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“Can you two lunatics please chill,”
“I can shoot him,” Emerson says.
“And he would deserve it,” Eliza replies.
“Ms. Maxwell, the crib is set up, and we left the paperwork on the dresser,” he says, handing me the paperwork for me to sign, and they are gone.
“Can we see the nursery?” Savvy asks.
“Of course,” I lead them up. The crib in it looks so perfect. The peach, pink, gold, and neutrals are perfect.
“This is gorgeous, Brook. Did you really have a custom neon sign made with her name? Too cute. And this baby didn’t even get a baby shower and already has a full wardrobe. Just wait til we go shopping for her; spoiled is an understatement,” Joyce says.
“Brooklyn, come to dinner,” Savvy says, pulling me to the side to talk to me privately. “I have your back we all have your back. And not that it’s your responsibility, but Aryan is truly fucked up. Perhaps if he gets the chance to talk to you again, he can either find closure, or you two can work some things out. But either way, you have got to know you have all our support. Will you come?”
“Savvy,” I say, my stomach in knots with nerves. “I don’t know if I can walk away again if he asks me to come back. I love him. I love him more than I have loved any other man. Everyone I’ve loved has left me, my mom and Supreme, and that made me hold onto Aryan a lot longer than I should have. I was terrified to lose him, to lose another person I love. What if I can’t walk away again?”
“You’ll walk away because it is what’s best for your baby because she deserves to be around people who genuinely want to be in her life, and that trumps everything else. Even when I was in love and being stupid for my kids’ father, the only thing that came before pleasing him was taking care of them. Besides, we will carry you out of there if need be. I told you, we got your back!”
Aryan
“I wish you guys wouldn’t have done this,” I say, still unsteady on my feet. The alcohol detox is hell, I am sure I pickled my liver in the weeks since Brooklyn left.
“Shut up,” says Asher.
I am not sure I am ready to see Brooklyn, but I am sure that by now, she is showing. I don’t know how I am going to react seeing her with her belly swollen with my baby. Maybe I should tell them before she shows up. “I have something to tell you guys,” I start, but the front door opens, and the women walk in loudly, laughing and talking, cutting me off.
“It’s about time you guys decided to show up. We thought we were going to have to come over there and get y’all,”
“Now you know we are not missing one of Uncle Jaasiel’s dinners, and Praise is here with him? You can’t pay for a better meal,” Skai says.
“I cook all the time, Skai. Why are you acting like it’s rare for you to ….” he trails off. All eyes go to the door, to Brooklyn standing there in all her pregnant glory, looking more beautiful than I have ever seen her.
“Did you know?” a low, deadly voice asks from behind me, and I take a step forward, at least I try to, but the hand on my shoulder keeps me in place.
“Yes,” I answer and wince from him squeezing me. If he uses any more pressure, my collarbone is going to shatter. “Josh,” I try.
“Nope, there is nothing you can say that will make that okay,” he says, and the rest of my brothers are looking at me like they want to beat my ass too.
“Josh, please, can we just have dinner? Your niece is starving,” she says, letting my brothers know what she is having but letting me know too. A daughter, she’s having my daughter.
“Of course, Brooklyn, we can’t have our newest edition hungry,”
“Praise and I have whipped up something I am sure she is going to love,” Jassiel says. We make our way to the kitchen and have a seat at the banquette. She sits as far away from me as she can and keeps her eyes from mine as much as she can. We are enjoying dinner as much as we can when my brothers want to beat my ass, my sisters want to beat my ass, and Brooklyn is acting like I don’t exist.
Jabarri’s phone alert chirps. He pulls it out to check the screen frowning. “What is it?”
“Is anyone else supposed to be here?”
“Um, no, Lennox and Peter had date night tonight; everyone else is already here,”
“Well, someone is here,” Jabarri says, and everyone moves; in less than ninety seconds, everyone has a gun. The doorbell rings, and I head to answer the door.
“It’s a woman and a teenager. I don’t recognize either of them,” Jabarri says, looking at his phone. I grab the knob, look back to see everyone is ready, open the door, and freeze.
“Sophia?” I say, stumbling back from the door and the woman standing on the other side.
“Who are you?” Josh steps up, looking at me. I am frozen in place and white as a sheet. I look like I’ve seen a ghost.
