Never One To Ask (Book 2) (Completed)

Chapter 32: No Interference

Through my bedroom door enters my mother with a bowl full of pink cake in hand. She looks at my baby's father in pity, shaking her head at his resting body, laid between my legs. She approaches me slowly, laying a hand on my belly, as if to soothe the baby from the sight of her drunken father. She rubs my stomach endearingly, and hands me the cake.

"He's sleeping it off," I inform her as I take a bite, hoping to clear her face of it's worried expression. She shakes her head once more, speechless.

"Mucha ayuda él que no estorba," she says as she turns away, starting towards the door. A saying that means "he that doesn't interfere, is of great help", something my grandmother used to say whenever I was in trouble with my mom. It was a way of telling me that I needed to figure things out on my own. The saying penetrates deeper than before. Now that I can hear the concern in my mother's voice, it shows me how much it pains her to see me going through all of this.

Mom closes my bedroom door behind her just as Jay's head shifts on my thigh. I look down at him planting sleepy kisses across my round, exposed stomach. I offer him a bite of cake and he obliges, taking a spoonful of pink icing in his mouth.

"Mmm," he muses. His head returns to my thigh, comfortably nestling his head there. "Keri, will our baby have blue eyes like you?"

I ponder on this question and its relevancy. "I don't know, baby. My abuelita says the trait tends to skip generations at a time."

Jasean scoffs at my reply. "Well, if she does end up having them, I'll never be able to say 'no' to her." He laughs at his own self.

"Why is that? What do you prefer she look like?"

"She'll have my face and your eyes," Jay tells me lazily. "That would be a little more bearable so it won't be like I'm looking directly at you all the time." I laugh as I dig into my cake. "Keri, I have another question," he pauses. "It's about something that was said a while ago." He sheepishly looks up at me.

"Dime," I say in Spanish while licking my spoon. Jay's nimble fingers run circles on my skin as he talks to my thigh.

"When our moms had that argument and you said that my mom should know how important it is that you be happy. What did you mean by that?"

I giggle, not at his question but at the fact that he's seemed to forgotten the volatile event that had just taken place not even hours ago; yet remembers this tiny detail from this summer. Taking another bite, I hesitantly answer his question.

"It's a secret, I promised not to tell," I explain, examining his bruised cheek. He winces at the sensation of my fingers against his face. "It's known that when women are pregnant, they have to be happy."

He looks at me expectedly as though he doesn't buy it. "K, you're having my baby; there's no more secrets between us, remember?" He looks up into my eyes for assurance.

"You're right, it's just that it's kind of personal to your mother. It's something only I know." He nods his head.

"Tell me."

"When your mom was 16, she was pregnant." I bite my lip.

"But, she was 18 when Troy was born." He scratches his head while I shake mine.

"No, it was a girl," I say. Watching his eyebrows furrow, I can tell he has no idea of what I'm talking about.

"By my dad? Well, where is she? I have an older sister?" He questions all at once.

"No, I'm not sure about all of that." I take a breath before explaining. "Jasean, your mom miscarried and she told me that when it comes time for me to have the baby that I should be happy, or something could go wrong." He nods his head in solemn understanding. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, she made me promise."

He looks speechless for a moment and I too am at a loss for words.

I think about that absurd conversation the four of us had at that table. I couldn't believe Ms. Ruth would portray me as a whore after all that her son has put me through. How could she question her grandchild. After all of the conversations we had, telling me I was like her daughter, and soon would be legally; I simply didn't expect to be treated this way by my future mother-in-law.

I feel tears welling in my eyes and Jay quickly wipes them away just as they fall. "What's wrong?" He questions, genuinely concerned.

"I trusted her. She was like a second mom and she hurt me with words I never expected to come from her mouth." I look down as tears continue to fall. "How could she question me, Jay?" He pushes himself up, kissing my cheek.

"She didn't mean that. I think everyone was just shocked by the pregnancy news and didn't know how to react," he calmly rubs my cheek. "You just have to forgive her. Besides, I have nothing to worry about. I know she's mine. There's no one else to worry about. I'm the only one you've been with and that's all that matters, right?"

My mind blanks as it wanders, coasting back to this summer. Images of another man's arms around me, leaving me breathless, bring on feelings of remorse. A different set of eyes watching me fall into ecstasy fills me with regret. Fingers that don't belong to my first love; touching different places submerge me in the feeling of pain. I see it all replaying in front of my eyes, the images now bringing emotions antonymous to the ones of that summer, June day.

My teary, blue eyes find his and I watch as the confidence in them is quickly replaced with doubt and worry as my lips hesitantly part, but the answer is not heard. "Right," I whisper, but it's too late. Jay's eyes widen in shock as he moves to the edge of my bed. I watch as he stands, shaking his head. "Jay?"

"He wasn't joking?" He finally looks to me. "You and Kael?" I bite my lip and turn my attention to my belly.

"It's not his, there's no way," I try to assure him.

Jay shakes his head and looks away. "But, when?"

"It was a month before I texted you, I swear. It was only once. There's absolutely no chance of it being his, I promise you, Jay."

"Why didn't you tell me? Don't you think this is something I'm supposed to know?" He sighs. "You don't even care about what you've done!" He raises his voice at me.

I have no other choice but to close my eyes and breathe, because I can already feel my blood starting to boil. "We weren't together, Jay. I had no intentions of getting back with you." I slide to the edge of my silk comforter. "And I'm sure I wasn't your only one this summer either." His eyes challenge my knowledge. "Remember Abrianna? You wanna tell me everything you did with her after we broke up, Jay? You don't have to explain because what you do when you're single is none of my business and means nothing to me!" I'm furious with him. I just cried to him about his own mother, and here he is- doing the exact same thing.

A sly smirk forms across his face. "I give you that, but how do I know you weren't playing me every night I was coming over here?" He sucks his teeth. "I knew there was a reason you were letting me tap so easily."

My jaw drops before I can roll my eyes. "Look," I say, struggling to get up from the bed. Jasean reaches out a hand to help, but I push it away, standing up on my own. "If you don't believe me, get a test. But not only will it be a waste of time and money, but also your child will resent you for doubting her." I point him in the chest. "I made many mistakes this summer- that I regret, Jay. Don't make one of them be of having a child by you."