Give Me The Reason 2: A Love Story (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

Natasha was leaving the doctor’s office when she decided to call Drake. It was time that they sat down and had a conversation. The doctor had just confirmed that she was in the last week of her first trimester, which meant she was almost four months pregnant. Natasha knew without a doubt that the baby was Drake’s. After locating Drake’s phone number in her cell phone contact list, she pressed call and waited for him to answer.

“Yo!” he spoke into the phone, after the third ring.

Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“We need to talk. Not over the phone, but face to face,” she said, navigating her car onto Interstate 285, en route to his condo. No matter what he said, they were having this talk today.

“I knew you were going to come running back for some of this good D.” He chuckled. Drake hopped up off of his plush king size bed and started making it up. His dick was already hard just thinking about Natasha’s juicy lips swallowing him whole.

“Whatever, I will be there in about fifteen minutes.” She pressed end on the call and tossed her cell phone in the passenger seat.
How in the hell is this shit going to play out?
She couldn’t and wouldn’t lose Jason. Natasha pulled up in front of Drake’s condo in no time. She hopped out of the car then pressed the lock button on the keyless remote.

Ding Dong.
She pressed the doorbell
.

Finally, Drake opened the door with a big smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of black gym shorts and no shirt.

“Come on in, ma,” Drake said, stepping aside so that Natasha could enter. He walked behind her watching her big juicy ass switch from side to side. Drake licked his lips and ran his hand through his goatee.

Natasha noticed that Drake had lit several scented candles and there was music playing softly in the background. It was quite obvious that he assumed her visit was an afternoon booty call.

“Drake, can you please turn off the music? I really need to talk to you about something serious.” Natasha sat down on the plush leather cream loveseat and crossed her legs. The expression on her face read that she meant business.

Drake’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he blew out the candles and flicked on the light switch.

“What’s on your mind, Tash?” he replied, slightly disappointed.

“I don’t know an easy way to say this, so I am going to come right on out and say it…I’m pregnant.” She blurted out. Natasha was a nervous wreck. She had no idea what she was going to do, but having an abortion was definitely out of the question.

Drake looked like someone just told him his mama died.

“Why you telling me?” he asked, dumbfounded. He could kick himself in the ass for having unprotected sex with Natasha, and he never pulled out either. Ashanti just had his baby, and now here he was with another woman sitting in his face telling him she was pregnant.

Natasha exhaled deeply before replying. “For once in your life, can you not act so stupid? This baby that I’m carrying is yours! I am twelve weeks pregnant, Drake, and you are the only man I’ve been with until recently when Jason came in off the road. Trust me, I wish you weren’t this baby’s father.”

Drake started pacing the floor trying to come up with a plan that would benefit both of them. There was no way that he was going to play daddy to a married woman’s baby, even if it was his seed. Truthfully, Drake wasn’t the fatherly type. He never wanted children, and up until now he’d been able to prevent it from happening.

“To be honest with you, I don’t want children, never did and never will. But why are you telling me this, Natasha? What do you want me to do?” Drake sat down on the arm of the sofa and crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

Natasha’s mouth flew open at the callous and heartless words that had just come out of his mouth.

“Well damn, I didn’t expect you to be ecstatic about it, but must you be so cruel?”

“I’m saying, ma, you’re married and I don’t want children. I’m trying to understand what you want from me? Do you want money for an abortion or what?” he asked. The only logical solution he could come up with was for her to have an abortion. Drake didn’t want Natasha and he damn sure wasn’t going to even consider co-parenting a child with her. It would be in everyone’s best interest if she just had an abortion.

Tears welled up in Natasha’s eyes. Even she didn’t know why she was telling Drake.
What did I really expect him to say?
Maybe he was right, maybe an abortion was the way to go. If Jason found out that she was pregnant, he would know that the baby wasn’t his and she couldn’t take a chance at losing him over a man who didn’t want to be with her.

“Drake, I don’t know what I expect from you, I just thought you should know.” Natasha hung her head in shame. Being a mother was all she ever wanted and now that she was finally pregnant, her only option was to terminate the pregnancy.

