Page 22 of His Baby Her Gift

They needed to talk. Harlem didn’t have the nerve to speak with him in person. So, she rolled over onto her side, grabbed her phone, and dialed his number.

It was late when Carter’s phone vibrated. Elaina had been blowing it up all day. He had half a mind not to even pick up. As much as Carter would like to disappear, he couldn’t. Two women were carrying his children. That knowledge still boggled his mind. Carter fully planned on getting a vasectomy as soon as his schedule allowed.

His phone continued to vibrate. He glanced over at the screen and recognized Harlem’s number. He wondered how long it would be before they spoke again. He missed her like crazy, but Harlem was emotionally all over the place. She needed some space to figure out what she really wanted. Carter was committed to giving it to her. Still, the past couple of days had been long.

Carter picked up. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Harlem was nervous. “I figured one of us should probably reach out.”

Damn, she sounded good.“I knew when you were ready to talk, you would call.”

There was an awkward silence between them before Harlem said anything. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us.”

“Yeah?” Carter had a bad feeling. However, he remained quiet and waited for her to finish her thoughts.

“Things are so complicated.”

He couldn’t lie. They were.

“Maybe we should try to uncomplicate them.”

“How do you suppose we do that?”

Harlem blinked back tears. “Maybe,for now, we should focus on just being good parents.”

“That’s really what you want?” He asked, knowing the answer. If Carter were honest, Harlem had every reason to run away from a relationship with him.

It’s not what I want.“It's best.”

Carter had finally allowed himself to open up to a woman, and the shit hadn’t worked. He felt as if he’d been stabbed in his chest with blunt force. His throat felt thick. He cleared it before speaking. “I respect that,” Carter promised himself that he would abide by whatever decision Harlem made. He would have to put his feelings back on the shelf and figure out how to move forward.

“Carter . . . I–”

“Harlem, I get it. Things are a shit show. There really is no need to explain.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “It’s late. I should let you get some rest.”

“Carter–”

His chest ached. “Don’t be stubborn.” Sadly, Carter smiled. “Call me if you need anything especially black-walnut ice-cream.”

“You’ve done a good job of keeping me stocked-up.” Her heart hurt too. “I’m good on that.”

“Goodnight, Harlem.” Carter ended their call.

Harlem wasn’t sure if she had made a mistake. Regardless, she wanted to curl up into a little ball and cry. She wondered if this was how it felt to be trapped in the center of a hurricane.

*****

Harlem was sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. She purposely made this appointment when Carter was out of town on business. He was going to be pissed, but she wasn’t ready to see him yet. Still, every time the door opened, and someone walked into the office, Harlem held her breath, hoping it was him.

Harlem leaned over and picked up a magazine to read while she waited to be called. When the door to the office opened, like a magnet, her head turned towards the door.

Harlem’s stomach dropped.

Elaina waltz into the office. Her eyes immediately landed on Harlem. It seemed as if Elaina was fighting back a smile as she walked over to check in with the receptionist. Elaina then took a seat just a couple chairs away from where Harlem was sitting.

This cannot be happening. What on earth? Out of all the obstetricians? Elaina chose Dr. Jones?Harlem was having a hard time with this one. Dr. Jones was well regarded, but this was a bit much. Harlem didn’t want Elaina to know that her presence not only bothered her but was unnerving. Physically, Elaina’s change in style was so similar to Harlem’s that it was almost uncanny. It was strange.

Harlem decided her best course of action was to ignore her. Only Elaina was too much of a bitch to sit there silently and leave Harlem alone.

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