“But mom, she’s putting my toy in her mouth!” I heard Junior frantically call out to me as my eyes averted to the rear view mirror to look at the both of them sitting in the back seat.
Xae snickered from the driver’s seat beside me causing me to do the same which only angered Junior even more since we weren’t taking him as seriously as he wanted to be taken. “Junior, your sister’s only a baby. You did the same thing when you were two.”
“Yea, but to my own toys.” He retorted back in a defeated tone, knowing that he just wasn’t going to win this one. He took one last glance over at his now slobber filled toy before letting out an annoyed huff and turning his head to look out of the window instead. "Whatever, she can have it."
Xae attempted to hold in his laughter as he took a quick glance behind him to look at Junior before swiftly focusing his attention back on the road in front of him. "How about I get you a new toy lil man—a better one."
"Really?!" My eight year old's face instantly lit up at the mention of something brand new and not covered in his sister's saliva. "Anything I want?"
Xae nodded in response, keeping his eyes in front of him as he drove. "Yup, anything you want. Just make sure your sister doesn't get ahold of this one."
"I won't. Thanks dad!" Junior replied with a giddy smile on his face, completely forgetting about the toy that he had been complaining about not even two minutes prior.
A wide smile spread across my face at the sight of Junior's excited expression. My eyes soon averted over to Xae as I grabbed his hand and interlocked our fingers, bringing the back of his hand up to my lips before pressing a soft kiss against his caramel toned skin. I loved when he took the initiative and treated Junior as if he was his child, even after we had a baby of our own. He could have started neglecting Junior since he now had a kid that shared his DNA, but it was like Xae didn't even miss a beat. It made it that much easier for Junior to accept him as part of our family at first, although my son knew who his real father was.
"I love you." I mumbled against his soft skin causing his hand to give mine a comforting squeeze as he glanced over at me in admiration.
He flashed me a quick smile as he replied with those same words, the passion in them still as evident as the first time that we told each other we loved one another. The drive from then on was filled with content silence as our family maneuvered through traffic and the radio played lowly in the background.
Today was a routine for our family. Every Sunday, we'd visit the cemetery and speak to our deceased loved ones. Just to feel like we were still connected to and could communicate with them somehow.
We all hopped out of the car with Xae unstrapping our daughter, Tiara, from her car seat where she had been sleeping peacefully. We named her after Tiarra, of course. Although we weren't close, I took her murder a bit harder than I thought I would and since I wasn't able to make it to her funeral, I figured it was the least I could do. Though, Xae and I decided to spell our daughter's name differently because I wanted her to be the opposite of my older sister; a true queen with a name fit for what belonged atop her head.
Tiara was the beautiful baby girl from our dreams. And nothing at all how I expected her to be. I finally understood those terrible two stages that mothers were always talking about.
"Baby, I'm gon' take Tiara to go see my grandmother. I'll meet y'all back here in ten and if y'all are even a second late, I'm calling the police." Xae unknowingly interrupted my train of thought as he held a fast asleep Tiara, earning a light giggle from me in response. Protective wasn't even the word for how Xavier was when it came to our family. After experiencing people breaking into and hurting him in his own home, he vowed never to let it happen again. Especially not while his family was inside. Over his dead body.
"Alright, I love you." I replied lovingly as I leaned into him, puckering my lips up for a kiss. He tried to fight the smile that was daring to form on his face but couldn't as the butterflies that were still in my stomach every time I laid eyes on him was surely still in his.
He pressed his lips against mine softly, his hand cupping my cheek as I melted into his embrace. Every time still felt like the first time that we kissed; passionate and electrifying.
"Mom! Dad! Ew!" Junior abruptly called out, ultimately pulling both Xae and I away from each other as we laughed at his disgusted expression. He was still at that age where he thought girls were disgusting and just wanted to play video games all day long.
"I'll see you in ten." I added as I started toward Junior causing him to turn and start our walk through the small cemetery.
It didn't take long before we reached the tombstone marked Dominick Anderson, 1992-2016.
He had committed suicide about a year into his sentence. That's what the police informed me, at least. The Dominick I knew would harm anyone other than himself. Junior was young when it happened so I didn't think he really understood the concept of death. Hell, I wasn't even sure if he did now. He just knew that his father was gone and he would never be able to see him again. It was hard to explain to a child because they had so many questions that you just didn't know how to answer.
