I walked through the doors and went into the kitchen. Jalen was knocked out on one side of the couch and Jayden was on the other side passed out as well. I sat my keys down on the counter and took a seat on the stool.

I pulled out my phone and went to my messages. I scrolled through looking for Sydney's name. Once I found it I tapped on the thread started to type.

"Damn you back already?" I heard Jalen ask.

"Yeah" I nodded my head looking down at my phone waiting for her response.

"He yours?" Jalen got up from the couch and started walking over to me.

"Nah" I said shaking my head. Sydney started to call me and I just declined the call.

"Damn bro" Jalen sighed, "I'm sorry"

My phone started to ring again and I declined her call once more. "She knew, she knew this whole fucking time" I said trying to keep calm.

"Whatchu mean?" Jalen asked taking the papers out of the envelope to read the results himself.

"I just texted her "come get your son" and now she blowing up my phone. She don't know what the fuck I meant by that." I could literally feel my blood boiling. She called again and I finally picked up the phone.

"Hello" I answered turning the phone on speaker so Jalen could hear.

"What happened?"

"I opened the dna results and this ain't my son. I love him but you gotta come get yo kid man"

"What're you talking about?" Sydney asked. Before I could even open my mouth to speak she started sobbing. I looked over at Jalen and he had the same look upon his face.

"She knew" He mouthed shaking his head.

"Tell me you're lying. You gotta be lying" Sydney cried.

"Nah I'm not lying. You thought I was never gon find out? Like what was end result here?" I questioned. She didn't reply she just kept crying. I could feel myself growing more and more frustrated with her.

"Come get your fucking kid!" I yelled into the phone causing Jayden to wake up and start crying.

"Okay!" She yelled back.

"Fuck man!" I slammed my phone down on the counter causing the screen to shatter.

"She had me thinking this was my son for months bro! You know how much shit I turned down to not miss a moment of this kid's life and he not even mine?!" I yelled, "Call Autumn and Chantel. They gotta jump this bitch"

"At least you found out now. Muhfuckas be raising kids that ain't their's for 18 years" Jalen told me "She foul as fuck. See I told you not to fuck with her ass"

I walked over to the couch and picked up Jayden. I just held him in my arms and rocked him to get him to stop crying.

"This really isn't my son" I said looking down at him. "Here take him" I said walking over to Jalen and handing him to him.

"I can't believe this shit" I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. I opened the cabinet and tossed all the bottles I had inside the bag.

I walked over to the storage closet and tossed all the packs of diapers and wipes into the bag as well. I didn't want none of this shit, it served no purpose here anymore.

"I can't be here when she get here. I might go to jail. I gotta go" I said shaking my head. I gave Jayden one last kiss before grabbing my keys and heading over to the elevator. I pressed the button and waited for it to come. "Tell her to take all the baby stuff out my house. His clothes, toys, all of it. Ion want none of it. Text me when she gone"

"You good man?"

"Nah" I shook my head and stepped onto the elevator.

I didn't know where I was about to go but I just needed to be alone right now. I got into the car and just drove in silence. I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes so I just let them escape.

My heart literally felt broken. The best way I could describe this feeling is grief. It felt like my kid just died.

I really loved this kid. What sucks the most is he's going to grow up and not even know who the fuck I am. Sydney's not going to tell him about me because why would she?

I can't believe my dumb ass didn't get a paternity test as soon as he was born. Shit even once she told me she was pregnant I should've did a DNA test. I couldn't even blame Sydney, this was all my fault. All this shit could have been avoided.

All the ultrasound visits, the gender reveal, the baby shower, holding her fucking hand while she pushed him out. I was there for fucking everything, and for what?

"Fuck!" I yelled hitting the steering wheel.

***

***

"Leave me out the comments, leave me out the nonsense" I rapped along with the Drake song that was playing in my airpods. I walked through the Gucci store looking at the different stuff they had to off. I was trying to convince myself that I liked the clothes but I didn't. I guess I would just get a belt or something.

