Her Best Friend's Baby (6 page)

Zaierra calmed down as he spoke, and he uncovered her mouth. She shoved at the hand between her legs, and he moved it.

“The reason I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want to upset you,” he explained. “We’re…I’m not sure what or where we are right now. I made the wrong decision, and I apologize. How did you know?”

“I know you, and you tell me every detail of everything that I don’t want to know. Last night, you were vague.”

He nuzzled her cheek and stroked her belly. “Forgive me. I might do something bone-headed sometimes, but will you do me a favor? Don’t shut me out. I want to know you and the baby are safe at all times. Please, Zai.”

She shut her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. Why did this have to be so complicated? Why did she have to love him with such desperation as it seemed at that moment?

“All right,” she conceded. “I’ll always make sure you know I’m okay, no matter what.”

He kissed her temple. “That’s all I ask.”

Chapter Six

Zaierra carried a twenty-pound Butterball turkey in her belly. That was the conclusion she’d come to, and her ankles strained to take the weight. Their solution was to swell at every opportunity. No, she thought, they never went back to normal. She came to believe she’d have elephant legs from then until eternity. At seven months pregnant, Zaierra just wanted it over and done with. She hated her body and refused to allow Leith to see her naked. He, of course, never once took no for an answer. At least he still found her attractive, maybe more so, but Leith’s never-ending sexual desires were the least of her problems.

Wait, when did the hottest man alive wanting to make love to me on a regular basis become an issue? So not!

Another bright star in Zaierra’s existence was the fact that she no longer had morning sickness. Tiredness still a part of her life, Leith arranged for her to have less hours at work. She didn’t know what he said to her boss, but she accepted it, and so that morning, she’d taken her time about getting out of bed. She didn’t need to be into work until noon, and she’d slept over at Leith’s house again.

When the doorbell rang, she found herself in the kitchen scarfing down a bowl of cereal—her second—and she’d been wondering if she should have a third or eat leftover chicken Leith made from the night before.

“Damn, I’m fat,” she complained on her way to the door. She peered through the peephole and all thought of food left her mind. The older man and woman outside the door should be familiar. She’d met them once before, and their picture sat on Leith’s mantel over the fireplace. Leith’s parents had come to visit.

Sucking in a deep breath, Zaierra prepared herself mentally, as much as was possible. She breathed out all negative thoughts and determined to give Mr. and Mrs. Stone the benefit of the doubt.

“Good morning, sir, ma’am. How are you?” She offered the two her best smile while wondering if she remembered to comb her hair when she got up. The nightie and robe were not the best choice, but she had put off taking her shower just yet. At least she’d brushed her teeth.

The couple stepped inside without a greeting and scanned the house. Leith’s father, who must have spit him out with the way they resembled except his father’s hair had turned to salt and pepper, shouted, “Leith, your parents are here. Come say hello to your mother.”

Zaierra bristled but still tried for civility. “I’m sorry. Leith has already left for work. He leaves at about seven thirty.”

“And you would know how, dear?” His mother rounded on her, eyeballing Zaierra from head to toe. Zaierra gritted her teeth. “Are you living here? You’re pregnant I see. I’m sure it’s not my son’s.”

“Whoa, what?” Zaierra put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? Leith told you about the baby like six months ago.”

Mrs. Stone looked toward the front door and frowned. “Oh heavens.” She scurried to open it again, casting Zaierra a disparaging look. “Come inside, dear. No one will harm you here.”

Zaierra almost fell out on the floor when Leith’s mother tugged Jenna of all people into the house. The long blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the pink dress could not hide the ho, but then it appeared that Mr. and Mrs. Stone were easier to fool.

Mrs. Stone faced Zaierra. “We’ve come here to straighten some things out. Our son has informed us that this sweet young lady is having his child, and here we find you in his house, eating his food no doubt, and pretending your illegitimate child is his. Well, I will tell you right now I’m not going to stand for it.”

“My illegitimate child? Who the hell do you think you are? And what do you think Jenna’s baby is, an immaculate conception?”

“Don’t be vulgar, Zaierra.”

