“Does Aunt Kat know?”

I shake my head and stare at the concrete in the parking lot.

Kent sighs hard enough to blow over a car. “What were you thinking?”

“I—”

“Forget that. You weren’t thinking. That’s exactly what happened.”

I wince. Kent’s never been this hard on me, even when I was going through my partying stage. He might be younger by a few months, but I consider him an equal. In some areas, I even look up to him.

With all that, it’s hard to sit still and be scolded.

“When?” Kent demands. His face is shaded orange by the light of the lampposts. Anger glitters in his eyes.

I frown. “Huh?”

“When did you two… when did it happen?”

I rub my temple. “It was the day of your first engagement party.”

“You slept with her?”

“That’s how babies are made, Kent.”

He jumps forward, his fist in the air. “You’re not in any position to be sarcastic.”

“Sorry.”

“Do you love her?”

“No.”

“You love Violet?”

“Yes.”

He chews on his bottom lip. “Amaya cares about Zora. They’re friends.”

“I know.”

“If you hurt Zora, you hurt Amaya and I can’t allow that.”

I glance away. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

“In this situation, someone’s bound to get their heart broken.”

“Zora and I have this under control.”

“You two?” Kent scoffs. “Amaya says you fight all the time.”

I frown. Looks like Amaya brought Kent up to speed today. “We used to. Before. But I understand her better now. It’s not so bad.”

“Do you even know what it means to be a father? Are you ready for all it requires?”

I blow out a breath. “I’m not sure. Is anyone really ready to be a parent? I didn’t ask for it. Things just worked out this way.”

“You’re braver than I am. Amaya wants to focus on her music, and I’m glad. There’s nothing that terrifies me more than being a father.”

“To be honest, I’m a little nervous too. Raising a kid won’t be easy, but I’m going to do my best. This kid will want for nothing.”

“I’m not just worried about the kid.” Kent gives me a knowing look. “What about Zora?”

“What about her?”

“You won’t take advantage of her, string her along just because she’s having your baby?”

“When have I ever strung anyone—?”

Kent eyes me hard.

“Okay, yeah. I’ll keep things professional.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Kent points a finger. “Make sure you keep your word.”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“So many times I can’t even begin to count,” he mumbles.

“Come on.”

Kent laughs, but before he can say anything to me, both our pockets start chirping.

Kent picks up his phone first. “Amaya?”

“Zora?” I press my own cell to my ears. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice is strong and clear. “We ordered fried chicken, so if you’re done getting your butt handed to you, you’re welcome to come upstairs and join us.”

I shake my head as a smirk climbs my face. “You bet against me?”

“No way. I said that for Amaya.” Cloth rustles like she’s moving around. Zora lowers her voice. “Kent’s not too hurt, is he?”

“No.” I laugh. “No, he’s fine.”

“Good.”

I hang up and smile at the phone. Honestly, I’d love to dive into Zora’s head for a day. That woman is strange. I glance around and catch Kent staring at me. “What?”

“Nothing.”

I follow him to the front door. “That was a look.”

“Nope. You’re mistaken.”

I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him in the way I did when we were younger. “Tell me.”

“Fine.” He pushes me back because he’s much stronger now than he was at eleven. “I told Amaya I beat the crap out of you so try to act hurt when you get inside. Maybe limp for good measure.”

I laugh loudly because I thought he’d say something different. “Sorry, cuz. I can’t let Zora think I got flogged by a nerd.”

“Very funny.”

Kent and I continue to rib each other.

When we walk inside, I hear music pouring from the speakers. The lights in the hall are low. Zora’s living room is just like her—cool and unapproachable. She’s got cream walls, dainty pillows, and huge white chairs that look uncomfortable and unwelcoming.

Both Kent and I bypass the couches and head to the kitchen where the sound of warm laughter echoes through the house. We turn the corner and see Zora and Amaya setting the table and chatting.

My eyes linger on Zora. She’s changed out of her scrubs to a pair of yoga pants beneath an oversized T-shirt. She looks soft and happy, two things I never associated with her before.

“Where’s the food?” Kent asks, climbing around the table.

There’s a knock on the door and Zora perks up. “It’s here.”

“Can you help her please, Wilson?” Amaya juts her chin out toward Zora who’s making a beeline for the door. “We ordered a lot.”

“Sure.” I stroll to the front door where Zora is laughing with the delivery guy.

My eyes narrow. What’s so funny?

“Thank you, Sam.” She tosses her head so her straight hair flails behind her. “How much will it be?”

As Zora dives for her purse, I slide up to the door and jerk it wide open. “Hey, babe. Need some help?”

“B-babe?” Zora skitters and drops her purse on the floor.

I stoop, pick it up and hand it back to her. Then I turn to the chicken delivery guy. He’s a young punk, maybe twenty or twenty one. He eyes me up and down like I’m stepping on his territory.

“I’ll take that.” I accept the bags from him, staring him straight in the eyes. “Thanks, man.”

Zora hands him the money. “Here. See you next time, Sam.”

I just stand strong and tall behind her, looking as intimidating as possible while she locks the door.