Just as the music came to an end I could hear somebody say my name. I took out one of my AirPods causing the music to pause and I looked around trying to see who called me.

"Mrs. Baldwin?" I replied furrowing my eyebrows trying to make sure I was seeing correctly.

"Hey you!" She smiled walking over to me with open arms.

"What're you doing out here?" I laughed giving her a hug.

"Just shopping" She shrugged, "Shawn look who it is" She said aloud. Mr Baldwin looked over at us.

"Ayeee wassup Quincy" He walked over and dapped up with me. "How you been? Whatchu been on?"

"I've been good, I've just been working." I replied "How's the family?"

"Everyone is good. Lyric still be asking about you" Mr Baldwin told me.

"She's not with y'all?" I asked starting to look around.

"Of course not. This is our little weekend getaway. She's at home with Paris"

"Damn well tell her I said hi and that I liked the birthday card she made me last year. It's still on my refrigerator"

"I'll be sure to tell her. It was nice seeing you again Quincy" Mrs. Baldwin said giving me another hug.

"Nice seeing you too" I replied.

I finished up my shopping before going back to my car. I put all my bags in the trunk before getting inside the car. I opened up Instagram and decided to go to Paris' page. There was a purple ring around her profile picture indicating that she posted to her story.

I clicked on it and watched it. There was some videos of her and Lyric getting their nails done, making cupcakes, etc. Her most recent one was 35 seconds ago. It was a selfie and she looked good as fuck.

Back when we were together these would be the type of selfies she would just randomly send me throughout the day. I decided to send a message. I knew that she said she was going to block me if I messaged her but this was a chance I was willing to take.

😍

I clicked off the message thread and waited to see if I would see the typing bubble pop up. She had just posted it so I know her phone was still in her hand and that she had to see it. As soon as the ellipses popped up, a smile appeared on my face.

And just like that, we're back in. Any reply was enough for me to know she doesn't still hate me.

qtheartist

parisb

qthearitist

parisb

qtheartist

I closed out of instagram and opened up apple music. I pressed play on my music before starting up the car and heading to gym to hoop.

***

•Paris' Point Of View•

"After you finish your quesadillas go hop in the shower and we'll bake cookies afterwards" I told Lyric as I sat down on the couch with my burrito bowl in my lap.

My parents decided they wanted to go shopping on Fifth Avenue so Lyric was staying the weekend with me. She could have stayed home with King but I'm already knowing he's had a million different girls in and out the house since my parents been gone.

"Okay" She replied with her eyes still glued on her iPad. I turned on the tv and started watching Snowfall while I ate my dinner.

I could hear Michelle's key rattling at the front door as he unlocked it. I glanced over at her and back at the tv. She was still mad about the whole Jacobi thing so she's been giving me the silent treatment all week.

It's childish if you ask me.

The situation isn't even that deep. She was definitely blowing things out of proportion.

I wanted to tell her about Quincy sliding into my dms earlier but as long as she wasn't talking to me, I'm not talking to her. This would just have to be another thing she's mad about.

"Hey Lyric" Michelle said before heading to her room.

"Hi" Lyric replied to her.

"Okay I'm done!" Lyric said hopping down from her stool.

"Damn whatchu do stuff your mouth?"

"I'm gonna go take a shower now" She replied still chewing her food. I knew she was just thirsty as hell to bake some cookies.

"Okay"

I laid back on the couch watching Damson Idris fine ass play the role of Franklin so well. I loved this show so much. I could hear my phone ringing in my bedroom so I say my food down on the coffee table and went to grab it. I took the phone off the charger and looked at the caller i.d. It was an unsaved number Facetiming me.

"Aint no way" I said to myself as I accepted the call. Quincy's face appeared on my screen and I didn't know what to say.

"Hey" He greeted with a slight smile. Just seeing his face made butterflies appear in my stomach.

"How'd you get my number?" I questioned.

