Roommates

chapter 23

"Baby, I'm trusting you." I sat on the back of the yellow ATV and let out a short prayer.

"I got this, don't worry, mama." Lee fixed his protective gear and lifted his arms so I could wrap mine around his torso.

I blew out a breath and clung onto him for dear life, Nas chuckled and revved the engine to his ATV.

Nas is the busiest during the summer, so he drops by whenever he can throughout the break.

We told my dad that Lee was really good at driving the ATVs, so he got Lee a two-seater as a late birthday present.  Lee spent two days learning how to drive it with my dad and Nas, now he trusts himself enough to ride with me on the back.

"Ready to get dusted, youngblood?" Lee laughed at the dumb name and revved his own engine.

"With my girl on the back?  Never."

"I want a clean race, boys.  Try not to fall off, sweetheart." My dad playfully shouted over the noise and pointed at me.  I sent a sarcastic thanks to him and continued to cling onto Lee.

My dad counted them down and they were off.

"Daya, get up!  Get that blood pumpin'!" I scolded Daya over the call and continued to follow the Zumba moves.

"I'm tired and it's already pumping!" Daya fell onto her bed and sighed.

Lennox, Daya, and I decided to have a Zumba-FaceTime.  Usually, Daya is most active and the best at Zumba, but whenever she goes home and sees her mom she gets noticeably sad and less interested in a lot of things.

Daya's mom had a stoke then fell into a string of sicknesses a while ago, she's been struggling with the effects of it ever since.  Seeing her mom like that, knowing there's not much she can do, kills Daya.  As her best friends, Lennox and I try to give her all the support we have when she needs it most.

"I need a break too, I just ate some fries and I remembered my little body ain't built for this." Lennox plopped onto her couch and coughed dramatically.

"Oh, some fries sound good as hell right now." Daya jumped up again and smiled.

I laughed and adjusted my sports bra, walking into my kitchen for water.

"Look at you walking in the big ass house all alone, where's Lee?"

"He went to the shooting range with my dad and brother."

"Oop, Lee's learning how to sling the strap?" We laughed at Lennox and I shook my head, seeing a text from Elaine.

"I love y'all, I gotta go, but I'm gonna call again tonight."

"We love you too."

I played several short games on my phone as I waited for Elaine and Rome in the spacious waiting room.  Rome flew in yesterday and, conveniently, Elaine's doctor's appointment is today.

I can't wait to find out if I'm having a niece or nephew, I already know they're going to be incredibly loved and spoiled.  As the first grandchild of Gabriel and Ashe Patterson, they really don't have a choice.

The room is relatively empty, filled with four or five expecting parents.  I unintentionally stared at the younger couple in the corner, the man ran his large hand over the woman's small bump and whispered something into her ear, it made her laugh.

I smiled at the beautiful sight and looked down at my dinging phone.

Baby 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🤍: