Page 8 of Rhodes to Love

“I just stepped out of the house. I’m heading to the barn.”

“Good. Umm… I fucked up. I allowed myself to trust someone, and he fucking played me.”

“Karima, what are you talking about? You sound like me, baby. That ain’t in your personality.”

“I’m about to take a pregnancy test. He fucking pretended he was using condoms, and I found at least ten of those muthafuckas behind my bed.”

She gasped. “Who I need to get at? I will be on the next flight to Nashville, even if I have to strap myself down on the top of that shit.”

“Rhodes.”

There was silence. “Your friend from high school?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn.”

I opened the test as she remained quiet. After setting the phone on the vanity, I read the instructions, then sat on the toilet and did what I had to do. I set the test down and flushed the toilet and washed my hands.

“What does it say, Karima?” she asked.

“I haven’t looked. I’m scared, Aunt Tiff. What if I am?”

“Then you will handle that shit like the boss you are.”

“But how will I look? The counselor who ain’t got her shit together.”

“Girl, fuck that and anybody who worried about it. We all make bad decisions at times, but this shit ain’t your fault. It’s his. You love him, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but I pulled my gun on him today.”

“Sounds familiar.” She cleared her throat. “Look at it, baby.”

I supposed she’d done the same thing to someone at some point in her life. I took a deep breath and looked over at the test. My heart was beating loudly, drowning out any other sounds. It felt like my entire body was about to explode as I stared at it.

“I’m pregnant.”

CHAPTER1

KARIMA

THREE MONTHS LATER…

Today was the day. I glanced at my growing pudge and knew that I had to enlighten everyone. I couldn’t continue wearing baggy pants or oversized shirts. My normal jeans were too tight. I was trembling as I thought about how I would talk to them all at once at the family barn. Aunt Jen and Aunt Chrissy were cooking a big goulash for us to enjoy during the family meeting.

After finding out I was pregnant, I withdrew from school and resigned from my position at work. Just knowing I would see Rhodes there prompted me to do that shit by phone. I headed home the next week and paid movers to get my shit home. The hardest part of the transition was pretending that nothing was wrong in front of my family. I simply told them all I was homesick.

That wasn’t a lie. I was definitely missing them all, but it wasn’t the sole reason for me moving back. My sister-in-law Cassie was pregnant, and Jacob’s new wife, Mekayla, was also pregnant. Yendi, Jakari’s wife, was threatening to go into labor at any moment. I wouldn’t be alone in this journey, that was for sure. I was probably just as far along as Mekayla… or further. I believed she’d said she was twelve weeks.

Aunt Tiff had been my confidant this whole time. She couldn’t believe Rhodes had done that. The whole family didn’t know him, but because I spent a lot of time training with Aunt Tiff and Milana, they knew who he was. Sometimes he would come out to my practices and watch me run those barrels. He said it was interesting to him. He would be out there for hours with us, just watching and talking to me during my breaks.

I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about what I was about to do until I heard the Lord speak.“Talk to your parents first.”

I nodded. He was definitely right. They deserved to know what was going on in private before I told anyone else. I grabbed my keys and headed to their house so I could catch them before they went to the barn. I called Aunt Tiff to ask her to meet me there, and she agreed. It wasn’t like we were that far apart. I lived in Henderson Village, barely a mile away from my parents’ home and right next door to my brother.

I noticed they weren’t home, so I hoped I didn’t miss them. When I got to their house, I noticed KJ’s vehicle in the driveway.Great.I supposed I would be telling my immediate family instead of just my parents. As I got out of my truck, Aunt Tiff pulled in the driveway. She hurriedly jumped out of her truck and met me.

She hugged me tightly. “I’m proud of you. I’m so happy you’ve taken the time to heal. You know how us Hendersons are. Had you been on go, we would have all been on go. That day you called me from Nashville, I knew you were at that point.”

---