"Hey dad!" Junior called out as we approached the gravesite. "Guess what? I made the basketball team at my school. Now watch me be the next MJ. Swish!" He stepped back, tossing an imaginary ball into the air causing me to giggle at his antics. That was the thing he was most excited about this school year.
"That's right and I'm so proud of him. You should see him out there." I added as I pulled my son into me making him immediately toss his arm around me in return. I always spoke to Dom right along with Junior so that he would never feel like he was going through this by himself. I would always be right by his side, no matter what his sadistic father did to me and the people I loved.
I wasn't sure if I should ever tell Junior all of the crazy things that Dominick did while he was alive and why he ended up in prison in the first place. I was certain once he truly understood, the questions would come flooding in anyway but that just wasn't something that was easy to admit to a person in general.
Junior playfully began pushing my embrace away with the smack of his lips. "Nuh uh, she won't even get me those new Jordan's that just came out."
"Boy, that's because them shoes were over a hundred dollars and your feet are still growing a mile a minute. You must be crazy." I retorted back causing him to wave me off with a slight chuckle and continue his conversation with his father.
Things were so different and peaceful now that Dom had passed. Sometimes, I had to take a step back and appreciate moments like these.
My head rested comfortably on Xae's chest as his arm laid over my body protectively. I allowed my fingers to trace light circles against his skin while I stared ahead at Tiara's crib that was pressed up against the wall in front of me. The sound of his heartbeat serenaded my ears and his slow breathing had also caused me to relax a bit more.
It was nearing three in the morning and for some reason, I couldn't sleep for the life of me.
There was something nagging at me but I couldn't figure it out. Nights like these were rare but they happened every so often. Usually some tea or hot cocoa would warm my body and do the trick in helping me fall asleep so after a while of not being able to fall asleep on my own, I decided to make just that.
I carefully slipped out of Xae's hold causing him to stir a bit but ultimately settle back into his deep slumber. Grabbing my silk robe from my closet, I accompanied it with some comfortable fuzzy slides and began to make my way towards the kitchen to start boiling the water for my tea.
As I passed Junior's room, I could hear faint sniffling coming from inside making my head instantly jerk back. It was late and usually, my son would be knocked out—slobbering and all.
I gave his room door a gentle shove as my fingers immediately reached for the light switch, flipping his light on. His head instantly snapped up in my direction allowing me to get a good look at his tear stained face. It broke my heart into pieces just to see him hurting. "Aw, baby. What's wrong?"
My feet carried me over towards his bed and I sat down beside him before enveloping him into a light embrace, my hands rubbing small circles onto his back.
"I had a bad dream. Me and dad went to the fair together and we were playing games and having fun." He paused for a bit as I remained quiet, allowing him to continue whenever he was ready. "There were so many people and they kept pushing me and when I turned around, dad was gone. He left me in my dream just like he left me in real life. He doesn't even wanna be with me in my dreams." Junior shook his head in disappointment.
At that moment, I realized he was talking about Dominick and not Xae. My chest ached as I stared down at my son's heartbroken face, unsure of what else to do except hug him tighter. "Baby, your father was battling a lot of demons and was gonna be in prison for a long time. He just couldn't handle that. It had nothing to do with you, he loved you with all his heart."
And that was the truth. If Dom wasn't anything, he was a good father when he was around his son. They were like two peas in a pod when they were together.
"But didn't he think about not being able to see me anymore? He ain't even think about me." His head hung low as it shook from side to side in sorrow.
I sighed, not knowing how in the world to respond without making Dom sound like the selfish man that he actually was. The last thing I wanted was for Junior to see him as a monster. There was no telling what kind of trauma the truth would cause. As far as he knew, all he saw was love from the both of us when we were all together. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"
He nodded in response before lifting up his covers, signaling for me to get underneath them. My teeth grazed my bottom lip a bit before I quickly stood to my feet. "Hold on." I swiftly made my way over to my phone, opening up my safari app and going to the shoe website that Junior had excitedly shown me the previous week. The shoes he wanted were one of the first on the web page since I had viewed it previously.
Without a second thought, I purchased the sneakers he wanted and had them shipped to our home. I decided against telling him now and just chose to surprise him whenever the shoes came.
Heading back over to the bed, I slid beneath the covers and Junior automatically threw his arm over me protectively as he snuggled into my side. My body responded by pulling him closer to me as a small smile graced my face at the love that was radiating off of him. We had a bond that was unbreakable.