“Tash, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come off cold-hearted, but those are the facts. You’re married and we both knew what this was from the start. The only way to fix this is for you to have an abortion,” Drake said, gently rubbing her back. “I will even give you the money,” he added.

Natasha nodded her head up and down as she silently cried. “Ok, tomorrow I will make an appointment and get it taken care of.”

Drake smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He rushed down the hall into his bedroom. He peeled off ten one hundred dollar bills and placed his wallet back on the night stand.

“Here you go, this should take care of everything,” he said, handing the money to Natasha.

“After today, don’t ever speak to me again,” she said, grabbing the money out of his hand. Natasha stood up from the sofa in a trance and walked straight out of the door without looking back. She cried the entire way home, thinking about how she would have to terminate the life that was inside of her, all because she made the dumb mistake of cheating on her husband with someone as heartless and cold as Drake Porter.

Chapter Thirteen

Delaney was so happy to be in the comfort of her own home. She still couldn’t believe the events that led up to the accident nor the fact that she had been in a coma for three weeks. That day still seemed like such a blur. She remembered the fight with Tyson and jumping in her car on that rainy day, but how the accident happened and anything after that was a total blur. Her heart still beat for Tyson and she missed him terribly. Everything was going perfectly in her life for once, and all in one day her entire world was turned upside down.

Thankfully, Uncle Cam took care of all of her personal business while she was in the hospital. He made sure all of her bills were paid, he took care of all the paperwork concerning her job, and even took care of her little Yorkie, Diamond. Surprisingly, Diamond made it out of the accident alive.

Delaney hadn’t seen her father, Cane, since she’d come out of the coma, but she’d spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. Although Cane was being his usual absentee self, it still hurt and surprised her that he hadn’t been by her house to check on her well-being. Some things never change. He did tell her that he’d come by the hospital several times before she awakened and that he would get by to see her soon. It was something in his voice that worried Delaney. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but he seemed different and not in a good way. Ava, Cam, and Natasha had been catering to her every need and she was grateful for their undying love and support. Her mother doted over her like she did when Delaney was younger, before the drinking. Ava vowed to make up for lost times and even apologized to Delaney for the way she’d treated her over the years. This pleased Delaney and she was looking forward to rebuilding their relationship. If only she could do the same with Tyson.

Tyson was another story all together. The thought of him having a child with another woman tore at her heart. She wanted to be the one to bear his children and build a life with him. The picture she had in her head of their life together involved marriage, children, and a house with a picket fence, not a stepchild with an annoying ass baby mama. Had she known about Ashanti, she would have never gotten into a relationship with him to begin with. The fact that Tyson failed to mention that he had a girlfriend just didn’t sit well with Delaney. Just thinking about the situation caused her to cry. Dr. Beard warned her against unnecessary stress, so she quickly shook it off. Sitting around crying over spilled milk wasn’t helping the situation.

She reached over and grabbed a few Kleenex tissues from the nightstand beside her bed and wiped her face. Delaney grabbed her kindle off the nightstand. She figured she would read a book to take her mind off of her problems. Reading was always her way of relieving stress, because she was able to get lost in the lives of the characters she read about. After scrolling through the hundreds of downloaded books in her kindle, she settled on
Til My Casket Drops
by Ca$h
.
It felt good to be able to lay back and read a good book, something she hadn’t been able to do in a while, since work always kept her so busy. Fortunately for her, she wasn’t due to return to work for six more weeks. Delaney planned on making good use of her time off from work, Reading was one of the hobbies that she desperately missed, as well as jogging.

Delaney fluffed up the pillows and lay back in a comfortable position. Just as she was getting engrossed in the story of Mayhem and Keedy, the doorbell chimed interrupting her.

“Dammit!” Delaney placed the Kindle down on the bed, and went downstairs to see who was at her door. She despised when people dropped by without calling first. Delaney stood up on her tiptoes and looked out of the peephole. Natasha was standing on the other side of the door with a bag in her hand.

“Hey, sis!” Delaney squealed. Something seemed to be bothering Natasha by the forlorn look on her face.

