Page 296 of Kentrell

To her?

I swallowed, hard, trying to keep my face neutral… professional… unaffected. But inside? I was coming apart at the seams. My heart was racing, palms sweaty, throat tight. Every breath felt like a struggle.

What did he say?

When?

Was it before I left him or after?

My mind kept circling the same pit, the same ugly, terrifying truth sitting in my stomach like a stone.

His baby.

Growing inside me.

And neither of them knew it.

Or maybe… maybe he did. Maybe that was why she was looking at me like this. Like she saw straight through me. Like she already knew more than I wanted to admit.

I pressed my thighs together tighter, willing my body to calm down, to behave, to not betray me more than it already had.

“Well,” I cleared my throat, blinking away the heat rising behind my eyes, “I just… I thought it was time we met. Woman to woman.”

“Woman to woman?” Her brow lifted like what I’d said had thrown her off. “Let me stop you right there, babygirl.” She lifted a finger, her tone shifting from curious to clipped in half a second. “Kentrell has never been nothing more to me than my son. I love him… I’d do anything for him… but one thing I ain’t never played about is treating him like he’s my man.”

My eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I don’t know how you meant it, but that’s my son. If you coming to me about my son, then say that. Ain’t no ‘woman to woman’ ever about that one.”

Okay… definitely worded that wrong. I inhaled slowly and nodded, biting down the apology I wanted to spill out too fast. Already… we weren’t getting off to a good start.

“So… wussup, Zoe?” Her whole energy shifted again. More closed off. Arms crossed, body language turning into a brick wall I couldn’t scale.

“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to find my footing again. “I wasn’t trying to offend you or assume anything… I just…” My mouth was open but nothing was coming out. The words got stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat.

“Love him?” she asked.

The directness of it punched the air right out of my lungs. My hands dropped into my lap, and all I could do was nod with my eyes downcast like some embarrassed teenager.

“What happened?” she asked next.

I looked up slowly. “He didn’t tell you?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

She shook her head, mouth pulling tight. “One thing you gon’ learn about Trell… is he’ll come to you when he wants. Not when it happens. And even then… there’s been times when he just deals with it on his own.” She let that sit for a second before adding, “He may not tell you what you wanna hear… or even what you tell him… but one thing about my son—he’s gon’ show you with his actions.”

Her words hit harder than I expected.

And even though part of me wanted to defend myself, explain the fight, the fallout, the heartbreak… I kept quiet.

Because no matter how I felt about him… she wasn’t wrong.

Kentrell always showed me… whether I was ready for it or not.

“And don’t get it twisted now—he’ll drop little words and shit,” she went on, her smirk returning. “Mostly telling you where he want you to be with him. He ain’t gon’ ask.” She let out a short laugh as I giggled, already knowing exactly what she meant. “He got that from his daddy… his brothers like that too.” She folded her arms over her chest and rocked side to side, rolling her eyes like the memories irritated and amused her all at once. “Wani crazy ass… especially. Caldwell cocky.”

Especially Wani.I smirked to myself, remembering just how sure of himself he was from the first day I met him.

“Kensei too… but he so cool with it. He been like that since he was a baby. Never cried… just posted up in that little green and beige Winnie the Pooh car seat… watching everybody with them damn Reesie eyes.” She laughed, soft and full, her whole face lighting up like she was back there in that moment, seeing the boys as kids again.

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