You feel nauseous and are terrified. ‘I can’t be’, you think to yourself. You look to Bruno for comfort but he has slid back away from you. He’s staring in disbelief, “Wait. You mean LATE, LATE?! How fuckin late?!”. He sounds pissed. His tone is hurtful so you try to ignore it. “Bruno, my period is a week late”, you respond as calmly as you can. Bruno jumps up and holds his head in his hands. “What the fuck Nicole?! I thought you couldn’t get pregnant!!”, he fumes pacing back and forth. You’re first instinct is to be angry as you jump up with your fists clenched, ready to get in his face. But then you remember how much you love him and step back. “Bruno”, you say softly but he cuts you off. “WHAT?!”, he responds still pacing. You just stare at him in disbelief of his actions. “FUCK! What the hell am I gonna do wit a baby?!”, he mumbles to himself, pissed. ‘WOW’, you think to yourself. You knew he’d be upset but had no idea he’d react this way. You shake your head and just walk back to the villa. You grab your luggage and start packing. You are ready to go home. “Fuck this shit! I don’t need this from him right now”, you mumble unaware that Bruno is listening in the doorway. “Nikki…”, he starts with a deep sigh. You ignore him and continue packing. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s just…I thought…I mean…I don’t know what I mean”. You are pissed and terrified at the same time. Bruno moves closer to you but you step to the side. His reaction has completely pissed you off. “Nikki…”, now it’s your turn to cut him off. “Oh, so I’m Nikki now?!”. You roll your eyes and walk to the bathroom to gather your toiletries. He follows you and blocks the doorway. “Nikki, listen. I’m sorry. I was an ass, I know. I just didn’t expect this”. He lightly touches your arm and you step back. “Oh, like I did?!”. He looks down. “Well…I mean…you said you couldn’t get pregnant and…well…now you are. I just don’t know what to think”. You narrow your eyes, “Wait…what are you saying?”. Bruno shifts his weight to one side and stares at the wall. You know EXACTLY what he’s saying. You feel tears swell in your eyes. “Get the fuck outta my way. I’m going home”. You are so hurt right now you don’t even want to try to explain the precariousness of the situation. You gather your things while Bruno just watches. After a few minutes, he gets his suitcase and begins to pack as well. You stop, “I’m not traveling with you”. He sighs, “You don’t have a choice. Everything is in my name”. He continues packing. You roll your eyes realizing he’s right. “Fine”, you spit in his direction completely packed and ready to leave.
You and Bruno don’t speak one word to each other during the entire flight back to LA. In the car you sit as far as you can from him and watch the traffic pass by your window. You can see Bruno glance in your direction every so often but you are too pissed to even care. The car stops at your complex and Bruno doesn’t even say goodbye, let alone offer to carry your luggage up to your condo. The driver seems a little put off by Bruno’s behavior and offers to take your bags up for you. You smile, “It’s okay. I got it. Thank you though. I truly appreciate the offer”. You slide him a tip which he refuses as he glares in Bruno’s direction, “Some gentleman”. You smirk and walk into the building. You don’t wanna look back but you do. Bruno’s eyes are fixed straight ahead as he puts in his ear buds. He never even looks in your direction.
You open your front door and carefully put your luggage down. You walk to the couch, curl into a ball and cry uncontrollably until you are shaking. Laying on the couch, you just hold yourself for comfort and rock. After about an hour of tears and self pity, you feel like you should get up. You make a pot of tea and proceed to unpack. Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen that forces you to sit. ‘Oh my God! What the hell is going on?!’, you wonder. Tears begin to fall as you think about your situation. ‘I may be pregnant but who the hell is the father?’. You begin to talk to yourself out loud, “It doesn’t matter because even if I am pregnant…”, you are interrupted by your ringing cell phone. It’s Phil. “Shit!”. You aren’t sure you can talk to him right now so you let it go to voicemail. You hear your voicemail alert but your phone immediately rings again. It’s Phil…again. Your heart races. “Oh my God! He knows!”. Your hands are shaking as you answer, “Hello?”. “Nikki, what the fuck is going on?! Bruno just text me asking me to come over his place but I thought y’all were in Jamaica til’ Tuesday”. You sigh, “Ummm…I…uhhh…I wasn’t…I just…wanted to come home”. You can’t tell him over the phone but Philip knows you too well. “Nikki, what happened? Are you alright?”. The pain returns but stronger this time and you are bent over in tears. You can’t help but sob. Phil hears you weeping softly. “Baby Girl?”. You are in so much pain you can barely speak. “Philip…it hurts…please…”. You hear him running and fumbling with his keys. “Don’t move, I’m on my way!”.