“Oh, so you remember my name?” Zaierra shook her head. “What makes you so determined that I’m the liar and not her? Because I’m black?”

Mr. Stone scoffed. “Why must everything come down to that with you people?”

Zaierra raised her eyebrows. “Oh
you people
now? Uh-huh, okay. Well, you know what? I don’t give a damn what you two think about me or my baby. I will deal with me and mine. Leith and I understand each other, and that’s the only thing that matters.”

“Zaierra, I don’t think we should argue with Leith’s parents,” Jenna cut in, continuing her good girl act. “They are our elders, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been to taught to respect them.”

Before she could cuss out the witch in front of “the elders,” Zaierra spun on her heel to walk away. She would take her shower real quick and get out of there. Let Leith deal with his snobby parents. She would go in early to work just to get away from them.

“How much will it take for you to go away and never contact our son again?” Mrs. Stone announced.

Zaierra froze with her hand on the banister to walk upstairs. She turned in degrees to face them. “You’re trying to buy me off?” A bitter laugh erupted from her before she knew it. “How cliché is that? It’s not like you’re the rich and famous either. You’re upper middle class, pretty much just like everybody else with a little extra.”

“I have some savings,” Mrs. Stone added.

Zaierra glanced at Jenna and saw the interest there. They were so barking up the wrong tree. Zaierra moved away from the steps and strolled to the kitchen where she’d left her cell phone. She returned with it and speed-dialed Leith. He answered on the first ring as he always did because he never stopped worrying about her. If only these fools knew.

After clearing her throat and blinking to avoid the humiliation of crying, Zaierra spoke with deadly calm into the phone. “Your parents and Jenna are here. Your mom just made me a proposition. She wants to offer me money to go away with my illegitimate child and never see you again. Apparently, they are welcoming Jenna and her baby into the family.”

Leith swore. “Zai, baby, I’m sorry. I’m going to take care of this.”

“Oh no, no. Don’t worry about it. You don’t even have to leave work. After I finish telling your mom how far up her ass she can stuff her money, I’m out.”

With Mrs. Stone’s face turning beet red, Zaierra stabbed the disconnect button. She studied Leith’s parents.

“On second thought, that’s enough,” she decided. “I hope you will all be one big happy family.”

She hurried upstairs and threw on her clothes. A shower could wait until later. After packing everything she owned in Leith’s closet, she headed downstairs with all of it. No one stood in the foyer, but she caught voices somewhere else in the house. In minutes, her car had been packed up, and she pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. Driving toward home, she cried nonstop. She knew she should have handled things better and that she shouldn’t have let those people get to her, but the fight just wasn’t there.

Knowing Leith would chase after her, she decided to call her cousin, the only family she had left. Leith didn’t know Sade because they weren’t as close as she would have liked. She made the phone call anyway and got her cousin to agree to let her stay. Then in keeping with her promise to Leith, she pulled to the side of the road and texted him.

“
I’m going to be with my cousin for a while. I’m safe and okay. Please don’t chase after me, Leith. Just give me some time.”

“
Zai! I thought we agreed you wouldn’t run from me anymore,”
he typed back. Her phone rang, and she saw it was him, but she swiped the bottom to ignore the call. Fresh tears fell.

“
I’m sorry. I will always make sure you know the baby and me are all right.”

“
Work?”

“
I’m taking leave.”
One way or another she couldn’t face him. Not without him finding out her secret. She had been living in a fantasy world, staying at his house. Leith’s parents would never accept her, and if somehow they insisted on having Jenna around, she thought she’d kill the woman.

Sometime later, she arrived at her cousin’s house, and Sade gave her a hug. “So what did he do?”

“Huh?” Zaierra didn’t follow being so distracted thinking about Leith.

“What did the asshole do? Cheat? Tell you to get an abortion?”

Embarrassment and guilt rolled over Zaierra. “Leith is not an asshole, and of course he couldn’t tell me to get an abortion. It’s way too late for that. Not that he would anyway.”

