Brother's Keeper✔️

29. Black Magic for Real

Taj POV

He was in a world of trouble. All week long after getting that call from Temira it felt like he was having an out-of-body experience.

Temira was pregnant, from their one-time romp weeks ago.

How was this possible?

Of course, he knew how it was possible. He got too excited and did not use a condom. What was he thinking? He was not thinking. If he was thinking, he was thinking with the wrong thing.

Soon after she called and said they needed to talk, he rushed over there. She did not even mince words with him once he stepped inside her apartment.

"I'm pregnant."

He could have been the typical guy and asked "Is it mine?" But since she called him over there and said it was important, he was smart enough to put two and two together.

He looked over her face to see how she felt about it. Face scrubbed of makeup, locs pulled back in a low ponytail, silk pajamas on. He could tell she had been crying by her red eyes and ashen face. He still was too stunned to say anything.

She walked over to sit on the sofa, covering her face with her hands, and cried. He walked over and sat beside her, rubbing her back.

What could he say to her? It was his baby too, but he did not know how much his opinion mattered. Was he ready for a baby? Plenty of people had kids in worse situations than they were in. At least they both were about to graduate and hopefully have nice jobs. In fact, she came from money. The baby would have a good life.

He was not going to be a deadbeat, like his father. He would take care of his child.

He only wished the woman having his baby was a woman he was in love with and planned to be with for the rest of his life. Couldn't make everything perfect.

"Temira, I'm here for you, whatever you need."

"Taj, I'm not trying to trap you or anything, I know what that night was...we haven't even talked since then." She rubbed tears from her face. "I met someone else and I really like him but...we haven't done anything, and now..."

"I met someone too," he said, thinking of Faye. "That doesn't change anything, what we did. Your guy has to understand that, and my girl..." Faye was not his girlfriend. And when she found out about this, she never would be. She already had a deadbeat baby father to deal with, and now he was going to be one. Well, not a deadbeat, but a baby father.

"My parents are going to kill me!"

"Why?" He still rubbed her back. "You're twenty-two, about to graduate college. You're smart, you can do this. We can do this. I mean, it wasn't in the plan, but-"

"I'm not keeping it"

She said it so deadpan as if her mind was already made up.

"I only called to let you know, but we both know we don't need this right now in our lives. Yes, I want kids one day, not now, not from a one-night stand either. Locking some guy down because I was horny and he was hot."

He respected her decision. He took her hands in his. "Look, it's up to you. But know that it was more than a one-night stand. I think you're a cool girl, and things got out of hand that night. I already had feelings for someone else and you just came into my life at a bad time. If you keep the baby, I'm here, if you don't I'm here."

"Gosh Taj, you'd be perfect if I had feelings for you like that. Call me weird, but there was just no connection outside of great sex. Wait, I mean no offense by that."

"None, taken." He hugged her. "I want you to think long and hard about this decision. You have to live with it for the rest of your life. If you are a hundred percent sure about this, I need to be there okay, holding your hand."

She nodded.

And sure enough, Friday she called and said she set an appointment for the procedure. He had to call off work because he needed to be there. He had only told Daysha, just to see if he was doing the right thing by not talking Temira out of it. Daysha felt how he did, her body, her choice. It might be different, or harder if they were in a relationship together, but they both had moved on with other people in their lives.

He picked her up at her place and drove her to one of the only places in town that did the procedures. Of course, there was a barrage of Pro-Lifers to greet them, but neither were phased by them.

Taj offered to pay half, and even though she said she didn't need his money, it would not be right any other way. It was his responsibility too. Everything about the day and the procedure was a lesson to him.

Never, ever, ever, become intimate with a person if you truly did not care for them. Sex was great, he would be the first to admit that, but random sex was not worth being in a situation like this, or worse.

Wrap it up, each and every time. Even if the girl said they were on birth control, wrap it up. That did not mean she didn't have a sexually transmitted infection or disease. He had never caught anything like that and had no plans to. He knew fraternity brothers that were tested and had to take pills and potions for the rest of their life for one night of bliss.

Not worth it.

After everything was done, he drove her back to her place and walked her up to her apartment.

"You need me to stay with you a bit?"

"No Taj, you've done enough."

"I haven't, you did all the work. Come on, I'll stay with you for a while."

She changed and got in bed, and said she felt drained. He sat beside her bed just to keep her company till she fell asleep.

"Taj," she said to him.

"Yeah."

"Lucky girl, whoever you have found."

"I'm nothing special," he said. "But she is."

A/N: In any of my books, if a condom is not used, OR birth control and testing hasn't been mentioned, that means something like this will happen. I do not play when it comes to safe sex. Kids, those under eighteen reading my books, PLEASE USE PROTECTION. Get tested on a regular if you're having unprotected sex.

And, your body, your choice. You do not have to agree with a person's choice...but it is their choice.