Her Baby His Gift (The Slow Burn Duology Book 1) Page 4

  Elaina swallowed nervously. She didn’t like the direction the conversation had gone.

  Carter continued. “No matter how I might feel about fatherhood, I’m going to have to swallow that shit. If you and I are going to go any further in this relationship, you need to understand that. Whenever Harlem needs me, I will be there. Simply put, I will always look after that kid and, by extension, Harlem. Can you deal with that? If not, let me know now.”

  Elaina hated being in this situation, but she also wasn’t going to lose Carter to Harlem. She just needed more time. Their relationship was too new to make any demands. If Elaina was going to win, she had to tap dance on a razor’s edge. She would go along to get along . . . for now. Her voice softened. “It’s hard for a woman to play second fiddle to another.” Elaina stepped closer to Carter. She flattened her palms against his chest and raised her chin so that she could look deeply into his eyes. “I want to build a future with you.”

  Carter couldn’t imagine any woman handling this situation well. He wanted to do right by everyone involved and decided to give Elaina a pass on this one–this time. However, he didn’t have the patience to deal with any more bullshit.

  Carter was tired. He exhaled. “I’ve got to get back to the office.”

  She spoke softly and gently raked her fingers through his hair. “Are we okay?”

  Carter was ready to cut and run. That would have been his usual M.O., but that was the old him. “If we’re clear, let’s just put it behind us.”

  “Okay. I’d like that. How about dinner? At your place?” Elaina used her most sultry voice. “I’ll bring the food. Plus, I still want to thank you properly for the flowers and diamond bracelet.”

  Carter really didn’t want to be bothered, but he forced himself. “Sounds good. I’ll see you at eight.” Before Elaina could kiss him, Carter turned on his heel and strode out of her office.

  Elaina watched him leave. She could tell by the stiffness of his gait that Carter was still pissed. Elaina had her work cut out for her. Elaina could tell that this was going to be an epic battle, and there was no way she intended to let Harlem Thomas win.

  Chapter 8

  Harlem took a deep breath as she stood outside the door of the physician’s office. She was nervous. Plenty of women managed motherhood on their own. I can do it. Harlem didn’t want to depend on Carter. He may have good intentions, but graveyards were full of people with those. This was something that she was going to have to do by herself. Harlem squared her shoulders and walked inside before quickly stopping short.

  The waiting room was full . . . of couples. A bunch of seemingly loving couples massaging each other’s shoulders and looking all in love. Great. Harlem tried to stomp out the negative energy before it even started. Don’t be a bitter Betty, Harlem. But more importantly, don’t schedule anymore damn Saturday morning appointments either. Harlem checked in and then took the only available seat next to one of those couples. It literally made her want to gag.

  It was good that so many women had the support of their partners. She just wasn’t one of them. Instead of focusing on that, Harlem picked up an Essence magazine from off the coffee table as a distraction. Too bad she couldn’t concentrate on the words. Not when the woe is me feeling was working hard to rear its ugly head.

  A nurse called the name of the couple sitting next to her, and they left the waiting room. Harlem had a little more room to relax. She flipped a page in the magazine. She wasn’t reading it but needed something to do with her hands and pent-up nervous energy.

  “Oh good. You haven’t gone in yet.”

  Harlem glanced up to see Carter taking off his jacket. To her own surprise, he was a welcomed relief. He took the seat that had been recently vacated by the couple.

  Carter was irritated. “You could have waited.”

  She was happy to see him but would never admit it. She kept her voice low so no one else could hear them. “We never agreed to come together.”

  Carter had had enough of her shit. He was just about to tell her when a nurse called out her name. “Harlem Thomas.”

  Quickly, she stood and nervously pressed her lips together. Carter would hold his tongue for now, but later, he planned to set Harlem straight. He stood too.

  She glanced back at him. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going in with you.”

  “You can’t.” Harlem would have to get undressed. It would be way too intimate.