You are crumpled in a ball on the floor in front of your bed. It seems as though only minutes have gone by when you hear someone at your door. You are in so much pain, you can’t get up. You hear Phil’s voice and possibly the building manager. Phil calls to you, “Nikki!”. You place your hand on your bed while holding your abdomen and attempt to stand. It doesn’t work. Phil hears you groan and runs into your bedroom. Seeing you he immediately drops on the floor and scoops you in his arms. “Baby Girl, what’s wrong?! I’m calling 911!”. He pulls out his cell phone. You shake your head no and knock it onto the floor. “No…”, you groan. “I’m ok”. He stares at you like you’re crazy. “Nikki you are NOT ok. I’m taking you to the hospital”. He stands holding you in his arms. You feel so safe in his arms. Everything is always ok when you are in Phil’s arms but you can’t go to the hospital. You try to get down, “No, no, Philip I’m ok. Please don’t. I just need to rest”. He stares at you for a moment with worry written all over his face. You can see him struggling with his decision. “Fine”, he finally mumbles laying you carefully on your bed. You take a deep breath and thank God Phil listened to you. It takes all your strength to sit up but you do. You can’t worry him. You give Phil a half-smile and he sits next to you on your bed. He pushes your hair off of your face and asks, “Nikki, what’s wrong? What is it Baby?”. You want to tell him but you can’t. You hold his hand and say, “I’m fine. I just need to rest. Ok?”. His face changes, “WAIT…where is Bruno? Why are you here alone if you’re sick? Is that why y'all came home early?”. Before you can answer, Phil begins to dial Bruno. “DON’T!”, you yell taking his phone and ending the call. Phil looks at you confused. “Bruno and I aren’t speaking right now”. Phil looks upset. “I don’t give a fuck! You shouldn’t be here alone!”. He gets up and grabs your overnight bag and proceeds to pack your clothes. “You’re gonna stay with me if he’s not gonna take care of you”. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m grown”, you manage to say through a sharp pain. Phil ignores your comment and zips the bag. He throws it across his body then scoops you into his arms. “Phil, I can walk”, you protest. He ignores you and you’re glad because you really don’t think you can even stand up right now.
You open your eyes and you are in Phil’s bed. The pain is gone. Phil is sitting with the lower half of his body on a chair next to the bed while his upper body is spread on the bed. His right arm is draped across your body with his right hand holding yours. You smile as you realize just how much you missed him. You begin to stroke his head as he sleeps and your text alarms. It’s Bruno. ‘Im N insensitive a$$. I luv U. I didn’t sleep all nite. Ur on my mind. Im worried abt U. Can we talk?’. You ignore the message and continue stroking Phil’s head. He stirs. Looking up at you, he smiles. “How you feel Baby Girl?”, he asks sitting up. “A LOT better”, you reply. You hold your arms open for him to join you in bed. He climbs in and you wrap your arms around each other. Kissing the top of his head you say, “Thank you for helping me last night”. He smirks, “You know you don’t have to thank me”. He squeezes you tighter. ‘Should I tell him?’, you begin to wonder as the love of your life lays in your arms. ‘I mean chances are, if I am pregnant, it’s Bruno’s baby. I don’t wanna hurt him’. “Sooooooo...”, Phil starts, breaking into your inner monologue. “You wanna tell me why you and B aren’t talking?”. Your eyes grow wide. You are silent. After a minute, Phil looks up at you. “What’s wrong?”, he asks. You see the genuine love and concern behind his eyes. You know you have to tell him. You take a deep breath, close your eyes and say, “Phil…I’m late”. He smiles, “Nah Baby Girl, you’re not going in to work today”. You take a deep breath and repeat yourself, “Phil, I’m late”. After a few seconds, it hits him. He sits up and squeezes you tight. Releasing you instantly he apologies, “Oh shit! I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?!”. You smile at Phil’s reaction. He kisses your forehead, nose and lips. “Baby Girl! Wow!”, he rubs your abdomen excitedly then kisses it. After a few seconds, reality hits him. “Wait, how late?”. “A week”, you admit. “So, does that mean…”, he lowers his head. You lift his chin and kiss him, “Phil I don’t know. I don't even know if I am pregnant or if something else is going on”. He continues rubbing your abdomen and smiles. His face changes and he looks up at you, “So Bruno wasn’t happy about the news. That’s why you came home early”. You look away. “That’s a’ight, this is a Lawrence right here anyway. I can feel it!”