Page 9 of Rhodes to Love

“Thanks, Aunt Tiff. Let’s get this over with.”

I took a deep breath and made my way to the back door. Before I could walk in, King was walking out. “What’s up, sis? You good?”

“Hey, Kingsley. Can you come back inside?”

His eyebrows lifted. He and Kane could peep shit when it didn’t look like there was any to peep. He nodded then followed us into the house. He said in a low voice, “Your revelation won’t change nothing. You still gon’ be that voice of reason for me. I’m sure it will be the same for everyone else as well.”

I nearly collapsed in his arms. He held me tightly. I didn’t know how he knew how I was feeling, but he did. Daddy had passed down that intuition to us like it was his fortune. Technically, I guess it was. His intuition was on point, even when it came to that bitch he procreated with. He knew she wasn’t shit.

“Shhh,” he said. “Come on.”

I stood up straight to see Kane watching us. I went to him and hugged him. “How you doing, baby bruh?”

“I’m good. I have a feeling you aren’t, though, and I don’t like that shit one bit.”

“Chill out, man,” King said.

They stared at each other for a moment as I asked, “Where’s Mama and Daddy?”

“They’re on the couch talking to KJ and Cassie.”

I nodded as Aunt Tiff rested her hand on my back, urging me forward. I took a deep breath and made my way to the family room. “Hey, y’all,” I said.

My parents turned in their seats, and Mama smiled big as she said, “Hey, Rima. All my babies are here at the same time today. That has been rare for a while.”

I smiled as I made my way to her to hug her. The minute I let her go, my daddy was staring at me like he knew something. He bit his bottom lip and extended his arms. I fell into them, similar to the way I did Kingsley earlier. They knew how to pull the emotions out of me. Kendrall stood with a frown on his face.

“What’s going on, Rima?” he asked.

I pulled away from Daddy and went to him and hugged him. After watching Aunt Tiff greet everyone, I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. Aunt Tiff stood next to me, rubbing my back. King was staring at me and nodding, silently encouraging me.

“My move back to Nome was prompted by more than me just being homesick. I didn’t want to be out there alone… without my family, when I found out I was pregnant. I’m about fourteen weeks, and I’ve been trying to heal myself before speaking about it. I’m finally at the point where I’ve become accepting of the life growing inside of me.”

Everyone was silent. They looked stunned for a moment. Apparently, my dad didn’t know. He probably just knew that something was wrong but didn’t know specifics. After a few more seconds, he pulled me back in his arms. “It’s okay, baby. We gon’ help you through this. Congratulations.”

I nodded as I rested my head against his chest. My mama was standing there, rubbing my back. Finally, my brothers made their way to us. The question I’d been waiting for finally was verbalized.

“Who’s the father, and why isn’t he here with you?” KJ asked.

I pulled away from Daddy and said softly, “Rhodes. I was angry when I found out and blocked him from my life.”

“Rhodes? Your friend from high school? He was in Nashville? Why you block him?”

“Yes, to your first two questions. Kendrall, I don’t want y’all to hate him, because I’m no longer angry. I’m going to contact him eventually. I won’t keep his baby from him. We were establishing something out there. He told me he loved me. I fell in love with him too. It wasn’t hard to do. He was so good to me. The day I planned to tell him, I found a bunch of unused condoms behind my bed. He got me pregnant on purpose.”

“What the fuck?” Kane said.

“I now know why. His reasoning is all messed up, but I can finally understand it. All this time, he’s wanted more with me. I friend zoned him because I thought he was a thug. He was cool as a friend, but he seemed a little too street for me. I kept pushing him away. He’d been telling me he loved me for over a month, and I hadn’t said it back. I felt like he was acting out of desperation… to be sure I would always be in his life.”

KJ slid his hand down his face and walked off for a moment. I continued anyway. “God told me He was my one, and I let my guard down. I’ve been struggling the past three months, wondering why God would allow this to happen. I don’t know if He’s testing me or what. I know it was His voice. I can tell by the feeling it gives me when He reveals something to me. I just don’t understand, and I’ve been seeking clarity from Him all this time, only to still be as confused as I was three months ago when I found out.”

“He’ll reveal it to you in His time, baby,” my mama said.

She hugged me tightly. “So we’re gonna be grandparents times two, huh? You and Cassie are probably around the same gestation time. Am I right, Kendrall?”

Once again, KJ slid his hand down his face and said, “Yeah. Cassie is sixteen weeks, actually.”

Making his way to me, he pulled me into his arms. Kendrall was always my protector. I knew he was angry. When he released me, I said, “It’s okay, Kendrall. You don’t have to be angry. I was, too, at first, so I totally understand. However, I’m a grown woman. At least I have the means to take care of a baby, and so does he.”

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