Her Best Friend's Baby (5 page)

“No, I’m fine.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded weak. Getting up from the floor turned out to be a job, but she managed it and turned the water on at the sink. “Just about to brush my teeth and take a shower.”

“Okay, I’ll use the bathroom in the hall so we can get out of here on time.”

Damn, she’d forgotten to wash out her panties. That meant she had to drive all the way home before she went in to work. Listening at the door panel, she strained to catch any sound from the other side. When all lay in silence, she peeked out. Leith had done as he said he would. She hurried down the hall to the stairs as much as her head and stomach allowed. In the kitchen, she rummaged for crackers and found some in the cabinet over the refrigerator. Munching on three with two in her hand, she willed them to work.

“Have something to tell me?”

Zaierra screamed, flipping the box of crackers all over the floor. She rounded on Leith. “Damn it, look what you made me do.”

“Yeah, because I’m the one sneaking around trying to hide my morning sickness.”

She looked away from him.

“Zai, when were you going to tell me you’re having my baby?”

Him saying it felt too good for her sanity. “I…”

He tugged her into his arms, ignoring the mess she’d made. “You don’t regret it, do you?”

“No, of course not.” She just couldn’t look him in the eye and instead buried her face in his chest. “I was going to tell you. In fact I was on the way over here to tell you yesterday when Jenna showed up. I didn’t think it was right to spring my news at the same time. Don’t feel like you’re under any obligation. I’m sticking by my word.”

“I’m not.”

She pulled away from him. “What are you talking about?”

“Marry me.”

“Whoa!” She held up her hand. “Slow down, homeboy. Let’s not get crazy.”

When she backed up from him, he pursued her and grasped her arms to draw her closer. “Why is it crazy?”

“It just is. Let me go, Leith. We’re going to be late.”

“Not until we talk this out.” She recognized the set to his jaw. Leith wasn’t the type of man one could convince to do anything he didn’t choose to do. That’s what Jenna didn’t know about him.

“If you needed to marry someone just because you got them pregnant, then you’d just as well marry Jenna. I’m not getting married for that. It’s wrong, and nothing you say can change my mind. Now please let me go. I’m not feeling well.”

Concern colored his expression, and to her surprise, he let go immediately. “I’ll drive you. Do you need to go home first?”

The fact that he remembered her panties and knew she wouldn’t feel comfortable without them didn’t surprise her. She turned to go back upstairs, and he followed. For now, she didn’t mind him seeing her stark naked, but soon enough she’d hide the widening of her hips and the huge belly. Thinking about the strong possibility of cankles almost made her groan out loud. “I’m okay. I can handle it.”

Leith stopped her at the bathroom door. “You can fight me all you want, Zai, but I will be a father to our baby. I will be in his or her life one hundred percent. I can’t force you to marry me, but you’re not going to stop me from caring for you while you’re pregnant and getting involved all the way after our baby is born.”

After that speech, he turned her toward the bathroom and tapped her ass with the palm of his hand before walking away. Zaierra was left with a fast-beating heart and a swell of love for that idiot that wouldn’t quit.

* * * *

Three months into her pregnancy, Zaierra hadn’t begun to show yet outside her clothes. Naked her belly stuck out a bit more, and her breasts had grown heavier. A few people at work had guessed, but she kept everything pretty low key. Leith made good on his promise to care for her, and it was only that he had an emergency meeting that he hadn’t gone with her to her doctor’s appointment that morning. She’d insisted he also offer to escort Jenna to hers, and the skank took him up on the offer. In fact, she contacted him for every little reason, including her midnight cravings. Zaierra saw the strain in her best friend and tried to be the least bother she could. She did everything on her own, but that appeared to piss Leith off even more. In the end, she found it easier to inform him of everything about herself and the baby and let him choose what he would do.

When she decided to visit a department store kids’ clothing section, she knew it was a bit early, but she couldn’t help herself. She stopped at a cute little jumper for a boy and sighed. Her cell phone rang, and she dug it out of her purse. Her eyebrow rose when she saw that it was Leith calling.

Laughing, she answered. “Shouldn’t you be in a meeting?”

“I’m on break. Where are you? Did the appointment go okay? How is our son?”