Her cousin put her hands on her hips frowning. Zaierra took the woman in from the ratty sneakers to the worn jeans to the sloppy T-shirt. Sade kept her haircut so short she looked like a guy. Sade worked in a mechanic’s shop, and Zaierra had never seen her with a boyfriend. If her cousin was gay, she’d never said, but Sade walked to her own tune, and Zaierra had to respect that.

“I’m having trouble understanding what your issue is. This is your best friend, right? You’re having his baby? I always thought you two would end up getting your freak on, and then here you are telling me he didn’t do anything wrong. So why did you run?”

“Just drop it, okay? I don’t want to talk about it!”

Zaierra and her cousin avoided talking much about anything straight through dinner and watching boring shows on TV. Zaierra took herself off to bed early and lay in the spare room on a lumpy mattress that made her sides and back cramp. She considered how Leith had special-ordered pillows for her to give extra support, and he had consulted with her doctor about a good mattress for the bed. Of course it had turned out his bed was better than her own. She had wondered if he’d been as thorough for Jenna and wouldn’t put it past him if he had been.

In the dark house alone because her cousin had decided to go out, she closed her eyes and cried. This was about her and her insecurities, and she took it out on Leith. If he didn’t love her, she had to accept that, but she knew without a doubt he already loved their baby, and it must be killing him not to be nearby. She rolled off the bed and paced the small room. When that didn’t calm her enough, she went to the kitchen to look for a snack. Sade’s refrigerator and cupboards held the bare minimums to keep a person from starving to death but none of her usual food cravings. She cried some more recalling how Leith made sure to stock up everything she ever needed, and he had run out to the store late at night when she resisted asking him to.

At two in the morning, she could no longer stand it. She punched the speed-dial button to call him, and he answered right away. His deep voice sent tingles down her spine, but there was none of the thickness from having been asleep. She wondered if he had rested at all, and new guilt assailed her.

“I’m selfish,” she whispered.

“No, you’re not. You’re pregnant.”

A sob escaped her. “That’s no excuse. I’m sorry, Leith.”

He went quiet for a while.

“Leith?”

“I’m here.” He cleared his throat, making her wonder. “You know I’ll do anything for you, Zai.
Anything
. All you have to do is ask me.”

She chewed her bottom lip and fiddled with the sheet on the bed. Her stomach knotted. “W-Would you consider coming to get me?”

“Give me the address. I’m putting my shoes on.”

She gasped. “I meant in the morning. You don’t have—”

“The address, baby.”

She gave it to him and turned her light on to write her cousin a quick note. Coming here had been a mistake. Sade was right. Leith had done nothing wrong, and he should not be punished because of her cowardice. Within twenty minutes he pulled up on the street, and she watched him hurry to the door. She opened it and would have spoken, but he dragged her into his arms. His kiss turned her world topsy-turvy before he set her down again and stroked her cheek.

“Where’s your car?” he asked.

“Sade asked to use it earlier because hers is in the shop. I left her a note. We can get it later. Thank you for coming to get me.”

He got her settled in his car and went back to the house for her bags. While they drove to his house, Leith squeezed the steering wheel under strong hands every now and then, indicating how upset he was.

“I’m sorry.”

“Zai, I know you refused to marry me,” he began.

“You don’t have—”

“Let me finish!”

She fell silent.

“You are the number one person in my life—the most important one, Zai. Without you…my life doesn’t have much meaning. Do you get that? And now you’re giving me our son. My existence has gotten that much sweeter. I cannot—no, I
will not
—give that up. Do you understand?”

She swallowed and nodded, although he never took his eyes off the dark road. When he stopped the car, she clutched her hands together so hard her fingers hurt, but Leith pulled them apart. He unbuckled her and tugged her onto his lap. With her hips so wide, she scarcely had enough room between him and steering wheel, but Leith’s long legs required the seat to go back as far as it could. She settled against his chest, breathing in his scent. Tears started, but she blinked them away. The emotional stuff couldn’t end fast enough.

He spoke above her head. “Zaierra.”

“Yeah?” She didn’t look up.

“Zai!”

She raised her gaze.

“I love you.”

A tremor took hold and would not let her go. “You…”