Ashanti Renèe Robinson, NY📍

"How did he find out where we were." I asked Jay.

"I don't know. All I do know is that he's dead which means a lot."

"What does it mean?"

Demarcus walked in the room from the bathroom with Nicole and Jo'nae. "That means we don't gotta worry about him no more."

"What about Layla?" Jo'nae asked.

"What about her. She ain't got shit to do no more now that he's dead."

———

"Mama." Aqua said with her arms up. I picked her up and she laid her head on my chest.

"Awe mommy baby tired?"Aqua closed her eyes and put her thumb in her mouth.

"It is her nap time now." Jay said sitting next to me on the couch.

"Where's Jo'nae?" I asked him.

"Prolly in her room sleep she's been sleeping a lot lately."

"Yea I noticed and she's been very quiet."

"Yo!" Demarcus said coming in the house.

Jay and I both looked up at him.

"Word on the street is Layla done fled."

"Huh?" I asked.

"Supposedly her and King had some shit goin on. Some fed shit and the police lookin for her."

Jay looked at me and smiled. "We don't gotta worry bout her no more."

I took out my phone and called Stephanie.

"Hello...yea you heard?...okay good...how you feelin?...okay that's good...she's right here sleep...aight i'll tell her...okay bye."

———

Jo'nae Mariè Andrews, NJ📍

I put it on the counter and waited. It couldn't be true it's been to long I would've noticed already.

"You good in here ma?" Demarcus asked peeking through the door.

"Yea I'm fine." He nodded and shut the door.

I grabbed the test off the counter.

My heart went in my ass. I started crying dumb hard. I can't be pregnant. Ion even know what to do with a child bro.

"Ma? You good?" De asked coming back in.

I showed him the test and he quickly took it.

"You're pregnant. Bro you're pregnant!" He said excitedly. "Why you cryin?"

"I don't want it. I'm scared. I'm not ready for a child yet De."

"You're scared?" He asked sitting next to me.

I nodded. I put his arm around me and pulled me close. "What are you scared for?"

"There's so much that could go wrong bro. I can have a miscarriage and ion wanna go through nothing like that. It would break me."

"Don't speak like that. You could jinx it ma. Look if it were to happen we could try again."

I looked down at the test in his hand. He kissed from my temple to my cheek.

"We're parents chile." He said acting like Ashanti. I laughed between sniffles. "Do you want to tell them yet or no?"

"I wanna know how far I am."

"Okay. Let's go to the doctor then."

———

"Hello, Jo'nae Mariè Andrews?"

"Yes" I said as I sat on the bed.

"You look very familiar."

"Yea my bestfriend had you as her doctor."

"Awe, now your pregnant! That's the cutest thing ever! Okay okay, lay back."

I laid back on the bed and lifted my shirt.

———

"Okay all done." She said wiping my stomach.

"You're 4 months pregnant. You're baby is very healthy."

"Wait. Why am I not showing yet?"

"Every women's body is different. Some show early, some show late, and some don't show at all."

I nodded my head and put my shirt back down.

"Is that all?"

"I have a few questions." Demarcus said stopping her.

He asked her about how to take care of me properly. That made my heart warm.

"If that's all, I'll be on my way and so will you two. Have a great day and congratulations." She handed me my ultrasound pictures and walked off.

———

We walked in the house to everyone in the living room playing with Aqua.

"We got something to tell ya." Demarcus said.

They all looked up at us and Demarcus showed them the ultrasound pictures. Their eyes lit up and they all jumped towards us.

"Omg bitch! You're pregnant!! How far are you?"

"Four months." I said blankly.

"Why you sound sad?"

"I don't know if i'm ready yet. There's so much going on in my head right now."

"Awe girl." She hugged me right before letting go.

"I'm gon be here wit you ma, i'm not goin no where."

"It's not about you being here, there's other things I'm afraid of."

"Whatever they are Im here."

I sat on the couch and looked into space.

"What's bothering you ma, ion like it when your so quiet."

"I don't know. There's so much to go with a child."

Just then Aqua started to cry. I've never been annoyed by her crying but now it was irritating me.

"See that's what I'm talking about. Ion have time to be hearing that all day."

"Excuse me?" Ashanti said turning to me.

"Ion mean it that way Ashanti, I'm just sayin it seems hard."

Demarcus took my hand and squeezed it. A wave of reassurance washed over me. I knew I was going to be okay but something kept telling me I wasn't.