knotted, and her throat constricted. The green bile being deposited to the toilet felt too familiar.
“Oh God. No! Please, no. Please, please, please,” she begged while dropping to her butt with her head in her hands. Kinley called out again, and she tried to stand, only to be doubled over the toilet again. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be pregnant. Alexis rinsed her mouth and washed her face, hearing Kinley, getting mad, and shaking the crib with every call for her mommy. Alexis disregarded her again and went to the calendar, covering her desk. One line went through the third week of May and nothing in June. Alexis hadn’t had a period in almost six weeks. How the hell did this keep happening to her? It was stress. That’s all it was. She couldn’t be pregnant. Kinley’s plea to be released from her crib turned into a cry and Alexis went after her.
“I’m coming, baby girl. Shew, no wonder you’re crying. You stink.” As soon as Kinley was changed and dressed, Alexis got the diaper bag ready and woke Riki. Kinley crawling all over her was all it took.
“Wake up sleepy head. Your dad is coming to get you.”
“Can I have a pancake?”
“You always wake up hungry. Yes, come on. I’ll make you a pancake. Get dressed and bring your backpack with you.”
Alexis fed the girls with her hand over her mouth. That scared the hell out of her. The last time the smell of syrup made her sick, Kinley came along. Of all times to be pregnant, this was the worse. What the hell was she supposed to tell Cory? Did she tell him, or let him figure it out on his own. Her dad lied. This was way more than she could handle. Way more.
Alexis walked over to the sink to keep from smelling the sweet aroma and looked at the clock. Bernie would be on her way to work. She didn’t want Bernie to go to work. She needed Bernie.
“Are you calling my dad?”
“No, Aunt Bernie. Hurry up, it’s almost nine.”
“What’s up, Lex?” Bernie answered on the first ring.
“Where are you?”
“Just leaving my house, why?”
“Paige is opening with you, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let her open. I need you to come over here.” Alexis walked out to the back deck to keep Riki from hearing.
“Okay, why?”
“Cory didn’t get the girls last night. He’s coming this morning. I need you to hand them over to him, so I don’t have to see him.”
“Why?”
“Stop saying, why. Because I need you.”
“Okay, I’m on my way.”
“Wait, one more thing. Can you stop and pick up a pregnancy test?”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Believe me. I wish I was.”
“Oh my God, Alexis!”
“I know. Hurry up. I don’t want to have to deal with Cory right now.”
“Did something happen?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you when you get here. I’ll call Paige and let her know you’re not coming.”
“Is it bad?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
Thank God Bernie made it before Cory. “Damn, you look like hell. What happened to you?”
Alexis shook her head and gave her a dirty look while she slipped Kinley’s shoes on her feet. She wasn’t saying a word around Riki. She had enough to adjust to without adding stuff she wouldn’t understand.
Riki held Kinley’s hands and let her walk around the porch while they waited for Cory and Alexis explained what happened the night before. It was all she could do to get it out without crying. Bernie was speechless. She didn’t know what to say to that.
“Alexis, for the love of God, please tell me that didn’t happen,” she begged with pity.
“It happened, and I let it. He treated me like some slut that he would find on the street corner in Chicago.”
“I want to knee him right in the crotch.”
“Don’t. I don’t even care. I just want this test to turn out with a negative line.”
“Do you think you are? What’s your gut say?”
“That I’m—here he comes. I’m going to wait inside.”
“Daddy!” Riki called.
Alexis picked
“Oh God. No! Please, no. Please, please, please,” she begged while dropping to her butt with her head in her hands. Kinley called out again, and she tried to stand, only to be doubled over the toilet again. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be pregnant. Alexis rinsed her mouth and washed her face, hearing Kinley, getting mad, and shaking the crib with every call for her mommy. Alexis disregarded her again and went to the calendar, covering her desk. One line went through the third week of May and nothing in June. Alexis hadn’t had a period in almost six weeks. How the hell did this keep happening to her? It was stress. That’s all it was. She couldn’t be pregnant. Kinley’s plea to be released from her crib turned into a cry and Alexis went after her.
“I’m coming, baby girl. Shew, no wonder you’re crying. You stink.” As soon as Kinley was changed and dressed, Alexis got the diaper bag ready and woke Riki. Kinley crawling all over her was all it took.
“Wake up sleepy head. Your dad is coming to get you.”
“Can I have a pancake?”
“You always wake up hungry. Yes, come on. I’ll make you a pancake. Get dressed and bring your backpack with you.”
Alexis fed the girls with her hand over her mouth. That scared the hell out of her. The last time the smell of syrup made her sick, Kinley came along. Of all times to be pregnant, this was the worse. What the hell was she supposed to tell Cory? Did she tell him, or let him figure it out on his own. Her dad lied. This was way more than she could handle. Way more.
Alexis walked over to the sink to keep from smelling the sweet aroma and looked at the clock. Bernie would be on her way to work. She didn’t want Bernie to go to work. She needed Bernie.
“Are you calling my dad?”
“No, Aunt Bernie. Hurry up, it’s almost nine.”
“What’s up, Lex?” Bernie answered on the first ring.
“Where are you?”
“Just leaving my house, why?”
“Paige is opening with you, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let her open. I need you to come over here.” Alexis walked out to the back deck to keep Riki from hearing.
“Okay, why?”
“Cory didn’t get the girls last night. He’s coming this morning. I need you to hand them over to him, so I don’t have to see him.”
“Why?”
“Stop saying, why. Because I need you.”
“Okay, I’m on my way.”
“Wait, one more thing. Can you stop and pick up a pregnancy test?”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Believe me. I wish I was.”
“Oh my God, Alexis!”
“I know. Hurry up. I don’t want to have to deal with Cory right now.”
“Did something happen?”
“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you when you get here. I’ll call Paige and let her know you’re not coming.”
“Is it bad?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.”
Thank God Bernie made it before Cory. “Damn, you look like hell. What happened to you?”
Alexis shook her head and gave her a dirty look while she slipped Kinley’s shoes on her feet. She wasn’t saying a word around Riki. She had enough to adjust to without adding stuff she wouldn’t understand.
Riki held Kinley’s hands and let her walk around the porch while they waited for Cory and Alexis explained what happened the night before. It was all she could do to get it out without crying. Bernie was speechless. She didn’t know what to say to that.
“Alexis, for the love of God, please tell me that didn’t happen,” she begged with pity.
“It happened, and I let it. He treated me like some slut that he would find on the street corner in Chicago.”
“I want to knee him right in the crotch.”
“Don’t. I don’t even care. I just want this test to turn out with a negative line.”
“Do you think you are? What’s your gut say?”
“That I’m—here he comes. I’m going to wait inside.”
“Daddy!” Riki called.
Alexis picked
Similar Books
