Page 49 of Session 33
Cassius opened his mouth to speak, but Naomi wasn’t having it. “Shut the fuck up and tend to the bitch you with, fucking malcontent.” I wanted to laugh at her pulling out the SAT words, but I couldn’t. She grabbed my arm, guiding me out of the store and away from him.
“Let’s get out of here,” she muttered, her voice low and furious.
We made our way to the car, Naomi fussing the whole time. “I can’t believe he did this to you, Angel. After everything...” She was talking loudly, but I barely heard her. My mind was spinning, replaying the scene over and over again. How could he do this to me? To us?
I climbed into the backseat of Jonas and Naomi’s car, resting my hands on my belly. Jonas started the car. Naomi continued cursing, her words filled with the anger and frustration I was feeling but couldn’t express.
“I’m sorry I had to call y’all. I just didn’t know what to do.”
Naomi turned around to look at me. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead of words, she gasped.
“Naomi, what’s wrong?”
Her eyes were wide. “My water just broke.”
“What the fuck you mean your water broke?” Jonas’s deep voice echoed in the car, and he jammed on the brakes, sending us forward.
“What the fuck, Jonas! Drive to the hospital,” Naomi yelled, her breaths coming in quick, shallow bursts. “Jonas... drive!” she yelled, and he shook his head as if coming out of a trance and started driving again. My already frayed nerves felt like they were further unraveling, and all I could think was, “Cassius ruins everything.”
Chapter thirty nine
My nerves were frayed as I stood outside Naomi’s front door, gripping a baby gift bag of clothes I bought the day I saw Cassius at the mall,It had been three weeks since she’d given birth, three weeks since my heart imploded, three weeks since I witnessed her child ripping her open so wide that they had to stitch her up. It was terrifying. Sent me into a depression. I was going to have to do all she’d done alone. It took me a while to finally feel ready to visit her and the baby—my godson. My stomach was in knots, but I took a deep breath, trying to push the anxiety away. When I rang the doorbell, the sound of a baby crying inside tugged at my heart. It was a reminder of what was coming for me—a future I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
Naomi answered the door, looking exhausted but glowing. Her messy bun and dark circles under her eyes didn’t take away from how pretty she was.
“Sis, you made it!” she said, pulling me into a hug.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss this,” I replied, trying to match her smile as I stepped inside.
Naomi led me to the living room where Jonas sat on the couch, cradling their baby boy. When he saw me, he gave a nod of acknowledgment.
“Hey, Angel. Good to see you,” he said.
“Hey, Jonas,” I greeted him back before my eyes shifted to the baby in his arms. “Can I hold him?”
“Absolutely,” Naomi said, taking the baby from Jonas and gently placing him in my arms.
The second I looked down at his tiny face, I started crying. He was so small, so cute, so innocent. And all I could think about was the little boy growing inside me. My baby would be here soon, and the thought both terrified the fuck out of me and excited me.
“He’s beautiful, Naomi,” I whispered, feeling a tear roll down my cheek.
“Thanks, Angel. I didn’t think I was going to make it. Giving birth was scarier than I expected.”
I nodded, understanding the weight of her words. “I’ve started taking classes, trying to prepare myself.”
We sat in silence for a few moments talking. When Jonas got up and walked away with the baby, heading upstairs, Naomi got close enough to whisper.
“The bitch Cassius is with, her name is Ciara. Jonas doesn’t think I heard him talking to Silas about it. Supposedly, Cassius met her when he was in college and told Silas it’s easy to just be himself around her, but he ain’t in love. He’s just trying to get himself back in the right headspace,” she said, rolling her eyes.
My stomach flipped over, and I didn’t want to hear anymore.
All the drama with Cassius, all the pain he’d caused—it had started to feel like background noise compared to the journey I was about to begin. Fuck Cassius. There would be other men. I’d love somebody else. All I wanted from Cassius at this point was for him to be a good father. I was just mad at the way he haddone things, and I didn’t really have the right to be mad about him. When I thought about it, I had basically broken up with him. He didn’t owe me anything, and I was too old to be bitter.
I interrupted Naomi before she could continue. “I know you’re looking out for me, but I don’t want to hear anything else about Cassius. He moved on, that’s fine.”
Naomi hesitated but nodded. I grabbed the bag I’d set beside me and shoved it in her direction. “This is for Anton.” I knew how to distract her. She clapped her hands, took the bag, and started pulling out clothes.
After about thirty minutes, I decided it was time to head out. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.