Page 104 of Set me Free

Egypt hooked an arm around my shoulder. "And you love us for it."

I really did.

The entire living room had been transformed into a cozy, intimate baby shower.

The coffee table was piled high with food—plates filled with Big Wong’s dumplings, crispy orange chicken, shrimp fried rice, and trays of homemade cupcakes that Ari had personally decorated with pink and gold frosting.

Averi had a playlist of soft R&B music playing in the background, a mix of India Arie, Jill Scott, and Alicia Keys setting the perfect vibe.

The four of us were dressed in matching silk pajamas: mine in soft pink, while they all wore champagne-colored sets.

"Okay, Toot, open your gifts!" Arielle beamed, handing me a beautifully wrapped box.

I pulled out a tiny onesie that read "Daddy's Little MVP". I smiled, my heart swelling.

"Okay, this is adorable," I admitted.

"I got the matching one," Averi said handing me a second box. This one read "Mommy’s Little Ballerina". I bit my lip to keep from crying.

Lastly, Egypt handed me another box. Inside was a pink baby blanket with "Cree" embroidered in gold cursive. I sniffed, emotions creeping up on me.

"Y’all really did this for me?" I whispered.

Egypt rolled her eyes. "Duh. You our girl. And we know we won’t be living together after this, so we had to make it count."

That realization hit hard. We had spent the last few years together—laughing, arguing, growing. This wasn’t just a babyshower. This was a goodbye as roommates. I prayed to God it wasn’t our goodbye as friends.

Individually all three of them meant more to me than anything. I didn’t really have a lot of solid friendships growing up, besides Arielle and she was my cousin. Egypt and Averi came into my life at a time when I was finding my new self, outside of Serenity Bradshaw the heiress, Serenity Bradshaw Iman’s girlfriend. And Arielle was forever my bestie, my cousin, my roadie. Not living together was going to be hard for me because I relied on them so heavily.

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. "Damn, I told you not to cry," Egypt groaned, rubbing my back.

I let out a laugh, wiping my tears. "I love y’all so much."

Arielle smiled. "We love you too, Toot. And don’t worry, we’ll visit as soon as Cree is here."

I nodded, knowing deep down that nothing would ever be the same again—but I was grateful.

After the New Year,I was officially back in Phoenix. Everything felt familiar yet foreign. The house was exactly the same—gorgeous, warm, ours—yet somehow, it no longerfeltlike mine.

Creed had already started setting up the nursery, a beautiful space right next to Gio’s room. Soft pink, gray, and white adorned the walls, with baby zoo animals painted all around the room. A white crib sat against the far wall, with a matching changing table and rocking chair in the corner.

It was perfect.

And yet, as I stood there taking it all in, my chest felt tight. This was the same house where I had my heart broken. The samebed where he had been with someone else. I closed my eyes, willing the memories away. I had made this choice to come back. I had to own it.

January went by in a blur. Cree’s space was all set up, and I was only weeks away from having her. The season for the Suns was going well and by the time February hit, I was getting anxious.

Creed was scheduled to attend Allstar weekend in Toronto which meant he would be gone away from me for a few days. Had he not been voted in by the fans, I was sure he would have stayed with me especially since it meant he would not be with me on Valentine’s day. Not that I was expecting anything, especially since we were still very much not together.

Two days before Valentine’s Day, I was woken up by the scent of fresh roses My eyes fluttered open to find Creed standing over me, holding a massive bouquet of red and white roses, a silk-wrapped box tucked under his arm.

"Happy early Valentine’s Day, Beautiful," he murmured.

I smiled sleepily, sitting up. "What’s all this?"

"A little something for my girl," he smirked, sitting beside me.

I took the box and unwrapped it to find a delicate diamond necklace the name plate bearing the name Cree. I had been talking about getting this necklace, wanting to have a piece of my baby girl with me at all times. I had mentioned this to Creed in passing, but he remembered.

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