Chapter 31 #2
“Nope! Let’s do the math here,” she countered, practically sifting through the details in her mind.
“You and Bryce have been getting busy like you’re trying to repopulate a planet!
Plus, you’re not on any kind of birth control, and I know you weren’t pulling out receipts for condoms…
at least not for him. So yeah, you’re pregnant!
Congrats, bestie! Auntie Klarissa is ready. ”
My mind spiraled into chaos.
Oh, my God! What if I am? What if… oh no! We just got good again! What if this ruins it? What if he panics? What if I panic? What if—
“Breathe, Chess,” Klarissa encouraged gently, her tone softening, as if she could sense the storm brewing behind my silence. “Don’t think worst-case. If it’s meant to be, it’s gonna be. God doesn’t give us what we’re not ready for. You’re strong enough to handle whatever comes with this.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of her words settle within me. “You always gotta go dropping therapy gems, huh?”
“Somebody’s gotta balance out your dramatics,” she teased lightly.
We laughed, but the moment I hung up, the gravity of the situation hit me again, and I found myself out the door.
Twenty minutes later, I stood before the bathroom mirror, clutching a CVS bag in one hand, the other gripping the weight of my potential future with trembling fingers.
Three tests—because one definitely wasn’t enough. I needed confirmation, confirmation’s cousin, and confirmation’s best friend.
By the time I stared down at the third pink line, I was crying. But not the ugly kind; the quiet, shaky kind that sneaks up on you when something surreal and monumental happens.
A baby.
Our baby.
That weekend, when Bryce was off from work, I cooked like I was attempting to bribe a man into falling back in love with me—again.
The menu consisted of tender braised short ribs, creamy mac and cheese, sweet yams, earthy collard greens, and my famous cornbread from scratch, golden and fluffy.
I even lit one of those good-smelling candles, the kind meant for special occasions.
When Bryce walked in, he smelled it before he saw me. “Damn, you trying to fatten me up?”
“Something like that,” I replied, nervously.
We sat down to eat, and he complimented every bite with genuine appreciation. As we savored dessert, my hands trembled beneath the table.
It's now or never.
I reached under the table and retrieved the small, wrapped box, then stood up to give it to him.
“What’s this?” Bryce asked, a hint of suspicion threading through his voice, while eyeing me as if I were handing him child support papers.
I smiled, feeling a rush of warmth. “Just open it.”
Bryce peeled the paper slowly. His eyes narrowed with curiosity before widening in realization once he saw what was inside.
He stood up so fast his chair scraped back loudly against the floor. “Chesteria… are you serious right now?” he stammered, disbelief and joy mingling in his tone.
I nodded, my heart pounding wildly.
Bryce walked over and pulled me into his arms.
In that moment, neither of us said a word. We held each other in the middle of the kitchen, swaying together in quiet harmony.
“I swear to God, this time, I’m doing everything right. I’m here,” he said into my hair. “All the way. Every appointment. Every craving. Every little foot kick. We’re in this together.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to hold onto that peace, but fear slipped in quietly, familiar and unwelcome.
“What if something happens again?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. “What if I go all the way and it’s a repeat of last time? What if we name them, dream about them, fall in love with them, and then I come home with empty arms again?”
My throat tightened, and the tears came harder. “I can’t go through that again, Bryce. I don’t think I’d survive it this time. I really don’t.”
Bryce froze for a second, like the thought hurt him just as bad. Then slowly he pulled back just enough to hold my face in his hands. His eyes met mine, and I saw the grief he never fully let me see back then—the ache he’d been carrying in his own way. But beneath it was something stronger.
“Chess, don’t think like that. We got another shot another shot at being the parents we never got to be.
And this time… it’s gonna stick. This time, God ain’t takin’ nothing from us; he’s giving.
Even if we don’t know for sure, we just have to believe that this time will be different…
with a better outcome. Everything’s gonna be perfect. ”
Tears brimmed in my eyes once more, but that time I smiled through them. A fragile, flickering flame of hope danced in my chest, whispering that maybe, just maybe… this time would be different.
“I love you, C Baby,” he murmured, pulling back to meet my gaze.
I looked up at him, my cheeks wet and my heart full. “I love you too, Bryce.”
He smirked. “Good. But just know, you ain’t the only one bearing gifts. I got you something too.”
With that, Bryce stepped back, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small velvet box.
“Wait... what—”
He dropped to one knee right there in front of the stove, my heart racing in sync with the
“Chesteria, I lost you once, but I’m not doing that again. You’re my home, my peace, and my forever. Let’s do this whole life thing… for real this time. Will you marry—”
I didn’t even let him finish, my voice bursting forth in excitement. “Yes! Hell yes!”
We kissed again, in the kitchen where our child would one day eat breakfast, where we’d probably argue over whose turn it was to clean, where life—real, messy, beautiful life—was about to begin in the most wondrous way possible.