“Seriously, Mom?”
“Sleeping around with someone new is no excuse to be ignoring my calls!” her mom shouted. “I’ve been worried sick!”
Before Phileigh could respond, her phone rang from somewhere on the dresser.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Read. I’ve been keeping her a little busy. We’ve been spending a lot of time together getting to know each other. My apologies,” I said, listening to Phileigh’s conversation.
It sounded like she was late for an appointment. She stopped and glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed. The color drained from her face.
“I’m late for my nine o’clock appointment!” She hopped out of the bed, rushing around the room. “Mom, Dad, I would love to stay and discuss my dating life, but you have to go. I’m running late for work.”
She shoved her parents out the door.
“I just want to know how did you two meet?” Mr. Read questioned. His eyes were still bouncing between me and Phileigh.
“I’ll be at the house soon, okay? Just… let me handle this.” Phileigh was leading them to the door at this point. Her mom stared at her. She didn’t want to leave.
“Okay, honey, but…” her mom said hesitantly. “But if I don’t hear from you in the next twenty-four hours, I will be back.”
Phileigh barely let her mom finish before she shut her front door on them.
“Not how I wanted to meet your parents, but I’ll take it.”
I shrugged, and she cut her eyes at me before sprinting to the bathroom. I could hear the shower water start a few minutes later. Leaving her to get ready, I wandered into the kitchen,knowing she hadn’t eaten much the night before. I knew her ass didn’t think she was about to run out of here without feeding the baby. She needed fuel before standing on her feet and chopping niggas’ hair up all day.
Opening my phone, I quickly Googledmorning sickness friendly breakfast ideasand was met with a plethora of options. Going to Phileigh’s fridge, I compared the options to what she had. Keeping it simple, I settled for toast with scrambled eggs. It wasn’t gourmet, but it was nutritious and easy to whip up because my ass wasn’t the best cook.
I moved in and out of the kitchen, toasting bread and scrambling eggs, hoping Phileigh could keep this down and wouldn’t get sick. If this didn’t work, I would be out of ideas and would have to hit my mom for some advice.
After about twenty minutes, I smelled her floral scented body wash behind me just as I set her plate on the counter.
“You’re still here?” she asked, moving quickly around the living room.
I stared at her. This woman was so damn beautiful. She wasn’t even doing much. She was dressed simply in a pair of leggings and a shirt, and she had me wanting to step forward and wrap her in my arms.
“I had to make sure you and Baby Phileigh ate,” I replied, motioning to the breakfast on the table.
“Thank you, Kellon. That was so sweet, but I gotta get going. My client has been waiting for thirty minutes now.”
“Sit.” It was an order, but it was gentle. I wanted her to know I wasn’t about to argue with her ass. “You need to eat.”
Phileigh hesitated, looking into my eyes to see how serious I was before plopping her ass down on the stool. I placed a plate in front of her. “Google said eggs and toast wouldn’t make you nauseous.”
“I hope not.” She stared at the plate, picking up her fork. “It smells good.”
She dug in. I stared at her intently, waiting to see if she was going to gag. After the first bite went down smoothly, I smiled.
“Shout out Google.” I clapped, causing her to laugh. “Now I don’t have to start this friendship being a bad friend who let you and the baby go hungry.”
She shot me a playful glare as she munched on her toast. “You could never be a bad friend—you’re too thoughtful.”
“I try,” I replied with a wink, watching her devour the meal.
“With the morning sickness, I haven’t eaten in days. Thank you for cooking and making me slow down.”
“No problem. You and the baby’s health is my top priority.”
“Is it?”