"I have my ways" He chuckled "Whatchu doing?"

"Uhhh nothing" I replied sitting down on the bed.

"I didn't really call to talk to you. Where my best friend?"

"She's in the shower. I'll have her call you back"

"I mean I guess I can talk to you" Quincy sighed.

"Boy fuck you" I said and we both laughed.

"How you been?" Quincy asked.

"I've been great, just living life." I replied with a shrug.

"That's good, that's good" He nods his head. There was an awkward silence. I wanted to ask about Sydney and his baby but I didn't want to him to think I cared about him and his little family. I just wanted to know if he has a daughter or a son.

"Yup" I said nodding my head and looking away from the phone.

I looked back at the screen to see him just looking at me.

"What?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him trying not to smile.

"What I can't look at you now?"

"No, so stop" I said turning the camera away from my face so he couldn't see me smiling. Once I got myself back together I returned to the camera.

"I miss you though"

"Oh lord here we go" I sighed rolling my eyes. I looked over and Lyric walked out the bathroom in her pajamas. "Finally" I sighed in relief. "Girl here somebody wanna talk to you" I told her.

"Who?" She questioned running over to the bed and plopped down next to me.

"Quincy!" She exclaimed snatching the phone from my hands.

"Wassup best friend" Quincy laughed.

"Hey best friend"

I walked out the room and grabbed my food off the coffee table. I went into the kitchen and put the lid back on the bowl before putting it in the fridge. I grabbed a bottle of water and started chugging it down and headed back into my room.

"So are you and my sister getting back together? I wanna see you again"

"Excuse me!" I exclaimed before choking on my water. As I was coughing Lyric was cracking the fuck up.

"Girl gimme the damn phone" I said snatching the phone from her. "Go on now. Get out" I laughed and shooed her away.

"Don't mind her she just be talking that nonsense"

"It's cool. We just gotta make her happy. We might as well gon head and get back together" Quincy smiled at me.

There go them damn butterflies again.

"Boy bye. Don't you got a whole family?" I asked rhetorically.

"Nah I don't" Quincy replied shaking his head.

"Nigga you got a whole kid" I scrunched my face up at him.

"He wasn't mine" I could sense that this was a little touchy subject. He seemed a little uneasy but I was still going to push him to talk about it.

"Oh" I replied "When did you find this out?"

"About a week ago"

"Awe he's only a week old. Feel like she's been pregnant for forever" I replied leaning back against my headboard.

"Nah he's almost four months now"

"Oh" I said making the Conceited face. He's been in this kids life all this time thinking he was the daddy just for him not to be. Explains why he looks like someone ran over his puppy.

I kind of felt guilty for being so happy that Sydney's baby isn't his. I want to do a damn backflip and I don't even know how.

"Why would you even wait that long to do a dna test?"

"Ion even know. I wasn't thinking"

"You definitely wasn't" I replied shaking my head at him. "So is this why you called me?"

"Whatchu mean?" Quincy raises an eyebrow at me.

"We haven't spoken in 9 months. You find out the baby isn't yours and now here you are in my dms telling me how good I look"

"I mean I could've been telling you that you're fine as fuck all this time but you blocked me"

I just glared at him.

"But I mean yeah I guess thats why I called. I respected your decision to walk away and that you didn't want any contact with me so I didn't hit you up" Quincy shrugged his shoulders.

I opened my mouth to speak but he kept talking.

"You broke up with me because I had a baby. I don't have a baby, so why are we not together?"

"I-" I didn't even know what to say. I mean technically he was right. Our break up was circumstantial.

"It's been 9 months Quincy. Things changes, people change, feelings change" I sighed. I will forever have love for him but I don't even know if I'm still in love with him. It's been 9 months I knew he couldn't expect things to be the same between us.

"Oh so you moved on? What you got a nigga now?"

"No but I'v-"

"So think about it. Sleep on it. We're going to dinner tomorrow. Be ready at 8."

"Wait what?"

"Love you, goodnight"