Page 161 of Taeja

“I can’t.”

“You can. You’re just not trying—” Seeing Liyah fight the urge to cry, Taeja paused. “Come here.” Taeja sat up on the bed, resting her back against the headboard. While Liyah laid her head on Taeja’s lap, Taeja gently stroked Liyah’s head. “Let it out, Aaliyah. I’m here for you.”

Aaliyah’s sobs started quiet and muffled, then morphed into loud bawling. Taeja held Aaliyah closely.

It broke Taeja that the mishap that happened two years after Aaliyah was born caused her to be this way…

When his old man passed away, Dadz inherited everything, including a multimillion-dollar car dealership despite not having business knowledge. Her parents began living among their means, and it led to some legal issues Liyah’s parents never told her about. The company got stripped from Dadz, and things had been hard for them since then.

Finally calming down, Liyah took herself off Taeja’s lap and dried her face. “I’m so stupid,” she said. “I should stop trying to micromanage every part of my life because things never work out, even with all that I do.”

Taeja sighed. “That’s not true, Liyah. You got this far in life by micromanaging it, but it doesn’t hurt to let people help you sometimes.”

“I’ll become a burden to Mason if I allow him to always do things for me,” Liyah argued, tears springing to her eyes again. “It was hard for me to take the car from him and ask him for help a few times I couldn’t pay my rent.”

“You know he moved out of his family house and bought his house so he can live with you, right?”

“He didn’t do that for me… He just needed his own space.”

“He did it for you,” Taeja stated. “And it’s hard to continue doing things for you when you keep pushing him away. I mean, come on, you were crying after you took the tests and he tried to comfort you, and you told him to leave.” Taeja paused to sigh. “Honestly, Liyah, if me did deh with a rich man and him see me a struggle and nuh try help me, I wouldn’t believe he’s the one for me. Stop pushing Mason away. He’s your fiancé now. You need to treat him better before you lose him.”

Liyah sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I should go live with him?”

“No. You should live with me,” Taeja joked, and Liyah smiled. Taeja grinned. “See? Mi love when yaa smile, Liyah. Mi love yu, but mi tired fi tell yu the same thing over and over. Let us help you. Me and Mason nago ever tek back things from you.”

She nodded. “Okay…”

Taeja smiled and hugged Liyah. Her smile stretched as Liyah returned the hug. “Before my boyfriends get back, I can help you move into Mason’s house.”

“That works. Thanks.”

“Good… Now let’s go look at the tests. Pregnancy isn’t the end of the world, and if it’s one person I know who can finish med school while pregnant, it’s you, Aaliyah Norris.”

Liyah chuckled as they walked to the bathroom. “If Miss Charm right, mi naa go back a her house. She have goat mouth, I swear.”

“Remember when I was coming home for spring break and she called because she had a bad feeling and needed me to pull over so she cuda pray fimi?”

Liyah nodded. “Good thing you pulled over when you did or that trailerwould’ve run into you.”

Taeja nodded as they entered the bathroom. She rested her hands on her hips. “Should I flip them over or do you want to do it?”

“I’ll do it…” Liyah inhaled a deep breath, then flipped over the pregnancy tests one by one. Seeing the results, she fell to her knees and cried.

Gulping, Taeja looked between Liyah and the tests. “I don’t know if I should cry or cheer.”

“Both,” Liyah laughed, bringing herself to her feet. “Let me go call Mason and tell him.”

Taeja smiled. “Okay.” She returned to the bedroom and lay in bed. She grabbed her phone, her throat drying as she looked at the last text she sent to Cassedi. Exiting the chat quickly, she opened the group chat with her guys.

Damon

We’ll do whatever you want to do, baby.

Zain

What he said.

Crosses Zain sometimes me wish yu wuda tell mi what yu think. Mi ano mind reader.

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