Something New

His shoulders rose and fell. “Don’t apologize. It was better that way. I know losing Iz was harder for y’all than it was for me. He was my right hand, but that don’t top blood.”

“Yeah, it still sucks, but all broken wings heal in time; I suppose that’s what they say.”

“Is that a ring I see on that finger?” he inquired, changing the subject to something more upbeat.

An instant smile burst across my face. “Yes!”

“Congratulations! When’s the big day?”

“Soon! You should come!” I insisted.

“What?”

“I know it’s last minute, but what’s one more person at this point? Besides, you’re practically family, and I know Mom and Imani would like to see you.”

“Mrs. L said something about Imani being a lawyer now?”

“Yeah. I’m proud of her. She’ll be back out here soon for the wedding.”

“Oh, word?”

“Yeah. She doesn’t come out here often, but of course, I wasn’t going to let her miss out on my big day. You know what, you should come to the wedding and the rehearsal dinner.”

“You don’t think it would be too awkward after all the time?”

“Nope. We all need to make up for the lost time. It’ll be good to reminisce and laugh about the past together. It’s been too long.”

“You’re right.”

“Give me your number, and I’ll send you the information, and you check your schedule and let me know what you decide.”

“Bet. It was good seeing you,” he said after tapping his number into my phone.

“You too.”

∞∞∞

I got home an hour later and went straight to the bathroom with a 7-11 Slurpee in one hand and the pregnancy test box in the other. Those three tortuous minutes of waiting felt like decades. My anxiety was so bad that I had to leave the bathroom altogether and spent my time pacing back and forth down my hallway until the timer dinged. I raced back into the bathroom, and my heart somersaulted in my chest.

“Pregnant,” I mumbled.

The moment the words left my lips, my heart split wide open. I knew the last bit of hope I’d been holding onto of it being Axel’s baby was over. I’d been analyzing my period app for hours since realizing I was late, and I was convinced I had conceived the night of Elijah’s grand opening. It’s crazy how one word can change your life forever. I could see the life I’d crafted for myself unfolding in my face, crumbling to pieces right before me. The baby growing inside me was the aftermath of my decision. A decision I didn’t make alone but would take to my grave if I had to.

“Who am I kidding?” I mumbled, taking the conversation from inside my head to outside.

The moment the baby came out, it would be apparent that they weren’t biologically Axel’s. We hadn’t been together that long. I didn’t know if he could love me through my betrayal and raise an illegitimate baby.

“If I tell, he’s going to leave me. If I don’t, he will find out and still leave me. Fuck!” I yelled.

Then, whenever Axel did decide to leave me, I’d either be forced to raise the baby alone or tell Elijah the truth. Elijah was everything I hated and craved at the same time, but he’d already been through so much in his lifetime and was finally on the fast track. A baby wouldn’t do anything but slow him down. Plus, he’d made it clear that relationships weren’t his thing anyway. My heart was racing, and I was in full-blown panic mode. As badly as I wanted to call Imani or my mother, I couldn’t risk even uttering the truth out loud. Before Axel, I never jumped into relationships or attached myself to someone too quickly. But, when I clicked with someone, I clicked. With Axel, I felt a romantic connection right away. With Elijah, it was the exact opposite.

Truthfully, I cared for them both for some of the same reasons. After all, they’d both lost their mothers, turned to me for solace in their emotional times of need, and had talent well beyond their years. I was convinced that any girl in my shoes would’ve fallen for both without question, just like I did.

After hours of crying, stressing, taking more tests, and praying, I decided to make a doctor’s appointment to confirm the pregnancy before I made a move or said anything to anyone. Besides, taking more tests and stressing about it wasn’t going to make me not pregnant. The best-case scenario was a false positive, and I would wake up the next morning to realize it was just one bad dream.

Elijah

Nestled in the backseat of a private sprinter van, I tapped away at my screen, catching up on emails and texts I’d missed while on my way back to my hotel. I was in London with a couple of weeks left before filming wrapped on the cooking competition I was judging. The whole experience still felt surreal. Who would’ve thought a nigga from Seven Pines would ever find himself in London? I guess life was trippy like that sometimes. While scrolling through my messages, I came across one from my publicist with the link to the piece Isa had written about me and Seven Stone. Since we were sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I clicked the link and started to read. It was the first time I’d gotten a chance to read more than just the headline of her piece; Seven Stone Opens with Hometown Hero Elijah Stone as Executive Chef.