“Hey boo,” Natasha said, embracing Delaney in a hug. “I know how much you hate pop-ups, but I was in the neighborhood and figured I would drop by with some lunch. I got your favorite: sesame chicken, fried rice, and an eggroll from King Springs Chinese Restaurant on South Cobb.” She smiled, holding the bag up.

“Awwwww thanks sissy! You’re the bestest!” Delaney beamed. She took the bag out of Natasha’s hand and went into the kitchen to grab a couple of plates so that they could sit down and eat. Natasha took the plates from Delaney and started fixing both of their plates.

“So how are you feeling?” Natasha asked, kicking off her shoes and getting comfortable on the sofa. Delaney’s place was so peaceful and serene. The décor was cozy and inviting. There were various shades of earth tones all throughout the house. Natasha had always admired Delaney’s sense of style and fashion.

“I feel good, no complaints physically. But if I’m being honest, I really miss the hell out of Tyson,” she said, shoving a forkful of fried rice into her mouth.

“So I take it that you still aren’t speaking to him?” Natasha inquired. Delaney spilled the tea on Ashanti during her hospital stay, so Natasha knew all about the events that transpired before the accident and about Ms. Thang claiming to be pregnant by Tyson.

“Nah, I’m not ready. But he popped up on me the last day I was in the hospital talking about she isn’t his girl and he’s not sure if the baby is even his. I ain’t trying to hear that shit though,” Delaney said, shaking her head and pursing her lips.

“I think you should hear him out, sis. Tyson loves you and he was by your side the entire time you were in the coma. I get it that you’re upset about this Ashanti chick, but you know how these hoes are. They will say and do anything to fuck up your relationship,” Natasha said, before stuffing half of her egg roll in her mouth.

“I hear you, but there is no excuse for him not telling me about this chick. I’m telling you, she came through like she was the head bitch in charge. I was in total shock! Imagine some woman showing up on your doorstep claiming that she’s pregnant by your man, and you didn’t even know this bitch existed!” Delaney pushed her plate away, suddenly losing her appetite.

Natasha thought about her own situation and how she was currently pregnant by a man who didn’t want anything to do with her, and she too lost her appetite. She placed her fork down and covered her face with both of her hands.

“What’s wrong, Tash?” Delaney asked. She could tell that something was heavy on Natasha’s mind. They’d been besties too long for her not to know when something was bothering Natasha.

“My life is so fucked up right now, Laney! I don’t even know where to start.” She cried. During the time Delaney was in the coma, Natasha spilled out her guts. It was easier talking to someone who couldn’t talk back.

Delaney got up from the loveseat and went to join Natasha on the sofa. She wrapped her arms around Natasha and held her close. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”

Natasha went on to tell Delaney all about the affair she’d been having with Drake since the night she met him at Lyrical Soul Lounge, and the pregnancy. She even told her about the day she went over to his place and told him she was pregnant. When she was finished telling the story, her face was drenched with tears. She was a total mess. Delaney sat and listened to the entire story without saying a word.

“Now do you see why I say my life is so fucked up? I don’t know what the fuck Imma do. I can’t keep this baby, Laney, I just can’t. Jason will never forgive me for cheating on him and being reckless enough to get pregnant!” she cried.

Delaney handed Natasha some Kleenex tissues so she could clean her face and nose. Damn, she thought she had problems, but after listening to Natasha, her issues didn’t seem so major anymore.

“Tash, damn that is some heavy shit, sis. I am right here for you no matter what you decide. But from listening to you, it seems like you already have your mind made up. It just hurts me to know that you are willing to abort a child that you’ve been longing to have.” Delaney didn’t agree with Natasha getting an abortion, but she planned to support her best friend regardless of the decision she choose to make.

“Thanks, Laney. I don’t see any other way around it. I can’t take the chance of Jason leaving me, I just can’t!” Natasha cried harder than she’d ever cried in her life. Regret and guilt laced each tear that fell down her face. She’d already made the appointment to have the procedure on her way over to Delaney’s house for the day after tomorrow.

