while he stood there proud as hell.
And when he came over now, he usually had food with him too. If I mentioned a craving one day, he’d show up with it two days later.
It was sweet to witness. But every time he did something thoughtful, the old feelings I had for him started trying to wake back up. And I did not need that because, though he had come around to being a father, he still hadn’t come around to being a husband, and that’s what me and Baby deserved.
That January afternoon, I was at home by myself trying to hang a painting I bought from Rhythm.
It was one of her pieces that had all these warm browns, creams, and golds in it, which matched the color scheme of my condo perfectly.
I had the painting balanced against one hip and was on a small ladder trying to hold the nail in place with one hand and the hammer with the other.
The baby shifted, which threw my balance off.
My foot slipped, and before I could catch myself, the ladder tipped sideways.
The painting fell and so did I. I landed with a thud on my stomach, hard enough to knock the breath out of me for a second and make me panic.
I froze there on the floor, heart racing. I slowly rolled to my side and pushed myself up, wincing. My hands were shaking.
I stood on shaky legs, holding my stomach. I grabbed my phone off the dining room table and called my OB’s office. The receptionist transferred me to my doctor’s nurse after I explained I had fallen.
The nurse asked me a million questions. Was I cramping? Was I having fluid leakage? Was I bleeding? Did I feel dizzy?
“No,” I kept answering.
She finally told me, “If you’re not bleeding, cramping badly, leaking fluid, or feeling decreased movement, you’re probably okay. Just rest, monitor yourself closely, and call us back or go in immediately if anything changes.”
That was enough to calm me down a little. So, I got off the phone, picked the ladder up, and sat on the couch with both hands on my stomach trying to breathe through the leftover nerves. After a while, I convinced myself I was okay.
Then there was a knock at my front door.
Nobody had texted me that they were coming over, and Reek had finally started to let me know before he came.
When I looked through the peephole, it was Kam standing there with a pizza box and a brown paper bag in his hands.
I opened the door, and he smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“Someone’s Uber Eats order was left at my door,” he said, lifting the food a little. “It’s too much food for me to eat by myself. So, I figured I’d see if you wanted some.”
“What is it?”
“Pizza, wings, fries, and a brownie.”
I stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in.”
By then, me and Kam had been working out together in the gym almost daily.
What started as casual conversation was turning into a friendship.
He flirted with me, but he hadn’t asked me out or tried anything physical.
I figured my pregnancy was probably what kept him from pushing it, and I understood that.
Still, he was good company and great to look at and fantasize about.
He came in, set the food on the coffee table, and looked around. “You’re making this place look more lived in every time I come up here.”
I looked around, smiling proudly. “I’m trying.”
We opened the pizza and ate while the TV played some reality show neither one of us cared about.
“Isn’t your pop up coming up this week?”
I nodded as I chewed and swallowed.
“You nervous?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I have a really good following so I believe I will have a good turnout. I invited beauticians, hair influencers, and my followers.”
“The pop up idea is nice. You’re building community around your product, not just trying to make a quick dollar. That’s dope.”
Smiling, I told him, “Thank you.”
He took another bite of pizza. then said, “I really like your drive.”
I fought the urge to blush.
“Most people talk about what they want to build. You’re actually building it.”
I grinned proudly. “Thank you.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at me with more intent. “I can’t wait for you to drop this baby so I can take you out for a real night and some drinks.”
He had never been that forward so my eyes bucked a bit. Then I started blushing. “So, you want to take me out?”
“Hell yeah,” he replied easily. “I mean, I don’t have to wait until you have the baby if you’re down.”
My stomach fluttered with nerves. Kam was sexy with that bad boy edge I liked, but he knew how to be a gentleman and a friend.
That was more attractive than the money he clearly had.
But my thoughts went straight to Reek, which annoyed me.
I was so tired of my feelings refusing to leave that man alone.
Reek did not want a real relationship. He had made that clear more than once.
And I refused to be “hooking up” with my child’s father because every time we did, my feelings only grew deeper.
So, if a sexy, dope boy wanted to take me out, I needed to let myself be open to that instead of being loyal to confusion.
“You’re in the streets. So, do you know who my baby’s father is?”
Kam nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know.”
“And you’re not scared?”
“Hell nah.”
I discreetly exhaled. That shit was sexy as hell.
I looked at Kam, batting my eyes flirtatiously. “Well, I don’t see why we can’t go out if you’re not ashamed of taking a very pregnant woman on a date.”
He leaned back against my couch and looked me over in a way that made me feel wanted. “I’m not ashamed at all, and I definitely don’t give a fuck about anybody’s opinions.”
I laughed softly and looked down for a second because I was blushing too hard now.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I said, getting up. “Be right back.”
I went into the bathroom mostly because I needed to pee, but also because I wanted to blush in private. It had been a long time since a man looked at me like that and claimed what he wanted.
I shut the bathroom door, sat down, and finally let myself squeal silently.
After relieving myself, I wiped and my heart stopped when I saw the blood on the tissue.
I gasped, “No!”
I began to panic as I continued to wipe and saw more blood.
“Noooo,” I began to cry as I pulled my pants up.
I hurriedly washed my hands, then jerked the bathroom door open.
When Kam saw the look in my eyes and tears streaming down my face, he jumped up from the couch. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m bleeding,” I cried.
He looked as if he wanted to panic, but was holding it together for me. “Okay... You need to go to the ER.” Then he looked at my hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. I was trembling so hard my teeth were almost clicking. “You’re not driving. I’m taking you. C’mon.”