Page 27 of Finding You

She was standing near the white changing table that had two shelves, which were loaded with pampers, baby wipes and a few other items. On the side of the changing table was a short white cabinet that stood open, revealing a ton more baby products. If that weren’t enough, there were two car seats, a double stroller, and stuffed animals and baby toys strategically placed around the room.

Zion shook his head, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at this incredible gift. No way he could’ve pulled something like this together by himself.

He approached his mother and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re always doing too much,” he said against her hair. She might’ve gotten on his nerves more often than not, but he didn’t know what he would do without her. She loved hard, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her family, especially for her kids.

“You’re the best, Mom, and finally you’ve done something that doesn’t drive me nuts. I love it.”

She laughed and swatted at him before he released her. “Good, and I’m glad you came home tonight. A few minutes ago, Nyla had me thinking it was possible that you might not.”

Zion didn’t bother looking at his sister because she was right. There’d been a time when he might’ve gone home with a hookup from the bar or called his friends with benefits to spend some time together. But his behavior toward hookups had changed over the past year, and he was glad he had not only come home, but came home alone.

Instead of commenting, he said, “Where’s Cree?” he said of his second oldest sister. “She wouldn’t normally miss out on an opportunity to be a part of something where she can boss folks around.”

Nyla laughed. “Right? Not sure we could’ve dealt with both her and mom on this project.”

“Hush,” their mother said on a laugh. “Cree was planning to be here, but one of her clients called her in a panic. He got arrested for something, and she had to go get him out of jail.”

As an entertainment lawyer, Cree had a high-profile client’s list, and they kept her busy. Considering she wasn’t the most patient person in the world, he didn’t know how she dealt with some of her high-maintenance clientele without strangling them.

Zion glanced around the room again. “How’d you get all this done so fast? I just found out the results a few hours ago.”

“Mom’s been planning this since the night Raven showed up,” Dorian said. “I’m pretty sure she started ordering stuff right after Raven told you the babies were yours.”

He glanced at his mother, not surprised she pushed forward without knowing for sure about the babies.

She lifted her chin. “I knew,” she said as if reading his mind. “You’re the one who needed confirmation. Not me.”

“Did you say anything about the results of the test to Raven?” he asked, hoping she hadn’t. The two of them needed to talk, and Zion didn’t need his mother or the rest of his family butting in.

“No, I didn’t. Your dad told me to keep my mouth shut and to stay out of it.”

Zion snorted while his sisters chuckled. That was so like his dad, and Zion was glad his mother listened. Yet, that got him thinking. Did Raven check her email for the results? Did she know and was waiting for him to make the next move? Probably.

He hadn’t seen or talked to her since the night they had dinner together. He figured he’d pissed her off enough for a while with his snide remarks about not being the kids’ father. Yeah, it was up to him to make the next move.

“Thanks for not saying anything. I’ll reach out to her in the morning because we need to talk and figure out where we go from here,” Zion said, then lifted his hand when his mother started to speak. “Mom, thanks for all you’ve done, but going forward, this situation is between me and Raven. Understand?”

“Fine. I’ll butt out, but I want the three of them to stay in town. Make that happen, and you won’t have any trouble out of me.” With that, she turned on her heels and strolled out of the room.

Zion growled under his breath and looked at his father. “Dad, can’t you—”

“Your mother has spoken,” Israel said and pounded Zion on the shoulder on his way out of the room. “Figure it out. Oh, and congratulations. I’m enjoying getting to know my grandkids.”

Another low growl slipped from Zion after his parents were out of earshot. “Sometimes Mom can be… I justcan’twith her.”

Dorian snorted. “It’s hard to feel sorry for you when she’s usually on our case to get married and have kids.”

“Agreed. I’m pretty sure she’s already planned me and Harrison’s wedding, and mind you, we’re not even engaged,” Nyla said of her boyfriend.

They weren’t engaged, but Zion had no doubt that the day was coming. She and Harrison had only been dating for a few months, but to see them, one would think they’d been together forever. Their backgrounds and their past lives were opposites in every way, but they somehow manage to make their relationship work.

Nyla tugged on the front of Zion’s shirt, forcing him down to her level. Then she kissed him on the cheek. “As long as Mom is picking on you, she’s leaving the rest of us alone. So, thanks for that.”

Zion sighed. “Come on, y’all. Can’t you just talk to her, and tell her to back off? I can’t make Raven do anything. Besides, I don’t know what I want us to do.”

Dorian gave him a quick hug. “Sounds like a personal problem to me,” she said with no sympathy. “But I’m with Mom on this one. It might be good if you can convince Raven to stay in Chicago, at least for a while. I think someone might be harassing her.”

“What?” Zion snapped, wondering if it had anything to do with her ex-boyfriend.

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