LEINDRA'S P.O.V.
Three Years Later...
"Has anyone seen Darius?" I asked and the chatter in the living room stopped for a second.
Ian was seated with his arms around Amy's shoulders and Serena was on the other end of them. I didn't know how they managed to sort out their dynamic but Serena was cool with their relationship and neither of them ever spoke about the past.
"He had to leave town for a meeting," it was Ian who answered hesitantly. "Is everything alright?"
He was glancing at me like I was a ticking time bomb and honestly, I didn't blame him. For the past eight months, I had been prone to major meltdowns even when one wasn't necessary at all. No one blamed me much, it was easier to blame the child growing inside of me.
I found out I was pregnant when Amy walked into my room and asked for a tampon. She had lived with Darius and me for so long that our periods synced up and it didn't matter that she had moved out, we still had our periods at the same time. She came to visit with Ian and when she asked for a tampon, I froze because I knew I was late. She rushed over to the pharmacy to get the tests and I took all four of them. They all came back positive.
I freaked out because although Darius and I had spoken about kids, it was always in the future tense. Neither of us wanted them at that moment and I didn't know how he was going to react. I waited for him to come back and he had barely crossed the threshold of the house when I told him. He stood by the door and stared at me for what felt like hours before he dumbly repeated what I had said. I wanted to punch him but then he crossed the length of the room to where I was standing in front of the couch anxiously. He reached out for me and he kissed me.
"Leindra," I was snapped out of my thoughts by Serena's voice and I turned to her. "Ian asked if everything was okay. Do you need someone to call Darius?"
I shook my head. "When will he be back?"
"By evening, I think." It was Amy who responded. "He left very early this morning but he said he didn't plan to spend the night there."
"Ray."
I walked out of the living room-waddled was a more appropriate term- and made my way over to the kitchen. I opened the freezer and took out a tub of ice cream. Darius made sure the fridge was always stocked with it because it was my number one pregnancy craving. Darius doted on me like I was a child. There was nothing I asked for that I didn't get. Even the time I told him I wanted a pie at midnight, he went out searching for one.
I took my ice cream and grabbed a spoon then made my way back to the living room. I took the empty seat next to Serena and dug into the bowl. She placed her hand on my belly which was something she and everyone else loved to do. They claimed to enjoy feeling the baby kick but I knew it was more of the awe of the pregnancy.
"I can't wait for her to come," Amy whispered and Ian rolled his eyes. "It is going to be a boy."
They delved into an argument about the gender and I just watched with a small smile on my lips. Darius and I refused to find out the gender because we enjoyed watching our friends bicker about it. We both didn't quite care what the gender was as long as the child was healthy and everyone was happy.
While they argued, I reached for the TV remote to drown out their voices. There was a true crime documentary showing and I turned up the volume. I had developed a liking for them recently much to everyone's disapproval.
"Your kid will come out wielding knives," Amy commented with a frown. "Don't you know that babies can hear what happens on the outside?"
"That just means they will know how to catch psychopaths better."
"I worry about you sometimes."
I shrugged as I shoved a spoon into my mouth. "I would be surprised if you didn't."
Evening fell and Darius was nowhere to be seen. I tried not to let it bother me especially since the only piece of information I had gotten from him was a text around noon saying that he was busy but he would try to call later. I didn't want to call in case he was at a meeting but I also couldn't brush off the anxiety rushing through me.
If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Hey," Ian placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and I turned to him. "Dinner is ready. I know you want to wait for Darius but I don't even know if he has left there
yet."
"Can you try to get a hold of him?"
"His wall is up."
I let out a sigh and nodded. I knew in my heart that Darius was fine so I decided to focus on myself. I was on my way to the dining room when it happened. The pain hit and I doubled over in pain. I gripped Ian's arm to steady myself just as I felt something wet trickling down my leg.
He turned to me in alarm. "Oh shit. I thought you had two more weeks."
"I thought so too but apparently I was wrong."
He helped me to the car all the while muttering expletives under his breath. He helped me to the car while Amy dialed Darius on the phone. I didn't know if she got through to him or not, all I could focus on was the pain from the contractions and how badly I wanted them to stop.
I didn't know how long it took but it felt like hours. I was in the hospital bed and Darius still wasn't there. I had asked for him and all I was told was that he was coming. The nurses told me that I was almost fully dilated but I was terrified and I didn't want to do it without him.
When he burst through the doors, I let out a sigh of relief which quickly morphed into anger as he came closer.
"Where were you?" I asked as I slapped his arm. My vision blurred with unshed tears. "You were going to leave me to do this alone."
"Never," he assured me and I sniffled as he placed a kiss on my forehead. "I'm here now, okay? Let's focus on getting this baby out and you can kill me after."
If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! After what I was told was five hours of excruciating contractions because I didn't want an epidural, I delivered our son. I was exhausted as he was placed in my arms. He was so tiny and it wasn't until I held him that the awareness settled in me that I was a mother. He had a full hair of curly dark hair like his father and when he opened his eyes, they were the same shade of grey.
"He's perfect," Darius whispered as he reached out his finger to stroke his son's cheek. "You are amazing, Leindra."
"I won with the gender so I get to pick the name," I reminded him and he smiled softly. "What do you want to name him?"
"Jared." Darius froze when the words left my lips. "If that is okay with you."
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the center of my head. I knew words would not express how he felt at that moment. "It's perfect."
"Do you want to hold him?"
"I'm scared that I will break him."
I held out my hand and Darius hesitantly lifted his son. Jared didn't seem to mind as
he snuggled closer into Darius' hold. I could see unshed tears in his eyes as he watched his child and I knew in that moment that I would do everything all over again if it got us here to this exact moment.
I hoped that the people we lost looked down on us with pride because we were finally at peace. We were finally happy.