“I’ll be four months soon. I’m starting to show, and now with Erik’s latest major fuck up, my mom wants to derail the negative attention from him. So, we thought it best if Erik and I stayed above the rumors by announcing my pregnancy right away.”
“And what the hell are you specifically going to announce, Erika?” I couldn’t believe the shit she was coming with.
This was all bullshit! Bullshit I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t get involved in this for this bullshit!
“Mehan wrote up a statement about during tumultuous times, we’ve learned that we’re expecting a baby, and to please respect our wishes for privacy as we work through this unexpected event…something like that.” Her eyes skirted around my face.
“Erika, you’re not pregnant by me. Let’s get this shit straight right now.” I knew like hell she was lying out her ass.
“Why are you acting as if it’s a farfetched concept? We dated for almost two years, Stenton.”
“And didn’t meet an occasion where I wasn’t wearing a rubber. Did I miss something?”
Erika straightened and reclined in her seat. I knew it. I saw the flash response of her doubt. Before meeting Zoey, I had one pregnancy scare with a woman I was dating, and that was because I was dumb as hell, running up in her raw from time to time. That one scare had me using rubbers each time I’d engaged since. The only woman I found that difficult with was Zoey. That shit killed me over the past week. I knew if I wanted to forego the rubbers, Zoey would have been more than okay with it. She would have been thrilled, but my guilt from getting her pregnant still haunted me, forcing me to do the responsible thing with her until she was officially mine and wanted more kids, a complicated process that had me one hundred percent sure Erika was lying through her fucking teeth.
My phone rang. Angrily, I snatch it from the table and saw Zoey’s name and image. Fuck! I don’t need this shit right now! But I had to answer. I never ignored her calls or needs.
“I’m in the middle of dinner. I’ll hit you back as soon as I’m done,” my tone was colder than intended. I was that fucking blistered over this shit.
“Well, this won’t take long,” her voice was unnervingly low. “If what you wanted to talk about when you returned was you expecting a baby with Erika, you could have supplied that information before ramming your dick in me all week. I didn’t need it to pacify me from the pain. I’m good on my own. Continue to enjoy your dinner with her and your new family.”
Click.
Goddamn…
My eyes glided over to Erika observing me closely.
“You’ve fucked up now, E,” I advised calmly as I stood from the table to leave.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“To do damage control with my team who you didn’t give the courtesy of a heads up before compromising my family. Do yourself a favor. Delete my number. You don’t contact me directly. The only number you’ll need for me is my attorney’s.”
I turned to leave the restaurant. The following days were just as bleak as those moments with Erika. Of course, I tried calling Zoey immediately to explain to her what was happening and assure her this was all a fucking hoax. But she didn’t answer one call, text or voice message. Her wall had gone up again. I got Sarah on the phone, feeling the need to explain to someone in the Barrett family that I wasn’t as reckless as being portrayed. I wouldn’t accidentally knock someone up like a dumb ass kid. Sarah tried to ensure that she understood, but the bitterness of the accusation was still strong.