Within minutes, I was dozing off into a comfortable slumber with my son wrapped up in my arms.
I stepped into the doctor’s office with an anxious sigh, far from ready for them to be face-to-face with me as they would at any given second.
Looking around the room without purpose, my feet swung back and forth as I sat on the elevated seat in the middle of the room. Just sitting there alone and with my thoughts was enough to have me going crazy, coming up with all types of scenarios in my head as to why my OB/GYN had called me back in a week after my annual checkup.
I could only think of the worst. I mean, it was hard not to when they refused to tell me anything over the phone. But nothing felt wrong so I had no clue what it could be.
The only person I had been having sex with was Antonio. We started dating not too long after I moved in. He was an active father and was there for me through every step of the way during my pregnancy with our son, Javier. Since it wasn't supposed to be possible for me to have children in the first place, my pregnancy underwent many complications which meant countless hospital visits and sleepless nights. Javier and seeing Antonio's love for him was the only thing that made it worth while.
Javier was born premature and Antonio decided to take one month off from managing his restaurant to be with me through the entire process. Without me even having to ask.
I found myself smiling just thinking back on it. Antonio and I's relationship definitely wasn't perfect but we made it work for the sake of our child and that, I could always commend us on.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of the heavy wooden door swinging open, followed by my gynecologist stepping inside of the room right after. She was a sweet lady in her mid-thirties that never failed to make me feel as comfortable as possible whenever I was in her care. It was why although she was transferred to a farther location a few months ago, I had no problem going out of my way so she could continue being my doctor.
"Hello, Bree." She immediately welcomed me with a warm smile causing me to flash her one in return. Her voice was smooth like honey.
I had preferred she called me by my first name since I had taken Antonio's last one about a year after our son was born. Things were going so well and we wanted to make things official and be a real family. Though, sometimes I didn't like hearing his last name at the end of mine. Times like this where I was questioning our relationship entirely.
"Hi, Mrs. Rozario. How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing well." She shut the room door behind her and set the manila folder that resided in her hands down onto the desk that sat in the corner of the room. "So, I'm aware that you came in for your annual check up a couple weeks ago, correct?"
I nodded in response, letting her know that what she had stated was right. "Yes, is something wrong? They wouldn't tell me anything over the phone."
She gave me an uncertain look as she sat down on a stool seated near the desk she had previously placed the folder on. "Well, your results came back." She spoke as she swung the folder open, reviewing over the contents of the paperwork that sat inside. "I'm sorry to say this so bluntly, but you tested positive for Human papilloma virus otherwise known as HPV. Now, have you had unprotected sex with anyone in the last six months?"
The shocked expression was evident on my face as I began to stumble over my own words. "No. I mean—just my child's father. My husband." It felt a bit forced to even say that but she had to know that I wasn't just out there like that. "I don't understand. I don't have any symptoms."
"Well, many people that have HPV don't develop any symptoms other than occasional genital warts. And you haven't spotted any of those forming around your vagina or the surrounding areas?" She asked as her pen moved a mile a minute against the paperwork she had been looking over.
My heart fell to the pit of my stomach at just the thought of Antonio cheating on me. I knew we didn't have the best relationship but I thought we had enough respect for each other not to step out. I didn't want to believe it. "No, I don't think so. Is it curable?" My chest began to flutter almost immediately after asking the question. A part of me didn't want to know the answer.
"I'm sorry Bree, but Human papilloma virus is not curable but there are treatments to remove the warts if you ever come across some forming. Other than that, you must protect yourself and your partner during intercourse from now on."
She continued to explain some things to me but I completely zoned her out as tears threatened to spill from my eyes, the gravity of the situation hitting me all at once. In a blink of an eye, I was now living with an incurable disease and it was all thanks to Antonio. He had not only stepped out on me, but brought something back to me as well and that alone had my blood boiling.
He had no care or remorse for my health or my feelings.
The remainder of my appointment was a blur and I was completely zoned out as I drove back home, unknowing of how I should react once I actually saw his face. I wanted to hurt him for putting me through this. I wanted to make him feel the pain I felt.
My vision was cloudy as I pulled into the driveway, instantly rolling my eyes as I noticed the car that sat out front. As I neared the front door, I could clearly hear angry screaming and things being thrown around inside the house. There wasn't a time where they weren't like this and it was beginning to get a bit annoying.