“Everything is going to be ok, Tash, I promise. You already know that I have your back with no judgment. If you feel an abortion is the best decision, then I will be with you every step of the way.” Delaney meant every word. She’d been known to be judgmental in the past, but the accident invoked a change within her. Who was she to judge the actions of others?

Natasha wiped her face with the tissues Delaney had given her. “Thanks, Laney, that means a lot.” She smiled, relieved at having a chance to finally get everything off her chest and have some much needed support. She had been going through all of these struggles by herself and it had become too much. Now the only thing left to do was to show up at the appointment, and put all of this mess behind her.

“I knew there was something about that damn Drake that I didn’t like. Now I know exactly what it was, he is a low down dirty mafucka!” Delaney fumed. Thoughts of him undressing her with his eyes flooded her memory. She never felt comfortable in his presence. He seemed to always be lurking around watching her. Maybe she should have mentioned how she was feeling to Tyson when it first started, but she didn’t want to come in between their friendship.

“Yeah, he is a hot ass mess, but what’s even more disturbing is that I actually started catching feelings for him, sis. I literally begged him not to break things off with me. I was mostly gone off the D, and lonely from Jason being on the road so much,” Natasha admitted.

“Listen to me, you have a good man and Drake or any other man isn’t worth jeopardizing your marriage for,” Delaney warned. The vibration of her cell phone momentarily distracted her from the sermon she was about to give Natasha. A smile spread across her face as she read the text message.

Hey pretty lady, how is my favorite patient doing? This is Chris by the way.

“Ummmm, what has you showing all 52 of your teeth?” Natasha joked. She hadn’t seen Delaney smile like that since she first started dating Tyson. But since she wasn’t talking to Tyson right now, Natasha knew the message couldn’t have been from him.

“Hold up a sec,” Delaney said without looking up from her phone.
How did he get my phone number?
She hit send on the text message and waited for a response. “Girl, that is Chris texting me, but I don’t know how he got my phone number, because I never gave it to him. Besides I haven’t called him, although he gave me his card with his phone number before I left the hospital.”

I’m a doctor, which means I have all of your information, love. So have you thought about my lunch invitation?

“Laney! I know you are not even thinking about fooling with Chris, or is it Dr. Clark now?” Natasha shrieked. Natasha was well aware of what rebounding could do, and it usually ended badly.

“Why are you yelling? Geeeshhh! I never said we were getting back together, but I don’t see the harm in talking to him. Plus, he only wants to take me out to lunch so we can catch up. I think it would be good for us to clear the air about the past,” Delaney said in her defense.

Natasha simply shook her head, while Delaney continued to text back in forth with her old flame.

“Well, Imma clean up this mess, while you flirt with Chris,” Natasha said, picking up their half-eaten plates and taking them into the kitchen. Delaney waved her off as her fingers flew over the keys and she smiled brighter than the morning sun.

Once Natasha finished cleaning up their mess and putting the plates and silverware in the dishwasher, she walked back into the living room and put her shoes on.

“Where are you going?” Delaney asked. She and Chris were still texting back and forth. She placed her phone down to give Natasha her undivided attention.

“I’m going home, boo. I’m tired and sleepy, plus I need to go home and cook dinner for Jason.” Natasha yawned. She looked down at her stomach and immediately became sad. In a few days the life that she was carrying would be terminated.

Delaney couldn’t stand to see Natasha in so much pain and turmoil. Were their lives ever going to get on the right track? It seemed like happiness was just so far out of reach for both of them.

“Don’t worry, sis, everything is going to be ok. I will go with you to the clinic Thursday, just swing by and pick me up. Dr. Beard doesn’t think I should be driving alone just yet,” she added.

“Thanks, Laney, I appreciate you more than you know. I’m just ready to put all of this behind me. I know that having an abortion is the only choice that I have in this situation,” Natasha sadly replied.

Delaney embraced Natasha in a tight hug. “See you Thursday! Love ya, sis.” Delaney smiled lovingly at her.

“Ok, love you too,” Natasha replied, and headed out the door.