Page 46 of Love You Like That

Then she reached for the screen, like she was about to hang up, and said, “Be careful, okay?”

“I gotchu, baby,” I whispered, and the call ended. I sat there for a while, not touching the Henny, just breathing. I knew we weren’t in a good place but we weren’t done either.

Iw o k eu pto light pouring in through my apartment windows and my phone buzzing beside me. I didn’t reach for it right away. My body was heavy with pregnancy and heavy with emotion. The kind of heavy where everything felt sore like even my thoughts had weight.

I rubbed my belly absentmindedly, my palm gliding over the soft cotton of Ezra’s sweatshirt that I’d fallen asleep in. Our son stretched beneath my skin, a soft kick pressing outward like he was checking in.

“I know, son son,” I murmured. “We’re both tired.”

The FaceTime call from last night sat like a stone in my chest. Ezra’s voice still lingered. It was raw, strained, and tired in a way that wasn’t just physical either. The kind of tired that came from carrying guilt and pressure too long without setting it down.

I loved him. That was never the question. But love had been loud, poetic, and full of possibility in the beginning. Now? Now it was quiet. A daily decision. A conscious breath. A question of whether love could survive the noise of two dream chasers running in opposite directions. I finally reached for my phone and read the text from Erin.

You good boo? Want me to stop by with that tea you like?

Then, I read a text from my dad.

Let me know if you need anything today. I can stop by after golf.

But the one I hovered over was from Ezra.

Boarding in 30. Should land by noon. I love you.

I stared at it for a minute. My chest rose and fell slowly with my fingers resting just below my belly button. Yes, I wanted to see him. Yes, I wanted him here. But I also wanted to not have towantthose things all the time. I needed consistency andstability. I needed to not cry in exam rooms while the nurse rubbed cold gel on my stomach and the only voice I had to lean on was my own.

Still, I typed back:

I love you too. Can you try to be fully present? I’m too close to bringing a whole person into this world to carry both of us. I need you.

I hit send, put the phone on my nightstand, and eased out of bed with a grunt. I placed a hand on my belly again. “We’re gonna be okay,” I whispered. “One way or another.”

E z r aa r r i v e da r o u n done-thirty. I heard the knock and didn’t rush to the door although I wanted to. When I opened it, he was standing there in a puffer vest, gray hoodie and joggers and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. His locs were tied back and his good eye was tired but soft.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

“Hey.”

He instantly pulled me into his arms and just held me the way I needed to be held like he knew I’d been craving his touch. I melted into him, burying my face in his chest and inhaling that familiar mix of shea butter, and cologne. He was home.

Pulling apart, we stared for a second too long before I stepped aside and let him in. He walked past me, dropped his bag near the couch, and turned back around. “You look good.”

I raised an eyebrow since I was only wearing a kimono and slippers. “I look like I’ve been carrying a human and a relationship with one hand for seven months.”

He didn’t smile or flinch. He just nodded. “Fair.”

We sat across from each other—him on the couch, me in the armchair, and our son doing slow rolls in my stomach between us. “He’s been moving like crazy today,” I said quietly.

He perked up just slightly. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “He calmed down when he heard your voice last night though.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I hate that I keep missin’ shit.”

“So stop,” I said. “Stop missing them. Stop saying yes to everything but this.”

His hands rubbed his knees, his leg bouncing. “You know how hard I’ve worked to get here. To have this momentum.”

“I know,” I said. “But you’re building something out there while something’s being built in here. Inside me. Right now. And I can’t keep waiting for your schedule to make space for your child, Ezra.”

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