I sighed as I pushed the door open, stepping inside only for the yelling match to become louder and more evident on what the reasoning for it all was.
"No!!" I heard her voice yell out from what I assumed to be the kitchen. "I'm sick and tired of you treating your daughter like she doesn't even exist while you're over here giving your son and that puta everything. It's not fair to me or her!" Serina screamed out which immediately made me even more livid. I wasn't in the mood for her or her antics today.
After the first time they had sex, Serina had gotten pregnant with Antonio's baby causing us to basically go through our pregnancy at the same time. She was the epitome of baby mama drama and if I didn't have a child with Antonio already, I wouldn't have wanted any parts.
Making my way to the kitchen, I cleared my throat to make myself known causing both Ant and Serina to snap their heads in my direction. She instantly scoffed and mumbled something under her breath before looking at Antonio expectantly. "Well? Don't act like you weren't about to disregard everything I was saying just to cater to her now that she's here. You know what? I'm over it Antonio. If you don't wanna be in your daughter's life, that's on you."
"Chill. No one said that I didn't wanna be in her life. I love Alianna with everything in me but you're expecting me to spend every waking moment with y'all when you know I have other responsibilities too." He responded in a calmer tone than they were using before, attempting to lighten the mood now that I was in their presence.
"Oh really?" She scoffed again as she placed a hand on her hip. "Responsibilities like what? Catering to this bitch right here?!" Serina threw her hand my way, gesturing towards me without even a glance in my direction.
And that was the last straw. "Yes, bitch, damn! You're mad because he's not paying you no attention. Newsflash sis, he never wanted your ass to begin with so get out of our house with the disrespectful shit and you!" I turned towards Antonio causing him to widen his eyes, not expecting things to be turned back on him. "How dare you continue to allow this broad to come in your house and disrespect your wife. Grow some fucking cajones you spineless fucking bastard."
They both looked shocked at how bad I was seething and honestly, I was a bit surprised at myself too since I rarely ever blew up like that but after the news I had just received, I was over being nice. "Now, I'm gonna ask you one more time to leave our home because I'm trying to have a conversation with my husband in peace."
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of the both of us." She responded as she folded her arms across her chest, only making me more angry by the second.
My attention averted from her back over to Antonio as I glared at him with an expectant look. "Antonio. Get her ass out of here because I'm really about to chew the both of y'all out."
"Man, you remember last time I tried to put her ass out. She was screaming and carrying on about how I was man handling her, threatening to call the cops. I don't need a scene like that right now, Bree."
I looked at him as if he had three heads. "I don't give a fuck what you don't want! I didn't wanna catch HPV from your lying, dirty, dog ass but here I am!" I screamed at him, unable to hold back any longer. In all honesty, I was hurt that he would do that to me and it was probably with the bitch standing in front of me in the first place.
"Oop." Serina immediately began to gather her things, trying to contain the laugh she was so evidently holding in. "Well, that's my cue." She brushed passed me with a teasing smirk as I glared at her the entire way out.
When I turned back to Antonio, I can tell he was speechless by my revelation but he didn't look an ounce bit surprised and that alone turned the rest of my hurt into pure anger. I waited until I heard the door shut before I decided to continue. "How could you do this to me, Ant? I mean, why marry me if all you're gonna do is fuck around? You're fucking dirty and you don't deserve me or your son."
"So, you're gonna try and take my son away from me because we're having problems?" He responded almost as if he had the right to be upset with me.
"No, YOU have the problem. I wasn't the one out sticking my dick in infected bitches and bringing that shit back home!" I yelled in his face, only growing more heated the more that I thought about the situation. This was something I would never be able to rid myself of.
Antonio smacked his lips in response. "Well, maybe if you were a better wife, I wouldn't be out getting my needs met by your friend, Cecilia, now would I?"
His words immediately halted me in my tracks as I stared at him with squinted eyes, trying to decipher whether or not he was serious about knowingly sleeping with my friend.
But the smug smirk on his face told it all.
And then I saw red. I was so tired of everything he had put me through. It was as if I blinked and a sharp kitchen knife had suddenly presented itself in my hand as I shoved the object in and out of his abdomen repeatedly, seemingly unable to stop myself.
Blood splattered all over my hands and lower half as his body soon became limp and fell to the ground with a loud thud. But I couldn't stop. I just kept stabbing him and stabbing him until I could feel my anger physically expel from my body simultaneously.
A natural high overcame my body but I immediately came down from it once I realized what I had done.
