Page 78 of The Devoted Husband

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

She shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly. “He...He moved.”

“What?” Dante sat up as she put his hand on her stomach. “Oh, wow,” Dante mumbled at the feel of his son kicking.

Sade giggled as her eyes began to leak with tears. “He moved. He’s okay.”

“Wow.” Dante lowered himself to her stomach and kissed it. “Hey, little one. Thanks for letting us know you’re okay in there.”

He moved again, causing them both to laugh as Dante’s eyes watered. Feeling their baby move was the perfect ending to their day.

The Next Afternoon

After the appointment, Dante treated Sade to ice cream. She hadn’t stopped smiling since Doctor Smith confirmed their baby boy was okay. He watched her eat the strawberry ice cream with pure joy. It finally felt like they could relax and breathe. Her phone vibrated on the table, and at the sight of her grandmother’s name, Sade rolled her eyes.

“You know if you don’t answer, she will call me.”

Sade shook her head as she sighed. “Quite frankly, I’m not in the mood to hear her apologize because she heard about what happened. She can stand on the last thing she said to me.”

Dante tilted his head before shaking it. Her phone stopped ringing, and not long after, his started.

“Baby . . .”

“Just answer it,” she told him, wiping the corners of her mouth.

He did and put the call on speaker. The weather was warm enough for them to enjoy their ice cream at an outside table, and Dante was grateful for the privacy.

“Hello?” Sade said, and the dry tone she used made him chuckle.

“Sade . . . hey. How are you?”

“Fine.”

“We saw the news. They’re saying Jones killed those people and tried to frame you. I’m glad the truth came out.”

Sade chuckled. “Are you? Because the last time we spoke, you said what he was doing was my Karma.”

Ava sighed. “Sade, I didn’t call you to argue.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure why you called at all.”

“I just . . . I wanted to apologize.”

Sade’s eyes rolled. “That’s unnecessary, but I want to tell you two things. One, Jones killed my parents, not his wife. Tonya will probably be out of prison soon. Two, I would like for us to remain in no contact. The bulk of my pregnancy has been one source of stress or suffering after another, and I’m not willing to waste any more time doing things that make me unhappy, and that includes this back-and-forth thing I’ve been doing with you.”

“Wait. He what? All this time, I thought it was Tonya.”

“That’s what Jones wanted. He framed his wife. The truth is finally coming out, though.”

“Wow. . . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you won’t call me until after I’ve called to let you know I’ve had my baby.”

“I can do that if you promise to let us be in your child’s life and yours.”

“I’m not promising that, but I’ll be more willing to try with you after that.”

“Okay. I love you, baby, and I really am sorry.”

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