Page 31 of His Secure Embrace
“James, I need help. I’m drowning. My family isn’t helping me?—”
“Hold on. None of that is my problem.Youchose to cheat on me.Youfucked so many men you don’t know who the father is. That ain’t nobody fault but yours. I do not have anything to give you.”
“So, you’re just going to push me away?” she asked in disbelief. Her tone was louder than it should have been which caused the baby in her arms to cry.
“You know what they call that? Fucking around and finding out. You fucked around—literally—and you’re finding out what the consequences of your actions are. Kids aren’t toys. They are living, breathing, human beings who need constant love, support, and patience. You gave your pussy to any nigga who smiled your way, and now you need to make some tough decisions.”
“Can’t you just?—”
“No! I’m not doing shit for you. You lost access to me when you gave your pussy to other niggas. All I can tell you is to put your baby up for adoption and seek mental help. Ain’t shit I’m doing for you, so forget it. I’m building something with someone new. You had a chance to get all this love, and you fucked it up.”
“James, please! I’m begging you.”
“The child isn’t my responsibility. It’s disrespectful as fuck to pop up at my house on this type of bullshit. You better go to a church, a fire station, or hell at this point. If you can’t handle motherhood, give your baby to someone who can. Theleastyou can do for being an irresponsible mother is doing the right thing for your child.”
Celeste hung her head as she cradled her baby in her arms. “Fine.”
“I pray you get what you deserve. I pray your child finds a home she can live happily in. Sell some of those designer fits you have to afford a nanny or something.”
Celeste shook her head and walked down the path to her car. I waited on the porch and watched her buckle the baby in the car seat, get into the driver’s seat, and cry. I felt bad for her, but it was bigger than me. Asking me to take care of a child that wasn’t mine was the dumbest shit she could have done. I’m a cool as nigga until somebody does some grimy shit to me. Celeste not only cheated on me, but she got pregnant by another man. She cheated so many times during that ovulation window it was like a slap in the face when we took the early detection DNA test and the results came back with a big fat assnot the fatherannouncement. The only person I felt bad for was the daughter she had. I prayed Celeste did the right thing for her child.
I shook my head and entered the house. My eyes landed on Brielle, who had her duffel on her shoulder. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked at me and bit down on her bottom lip.
“Brielle, where are you going?” I asked cautiously. I placed the bags in my hand on the tiled floor near the door. I took a step further inside the room and closed the front door.
“Move, James.”
“I will when you tell me what’s going on in your mind.”
“I can’t be with a deadbeat daddy or a man who hides his kids.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
I laughed out loud. The sound resonated from my core. “I’m not a deadbeat daddy. I don’t have no fucking kids.”
“Then who was that outside? Celeste literally told me you were her baby daddy. Said you’ve ignored her and the baby for months.”
“Celeste is a fuckin’ liar. She’s mad because she cheated on me and I cut her off when I found out the baby wasn’t mine.”
“How do I believe you, James?” She dropped her arms in defeat. The sadness in her orbs made my heart ache.
“Hold on. I’m a lot of things but a deadbeat ain’t one of them. I was with Celeste for a couple of years. She cheated on me so much when she got the DNA results she couldn’t even give the coordinator a solid second possibility.” I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen a few times. I opened my email to find the DNA results and the date I received them. I held out my phone for her to read the email.
“Oh . . . Wow! James, I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Your feelings were valid. I don’t know why you believed her lies, but I’ll be damned if I let my past ruin the future I’m trying to build with you.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “I’m so sorry. My emotions are all over the place. I just . . . I have a fear of heartbreak. I was ready to run.”
“I would never hurt you, baby. I told you I love you and I mean that shit. Ain’t nothing but death gonna keep me from loving you.”
“Baby.” Her cries were silent as I pulled her into a tight embrace. I held her until her sobs calmed into a soft whimper.
“I got you, Brielle. Always and forever.”
She clung to me for a long moment. When she finally pulled away, she looked up at me with sad eyes.
“I think I should go back to my place and get a reset.”
I nodded. “I understand. I can’t imagine how you feel right now. A good reset will do us both some good. Do you want to enjoy an early dinner before you go?”