. You feel a slight sting in your heart knowing that the odds are not in his favor. He kisses and rubs your abdomen, “Hey in there! It’s Daddy!”. You push him away with tears in your eyes and get up out of bed. He follows you, wraps his arms around you and rubs your belly. “Phil, don’t”, you plead pushing his hands away. “Nikki”, he begins turning you to face him. “I don’t care who the father is. I love you so this baby is mine no matter what”. You lay your head on his shoulder and cry. “It’s ok Baby Girl, it’s ok”, Phil whispers while stroking your hair. You push away from him. Wiping your eyes with the back of your hands you finally let it all out. “It’s NOT ok! You don’t understand! I CAN’T have a baby. If I am pregnant, I can’t keep it! A pregnancy could kill me Philip! So it doesn’t matter whose baby it is!”. You are frantically pacing back and forth. You don’t want to see the look on his face. You know how much he wants you to have his baby but it can never happen and it’s tearing your heart out. “Nikki”, he says in barely a whisper. He places his hands on your waist and attempts to pull you close. You push him away. ‘I can’t do this’, you think to yourself. You begin to pack up your things to leave. He stops you. “Where are you going?” “Phil, I need to go. I have to call my OB/GYN.” “Ok, well, we can call him together. I’m here for you Nikki”. You want to cry. Pulling away from him you grab your bag and head down the stairs. You ALMOST make it to the front door but Phil softly takes your right hand. “Baby Girl”, he whispers. He does’t pull you or even try to turn you around. You stop but don’t face him. Phil continues in a whisper lightly stroking your hand with his thumb. “I know you have a lot on you right now. I know you want to be alone and I understand BUT I’m right here if you need anything. I’ll drop WHATEVER I’m doing if you need ANYTHING”. You can feel the tears kissing your cheeks. Caressing your hand he whispers, “I love you both Nikki”. You can feel the deluge of tears over powering you. You remove your hand from his and walk out the door. You walk out to the driveway and remember that your car is at home. Your pride won’t allow you to turn back so you walk back to your condo through a river of tears.
You turn the corner and begin walking down the hallway to your condo. You are so thankful to be home. You look up and low and behold, Bruno is leaning against your door. You stop in your tracks and sigh deeply, ‘No, no, no. Not right now’. You take a deep breath and continue walking. You don’t acknowledge him as you approach your door. “Baby, can we please talk?”, he pleads staring you down. You open the door and quickly close it behind you hoping to keep him out but it doesn’t work. “I’m a complete asshole. I’m sorry Baby”, he apologizes placing a gift bag down on the table. He attempts to grab your waist but you evade his advances. “How are you? How’s the baby?”, he smiles. You continue to ignore him while you make your way to your room and put your things away. “Nikki, please talk to me. I’m sorry”. ‘Yes you are! You sorry ass inconsiderate mutherfucka’, you think to yourself. You continue ignoring him but he is determined to gain your attention. He snatches the clothes out of your hands and throws them. Grabbing both of your hands, he pulls you close, “DAMN IT WOMAN! TALK TO ME!”. You glare at him. ‘I KNOW this little fucker isn’t screaming at me’, you think to yourself. He reads your expression and takes a deep breath. He caresses your face. Staring deep into your eyes he says, “I’m sorry for how I reacted”. You roll your eyes and attempt to turn your head but he won’t let you. “Baby, I love you and I didn’t mean to insinuate that this was intentional”. He kisses your forehead, nose and attempts to kiss your lips but you turn your face and push him away. “I deserve that”, he acknowledges. He pulls you back and drops to his knees in front of you. Lifting your shirt he kisses your abdomen. “Hey in there!” You push him away. He pulls you close again. Kissing your abdomen once again he continues, “Hey little guy! It’s Daddy!”. You push him way with more force this time, “Bruno stop it!”