Chapter 19
By Christmas Eve, the blogs had forgotten all about Solo and me.
I wasn’t extremely concerned about the lies that had been spread, because Solo told me he’d take care of it.
I was also seeing clients and drowning in wedding planning, so I didn’t have time to worry about what people I didn’t know thought of me.
I’d only been back to my apartment one other time since the night we returned from Barbados. The purpose of the visit was to pick up my car and fill it with as many of my things as I could. Solo wanted to rent a truck and clear the place out, but I convinced him to wait until after the wedding.
My sister and Semaj had been hosting a small Christmas Eve gathering for the past few years. It was usually just Semaj’s brother, Jovan, his wife, and their boys, but Solo and I were crashing this year.
Elaine and I were out doing some last-minute shopping, and as we headed toward the check-out, I couldn’t believe who we ran into. As soon as my sister saw Tremaine, she began mumbling profanities under her breath.
I refused to engage with him, so I maneuvered my cart to go around him. I couldn’t believe it when this nigga stepped in front of my cart. I stopped abruptly, but Elaine wasn’t wrapped too tight, and she grabbed the handle and tried to run him over.
“Tremaine, move!” I shouted.
“Damn, Eva. You too good to stop and talk to a nigga now?”
“She’s always been too good for your ass. Move before I run you over,” Elaine barked.
“I never did like you,” he replied dismissively before returning his attention to me. “Is it true you were playing me the whole time fucking around with some nigga in the NFL?”
“Is it true you got a baby on the way and proposed to the poor woman carrying your child with the same engagement ring I wore for seven years?”
“What did you say?” a woman’s voice questioned loudly from a few feet away.
I turned to see who the voice belonged to, and I saw the woman’s stomach before I saw anything else. I finally looked at her face, and it was Tremaine’s fiancée.
“Oh, hi,” I greeted with a smirk.
“Did you just say this was your engagement ring?” She held up her hand.
“It was. Tremaine and I were engaged for seven years. I’m not sure how long you’ve been with him, but I just broke things off a few months ago. Do with that what you will. Merry Christmas.”
I was certain the chaos that ensued behind was Oscar-worthy, but I wasn’t interested in watching it unfold.
“The audacity of that nigga,” Elaine said. “I mean, they must be selling audacity somewhere, and his bitch ass cashed out.”
“Got the nerve to question me when he’s probably the one who fed that bullshit to the blogs.”
“Not to mention, the evidence of his indiscretions was right there. Whew! I’m so glad you came to your senses, Sis.”
“Me, too.”
We paid for our items and headed to Elaine’s house. Solo was already there, and Jovan and his family arrived just as we pulled up. Once the festivities began, my encounter with Tremaine was forgotten.
I enjoyed making cookies and cupcakes with my nieces and extended nephews, but my favorite part of the night was the couples’ gingerbread house contest. The back-and-forth between the men as our houses came to life was hilarious, and their competitive nature was on full display.
When we finished, we posted them on Solo’s Flikstagram because he had the most followers, tagged everyone else, and asked our followers to vote.
Jovan and his wife received the most votes, Solo and I got the second-most, and our hosts got the least. I hadn’t had that much fun on Christmas Eve since I was in single digits.
The next morning, Elaine and I had to be at our parents’ house bright and early to help my mother cook dinner. I left a kiss on Solo’s cheek and begrudgingly left the warmth of the bed. After a quick shower, I dressed comfortably and packed a bag with nice clothes to change into later.
“I’m leaving,” I told Solo, kissing him again.
“Okay. Michael should be outside.”
“Why is he here?”
“To drive you to your parents’ house so we won’t have two cars there later.”
“Oh, okay. That makes sense. I love you.”
“I love you too. Let me know when you arrive.”
As Solo said, Michael was waiting in the driveway. He stepped out, walked around the front of the car, and opened the back passenger door of the Escalade. I wished him a Merry Christmas, tossed my bag on the back seat, climbed inside, and made myself comfortable.