“Babe, you want something from the store?” Simone called up to me from downstairs as I heard a bit of rustling coming from down there, most likely Junior putting on his shoes and jacket.
Instead of yelling back down to her, I decided to get up and make my way down the stairs where, sure enough, Simone and Junior were getting ready to leave. Tiara was staying at home with me since it was a bit cold out and we didn't want to take her out too much unless it was needed.
As I neared Simone, my arms immediately snaked around her waist as I admired her natural beauty with hooded eyes. I wasn't going to lie, a nigga was slick in the mood but adulting consisted of having to wait for the perfect time to do those things. In other words, when the kids were asleep.
"Yea, you know those boxes of spicy Jamaican beef patties? I've been wanting some for a while." I pretended to think for a split second. "Oh, and lemme get a lil' bit of you too."
Her eyebrow raised as a small smirk began to form on her face and she closed the space between her body and mine. "A little bit of me, huh?"
One of her hands found themselves cupping my cheek before she leaned up, softly pressing her lips against mine. I didn't hesitate to return the favor as our lips moved in sync together, our tongues somehow adding themselves to the mix after a couple seconds of light pecks. Every time I kissed this woman was like the first time I kissed her; the day everything I knew turned out to be a lie. But she remained the same and there through it all.
"Mom. Dad. Please." We suddenly heard Junior sigh in annoyance causing us to break away with a light chuckle. When I looked down at him, he was looking back up at us while shaking his head in pure disgust.
"What? So you get to kiss your mama but I don't?" I teased, my arms still resting securely around her waist. "Not fair."
He shrugged slightly. "You can kiss her on the cheek like I do. All that is unnecessary."
Simone immediately bent down so that she was face to face with our son as she held her hand out for him to high five, which he did proudly. "Good use of that word, baby. You're so smart." The eight-year-old cheesed at his mother's compliment. A definite mama's boy to the tee.
A low snicker came from me as I also held my hand out for him to slap. "You'll understand when you're older why her cheek just isn't enough for me sometimes."
Simone gave me a playfully knowing look as she lightly hit my arm. She wasn't ready to give him 'the talk' about girls and things of that sort just yet. He was still young and we decided to wait until he at least hit his teens or preteens to even bring a subject like that up. As far as we knew, Junior still thought girls his age had cooties and Simone was content with that.
"Is that all you want?" She turned her attention back over to me causing me to nod in response. We still had pretty much a lot of food to eat in our kitchen now, we had just ran out of the basic necessities such as bread and milk so she didn't need to buy out the whole store. Plus, I wanted her to hurry up and come back home to me anyway. "Ok, I'll be back in a few. I love you."
We shared another light peck before I walked both her and Junior to the front door, swinging it open for them soon after. "I love y'all too. Be safe out there and make sure you text me when you make it there."
I wasn't going to lie and say that I wasn't still a bit paranoid from the events that happened all those years ago. A near death experience could do that to you but for me, it wasn't about being in control. I just wanted to know they made it safely to where they needed to go and if I didn't receive a text or call, I would know something was wrong right away. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was ever too late to make it to any of them.
A light smile graced my face as I watched them get seated in the car for a couple of seconds before shutting the door behind me once I saw them pull off. Tiara was up in our room sleeping when I had first came downstairs so I decided to wait half an hour before I went up and checked on her again. That girl loved her sleep and waking her up out of it would be hell for anyone that tried.
I wasn't even able to reach the living room couch before hearing frantic knocking coming from my front door. Quickly rushing to answer, I swung the door open praying that Simone and Junior hadn't gotten into any trouble that fast but immediately froze instead.
My eyes traveled downwards then back up to her face in pure disbelief. I couldn't quite make out what I was looking at, but I could tell that it was nothing good at all. "What you doing here?" Was all that could manage to slip from my mouth. Not even a 'what happened' or 'are you ok' could form because there was something in me telling me that I didn't want to know the answers to those questions.
Bree immediately barged in, nearly shoving me to the side altogether as she began pacing the floor back and forth repeatedly. Almost every inch of her was covered in what seemed to be dried up blood and her eyes looked as if they hadn't stopped shedding tears in hours. There were a million questions I wanted to ask but didn't at the same time.
"Bree, what are you doing here?" I repeated myself, being sure not to step too close to her. My front door remained open behind me up until she rushed over to it and slammed it shut before sinking down to the floor, her head buried in her hands.