. He smirks at you. He gets up and retrieves the gift bag from the living room. Dropping back down to his knees in front of you, he pulls out a baby blue onsie that says ‘Lil Brunz’. Your heart is breaking. “Look what I got for my little man”, he says happily laying it against your abdomen. You can’t take it anymore. You throw the onsie and run into the bathroom and lock the door. Sitting on the edge of the tub you just let the tears fall. Bruno knocks at the door. “Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” “Just leave Bruno.” “Leave? No! I wanna make sure you are ok.” “Bruno, please leave. I really just wanna be alone.” There is silence on the opposite side of the door. You lift your head from your hands and listen intently. The door opens and Bruno walks in looking concerned. You roll your eyes in disbelief. “Bruno please le…”. He cuts you off as he sits next to you placing his index finger to your lips. “Why? Why do you want me to leave? Huh?!”. You know you have to tell him that you can’t have the baby IF you are in-fact pregnant. BUT he doesn’t need to know that he may not be the father. You take a deep breath. He senses your anxiety and moves closer to you. Holding your hands in his, he smiles at you, “What is it Nikki?”. Tears fall freely as you tell him. A look of disappointment and relief wash over his face. You get up and head to the living room but he doesn’t follow. After a few minutes, Bruno emerges from your room. He quietly walks into the kitchen and wraps his arms around you, holding you tight in his arms. He strokes your hair as he looks lovingly into your eyes and kisses your lips softly. He doesn’t open his mouth but you can hear everything he’s saying and you forgive him. His stare becomes intense and evolves into a familiar look. You can feel moisture between your legs. You know you really shouldn’t but his apology is begging for your forgiveness and it’s HARD to resist. Bruno kisses you softly as you caress the back of his head. He lifts you onto the countertop and removes your shorts and panties. He drops his pants quickly but enters you slowly. That carrot immediately begins to pulsate inside of you. You MOAN as as Bruno slowly thrusts in and out of your love. He kisses from your neck up to your ear and whispers, “Baby, am I hurting you?”. You can’t respond. That carrot is fanning the flames of your fire and you are about to explode. You grip his back and bite his lower lip as your forgiveness flows onto his manhood. He smiles and whispers in your ear, “I LOVE IT when you make it wet for me Baby”. You smile back and wrap your legs around him. Holding you, while he stands, he continues, slowly thrusting in and out of your love. Your love is dripping wet but you can feel him tighten up inside of you. He grips your hips firmly and you begin to lightly bounce up and down on his manhood until his legs quiver. Bruno let’s out a low growl that causes your walls to spasm…again. His juices flow down your thighs as you stand - wobbling like a newborn foal. Kissing you, he picks you up and carries you to bed. Laying his warm body atop yours, you can feel his manhood screaming for Round 2. You open your gates and he slides right in. He slowly thrusts as he pins your legs back. You whisper, “You’re not hurting me Baby”. An evil grin curls his lips and he begins to grind DEEP inside your love until you scream from and earth shattering orgasm. “Say my name”, he whispers, smiling as he watches your body writhe in blissful torture. You seal your lips and smile. “So, you wanna be a bad girl tonight, huh? I got something for bad girls”. Bruno quickly flips you over onto your stomach and enters you with authority. That carrot zeros in on your G-spot in no time and Bruno is owning his pussy like a boss. He slows his pace momentarily to repeat his request, “Say my name Baby”. This time you try but you just can’t. The blows to your walls have silenced your vocal chords and caused your juices to drip down your thighs as they shake uncontrollably. “Aight then. Let me show you who’s pussy this is”, he says with a devilish grin. Suddenly, you feel a smack on your ass that activates your vocal chords. “Ah!”, you exclaim surprised - but…you kinda like it. He smacks your ass again and grinds deeper until that carrot touches the back of your walls. “Say…my…name…”, he whispers as he leans inside your love. You can’t hold back anymore. You moan, “Bruuuuuuunnnnoooooo” and collapse on the bed just as he releases his love inside of you. He lays his body on yours and kisses your right cheek. “That shit was good”, he murmurs in your right ear. You smile and agree, “Yes it was”. You both roll over on the bed. Within minutes, you are asleep in his arms.
You open your eyes. It’s 3:48am. Bruno is fast asleep and you are still in his arms. You get up slowly and make your way to the bathroom. As you walk you feel a very familiar feeling in your lower abdomen. You enter the bathroom and realize that you have cramps. You can’t help but smile at your reflection in the mirror. You take deep breath. “Thank God”, you exhale as you reach for a tampon.
