Novella “Novi” Hart
That afternoon, two pink lines stared back at me. I sat on the edge of the bathtub with the pregnancy test trembling between my fingers as tears slid down my face.
I was pregnant.
A laugh escaped me, but it broke into a sob before it fully formed.
Kash and I had created a baby. Memories rushed through me faster than I could stop them. His sleepy smile in the mornings. The way he pulled me into his lap when I was upset. His hand resting on my stomach while he asked how many children I wanted, as though he had already imagined them with me.
I pressed the test against my chest and cried harder.
Part of him was still here. Our baby was proof that the life we shared had been real, that his love had left something behind besides an empty closet and photographs I couldn’t look at without falling apart.
For one beautiful second, happiness filled me.
Then the truth crushed it. Kash would never hear the heartbeat. He wouldn’t rub my stomach, argue with me over names, or hold my hand while our child entered the world. Our baby would know him through stories, pictures, and whatever pieces of him I could keep alive.
Kash would forever be a memory to both of us.
I lowered one hand to my stomach, though there was nothing to feel yet.
“You have a daddy who loved you before he knew you existed,” I whispered.
My heart broke all over again.
Still, beneath the grief, love remained. Kash had left me a piece of forever. I only wished he had stayed to share it with us.
The address the voice had given me led me to an estate that looked like it belonged behind the gates of another world. I slowed my car as I approached the security station positioned in front of the entrance. A uniformed guard stepped out before I could lower my window completely.
“Novi?”
The fact that he knew my name made me grip the steering wheel tighter. “Yes.”
He checked something on a tablet, then motioned toward the massive iron gates. They opened slowly, revealing a long driveway lined with trimmed hedges, flowering trees, and lights built into the stone.
I drove through in disbelief. The estate was beautiful enough to make me forget my grief for a few seconds.
The house sat farther back on the property, enormous and elegant without looking cold.
Tall windows stretched across the front, and wide stone steps led to double doors that appeared too fancy to have an ordinary doorbell.
I had never visited anyone who kept a guard inside a station at the front gate. I felt like I had arrived at President Obama’s house.
When I parked, I remained inside the car for a moment with both hands in my lap. Kash’s burner phone was inside my purse. So was the positive pregnancy test I had wrapped in tissue and carried for reasons I couldn’t explain.
I think I needed proof that I hadn’t imagined it.
I forced myself out of the car and walked toward the entrance. Before I could figure out where the damn doorbell was, one of the double doors opened.
The man standing behind it was beautiful. There was no other word for him. He had deep, dark skin, a neatly groomed beard, and features so perfect they almost seemed unfair. He was tall and broad beneath a fitted cream shirt, but the calmness in his expression kept him from appearing threatening.
Even with grief consuming most of me, I stared for a second longer than necessary.
“I’m Legend Cartier,” he introduced. “I’m sorry for your loss.” His voice was the one from the phone.
“Thank you.”
He stepped aside. “Come in.”
I followed him into a foyer larger than the first apartment I had rented. Polished floors reflected the chandelier above us, and family photographs covered one wall in elegant black frames.
The house was expensive, but it didn’t feel like a museum. It felt lived in. Children’s laughter sounded from somewhere nearby. The smell of seasoned meat, butter, and something sweet drifted from the kitchen, making my empty stomach respond even though the idea of eating still made me nauseous.
As we passed an open den, I glanced inside.
A beautiful woman with dark hair sat on a sectional holding a baby who looked about eight months old.
Two little girls who appeared to be twins stood against the furniture, gripping the cushions while wobbling on their feet as though they were preparing to take their first steps.
Three other children ran through the room, arguing over a toy while an animated movie played on the television.
The woman was too busy managing everybody to notice me.
One of the older children ran into the hallway.
“Daddy!” he called to Legend. “Mommy told me I have to ask you if I can have another popsicle.”
Legend stopped walking to tell him, “After dinner.”
“But I already ate some crackers.”
Legend chuckled. “Crackers aren’t dinner.”
The boy sighed dramatically.
Legend smiled. “I’ll be right back to finish the movie with you and Mommy after I handle some business.”
The child finally noticed me. “Hi. My name is Sire.”
I managed a smile. “Hi, Sire. I’m Novi.”
He waved, then ran back into the den.
I looked away before the tears forming in my eyes could fall. Kash and I would never have moments like that. He would never negotiate with our child over sweets before dinner. We would never fill a home with more children, noise, and ordinary family arguments.
I placed a hand over my stomach. Our baby would be the only one we ever made together.
“You all right?” Legend asked.
I nodded quickly. “Yes.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he continued walking. He led me into an office where four men were waiting, and I nearly stopped at the doorway.
“This is Icon,” Legend said, pointing towards a handsome man seated behind the desk. “And that’s Saint, Big A, and Reek.”
Each man greeted me, but being surrounded by so many unfamiliar men made me nervous. Still, I didn’t feel unsafe. Their expressions held concern rather than suspicion, and Kash had told me to trust them.
Legend closed the door and offered me a chair.
I sat, placed my purse in my lap, and removed the burner phone.
“Here is the phone I found.”
Icon accepted it from me. “Did you read anything besides the message he left you?”
“Some texts, but I didn’t understand them.”
“Recently, Kash reported seeing some foul shit and wanted to holla at us, but he never got the chance to,” Reek explained. “Whoever killed him was most likely trying to shut him up.”
“I don’t know anything about street politics,” I replied. “I don’t know who is against who or what any of this means. I only want to understand why the man I loved was murdered.”
“We’re going to figure that out,” Legend promised.
Icon began examining the phone. “Until we know who Kash saw and what he recorded, you can’t return home.”
My fear heightened. “Why not?”
“If they thought he kept evidence, they may search his house,” Saint answered. “They could assume he gave it to you.”
“I don’t have anything.”
“They don’t know that,” Reek replied.
I looked between them. “Then where am I supposed to go?”
Icon glanced at the others. “Give us a minute to figure that out. In the meantime, go to the kitchen, get comfortable, and eat something.”
I groaned inwardly. “I don’t have an appetite.”
Legend opened the office door. “You’re eating for two. You need the nourishment.”
I stared at him, and so did every man in the room.
“How do you know?” I asked him.
A small smile appeared on Legend’s face. “My wife has been pregnant five times. I can tell when a woman is with child.”
My hand moved protectively over my stomach. “I just found out.”
His expression softened. “Did Kash know?”
I shook my head, and the tears returned before I could stop them.
Legend stepped aside and gestured toward the hallway. “Then we have two people to protect.”
I smiled through my tears, knowing that even from the grave, the man I loved was still finding a way to protect us.