I planned to scroll aimlessly on social media, but I’d been exhausted the past few days, and the next thing I knew, Michael was calling my name because I’d fallen asleep.
I looked around to adjust to my surroundings as he got out to open the door.
I grabbed my bag, and he helped me out and walked me to my parents’ front door.
“Thanks, Michael. Merry Christmas, again.”
“Same to you, ma’am.”
I went inside, and as I slipped out of my shoes, I texted Solo to let him know I’d arrived. Elaine and my mother were already in the kitchen, so I went to the bathroom to wash my hands before joining them.
“Dang, you’re here early,” I said to Elaine as we exchanged a quick hug. I hugged my mother as well.
“I just got here, but I didn’t want to hear your mother’s mouth.”
“Same.”
“Keep talking about me like I’m not here, and y’all will be trying to find somewhere to have dinner,” Ma warned.
“Chill, Ma. You know we love being in the kitchen with you,” Elaine said.
“We sure do. Where’s Daddy?”
“In the back getting the turkey fryers ready. He should be in soon. What’s going on with that internet drama?”
“It simmered down quite a bit after he did that interview. His ex kept lying to the blogs that were still listening to her, so he served her with a cease and desist. She’s been quiet since.”
Elaine and my mother laughed.
“She thought Solo was playing when he wasn’t. Mia and I never clicked because there was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way. We never hung out without our husbands.”
“I guess you were right about her,” I said.
“I was right about Tremaine’s raggedy behind too. Ooh, Ma. We gotta tell you what happened yesterday when we saw him at the store.”
She proceeded to tell our mother about the incident with Tremaine, and I interjected when needed. Ma laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.
“Damn, I wish I’d been there. Why didn’t y’all record it?”
“I wouldn’t waste the time, effort, or memory on my phone on him. He’s old news, Ma. I got a good man now.”
“It seems you do, sweetheart. Your father talked my ear off about him after they went suit shopping and had dinner. He really likes him for you.”
“Good, because I love him for me.”
Time flew, family began arriving, and before I knew it, my parents’ house was full of people and Christmas joy. I introduced Solo to my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and he fit right in.
When it was time to eat, my father blessed the food. My family was old-school when they wanted to be, and as soon as we said amen, the women headed to the kitchen to make plates for the men and children. When I went to make Solo’s plate, he stopped me.
“You’ve been cooking all day, baby. I’ll make your plate.”
The house became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on us, and you would’ve thought that man called me everything but a child of God. When he noticed the climate had changed, he looked around cautiously.
“Umm, did I say something wrong?”
My mother was the first to answer. “No, son. Go on in the kitchen and fix baby girl a plate.”
“Ooh, cousin,” Breesha cooed. “Girl, you got a good man.”
“I know, girl. You don’t know how many times I’ve said that and have to pinch myself to make sure this is real.”
Everything got back to business as usual, and Solo returned with my plate and his. He placed my plate on the table in front of me and sat beside me.
“It all looks delicious. What did you make?” he asked.
“The yams, and the cornbread I made from scratch. I also helped Elaine with the macaroni and cheese.”
He used his fork to scoop up some yams, and when they touched his tongue, he nodded, giving me his approval.
“These are good as hell, baby.”
“Thank you. Yams are my favorite.”
I finally scooped up a forkful of yams, but my reaction was nothing like Solo’s. Instead, when the sweet flavor hit my tongue, I became nauseous.
“Oh my God!”
I slapped my hand over my mouth, pushed back my chair, weaved through my family members, and rushed into the powder room. I made it to the toilet just in time, vomiting up all the food I’d eaten that day, which wasn’t much because I’d only been tasting.
When my stomach was empty, I attempted to stand, and Solo was there in a flash. He helped me to the sink, where I put some cold water on my face and rinsed my mouth out. I finally looked at him, and I could see concern on his face, but he waited for me to answer the question he hadn’t asked.
“I’m pregnant. Merry Christmas.”