Zaierra shook her head. “Really, Leith? You know calling the baby a boy constantly doesn’t miraculously make it a boy. The baby is fine.”

“You didn’t answer my other question.”

Desire stirred in her the way he dropped his voice low, the rumble coming over the line in such a way to make her panties wet. Damn the man. Still, she had to admit, she loved his attentiveness.
If only…
“I’m at the mall. I just wanted to walk around a bit before coming back.” Today is a light load for me since Cammie returned a few favors covering for her.

“Don’t overdo it. I’ll make us dinner tonight.”

“Leith.”

“Zai.” He chuckled and hung up.

Stubborn man.

Zaierra hadn’t wandered among the racks long before Leith called her back. “Hey, I need to reschedule dinner. Can you handle dinner yourself?”

“Please, man, I’ve taken care of myself for thirty-one years. I think I can handle it.”

He chuckled.

“What do you have to do?” she asked and was surprised when he hesitated.

“Nothing important. I mean not a big deal. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up before she could question the weirdness, but she dismissed it. Sometimes when work took over his thoughts, Leith didn’t focus on their conversations very well. Whatever. She didn’t need him in her back pocket. Although a twang of missing him did hit her, she pushed the emotion away, determined to stay focused herself.

Zaierra gasped over an adorable dress and imagined what her little girl would look like. Maybe dark hair a cross between hers and Leith’s in texture, but she’d have bright green eyes like her daddy’s. Tears filled Zaierra’s eyes, but she blinked them away. She’d warned Leith about the hormonal roller coaster but didn’t like it when it took her on a ride every five minutes.

“Well, well look what the cat drug in.”

Zaierra stiffened and then turned slowly. “Jenna.”

The skank glanced down at the dress Zaierra held and frowned.
Wow, pregnancy does not agree with her.
Although Jenna must be a month ahead of Zaierra, she’d gained a lot of weight. The tiny figure was already a thing of the past.

“I can’t believe you’re shopping for things for my baby.”

Zaierra blinked at her and then realized Leith hadn’t told her Zaierra was also pregnant. She wondered why. Was he ashamed of knocking up a black woman? She chided herself for such a stupid thought. Leith wasn’t like that, and he never would have agreed to do it in the first place if he felt that way. She decided not to enlighten the bimbo.

“Have I told you how little pregnancy agrees with you, Jenna?”

The woman’s face reddened. “I’m going to let that go since you’re obviously jealous, and trust me, trying to win Leith over by buying clothes for his baby is not going to work.”

“That’s what you think I’m doing?” Zaierra laughed in her face.

“It’s obvious.”

“Don’t fool yourself, girlfriend, and don’t think to tell me about my best friend. I’ve known him a hell of a lot longer than you ever will.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Zaierra noticed people standing around listening. She considered walking away, but she couldn’t stand Jenna. The chance to tell her off radiated too strong. Besides, the smug attitude as if her being pregnant sealed Leith to her side pissed Zaierra off.

“Oh you think you know him so well?” Jenna stepped closer. Zaierra had to curl her fingers into her palms to keep from shoving her.
She’s a pregnant woman. You can’t punch her in the throat, Zai.

“Yeah, I do know him,” she snapped.

A wide grin spread over Jenna’s face. “Well, how come I see him so often?”

Zaierra shrugged. “Doctor appointments for the baby.”

The smirk deepened. “That and we’ve been spending a lot of our free time together. In fact, he’s having dinner with me tonight. He said he’s going to rub my back and my feet because he wants to take care of me and our baby.”

Zaierra’s stomach rolled. She put a hand up to her mouth and tried to appear unaffected. “Jenna, I don’t know why you’re telling me all this. I’ve been saying to you from the start that Leith and I were nothing more than friends when you two were going out. If you couldn’t accept that, it’s your problem. I don’t need a blow by blow of your time with him. In fact, I don’t give a damn about anything to do with you.”

