Tracey’s kept me company, and even a visit followed by a shopping trip with Creed’s mother as well. But no Creed, not even at work when Darby told me I’d only be in the bar for one more week before I move upstairs with them—he can’t have a pregnant woman working the bar. I get it, but it was hard to hear.

My foot taps as I wait.

Will he show up?

Or decide not to come at all.

I messaged him the details and he never replied, so the waiting game is on. Looking at the clock again, my appointment is in two minutes and he still isn’t here. I didn’t want to do this by myself, not this anyway. Will I be left to give birth by myself, too? I can’t handle that if it is the case. Maybe I should have taken Tracey up on her offer to live with her and let her be there for me.

“Elicea Beckham.” My name is called and just as I turn to look around one last time he walks in the door like a breath of fresh air. People turn to look, hell, even I turn to look and stare longer than necessary until he reaches me.

My name is called again, and before I can say a word to him, he grips my hip as he starts to push me forward so I move. The room is cold and not what I thought it would be, a machine and a bed plus a chair. I was expecting more, something to help calm my nerves, but it all feels very sterile.

“Is this your first viewing?” My head snaps up at her words. I nod as she looks over my shoulder. “You’re the father?” I tense at her words, but she smiles so I’m guessing he nodded as well. “It’s a beautiful thing. Now if you don’t mind changing into the robe, we can check out your baby.”

“Why do I have to wear a robe?”

“It’s just in case we need to do a vaginal sonogram, but I’m hoping we get some good pictures today for you to take home.” She leaves the room. Reaching for the robe, I turn my back to him so he can’t see me as I remove my top and slide my jeans down before I pull on the robe.

Turning back to him, he’s watching me as I get on the bed. Before he can say a word, the door opens, and the operator walks in and lifts the robe before she places the gel and ultrasound probe on my stomach. The screen lights up and she points to something and then the sound comes on.

“That’s the heartbeat. Very strong,” she says.

It’s real now. Realer than it has ever been as I look at the screen with my baby on it. Until this very moment, I didn’t know I wanted a child.

“I’ll print off a few photos, but everything looks good. You’re about sixteen weeks along.” She hands the photos over and wipes my belly then tells me I can pee. I get straight off the bed and run as she walks out. When I finish, I come back out and see Creed leaning on the bed looking at the photographs closely.

“We created that,” he states looking up at me. It’s the first time I’ve seen real emotion evident in his eyes. Walking over, I look down at the photograph, and it makes my heart swell. I move away to get dressed.

Stripping off the robe and pulling up my jeans, his voice stops me. “I want to see. Can I see?”

I turn my head to him. “See what?”

He looks down, then back up to me. “Your belly.”

Turning around I show him, it’s bigger when I stand. But I can still hide it as I’m not large yet.

“You’re beautiful.” His words make my heart skip a beat. Brushing the words away, I reach for my shirt and don’t look back as I start to walk out, knowing full well he’ll follow me.

“It’s a lot to take in.”

I laugh as we walk outside, then look around for the nearest cab so I can get out of here. I don’t want to deal with this right now. I want to stay on a high from seeing my baby.

“For you? Or the person who’s actually carrying the child,” I say with an eye roll.

“I didn’t want kids, Elicea.”

Turning to face him, my high now officially gone and instead, anger sits in its place.

“You think I did?” I poke at his chest. “This wasn’t just me. You forgot to wear protection, or did you forget that?” Waving down the cab, I walk off and away from him. His footsteps follow me, though. “I’ll drive you home.”

“Go away, Creed, I’ve been dealing with it by myself. I can manage. I don’t need you.”

He grunts behind me. “I had to have time to adjust.”

Getting into the cab, I shut the door not even bothering replying. Who the fuck gave me time to adjust? No one, that’s who. Why does he get the privilege when I didn’t?

“I’ll just follow you.” He throws money to the cab driver then he walks off. I spin in my seat and see him getting in his car and doing just that, following like he said he would.

Calling Tracey, she answers on the first ring. She wanted to come today but I thought it was best she didn’t in case he did show up.

“Was she beautiful? She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” she gushes into the cell.

“You all think you know the sex of the baby.” I laugh.

“Please, it’s a girl, I just know it.”

“He came.”

She goes silent. “Can I stab him now?”

I laugh into the cell. “No. I may need him to be a dad—if he wants to, I guess.”

“Please, you don’t need him. You have me. I’ll be a great dad.”

“You’re a girl.”

“True. But I can be mean, ask Billy.” She giggles.

“He’s following me right now. I’m in the cab, he’s in his car,” I say, looking behind to see him still there following like a stalker.

“You didn’t get in his car? Good girl.”

“I don’t know how long I can keep this up. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let him be there? Not for me—but for the baby.”

