“It won’t.” he promised.
13
Chapter Thirteen
Mel
I didn’t even remember how I got to my mama’s house. My hands were on the wheel, my stomach was tight, and my brain was moving faster than traffic. One minute I was standing in the middle of the damn mall, ready to swing on that bitch. Next thing I knew, I was parked out front of the house I grew up in, still trying to process how the hell that girl had the fuckin’ audacity.
After parking beside my mama’s car, I let myself in. The smell of bleach and lemon hit me first. My mama always kept the place clean like it was her full-time job. Voices floated from the living room, where Keenan and Jace were laughing over something on the game. I didn’t speak. I headed straight for the kitchen. Mamawas by the stove, back turned, stirring something in a big-ass pot.
“You alright?” she asked when she noticed me.
“Nope,” I said, dropping my purse on the table.
She turned around. “What happened?”
I pulled out a chair and sat down hard. I told my mama everything that happened today at the mall and the bomb Shayna dropped on me. I let her know how Kilo had been acting and how it all made sense now. He was keeping shit from me, and the shit was eating him up. It should’ve done more than that.
Mama’s mouth dropped slightly. “You saying Kilo got a kid?”
“I don’t know what I’m saying,” I snapped. “All I know is I’m out here pregnant and some random chick from his past is dropping bombs on me in public. Meanwhile, he’s been walking around the house like he’s sleepwalking.”
“Mel.”
I looked at her.
“Did he cheat?”
“No,” I said without flinching. “I don’t believe that.”
Mama nodded slow. “So you’re mad because he’s keeping something from you.”
“I’m mad because I’m pregnant and he’s lying. Because I’ve been asking him for weeks what’s wrong, and he just shrugs or kisses me on the forehead like that’s supposed to fix shit. I don’t do secrets. And if there’s a child out there, I should’ve heard it from him. Not her.”
She pulled out the chair beside me and sat down, placing her hand on mine. “You’re right to be upset. But you need to calm down before you walk back into that house.”
“Mama—”
“I’m serious. You don’t know the full story yet. Don’t go off until you get all the facts.”
I looked down at my belly. “I don’t want to be the woman he lies to.”
“And you’re not,” she said firmly. “You’re the woman he’s scared to lose.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Men carry guilt different,” she continued. “Sometimes they shut down, thinking silence protects you. But you ain’t the type to be sheltered from the truth. You want to know. You need to know.”
“Exactly.”
“So go home. Ask him. Not screaming and swinging. Just ask, and then listen. You’ll know what’s real.”
Before I could respond, Keenan strolled in with a Capri Sun in his hand and Jace trailing behind him.
“Damn, sis. Who you fighting with now?” Keenan asked, smirking.
“Watch yo’ mouth and mind your business,” I said, giving him a look.
