He ran his hand across his head. “Why?” he asked, tears forming for the second time since we reunited earlier.
I took a minute to gather my thoughts as our baby boy kicked and moved around. Saying “our” came naturally. Before this, I always ensured that I kept it respectful and said “their” baby.
Reason saw my belly move as it began to look deformed. This made his tears fall as he reached over and placed his hand on me to feel his baby kick. This may not have happened the traditional way, and we both had no idea about the connection, but this was meant to happen.
I’m really carrying my first and only real love’s second baby. God, you’re so good.
In the middle of Reason feeling our baby boy do his usual gymnastics routine, he looked into my eyes again, waiting for me to respond. Reason wasn’t letting me off the hook so easily.
For the next two and a half hours, I started from the beginning and told Reason everything. Why I had kept our daughter a secret, the internal turmoil I experienced without him, my parents kicking me out and having to figure things out on my own, and my aunt caring for us before she died. When I was done, there wasn’t a dry face in sight. Reason took it hard, now knowing I had endured a lot without him. I didn’t want him to carry any hurt, guilt, or burden, because our journey had only led us back to each other.
At last, for the first time in a long time, we fell asleep together, with me lying on his chest while he wrapped his arm around my belly, holding me and our unborn baby close.
“No fuckin’ way this is your life right now.” Cassie sat next to me, stunned about the details I’d shared with her about what happened at the gender reveal.
I had expressed to Reason how much I needed my friend, and he instantly asked for her information and had Cassie on the jet flying to Miami the next morning. Mr. MakeItHappen had become my new nickname for him.
When Cassie got here, Reason took that as an opportunity to take Rhema out. He said he didn’t want to waste any more time away from his daughter. Before they went out, we sat her down and explained our situation as much as her little mind could understand. I was afraid she would be mad at me, but my baby surprised me. The way she latched on to Reason, outsiders would’ve thought he’d physically been in her life since birth. I cried so hard seeing them together.
“Girl, fuck the scandals,” Cassie said, bringing me back to the conversation. “I’m still stuck on my best frienddd,” she emphasized, “having a filthy rich baby daddy. And not only is he rich, but he’s the head honcho of Black television. Ember, pinch my ass right the hell now because I gots to be dreaming.”
“Oh, Cassie.” I laughed. “Leave it to you to be all star struck and shit.”
“Girl, ain’t you!” She swatted at a small bug buzzing near her face and kept talking once it flew away. “Rhema, my lil’ baby, is really a St. Pierre. Like your baby fatherrrr, is really the owner of UTN.”
Cassie acted like I knew about the network Reason owned. I was out of the loop when it came to cable TV. It was never a necessity because I couldn’t afford it. After I left Reason many years ago, I never looked up his name or tried to find him. I would have learned where he was in life now, but I had gotten used to fighting the feeling because I had done it for so long. I couldn’t face the decision I made that difficult day, so I lived lifeacting like it never happened. Now, seeing how far he’d come, I doubt all that he accomplished would have happened if he had stayed with us in Los Angeles and given up on his dreams.
Reason had done extremely well for himself, like I knew he would.
Knowing he married a beautiful soap actress crushed my heart until he told me what she did to him. It hurt me to know another bitch hurt him in the way she had. He and I were young the last time we were together, but Reason’s heart hadn’t changed one bit. He was good to me, so I knew she had received the best treatment from him too. Shit, he had made her his wife.
“Ember, you too rich to still be stuck in dreamland, my girl,” Cassie jested, pulling me back into the moment.
I busted up laughing. “Cassie. Rich?”
“Yes, Rich with a capital R.”
“That’s Reason’s money, not mine.”
She adjusted her sunglasses and looked out at the pool and ocean view in front of us. “But it will be yours, too. I can guarantee that.”
I waved Cassie off as sadness filled me. “Technically, he’s still a married man, Cass. Meaning he’s off limits.”
Her head turned my way. “You serious right now? You gotta be playin’. Did you forget that fast that you just told me what that hoe ass wife of his did behind his back? That man don’t want that flappy pussy she’s been tossing around everywhere.”
The sadness I felt was now gone and replaced with more laughter. I was in tears. “Flappy pussy? How do you know what type of pussy that woman has?”
“Because she’s a bird, Ember. From my understanding, she was flapping that pussy to any man who wanted to fuck it.”
“My gosh, you’re crazy.”
“To think I was just watching her on television, not knowing she was with my friend’s man the entire time.” Cassie shook herhead and smirked. “I didn’t like her ass on the show, and now I definitely don’t like her ass in real life either.”
I had no clue about the character she played on television, but I did see her face on the screen a few times while in the break room when I worked at the thrift shop. I remember saying to myself that she was an attractive woman and applauding whoever the creator was for having a BBW who looked like me be the main star of the show. Other than that, I never really paid much attention to it.
“I feel the same, and I don’t know the woman. Anyone who ever hurt Reason is an automatic enemy of mine.”
“As they should be,” she agreed.