“I can’t answer that for you. I’m sorry, El.”

“I gotta go, talk later?”

“Yes, call me.”

I hang up and get out. No point in running from him when he plans to follow me anyway. And I bet he also has a set of keys to my place considering he owned it. Opening the front door, I leave it open for him to come inside. He does so, following me without saying a word, while I put my things down and turn to face him. He’s watching me, he always is.

“What do you want to talk about, Creed?”

He looks around my small apartment, his eyes landing on the baby things that I still haven’t gotten around to unpacking.

“It’s time we talk, like adults.”

I scoff at him. “Like adults? Is that a dig at me or something?”

He shakes his head. “No, I just mean—” He pauses, and his fists clench as he takes a deep breath then looks back up to me. “I don’t mean anything by it. I’m trying here. I’m trying for you.”

“For me?” I step up to him anger now taking hold of me. “I don’t need you to do anything for me, Creed. Remember that.”

He takes a deep breath clearly just as frustrated as I am. “I don’t want us to fight, Elicea. I didn’t come here to fight with you. I’m trying for us.”

I attempt to turn away from him, but he captures my wrist then pulls me back to him so my front is on his. I hear him breathe me in, and as I watch in slow motion his lips come down to meet mine. I don’t fight them even if I want to, even if it’s not what I want out of this conversation. Knowing where this will lead, I try to take a step back from him, but he glues me to him and I’m unable to move, locked in his embrace.

“If only escape were that easy.” He almost laughs, it’s evil mixed with something else. He doesn’t scare me, though. His lips find mine again as he holds the back of my head, his other free hand still on me. We take a breath at the same time as our lips touch, but no longer kissing, we breathe each other in. Like it was meant to be. He’s taking pieces of me again as I do the same to him.

When his hand leaves my head, it’s me who slams my lips back to his as I push my body into him. He lifts me up so my backside hits the kitchen counter and my legs lock around his waist.

“You’ve missed me, haven’t you?” he asks as he breaks away from me again. This time he pulls at my jeans and I unlock around him so he can drag them off easily, then he undresses himself. Standing naked in my kitchen, I know right now the only thing I want to eat is him, over and over again.

“Shut up.” They’re the only words I have.

He chuckles as he bends down, his mouth coming into contact with my sensitive clit, his tongue swirls in circles making me moan in appreciation. If I had to choose someone to fuck me every day for the rest of my life, without a doubt, it would be the man between my legs right now.

Yes, he is the best I have ever had, but it’s also more than that. It’s the way he looks at me when he makes me come like it’s a victory in his eyes that makes him happy. It’s the way he strokes my hair after until he puts me to sleep. He does all those things in comfort without realizing he does them. It’s what makes it harder to tell him no. To say ‘no more of us’ even when my heart screams at me for being stupid that he is it, he’s my person that I’ve searched for and come up empty.

But a heart is fickle and silly creature sometimes, and sometimes the head needs to be in charge. That’s the way I’ve been trying to deal with things. But as he slips a finger in and I moan out his name, I know in this moment, he has my heart because my head is so lost in his touch.

He quite literally fucks me over each and every time.

And he’s good at it.

His tongue does this thing where I can no longer think straight as he flicks then licks then pushes his fingers in, the warm air from his breath mixed with the cool air does wonders and within minutes I’m convulsing.

He comes up wiping his face as he places his cock between his hands and strokes it a few times as he walks closer to me. I lick my lips, liking what I’m seeing.

“You’ve missed me, admit it.” He steps forward, his cock at my entrance as he teases me. His hand skims my small belly, and he looks down like he just remembered I am indeed pregnant. News flash that won’t change for at least another few months.

Will he still want me when I’m the size of a whale?

I start to close my legs, insecurity sneaking in, but he pushes in. Not all the way, just enough for me to look at him.

“I’ll admit to you, Elicea, that no woman on this fucking earth makes me insane the way you do.”

I manage a smirk, but it’s all just words. Words aren’t what I need, it’s action considering I’ll be having his baby.

“I make you insane.”

He nods his head. I like the sound of that.

“You make me crazy.”

I smile back at him.

“What a pair we will be.”

I nod, agreeing with him.

“And I also think I’m falling in love with you.” The shock doesn’t last long, he doesn’t give me time to consider his words as he slams into me, distracting me by fucking me. He is gentle when he comes around my stomach but not gentle when he fucks my pussy.

He’s like heaven and hell wrapped in a package that was made purely for me.

Will our hell take over, or will light shine through our darkness? I don’t even fucking know anymore, and I’m sick of thinking.

Wrapping myself around him so I can feel all of him, he moans and grips my ass, lifting me up and down.

I come in a world where it’s black and white, where soon color will be added.