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“Bye.”
Harmony released a content hum after disconnecting the call. She stared into the distance for a few seconds, processing her conversation with Keith as she always did. There was something different about his tone and energy that time around. Something that made her believe he’d finally started to release her like he should have done the day he broke up with her. If that was the case, Harmony was confident he’d find someone to occupy his time with. And even if he didn’t, she was glad he’d realized his family and friends didn’t deserve the access to him that he’d been granting them for years.
There were times when Keith would be sick and barely able to move, yet he would go running as soon as someone in his family called, yet they’d never had that same energy toward him. Honestly, it was because of Keith’s pride. He’d never been the kind of man to let people know he was down and in need of help, so they never offered it. And when he did express that need, his parents and siblings downplayed it and expected Harmony to come to his aid. If nothing else came from Keith’s time in Washington, it seemed to be giving him a better perspective on life and relationships, and Harmony could only thank God for that.
ChapterThirty
Saint
The only reasonSaint agreed to see Tristan was because she called his assistant crying. Saint gave Elizabeth permission to give Tristan his number. She randomly flew to Memphis and checked into a hotel, demanding Saint’s presence. Tristan wasn’t the kind of woman to cry, opting instead to drown her sorrows in alcohol, so if she was crying, Saint believed it was serious.
Instead of going right up to the hotel room Tristan was in, Saint called Harmony first. Regardless of what Tristan was about to say, Saint wanted to hide nothing from Harmony. She was bringing out a side of him that Saint didn’t even know was there. One that was soft, considerate, romantic, thoughtful… intentional.
“Hey, you.” Harmony almost sang into the receiver, getting an instant smile out of Saint.
“Hey, bae. How’s it going at work?”
“Good. I miss you. It’s not as fun when you’re not here.”
Saint chuckled. Harmony barely went into the library at that point, but when she did, Saint worked the same shifts. “I’ll be there soon. I…” Saint paused and rested his head against the headrest. “Tristan is in Memphis. She called me crying and asking me to meet her. I’m here now, but I wanted to call and let you know first.”
“Oh. Okay. Do you know what it’s about?”
“Nah. She didn’t give me any details.”
“Okay, well… I hope she’s alright.”
“Yeah. I’ll just swing through when I leave here.”
“Okay, baby.”
Saint begrudgingly got out of the car and headed into Embassy Suites. After making his way to Tristan’s room, he tapped the door with his knuckles twice. A few seconds later, Tristan was slowly opening the door. His eyes scanned her frame, and the moment they settled on her protruding stomach, Saint’s brows wrinkled and his heart stopped beating. Clutching the back of his head, Saint found it difficult to breathe.
“Come in,” she ordered quietly, sniffling. It was clear she’d still been crying by her red, puffy eyes and rosy cheeks and lips.
Saint’s feet felt cemented down as he took small steps into the room. “You’re pregnant?” he confirmed, though it was obvious.
“Yes.” Running her fingers through her hair, Tristan walked over to the bed and plopped down.
Saint sat next to her as his knees almost gave out on him. “Whose is it?”
She smiled with one side of her mouth as a single tear slid down her cheek. “I honestly don’t know. It could be yours or one of the men I had a threesome with.”
With one bob of his head, Saint released a shaky breath. The last thing he needed was to be tied to Tristan for life because of a baby. He’d finally gained the courage to divorce her, now it felt like he was being roped back in. Thankfully, there was a one and three chance that he was the father of her baby, but it would be just Saint’s luck that he’d be the one.
“Are you going to wait until the baby is born to do a DNA test?”
Tristan’s head shook. “That’s… actually… why I wanted to talk to you. I’m not keeping the baby, Saint.”
“What?” His hand went to her thigh as he looked at her. “What do you mean you’re not keeping the baby?”
“I—” Her mouth snapped shut and she stood, pacing in front of him. As many times as Saint tried to lift his eyes, they stayed frozen on her belly. “When you gave that second prescription to Whitney instead of me, I never went to the clinic to get tested for treatment. I was too embarrassed. I’ve been trying to find a private doctor to come to the house and treat me, but syphilis isn’t something you can get diagnosed and treated by anyone, anywhere.”
That was true. As many places as Saint had tried to go to confirm that was what he had, only two places actually agreed to see and treat him—two free health clinics that reported to the department of health. Saint assumed it was because of the symptoms of syphilis and how they could be so detrimental to a person’s quality of life. Whatever the case, it was hard as hell for him to get an appointment, but when he did, all it took was one shot for both him and Whitney to treat it. He’d considered listing Tristan as his partner so she could get the treatment as well, but he was so upset with her he decided to let her handle it herself.
“I didn’t find out about the baby until my doctor confirmed the syphilis. I’ve… had it the whole time I’ve been pregnant.”
“Okay… so… can they still treat you? Does the baby have it too?”