As soon as it clicks shut, Zora whirls on me. “What was that?”

“That?” I shrug. “A chicken delivery guy. If you’re asking about his ethnicity, then that’s a rude way to go about it, but I’d say he’s Hispanic mixed with a little Asian—”

“You know what I mean!” she hisses.

I grin because getting her flustered is, somehow, extremely enjoyable to me. “You’re a single woman living alone. Punks like that might take advantage.”

“So you acted like my boyfriend to ‘protect’ me?”

“Exactly.”

She scoffs and flounces to the kitchen.

“Zora…” I follow her, knowing I need to stop grinning if I want to make any sincere apologies.

Amaya glances up when we storm in. She takes one look at us and puts a hand on her hip. “Are you two fighting again?”

“Kent,” Zora arches an eyebrow and hooks a finger at me, “you didn’t do a good job beating sense into this guy. Try again tomorrow.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kent dips his head.

“Hey!”

“You heard the woman. It’s you and me tomorrow, Will. Behind the gym. Three o’clock. I’ll write it in my journal so I don’t forget.”

“And I’ll remind him,” Amaya says, planting a big kiss on his lips.

“Could you two try to keep your hands off each other while you’re in my house?” Zora whines.

“Sorry.” Amaya’s grin reveals she’s anything but.

That night, we feast on fried chicken and I get to boast about the baby and how much it already looks like me, to which Zora calls me delusional and tries to argue that it looks like her.

It’s a great time even though, at the end of the night, Kent and I are the ones stuck with cleaning duty.

“We’ve been bamboozled,” I mumble as I swipe the green sponge around a bowl.

Kent leans in. “Sh, they might hear you.”

“I’m not afraid of them.” I glance over my shoulder just to check. Amaya and Zora are parked in the living room watching TV.

Kent accepts the bowl from me and rinses it. “Are you going to keep living in Belize even after the baby comes?”

“I haven’t planned that far. Right now, I just want to be there for Zora and get this new app rolling. I still have seven months until the due date so I can plan exactly what I’ll do next.”

“What about Violet?”

I wince. “What about her?”

“I may have lost my memory, but I remember Violet. She wouldn’t be happy to date a man with a child.”

“Yeah, Violet and I… we broke up.”

The bowl plops into the sink. “What?”

“Shocker, right?”

Kent grabs the bowl and tosses it into the drainer. “You two always get back together. Your relationship drama is written all over my app.”

“No, not this time.”

“Why?” Kent studies me. “Did she find someone else?”

“I wish she did. Maybe then I could hate the guy.”

Kent’s eyes pool with understanding. He glances down. “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever. I’m keeping myself busy so I don’t have to think about it.”

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“There’s no way a grown man should know that much about babies.” Kent turns to me. “The baby, Zora—you’re using them to distract you from Violet.”

“Right…”

“You always do that,” Kent says confidently. Like he doesn’t suffer from amnesia. “Don’t look at me like that. The last four years might be wiped, but I remember when you and Violet used to break up in high school. You’d suddenly get super focused on learning guitar or earning money. It was hilarious.”

Kent’s right. I had a tendency of burying my head in a hobby so I could turn my brain off and focus on something other than my relationship.

“Maybe I just wanted to be a well-rounded person. Have you thought of that?”

He snorts. “Admit it. You’re broken up about Violet and you’re using the pregnancy to get over it.”

“Alright. Fine. You got me. Now shut up before Zora hears.”

Kent grins in victory while I focus on washing the next bowl buried in the soapy suds. A moment later, Zora strolls into the kitchen, a smile on her face.

“You guys done yet?”

“No.” Kent groans when she deposits a bunch of cups near my elbow. “More?”

“You’re welcome. When you’re done, please clean the counters. Someone,” she arches an eyebrow at me, “spilled the sweet and sour sauce.”

“I’ll do it.” I massage Kent’s back.

“Slave driver,” he mumbles.

Zora blows him a kiss and sashays out.

Kent and I work to clean the kitchen, then we all leave so Zora can rest. I’m the last to go and, since I live right across the hall, I take the time to check her locks and ensure they’re all secure.

Last year, Amaya’s house got broken into. It would be so easy to shimmy Zora’s locks and break in. I need to remember to buy her that deadbolt and home alarm system.

She leans against the wall and watches me, one foot propped in front of the other. “Wilson, there’s no way anyone is breaking in. You can stop fussing.”

“I’m just making sure. Call me if you need anything.”

“Dr. Carla said everything with the baby’s on track. You have nothing to worry about.” She yawns. “It’s late and I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“I heard nurses have it rough.”

She smiles.

“When are you going to stop working?”

Zora tilts her head. “When it’s too tough to handle. It’s okay right now though. Thank you for asking.”

I smile. “Why are you being so polite?”

“I’m always polite.”

“Not with me.”

“You’re the father of my child. I have to be civil.” She points to the door. “Goodnight.”

I walk out of her apartment and head into my own. Zora’s words bother me for some reason, but I can’t put my finger on why and eventually, I give up and fall asleep.