“It’s not Shelly either.”
“Then what’s wrong…? Al, for f**k’s sake, move outta my way!”
Cass and Lexi scattered. Romeo lifted me in his strong arms and carried me to the bed, laying me down and pressing me protectively to his chest.
Romeo’s nose tucked into my hair and he cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at him. I wiped the tears from my eyes and noticed that his face was beautifully conflicted—worried, sad, supportive.
He leaned forward and kissed away two stray tears. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
I couldn’t speak so I just stared, trying to anticipate his reaction.
He abruptly swerved his head to the bottom of the bed, barking, “Will somebody tell me what the f**k is goin’ on?”
“Rome, Molly needs to tell you. We’ll go, give you some time to yourselves,” Ally said calmly.
Each of my friends walked over and kissed me on my cheek before leaving the room. I sat up, my chest jerking erratically from the aftershocks of my meltdown.
When the door closed, Romeo pulled me on top of him, searching my eyes. “Baby, please. Tell me what’s wrong. You’re scarin’ the shit outta me.”
I curved forwards and kissed him tenderly. “I love you, Romeo.”
“I love you, too,” he answered back, and I smoothed the confusion from his lined forehead with my hand.
“Mol—”
“I’ve been feeling off for a few days,” I confessed, interrupting whatever he was about to say.
His eyes narrowed. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“I found out today why.”
“And… what’s wrong?” he pushed tersely, his patience waning.
“I’m… I’m…”
He groaned and pulled me closer. “Christ! You’re what, Mol?”
“I’m pregnant,” I said, barely loud enough to hear.
He went motionless, colour draining from his tan complexion, his fingers digging into my skin. “You’re pregnant?” He rolled me over so he was on top and asked me again with more urgency. “You’re pregnant?”
Tears pricked at my eyes, but I focused on holding them back. “Yes, I’m pregnant, Romeo. I’m pregnant with your baby.”
He retreated, resting his backside on his calves, and raked his hands through his hair with his eyes tightly closed. I watched him like a hawk, trying to figure out what he was feeling.
After minutes of suffocating silence, I didn’t think it was good.
“I’ll make an appointment to see a doctor. I’ll just get rid of it immediately.”
Dark eyes sprang open, disappointment in his chocolate glare. “You’d kill our baby?”
Anger wrapped me tightly in her embrace. “Don’t get all high and mighty on me now! I don’t need to hear any moral shit! I’m trying to do the best thing for both of us. I’ll cope with whatever I have to do. If that means having an abortion, then that’s just what will have to happen—it doesn’t mean that I want to go through with it!”
Panic swelled in his eyes. “Then don’t, baby, please. Gettin’ rid of it can’t be what you f**kin’ want?”
“I don’t know what the hell I want!”
Romeo bent forward and ran his lips back and forth over mine, his hands gently holding the sides of my face. “Well I do.”
“But… you…”
“Jesus, I was shocked! I’m still shocked, but that’s our baby in there. We made it together.” Never breaking my gaze, he shuffled down my legs, lifting up my white T-shirt, opened the waist of my jeans, and kissed butterfly caresses along my stomach. “And it’s not goin’ anywhere. Promise me. I have real strong feelin’s about this, Mol. Don’t destroy our God-given angel.”
Tears flowed like a waterfall once more.
“Promise me I have a say in this. Don’t have an abortion, please.”
I dropped my head, my feelings a jumbled mess. “I promise.”
He crawled back up my body and pressed his mouth to mine. I clasped my arms around his neck and in seconds, he rid me of my jeans and panties. Rome reached down and snapped open the fly of his jeans, sliding into me slowly, keeping his soft mouth working against mine.
“Romeo…” I whispered, clinging helplessly to his shoulders.
“I love you, Mol.”
I cried as he made love to me carefully, showing me without words that we were in this together. Rome’s movements grew faster, and I gripped onto him tighter until we found our mutual release.