Page 174 of Are You Going to Love Me

“I’m with it. Send me pictures of my baby. Love you!”

“Love you,” Eden hummed back before hanging up.

Maximus smiled proudly. “You and Staysha doin’ that shit. I love it.”

“Yeah, I think she's growing up in front of my eyes, and I don’t want to blink.”

Maximus laughed at Eden poking her lip out as if she wanted to cry. “You did a good job raising her.”

Eden snickered. “Hopefully, the baby I actually made doesn’t put me through what the one I didn’t make did.”

“You excited?”

“Nervous, kind of. Excited, in disbelief. All of it,” Eden hummed before finishing her bottle of water. “You?”

“I’m really starting to believe you’re one of God’s favorites ‘cause ain’t no way a nigga like me supposed to be bringin’ life into the world.”

Eden reached out and massaged the nape of his neck. “Your Garden of Eden, babe. Your paradise. Your covering. Your friend. Your lover. Your hype man. Regardless of what you did before me, everything now is covered. That’s your blessing for sitting down. Heard me?”

“Heard you,” Maximus grunted, squeezing her thigh.

“Good. Gimme kiss.”

Obliging her, he leaned over and pecked her lips. Inside the doctor’s office, Eden sat on the table while Maximus rummaged through the drawers.

“Could you stop it?” Eden gritted, while he stuffed gloves, Q-tips, tongue depressors, and other supplies into his pockets. “We literally just said you were rehabilitated.”

“I was a reformed Trae Way nigga until they handed me that bill to pay. At this point, all of this shit is mine. A grand to rub a wand over your belly and some jelly shit. How much you pay for the first couple of visits?”

“Oh, you missed the first appointment when he put the wand inside of me,” Eden teased, earning her a spin and a narrowing of the eyes. “What?”

“Eden, stop playing.”

“You tripping, he puts his fingers inside and all of that.”

Maximus closed his eyes, groaned, and vibrated. “I’ma have to kill this nigga.”

“Anyway, back to the first bill. If I tell you, you’re going to demand they put your name on the building. We’re paying for the privacy and top-of-the-line care.”

“We’re paying for all them cars in the parking lot,” Maximus huffed. “The damn receptionist had a Rolex on her wrist. All this shit is mine. You think I can take this home too?”

Eden cut her eyes at the machine, then back at Maximus, who was actively trying to unlock it and roll it toward the door. “What is wrong with you?”

“How much they gon’ charge us to push the baby out? We can do that shit at home,” he continued, and Eden fell out in laughter. “He already charging me to put his hands all over you or that shit free?”

“You laughing at me, but I’m serious. I can catch my boy my damn self.”

Eden rolled her eyes and popped his hand. “Cut it out and sit down, fool.”

Maximus frowned and rubbed the back of his head. “What I tell you about that? Ain’t that’s how you got pregnant?”

“Mmm,” Eden buzzed. “I can’t remember. There was a club, a camera, a blunt, and some rain. Maybe before that.”

A knock sounded against the door before the doctor entered. Maximus quickly shoved a bottle of gel into his pocket and nodded. He threw a nod, picking up Eden’s neatly folded clothes and placing them on his lap.

“Oh! Dad made it in today. I’m Dr. Gomaku,” he smiled politely at Maximus as he extended his hand for a shake.

Maximus offered him a handshake and then turned to Eden. “Good thing I came in today.”

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