  “The hell I can’t.” Carter lifted his chin in the direction of the nurse to nudge Harlem along. “Let’s go. She’s waiting.”

  She was only hesitant for a second, then followed behind the nurse. They were shown to their room, and Harlem was thankful there was a bathroom in it. She would have to change and didn’t want to get undressed in front of Carter. It prevented an argument about him overstepping and Harlem needing some privacy.

  While Harlem was changing, Carter looked around the room. He was familiar with a woman’s body, but this was something altogether different. He took a particular interest in one of the pictures on the wall. It was a photo of the various stages of pregnancy. Harlem was still in her first trimester.

  Tentatively, Harlem came out of the bathroom holding the back of her gown. “I hate these things. Nurses always have to give you two just so your ass doesn’t hang out, but she only gave me one.”

  Carter averted his eyes. He felt awkward, as if he was breaking some unwritten rule. The room suddenly seemed smaller.

  Harlem felt awkward too. She struggled to sit on the edge of the bed and hold her gown together.

  Carter could see out of the corner of his eye that she needed help. He waited for her to ask but knew that she was too stubborn to do it. Instead, he took a few steps toward her, and placed his hands on her waist, and lifted Harlem up onto the bed.

  “Thanks.” She wouldn’t look at him. Harlem knew that her brown face had turned flaming red in embarrassment.

  The door opened, and her doctor, full of smiles, came bursting into the room. “Hi, Harlem. How are you?”

  It was a welcomed interruption. Carter stepped away from Harlem as if he had been caught with his hand in the candy jar.

  She cleared her throat. “Hi, Dr. Jones.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “A little tired, but otherwise, I’m fine.” She responded.

  “Is that normal?” Carter was genuinely curious.

  Dr. Jones extended his hand. “Pretty normal. Good to see you again, Mr. Owens.” He had been around since the beginning of the IVF treatments and knew that Carter was the donor. He also knew about the untimely death of Damian. Dr. Jones figured Carter would be involved in this pregnancy in some form.

  Carter shook Dr. Jones’ hand. “Good to see you again too.” He had so many conflicting emotions. Here he was acting like the baby’s father when he wasn’t ready to be one. Carter was doing the one thing he’d always swore he’d never do.

  “You two must be excited about hearing the baby’s heartbeat.”

  “T-that’s today?” Harlem stuttered.

  “It sure is.” He confirmed. Dr. Jones went through a series of questions while checking Harlem’s vitals. Once that was all done, it was show time. “Please lay back for me.” Dr. Jones pulled out the fetal heart monitor. He grabbed a bottle and something that looked like a small microphone.

  “What is that?” Carter was full of questions.

  “It’s the instrument that will allow us to hear the baby.” He responded.

  Carter moved closer to Harlem.

  She laid on her back as instructed, and Dr. Jones positioned her gown so that her belly was exposed. It was still pretty flat, which made it hard to believe that she was even pregnant.

  Carter and Harlem watched intently as he squirted a clear jelly-like substance from a bottle onto her stomach. “Does that hurt?” Carter asked.

  “No, and the gel is heated. Back in the day, this was cold.” He chuckled. “Women wanted to physically assault me
because of it, so I’m glad for the improvement.” Dr. Jones tried a little humor to lighten the mood in the room. It was thick with tension.

  It didn’t work.

  Harlem had gone completely silent. Carter could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She was freaking out. There was real fear in her eyes. He captured one of her hands in his and squeezed her hand to reassure her.

  “Okay. Here we go.” Dr. Jones placed the little microphone onto her stomach. He glided it over the jelly back and forth several times, and then all of a sudden, there it was–the rapid heartbeat of a baby. It was a powerful sound when it came through the speakers.

  Harlem blinked several times. Suddenly, something within her clicked. It was the moment that her pregnancy became more than just an idea. She realized a little human was growing inside of her body.

  “That’s . . . the baby?” Hearing the heartbeat for the first time was surreal.

  Dr. Jones beamed. “Yes. That is your baby.”

