Never Have A Baller's Baby

Naomi surprised herself with the venom that she felt toward him. It was totally unlike her to hold serious grudges and feel so much anger toward another person, but in her circumstance, there was no other way that she could feel.

“Good. I’m glad that you’re going to keep the baby, and I’m glad that you’re going to make him take care of this.” Eva was still outraged. “You better see him soon, and get this straightened out.”

“You’re right. I will. I think he’s home this afternoon. I’ll go over and talk with him about it,” she sighed as the thought of talking to him began to make her uneasy. “Thank you for visiting with me about this, and for telling me about Jennifer Jones. I had no idea. I feel so stupid.”

Eva shook her head. “You aren’t stupid; he’s a liar and a cheat. That doesn’t make you stupid, it makes him a jerk. You don’t deserve that; you deserve much better, and he’s the furthest thing from what you really deserve. So don’t hang on to that, and don’t think about it. It’s a sign of his character, not yours.

He’s a cheating, lying, using bastard—that’s all. He’s not even worth looking at. That has nothing to do with who you are. Don’t you think that for a minute, okay? You’re incredible, and he was lucky to have ever been with you. You were just unlucky to have been with him. Just focus on you and the baby now, and make sure he pays you for all of his share of it.”

Naomi gave a nod. “You’re right. He is a bastard, and he was one of the worst mistakes that I ever made. I should have known it was wrong when he didn’t want to do anything outside of the house, but now I know why. Now I have to deal with the hand I’ve been dealt, and just move forward. Thank you for the talk, Eva. You’re the best. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re not going to go through this alone. You know that, right? I’ve been by your side since I met you, and I’m going to stay by your side and see you through this. It’s going to be all right. You’re strong, and capable, and you can do this, but you’re not going to do it alone. Right?” Eva asked with an encouraging smile.

“Okay,” Naomi answered her quietly as relief cooled the edges of the anger that she felt. “We’ll get through it.”

She rose up from her seat and Eva stood up beside her and hugged her warmly, before waving goodbye and watching her as Naomi left the café.

The man at the table beside them turned his phone off, picked it up along with his notebook, and hurried out of the door close behind Naomi.

***

She drove the winding roads up into Beverly Hills and as she went along, the realization of where she was going and what she was going to have to face when she got there began to overwhelm her.

He had lied to her and cheated on her. He had used her like she was a disposable piece of trash. She meant nothing at all to him; not even as simply as another human being who should not be treated so poorly and with such disregard.

That was the definitive mark of who he was, and she was about to tell him that he was going to be a father and have a child. She began to wonder what kind of a father he would be, and how he would treat his child. Especially one who came from a relationship that he had hidden from its inception.

She wondered if he would try to hide the baby as well, and the thought sickened her to know that he probably would want nothing to do with it, and that he probably would be just as ashamed of the baby as he was of her, and a strong passion began to form deep in her. No child should be treated in such a way. No child should be ignored and hidden; like a dirty secret. Like the dirty secret that her love had been with him.

Before she pulled into his driveway, she had made up her mind that she wasn’t going to tell him about the baby right away. She was going to talk with him about Jennifer Jones and see what he had to say about that before she said a word about the baby they were going to have.

She thought that he might not even deserve to know about the baby, but she was going to give him a chance to explain about Jennifer first, and then she would make up her mind as to whether or not he could know about the baby.

She parked her car and got out of it, slamming the door behind her and marching to his front door. She realized as she knocked, that she had left his home in as much of a temper as she was coming back to it, and that that too was a sign of his negative influence in her life.

He opened the door and stood stock still for a moment as he took her in. Nothing was spoken for a long moment as he stared at her, but then a soft look came over his face and he reached his arms out to her to embrace her.

“Naomi! I can’t believe you’re here! I’m so glad to see you.” He reached for her and she stepped back away from him.

“Don’t you touch me,” she replied, eyeing him seriously. “I’m here to talk with you, and that’s it.”

He went silent and nodded, stepping back to let her into his home. She went to the living room and sat in a chair near his sofa, which she had chosen when she redesigned the room. He sat on it, and looked at her with intense emotion.

“I’m so glad to see you. I have missed you so much,” he began, but she held her hand up and pierced him with her eyes.

“I want you to tell me about Jennifer Jones. Tell me how you could be seeing her and sleeping with me. Tell me how you could be dating her in public, and not want to be seen with me. Tell me why I’m some hidden secret that you’re keeping from the whole world, but you’ll parade her around in front of the cameras and crowds all the time. Tell me the truth, Scott.” Her tone was level, and her eyes were lethal.

Scott felt his stomach tighten as her words hit him like a wall. She knew. He had been surprised that she hadn’t known before; there were so many images of him with Jennifer all over social media and the newspapers and in so many magazines so often, but somehow it had never been something she had brought up, and he had loved that. He hadn’t needed to explain anything to her at least then, but there she was standing before him, demanding an explanation.

“I’m not dating Jennifer. I never have dated her. We’re just friends, but it looks like we’re a couple in the media, and we both just kind of let it go that way, let everyone think what they will.” He began wondering if she would believe him. “I have no interest in her that way.”

Naomi’s mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed. “You’re lying to me again? After everything we’ve already been through? Scott, I saw the pictures! I saw you with her! You can’t possibly be denying it! I know you’re dating her. I know there’s much more between the two of you than just friendship! I saw it! How could you do this to me again? How could you lie again?”

He shook his head adamantly. “No! No, Naomi, it isn’t like that! You don’t understand! She’s just a friend! We went to a party once together and it hit the papers, and we just never corrected it, and now every time we go anywhere together, the media is always shooting pics of us, and making it look like we’re a couple but we aren’t!

We just thought it would be easier to let them assume whatever they want instead of really setting the record straight! Listen, I’m not lying to you. I’ve never lied to you! You’re just not aware of what’s really happening. You have to listen to me. You have to

believe me!”