Page 39 of Surrogate For My Best Friend’s Man 2

I swallowed hard. “I’m carrying Deuce and Kim’s babies.”

He took a step backward then another. I could see him trying to process what I’d just said.

“Nah.”

“Malik—”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “You’re telling me these babies ain’t mine?”

I started crying. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s all the fuck you got to say is I’m sorry?” He yelled.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.”

His laugh came out low and bitter. “You ain’t know how to tell me?”

“I was scared.”

“You had months.”

“I know.”

“Months, Shante.” His voice got louder. “And I been sitting here thinking those were my kids.”

I covered my face. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“But you did.” He started pacing. I watched him put the pieces together one by one. Every appointment, every time I told him I was tired. Every time he touched my stomach. Every conversation we’d had about names. The nursery, the future, all of it.

“You let me believe I was about to be a father.”

I wiped my cheeks. “I know and I’m sorry I didn’t know what to do.”

“You knew the whole time.”

“I didn’t know how to stop it.”

He turned around so fast I jumped. “And Alisha?”

My stomach dropped, I couldn’t say anything. He stared at me. “She don’t know either, do she?”

I shook my head.

“What the fuck, Shante?”

“Malik…”

“That’s your best friend.”

His voice cracked with disbelief. “She thinks you pregnant by me.”

“I know.”

“You been sitting in her face this whole time letting her believe that?”

I started crying harder. “She don’t know.”

“Exactly.” He pointed toward the door. “Everybody thinks these babies are ours. And you knew damn well they wasn’t.”