Tiara's loud cries instantly filled the house causing me to sigh, realizing the loud noise from the door closing most likely woke her up. Quickly rushing up the stairs to grab her from her crib, I made my way back down to see Bree still sitting in the same spot I left her. Only this time, she was rocking back and forth.
I rocked my daughter on my hip as she laid her head down on my shoulder, still a bit fussy from being woken up out of her sleep but more calm since she was now in my arms. Bree slowly looked up at the both of us, a bit surprised to see a baby on my hip I presumed.
She slowly made her way back up to her feet and eyed the both of us down quietly. I was beginning to feel a bit uneasy with her presence as a whole. It didn't feel right to have her in here, especially while Simone was gone.
"Is she yours?" She finally broke her silence. The pettiness in me wanted to say that she was the only person who would put a child on a man that wasn't the father, but I just nodded instead. Bree looked back over to Tiara with a small smile, looking almost as if she wanted to hold her and mother her herself.
But her smile instantly fell as the empty look she arrived here with soon took over once again. "I'm never gonna be able to see my son again now. And because of me he's gonna be put into the system." More tears began to pool from her eyes and I couldn't do anything but stare at her. Not an ounce in me wanted to comfort her in this moment; I just wanted to know why she showed up here.
"Wait, why wouldn't you be able to see your son again? Where is he? And where's Antonio—"
"He's dead!" She quickly cut me off at the mention of his name as her head sunk down until she was staring ahead at her feet. "...I did it—I killed him."
A hardy laugh immediately escaped my lips. Bree might have been a lot of things but a cold hearted killer wasn't one of them. I just couldn't bring myself to believe that the tiny girl in front of me actually had the gall to take someone else's life. Especially the father of her child.
But when she looked up at me without a hint of laughter in her expression, I knew she had to be serious. "Wait, you're for real?"
"Yes, Xae. Please, you have to help me!" She took a couple of steps closer to me but I instantly moved back, looking at her as if she needed to be checked into a mental hospital.
"Help you?" I mimicked her tone of voice unintentionally. "Bree, how the fuck am I supposed to help you? You killed someone! Then you're gonna have the audacity to bring this bullshit back to me and my family. No, I'm not helping you. And how dare you even ask me that in front of my daughter."
She sighed, attempting to hide the fact that she rolled her eyes but failing miserably. "It's not like she can understand what I'm saying. Please, Xae. I don't have anyone else."
"No!" I reiterated more sternly this time. "I'm not doing anything. Matter of fact, you ain't even come over here and tell me this shit. You need to leave now. I won't turn you in or nothing but you needa get far away from my house and never contact me again. You're gonna have to handle the decisions you made on your own."
The painful expression on her face only deepened as she nodded her head and began making her way back towards the direction she came. I could tell she was hurt by my bluntness but her problems didn't involve me anymore and neither did her drama. I was finally happy and I couldn't let something that had nothing to do with me mess that up.
She left without another word and thankfully she headed out when she did because not too long afterwards, Simone and Junior had pulled back up from the store. I wasn't sure how Simone would have reacted seeing Bree after four years of never hearing about her and I didn't want to know either.
But there was no way I was about to hide what just happened from her either so as soon as they stepped through the door, I told Junior to watch his sister and pulled her into our bedroom to explain everything from start to finish.
"So, she waited on me to leave before she came in here? Sneaky ass bitch." Simone shook her head, nothing but disdain for my ex on her face. I was still angry that she would actually try and get me involved with something like that.
There were times where she would hit me up over the years to see how I was doing and wish me well, but I knew for a fact that I had never made her feel comfortable enough to even think that she could come to me with something like that. And our history together didn't mean a damn thing to me in that moment; all that mattered was protecting my family.
"Well, I guess since we're revealing things, I have something to tell you too." She added, instantly causing one of my eyebrows to raise in confusion. My heartbeat began to quicken. I couldn't take any more bad news right about now. "I'm pregnant."
I only stared for a few seconds as my brain took a little while to process the information. "You? As in—" Stuttering over my words, my hand began to caress her stomach as she giggled and nodded yes.
Without another word, I wrapped my arms around her waist and swept her off of her feet as I dressed her face in multiple kisses all over. Her light laughs filled my ear as my kisses continued to rain down on her, the good news ultimately making me forget the reason I was even angry in the first place.
My wife was having another one of my children and there was nothing that could ever pull me away from that.