  Carter was feeling something, but he doubted it was the same as Harlem. She had genuine wonder written all over her face. He, on the other hand, felt a little nauseous.

  Dr. Jones continued to monitor the sound for a few more moments and took some notes. He finished up and began to wipe the goop off of her. “You’re right on schedule, Harlem. Everything sounds good. Do you have any questions for me?”

  She whispered. “Nothing that immediately comes to mind.”

  Rarely had Carter seen Harlem rendered speechless, but he could see it in her face. She was processing the miracle of motherhood.

  “Okay. If neither of you has any questions, I’ll see you back here in a month.” Dr. Jones shook both their hands again and left the room.

  Carter was filled with both amazement and confusion. “I was not expecting that.”

  A small grin spread wide across her face. “Neither was I.” Her hidden thoughts of terminating the pregnancy vanished–she could never. Harlem sat up and threw her legs over the bed. “Carter?”

  He helped her down. “Yeah?”

  She looked up into his eyes. Her own twinkled. “I’m going to be a mother.”

  He nodded in agreement. “It would seem so.”

  Harlem wasn’t sure her feet were actually touching the ground as she walked into the bathroom. Carter watched her leave. Once she was out of earshot, he heard his own voice echoing the same sentiment with a lot less enthusiasm. “I guess that means I’m going to be a father.”

  *****

  Carter and Harlem walked side-by-side to her car. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck. They needed to at least try to bond given this situation. Now was a good a time as any. “It’s still early. You want to go grab some breakfast?”

  If Harlem were honest, she was starving. She’d only eaten a banana before coming to her doctor’s appointment. She was still floating in the clouds and wondered if Carter felt the same way. He was obviously offering the olive branch. If they were going to be on this journey together, she might as well make the best of it. “Sure. I could eat something.”

  Carter was relieved Harlem was up to playing nice. “There’s a place called Benny’s around the corner. They have great food. Follow me in your car, and I’ll meet you there.”

  Harlem did as asked. Moments later, they were sitting in a booth waiting for their server and looking over the menu.

  “How do you feel?” Carter asked.

  She glanced up above the menu to look into his eyes. “I was just about to ask you that.”

  “Not like I thought I would.”

  Harlem’s head tilted slightly. “How did you think you would?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know what to expect today. I was here . . .”

  “Because you felt obligated?” Harlem finished his sentence.

  “If I’m honest, yes.”

  Of course, that was why he would show up, but it was still hard to hear but no longer surprising. Harlem wasn’t quite sure why. She guessed it was because they weren’t doing things in the natural order of things.

  Carter continued. “But something changed. When I heard the baby’s heartbeat . . .” His words faded.

  “It became real,” Harlem said softly.

  It was something like that, but more so that Carter’s caveman instincts kicked in. He decided to keep that bit of information to himself.

  “For me too,” Harlem said honestly.

  “Really?” Carter was surprised. “I thought the pregnancy would have already felt real.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to process being pregnant. Shortly after I found out the in-vitro was a success, Damian told us about his illness. After that, I poured everything into him.”

  Carter had witnessed it firsthand. “He was lucky to have you.”

  “He was lucky to have you too,” Harlem said earnestly.

  “What? Was that another compliment from Harlem Thomas? If so, that makes two in the past week.”

  “Maybe, but if you tell another living soul, I’ll deny it.” She laughed.

  Their server came over to take their order. After she’d gone, Carter teased Harlem. “You ordered almost everything on the menu.”

  “I sure did because you’re paying.”

  Her laugh actually reached her eyes. Carter couldn’t help but notice how they sparkled. It made him feel a little less stressed the fuck out. “I don’t know if I have enough money on my credit card to pay for it all.” He chuckled, then turned serious. “It’s good to see you smile.”

  “If I’m honest, it’s good to have something to smile about.” Harlem glanced down at her hands. “Thank you for coming today. I was so nervous. I know that I’ve been a little difficult and put up a few roadblocks,” she looked up, “Thanks for ignoring them.”

