Page 140 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

“I’m not.”

“You are… you’ve been in a mood all week. Why don’t you answer the phone and see what he has to say.”

“I’m pregnant, Skyler.”

She went quiet and looked out the window behind me and then looked at her phone without saying anything. “I’m finding my words… I promise I’m trying to find my words.”

Whenever I was going through something mentally, my body could automatically tell, and I would feel sick. Usually, I felt it in my stomach, this impending feeling of doom within my stomach. I brushed it off when we were in Texas, and even before that because I figured it was nerves. Although I kept telling myself that I wasn’t nervous, maybe my body was telling me something different.

When I vomited in the holding cell, I assumed it was because I was nervous about going to prison. My period was late, which was never the case with me. It was always on time, and when my app reminded me that I was late the other day, I knew I had to take a test.

Here I was in my midtwenties, and I felt like a teen mother while me and Duke went to the drug store to grab a test. Why did women always feel like we were a teenager finding out that she was pregnant?

“You both weren’t using protection?”

“Never crossed my mind. He was going to be my husband, so I felt weird asking him to use one.”

She grabbed my hand. “What is going through your head? I remember when I found out, I cried and was scared that I made myself sick.”

“Scared. I’ve never been a mom before… Estella still has to remind me to pack her snack or give her vitamins when you’re working. How am I supposed to raise my own child?”

Skyler smiled. “You will figure it out as all mothers do. You’re not going to be perfect at it, but you don’t need to be perfect to raise a great kid. You also have the support of your family, too. Stevie, you have a husband, although strange, I know he’s going to take care of you and this baby.”

“Thanks, Sky.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m excited to be right there with you on this journey. I’m here just like you’ve been there for me and Stellie. Listen... don’t hire my nanny though, because I like her, and Core pays her well.”

I laughed at her not wanting to share Estella’s nanny. “Deal.”

When we arrived at the club, our tickets were VIP, so we were able to skip the line. Skyler didn’t want to splurge for the VIP tickets, and now she was glad we did because that line was wrapped around the building, and there were talks of them not letting people in because they were about to meet the maximum people allowed in the club.

“Skyler!” we heard and looked up and saw Aimee.

She waved us up to her section, and we headed up there since we had a small table on the main floor. “Hey Aimee!” Skyler hugged her.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming to this?”

“Bitch, I told you that I was, and you said you were going to think about coming,” Skyler reminded her and she laughed.

“Hey Stevie!” she hugged me, and then she pulled a light skin woman with long black hair and tattoos over toward us. “This is Syn.”

We all got acquainted while Aimee poured herself cranberry juice. I noticed she had some liquor in her section, but she also had nonalcoholic drinks, too. “What has been going on with you?”

Aimee sipped her cranberry juice. “Girl, a lot. Capri actually made me come out tonight because things have been so crazy. Told me that I needed to go and have some fun.”

“I mean with the way you been hanging off the back of bikes letting that thang go you should have some fun,” Skyler joked. I was never in on these inside jokes, or knew if they were jokes or not.

I nursed my cup of orange juice nervous because I had to tell Maverick that I was pregnant. The goal was to produce an heir, and with the way we had been having sex with no protection, I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was. I looked up and saw Duke coming into the club, which meant he found parking.

He tried to get us to ride in his car and I told him that I wanted tonight without all the bells and whistles. Just me and Skyler in an Uber like we used to do before I married a billionaire with security.

“You say the test is for you… pay for it.” I pulled my hoodie up over my hair, and continued to scan the different boxes for what kind of test would I need.

“Steve-o, ain’t nobody gonna think the fucking test is mine. Why you acting all scared like you’re not married?”

I shrugged as I shook the box, like it would tell me if I was pregnant right in the aisle. “Um, can I help you?”

“Did we fucking ask for your help? You been circling this aisle for the past ten minutes. How about I beat the shit outof you and then ask if you need help after.” Duke turned and towered over the skinny White man.

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