Love Delayed (35 page)

After spending almost three hours at the restaurant, causing a
commotion, we decided to call it quits. I didn’t want the temporary relief of elation to end, but I also knew my parents were kind enough to drive me out and I didn’t want to belabor their patience. I kissed the girls goodnight and thanked them for the hundredth time, then gathered my small collection of gift bags they also surprised me with and made my way out to my parents’ car.

On the drive back home, my mom called from the passenger seat, “You must be tired, baby.”

“No,” I sighed. “Not really.”

I was suddenly feeling bored. And lonely. Being with the girls for a few short hours reminded me of what it was like to get out without a heavy laden heart. For a bunch of twenty-one and twenty-two year olds the night was still young. Had my parents not been there, we could have carried on well into the night. I started to wonder what they were getting into now. I knew the girls weren’t en route to their beds as I was. Then my mind idly wandered over to thoughts of Stenton. I wondered what he was doing at the moment. I wasn’t hopeful enough to allow myself to believe he was thinking of me. I thought of that man every day for long spurts of the day. It was hard not to when I had a piece of him growing inside me, reminding me of his mark on my body. I’m sure he didn’t think of me. He had no reminders.

“Well,” my mother hummed. “
Get all the rest you can now. You’re gonna miss these days when you have all the freedom in the world to relax.”

“
Mmmmhmmm,” I acknowledged her, noncommittally as I scrolled my timeline on Facebook.

Minutes later, we were turning onto my street and my Dad
muffled, “Who is that in front of the house?”

I didn’t look up from my phone
with that question. I’d assumed it was my parents, just chatting between themselves.

“
Is that—?” my mom asked abruptly.

“Yep,” my father murmured
moments later as we neared our home.

It wasn’t until we pulled into the driveway that I did
peek up. I saw the car first. It was a bright yellow Ferrari. Then I saw the tall, lean figure standing just above it. As I caught on to his lanky frame, his eyes rose from his phone and locked with mine while the car was still in motion. I swear my heart leaped as if it were in fear. I guess I wasn’t used to those jitter-causing sort of feelings for a man. I didn’t know how respond to his magnificent, all-consuming countenance. His stark presence alone spoke volumes of who the man was behind the athlete.

It took a while for me to gain control of my
shaky limbs and open the door. My parents were out of the car before I could even pull the handle. As I steadied myself on my feet, I saw Stenton approach and greet my father respectfully with a manly shake. My father was all pinched brows and pouted lips, appearing short and stubby next to Stent. My mother clutched her hands at her pelvis, wearing a wide smile while she waited her turn to be greeted. I noticed his embrace with her was long and was met with him closing his eyes.

In a perfect world… 
 

Then his
dark orbs traveled over to me just before he let my mother go. They were penetrating, yet impassive. My heart couldn’t have been racing in my chest because I could no longer feel it. In fact, I couldn’t even feel the air sloughing through my lungs. Oddly, I did feel the flutter in my belly and intuitively grabbed it. Stenton slowly rounded my mother and gaited over to me. My legs continued to tremble as the distance between us shortened. Then he was standing right in front of me, towering my protruding frame.

“You think I can get a few hours of your time?” poured from his silky baritone.

My mouth collapsed, but for a while nothing could come out. Eventually, able to move, I peered around Stenton and squeaked, “Ummm… Momma, I’m gonna chat out here with Stenton for a minute. I’ll be in in shortly.”

Stenton’s eyes never left me when he corrected me. “Actually, we’re going for a ride.”

“Oh, that’s nice, Stenton!” my mother gushed.

My father chimed in, “You know today’s a special day.”

“Yes, sir, I do. In fact,” Stenton clarified with his marble eyes still locked to mine. I couldn’t believe he remembered my birthday. “I’m hoping to spend the last few hours of it with her,” he managed to make it sound far less sensuous than his eyes relayed…and I wanted to believe.

“
If you must,” my father drug out, consented as he walked off, leaving us in the driveway.

“Just call us if you’re going to be late coming in,” my mother threw over her shoulder
, following behind her husband.

Once the door slammed shut, I stood frozen, captivated
under his gaze. He wore a brown goose, dark jeans and Timberland construction boots. We stood there, gaping at each other. I was still jarred by his presence. I didn’t know how to behave around Stenton. I was never really accustomed to being with him. He was still all new to me; I hadn’t known him long. His arm reached out and his big hand cupped my round abdomen. My belly fluttered and I didn’t know if it was simply my body reacting to his touch.

“Do you mind
, Niña?” he murmured.

I hadn’t heard that name in months. Hadn’t felt the warmth of the sentiment behind it in just as long. Why was he doing this to me?

I swallowed. “
N
-no.” I cleared my throat, trying to calm my shaky chords. “Not at all.”

After swiping the globe of my
tummy, Stenton reached for my hand and walked me over to his car. With a few grunts, I managed the low drop getting into the passenger seat. Once he managed his long frame inside, he turned to me.

“I guess this wasn’t the best car choice of the evening considering your condition.” He cracked a
wary smirk.

I attempted to let go of a grin. I wasn’t sure if my breathing had returned. Stenton pressed a button and the engine came alive, reverberating in my chest. We drove for nearly thirty minutes before we pulled up to a valet at a restaurant.

“Glad that you arrived, Mr. Rogers. Our hostess is awaiting you,” the va
let greeted when Stenton threw him the keys and rounded the car to take my hand.

He laced our fingers and guided me into the restaurant where there was a brightly smiling hostess
, welcoming us in by name and immediately leading us to our table. When were seated, the waiter immediately came over to hand Stenton a wine menu.