  “That’s what friends are for, right?” The corners of his lips lifted into a light smile.

  “Is that what we are?” She asked, genuinely curious.

  Carter placed his hand on top of hers and held her gaze. “No. We haven’t been, but now that we have a common goal, I hope that we can be.”

  Harlem was just about to agree when Elaina showed up at their table. “Well, isn’t this cozy?” Harlem slowly pulled her hands from underneath Carter’s and placed them in her lap.

  His brow raised in surprise and then knitted together with irritation. “What are you doing here?”

  Harlem could only imagine how they may have looked to a jealous girlfriend.

  Elaina crossed her arms. “I love Benny’s bagels and thought I’d drop by to grab a couple. Imagine my surprise at finding my boyfriend snuggled up with his baby-mama.”

  Baby-mama? Harlem didn’t like the way the words dripped from her lips.

  “You’re joking, right?” Carter said.

  “That’s it?” Elaina’s voice was becoming elevated. “That’s all you’ve got for an explanation?”

  “It’s not what it looks like.” Harlem started to explain then decided against it.

  Carter was trying hard not to let his rising anger show. “It doesn’t look like anything!”

  Harlem couldn’t believe he was that naïve. She couldn’t stand Elaina, so Harlem wasn’t inclined to explain a damn thing. Instead, she scooted out of the booth. “I’m going to the ladies' room. I’ll let you two sort this out.”

  She got up and left.

  “Carter, you said you had a doctor’s appointment. You never said you were going on a date.”

  He was pissed and a strong sense of unease crept over him. “Elaina, have you lost your mind? Did you follow me?”

  She had, but Elaina would never admit that. “No. I told you. I love Benny’s bagels.”

  Carter had hoped to navigate this situation with Harlem, the baby, and Elaina, but now he wasn’t so sure it was possible. “Go home, Elaina. I will call you later.”

  “What?” She looked fit to be tied. “Are you serious? I just caught you snuggled up with Harlem, and the only thing you have to say is, go home? No expl
anation? You didn’t even invite me to have breakfast with you to prove everything is on the up and up!”

  “There’s no explanation because I’m not doing anything wrong.” After hearing the baby’s heartbeat, Harlem was even more of a priority. Carter couldn’t exactly say that. He also didn’t feel like expending the energy necessary to make Elaina feel better. And invite her to breakfast? He’d have to be crazy. Neither woman could stand the other. Carter wasn’t about to deal with that shit when all he wanted was some pancakes. “I will drop by your place after I take Harlem home. We’ll talk then.”

  Pissed, Elaina stormed out of the restaurant. Soon after their server came back with their food, Harlem returned. “I figured breakfast would be in to-go bags.”

  “Why would you think that? I invited you to share a meal.” Carter responded as if nothing had happened.

  Harlem sat down. “Look, I am not a fan of Elaina’s. Honestly, I don’t like her one bit. But, I am a woman. I can see why she would be upset. Maybe we should just pack it up, and then you can go smooth it over with her.”

  “I’m hungry. Didn’t you say you were too?” Carter reached for the syrup.

  “I’m trying to be your friend and give you a little relationship advice. You said Elaina might be the one. If so, maybe show her a little consideration. This situation can’t be easy.”

  “No. It’s not on any of us. I’ve never been in a real relationship, but even I know trust is important. And why would Elaina be jealous of you? You and I have known each other for over ten years, and we just decided five minutes ago that we would learn to be friends. Elaina knows that. Why on earth would she be jealous?”

  Harlem stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth. She spoke with a mouth full of food. “Why? Well, maybe because your sperm fertilized my egg. I would absolutely hate that if you were my boyfriend. I mean haaaaaaaate it. Can you hand me that?” Harlem pointed to the syrup. Carter passed it over. “And then I show up at a restaurant, and you’re holding hands with said woman? I’d probably resort to violence. No way would I deal with that.”

  “We weren’t holding hands.” Carter ate a piece of bacon.