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The alpha male stops pacing for a moment and glares at me, heating me up from the inside out. Sensing that Carlton’s rant is over and that he’s ready for me to explain myself, I swallow hard. I’m unsure how to tell him everything that’s happened over the last few weeks, but I know that I have to try.
“I’m just… I’m going through a lot,” I say as simply as possible. I feel my heart thudding in my chest, and worry for a moment that the stress might hurt the baby. As a result, I try to take a few deep breaths to lower my blood pressure. But Carlton’s not having it.
“What the hell kind of answer is that?” he demands. “Really? Just going through a lot?”
I shrug. “It’s the truth.”
To my surprise, Carlton doesn’t spin out, but instead sits heavily on the couch next to me. Eye level now, I can see that behind his anger is deep pain, and something akin to regret.
“Is this about Melody?” he asks me softly.
I feel a single tear slide down my cheek. Carlton watches the droplet with concerned eyes.
“That bitch,” he says with such vehemence that I jump a little. “What did she say to you?”
I consider what to tell Carlton. I realize that while it may be painful, I need to tell him the truth, and accept whatever reaction he may have to it. Trying to calm myself, I sit up a little straighter.
Carlton leans forward, his entire body tense. “What did she say about the other night?” he asks, his jaw tight with barely controlled emotion.
“That you two went out,” I tell him simply, not wanting to rehash every detail of that horrible conversation, even for the sake of clearing the air.
Carlton growls, an animalistic sound that – if it had been directed at me – would have made my blood curdle. “We did not quote-unquote ‘go out,’” he corrects me fiercely. “We met after work to discuss work issues that she said she couldn’t talk about in the office. She tried to hit on me, but I finally shut that shit down for good.” The man looks so violent that I know he must be telling me the truth. Regardless, it doesn’t really change how complicated my situation is.
“I guess I kind of guessed that,” I tell him softly. “Melody has a way of making the simplest situation dramatic, and you know how she embellishes. Plus, she’s always hated me. I didn’t think she knew about us, but she probably felt the sparks.”
Carlton looks at me, eyes burning fiery hot.
“The sparks between us are real, Ramona, and I swear on my mother’s grave that nothing happened between me and Melody. And if she made you feel that way, well, that’s beyond the pale. I’ll take care of it,” he promises vehemently.
I hold my hand up to stop Carlton’s forthcoming declaration that he can fix everything. He doesn’t have the full story, and I’m certain he won’t be so calm in another moment or two, if I can ever work up the courage to share my news.
“So you didn’t masturbate using her panties,” I say in a trembling tone.
He stares at me. “What?”
I shrug. “She says you took her panties and likely used them to jack off, which made sense because I know you’ve always enjoyed using lingerie creatively.”
This time, Carlton jumps up, his jaw pulsing as he stalks back and forth like a caged animal.
“That bitch!” he shouts. “I’m going to get her ass fired, and then get her hauled off to jail.”
“But Carlton, I’m not upset about Melody,” I correct him in a slow tone. “Or at least, not really.”
“I don’t understand,” Carlton furrows his brow, trying to make sense of what I’m saying. “You said that she made up all this bullshit and this panties-jacking-off-crap is the worst I’ve ever heard. She thrust her panties into my hand, and I dumped them as soon as I realized what they were!”
“No, it’s not that. Again, I figured Melody was embellishing just to get a rise. There’s just a lot going on,” I repeat myself from earlier.
Carlton whirls abruptly to look at me. “You keep saying that, but what do you mean? If it’s not Melody, then what the hell is going on?” he grits out, looking ready to erupt. “I swear, Ramona, if you don’t tell me …”
This is it, I tell myself as my heart begins to thud in my chest.
“Carlton,” I begin slowly. At the warning tone in my voice, he stops moving and stares at me, waiting.
I take a deep breath. “I’m pregnant with your baby.” My tone is soft but firm. Carlton collapses on the sofa once more.
“What?”
I continue speaking, knowing that if I don’t get everything on the table now, I may never have another chance again.