Before looking into it, Stenton peered over
at me and asked, “What are you drinking nowadays?” He gestured towards my protruding belly.

“Water will be fine,” I informed the waiter.

“I’ll have water as well,” Stenton informed the waiter, handing him the menu back.

Once
alone, Stenton sat up in his chair and inclined, placing his elbows on the table. “So, happy birthday, Elizabeth,” he murmured, his teeth appeared and his eyes squinted in a jovial slant.

“Thanks
.” I nodded coolly. “I thought you’d forgotten.” I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t want to come off as argumentative.

He shook his head softly. “You’re having my
baby; of course I know your date of birth. There’s nothing I’ve forgotten about you.”

Stenton angled his neck as his eyes studied the crease of my lips. I knew this from the very first day we met. He’d alw
ays found fascination with them. He broke down and told me after we parted ways that first summer.

I yanked my head away, suddenly bashful by his attention. Not only that, I was growing aroused under his gaze. I had to gain a hold of myself around him. I didn’t want him to be reminded
that he chose not to be with me. Thankfully, we were interrupted by the waiters serving appetizers that I didn’t order.

As I lifted my fork to decide what I would start with
, Stenton informed, “I went with the chef’s menu. I hope you enjoy.”

I wasn’t hungry at all. Not only had I just come from dinner with family and friends, but I had no appetite around this man. I didn’t like
that I was sitting across from who was once my best friend, Stent. I was having dinner at, no doubt, a five star restaurant with
the
Stenton Rogers, three-time MVP Awardee and four-time NBA Championship holder. I mean, he was sitting right there, just a stone’s throw away. I could smell his alluring fragrance and admire his fresh haircut and curly top. His collage of tattoos were hidden underneath the fabric of his clothing, but his full lips looked almost pink against his cinnamon complexion.

“I got the last images of the ultrasound,” he
shared with a mouthful of food. “I can’t believe how pronounced his features are now compared to the last one.” I could hear the glee in his voice even as he chewed.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Can’t miss that wide nose that we can agree he gets from his daddy.”

Stenton let out a
boisterous laugh. “Yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw it. So, he’ll have his dad’s schnoz. He could’ve gotten passed on a lot worse.” In a flash, I saw the melancholy in his eyes. Attempting to brush past it, he asked, “So, you’ll be seven months next week. Have you started thinking of any names yet?” His eyes rose to meet mine.

He’d kept up with my pregnancy.
Whoa!

I sighed as I played with
the food in my plate. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve thought some about it. It’s just a huge call to make alone.” I chanced a glance at Stenton, who, when he realized I’d gotten quiet, peered up at me. “Do
you
have any ideas?” I threw back to him.

He steeled in his seat for a few seconds then shrugged. “I don’t know. You may not want to leave such a weighty decision to me. All I know is
ballin’. I’ll fuck around and name him Jordan,” he snorted.

I chuckled into my plate. “As in
the
Michael Jordan?”

“As in the
legend
Michael Jordan,” Stenton corrected.

“Not that I’
d have a problem with it, but his dad is already a legend in his own right,” I murmured while training my eyes to my plate.

Through my peripheral, I saw Stenton’s head shoot up, but I didn’t react. I pretended to cut through my food, unperturbed. We ate in silence for a moment or two. Before long, Stenton clear
ed his plate, prompting the waiter to our table. I offered my plate as well, not being able to fit anything else in considering what was ahead.

We finally made it to our main course. Stenton must have noticed that I wasn’t taking in much
, so had the waiter when he came over.

“Is everything to your satisfaction, ma’am?”

I noticed Stenton’s inquisitive gaze immediately. I fought through my nerves to pat my belly.

“Full house in here. Can’t fit a five course
in anymore. More like a two,” I joked sheepishly.

“I can wrap this to go if you
’d like,” the waiter offered.

Braving a glance at Stenton,
I answered, “Sure. That would be great.”

The waiter
took off with my plate and I paid Stenton a glance. I’d hoped he wasn’t offended. He did, however, seem preoccupied by it.

He
shot me a long glance for a few seconds before asking, “Are you going to have time for dessert? It’s your birthday; can’t forget the cake,” Stenton gave a wry smile, but one that was expressed in his eyes.

I only responded with a regretful smile. I couldn’t eat.
Though I was one of those pregnant women with a robust appetite, my unease countered my need for food.

“So, how are you?” He gestured to me with his chin.

“Hanging on in there, considering the circumstances.” I rubbed my belly.

His face turned crestfallen right away. “Are they giving you shit,
Zo? All this time I figured you were good…being with your family and all, but if those fucking holy rollers are giving you a hard time—”

“No,” I murmur
ed then ducked my chin. I didn’t want to think about folks from my church. Yes, they were having a time with the third consecutive pregnancy out of wedlock in our flock, but my parents had been shielding me from much of the scrutiny. “The people will be the people. But my pastor has been great. I know I’ve disappointed him. Similar to my parents, he thought I was
the
difference. Nonetheless, he’s been comforting. He’s a bit younger than that
Old Testament
crew who still conduct themselves as they did before the day of Pentecost, but it’s no big deal…”

…nothing in comparison to my vacant chest from you stealing my heart.

My eyes traveled beyond him, stalling to think of an appropriate answer to his original question without coming off as angry. I was lonely, big and tired…all of the time. I felt abandoned and useless.
Why shouldn’t I share this? What would I have to lose?
He’d already decided against taking the journey with me.
Or would I do undue damage to what my heart really desired?

Decided,
I looked directly into his eyes and answered, “I’m hormonal.”