I turned back to him.
“This conversation not over,” I said. “But you need to get the hell outta here before somebody call security on you.”
He smirked. “Text me when you leavin’.”
I stared. “After this?”
He shrugged. “You can curse me out the whole ride home in your head. I still wanna know you made it back.”
I wanted to say no.
Wanted to tell him to lose my number, my address, my whole existence.
Instead, I rolled my eyes so hard my head hurt. “Get out, Roman.”
He finally stepped past me, hand brushin’ my waist like he couldn’t help it.
“See you outside,” he said, and walked out the ladies’ room like he belonged there.
I stared at the door after it closed.
My heart was poundin’, my palms were sweatin’, my mind was screamin’ at me that this was not okay.
And the fucked-up part was…
Under all that?
Some quiet piece of me felt weirdly… relieved he’d been there.
That was the part that scared me the most.
‘Cause if I wasn’t careful, I knew one thing for sure:
Roman wasn’t gon’ be the only one lookin’ crazy behind this shit.
By the time I made it up Melissa steps, I was already outta breath.
Carrying twins will do that to you.
“I swear, if one more person tell me ‘you look like you ‘bout to pop,’ I’ma fight,” I mumbled to myself, shiftin’ the gift bag on my wrist.
Melissa opened the door before I could knock for the second time.
“There go my favorite baby mama,” she said, smilin’ big.
“Girl, move out the way before I knock you over,” I grumbled, but I hugged her anyway, waddlin’ inside.
Her place was halfway set up for the baby shower already, blue and yellow decorations still in bags, a few banners layin’ on the couch, some little elephant shit on the table. It was cute.
“This gon’ be so nice,” she said, closin’ the door. “We gon’ have this lookin’ like Pinterest threw up in here.”
I snorted. “As long as the food good, I don’t care if you hangin’ up Wal-Mart bags.”
She laughed. “Food already handled. Sit your ass down.”
I eased myself onto the couch with a groan, puttin’ both hands on my belly.
“These kids beatin’ my ass from the inside,” I said. “They better come out with scholarships.”