She slammed the dress back on the rack and spun on her heel to walk away. Jenna managing to keep her mouth shut was a good thing because Zaierra couldn’t be responsible for what she would do if that bitch said another word. She left the store and drove to her apartment, dumped a potpie in the oven to cook, and took a shower. Despite having no appetite, she ate because she knew the added sickness that came when she skipped a meal. The rest of the night, she dulled her mind with show after show on TV and then dropped into bed after midnight. The next morning, she called out from work and didn’t bother rising except to go to the bathroom and grab crackers and hot tea from the kitchen. When her cell phone rang, she didn’t check the display or answer. All kinds of an idiot described her, and her plan included waiting until her heart healed from loving Leith. The end could not come soon enough.

At ten in the morning, she dragged her head out from under the covers and moaned. The stupid day refused to advance at more than a snail’s pace. She considered going to the bathroom again but decided to hold off for a while. Moving this early might set off sickness. The front door slammed, and her heart pounded. No one but Leith had the key. She stared at the closed bedroom door, eyes wide. His footsteps sounded in the hall, unusual since she’d always thought Leith moved with the grace of a big cat. The door opened, and he was suddenly there sitting on the side of the bed with her on his lap.

“Don’t do that,” he growled.

“What?” She struggled to get away from him.

“Do not ignore your phone when I’m stuck at work. I don’t like it. I had to tell Ned why I went psycho in the meeting, unable to concentrate or present my report. He demanded I meet him in the hall to tell him where my head had gone. I told him it was here with you because you are having my baby, and I didn’t know if you were okay because you weren’t answering your phone.”

Zaierra shrieked. “Are you crazy? I told you I wasn’t ready to tell everybody yet.”

Leith forced her to look into his eyes. “Forget that. What’s going on, Zai? Why didn’t you answer?”

“I…”

“Don’t try to lie to me,” he growled. “I know you.”

“Oh really? That’s funny because I think you lied to me last night.”

He frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Where were you, and what were you doing?”

Dawning understanding came over his expression, followed by guilt, and she knew Jenna had been telling the truth. What an idiot she was for thinking he was over that skank. Zaierra fought to get off his lap, and when he didn’t let go, she pretended to get sick. He released her right away, but instead of standing and heading into the bathroom, she faced him.

“Get out.”

He stared at her. “What?”

“You heard me. I said get out. I’m done with you.” She pointed at the door. “You had your fun. We slept together enough times, so now you can move on—or don’t. I don’t give a damn, but the next bed you’re in won’t be mine.”

He took his time coming to his feet. “Zai—”

“Get out, get out, get out!” To her disgust, tears started in her eyes and poured down her cheeks. “Leith, you bastard. I can’t…Why did I even…”

She spun on her heel to run out of the room, but he caught her and dragged her to him. “Zai, sweet Zai. Baby, don’t. It’s not what you think. I promise you it’s not. I know you’re all emotional and irrational, and if you’ll just listen a minute, I’ll explain everything.”

She didn’t want to hear it this time. For years, Leith told her practically every detail of his love life, and it occurred to her now after so long that she always hated it. She loved him, and no amount of friendship could make her want to hear about his conquests of other women. Why had she accepted it for so long, especially since she never gave him details of her intimacy with other men, and he never asked once.

“Let me go,” she begged.

“No.”

She balled her hand into a fist and punched him on the chin then winced in pain.

“Zai, stop! You’ll hurt yourself.”

She swung again, but he caught her hand and locked both her arms down by her sides. Without preamble, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. She kicked all the way with no avail. When he dropped onto the mattress, he took her with him and sealed her in place on his lap. She swore, calling him all kinds of names.

“Lying bastard of a no good son of a—”

“I didn’t sleep with her, Zai,” he interjected.

“Please, who’s going to believer that? You’re just a—”

He covered her mouth and flipped her around so her back was to him. With one hand keeping her from speaking, he put the other between her legs and jerked her up his lap. She gave a muffled shriek, hating how much she actually liked his hand down there.

“Now, you’re going to listen to me without fighting,” he instructed. “Yes, I went to Jenna’s house. No, it wasn’t because I wanted to. Trust me. Her whining and helplessness drives me insane, and I feel like I want to choke her half the time. Even in your worst emotional states, you are nothing like her. The reason I went was because she had a report from her doctor stating she was having complications and that she could lose the baby. She needed my help. I am not an ogre that I can stand by and risk my child’s life even if I dislike the mother.”