Baller’s Baby(27)

"How about I draw you a warm bath?" He asks, a sly grin creeping across his face.

"Sure, but no funny business. You know what the doctor said."

"Yes. I know. I'll try to behave, okay?"

"Fine. I'll waddle in there in a minute." He laughs and rubs my belly before taking off to the bathroom. Standing up, I slowly make my way to the bathroom. The smell of lavender begins to permeate the room. I step in to find the tub filled with bubbles and rose petals and the soft flicker of candles lighting the room

"Why, Mr. Price, are you trying to spoil me?" I blurt out with a giggle.

"What if I am? You’re mine, baby, forever and always. If there is ever anything I can do or give you to help you, then I will. I promise you that."

"Thank you. You’re too good to be true," I reply, dropping my robe to the floor. My shadow dances across the wall, and I realize just how big my belly has gotten.

"Looks like you have a basketball stuffed in there," he says with a wink.

"Asshole," I mutter as he helps me into the tub. The warm, fragrant water envelops me, and I can feel every muscle in my body turn to mush. Kip craws into the oversized tub and sits behind me, pulling me against his chest. I can feel his attraction for me pressed against my back, but he doesn’t try to seduce me. Instead, he soaks the loofah in my favorite fragrance and gently rubs it along my shoulders and down my arms. When he’s done washing my body, he pulls me back against him and wraps his arms around me, cradling me safely between his long legs. I rest my head against his chest and let the water relax my muscles and ease the pain in my side.

“I love you, Kip.”

“I love you more.”





Chapter Thirty-Eight

Skila



Two weeks fly by. I’m glad we decided not to wait any longer before getting married. At the rate this baby is growing inside of me, I wouldn’t have been able to find a sheet that fit me in another week or two. Staring at myself in the mirror, I sigh. "I look like a damn beached whale . . . and why am I wearing white? I’m clearly not the traditional virginal bride."

"You look fantastic. I hope when my day comes, I look half as beautiful as you." I half-smile at my reflection and shake my head.

"Lisa, you will be beautiful, there is no doubt about that. You always have been and always will be."

She grins and hugs me tightly before stepping back and pushing me toward the chair at the vanity. I’ve given her free reign over my hair and makeup today. Usually, it's something my mother would be here for, but I don’t have that luxury. She passed away six years ago from stage-four breast cancer. The hole her absence left in my heart was wide and gaping, unfillable, but over the years, I’ve managed to bear the pain better and better.

Today is a struggle, and not just for me. I know it’s hard for Kiptyn too. We are being married two weeks after hospitalizing his brother, his best friend, who up until two weeks ago, he’d thought was killed in a suicide bombing in Israel. I know he wants Camryn by his side during the ceremony, but it isn’t possible right now.

Maybe later, we can have another more elaborate wedding, not that we would need it. As far as I’m concerned, the wedding doesn’t matter at all. The marriage is the important thing. We’re having the wedding for our friends and family so they won’t feel left out, and I’m glad we are, but the real test isn’t the ceremony and how many flowers we have, or what food is served. It comes later, when times get tough and we want to run in the opposite direction of each other. It will happen. I know that.

Every family goes through something similar, but what makes a healthy marriage is the way they handle those situations. I refuse to ever walk away. I'll stand by his side for the rest of my days, through the good and the bad.

Lisa tugs my hair tight, weaving a light blue ribbon through the mass of silky brown locks. The ribbon was given to me by Kiptyn’s granny. She said it had been his mother's when she was a little girl. I burst into tears when she offered it to me, my hormones getting the best of me. It amazes me how openly she has accepted me into her family and her heart.

“I’m so sorry. My hormones are crazy,” I try to say.

She wasn’t affected by my tears one bit.

“Oh, sweetie, this is just the beginning. That little boy will be walking on your heart for years to come, but it's worth every scuff mark,” she said, pulling me into a comforting embrace. I stand there, letting her hold me. I could pull away if I want to, but something about her calm nature comforts me. I smile into the mirror, remembering.

Lisa looks up, meeting my eyes, and she smiles back at me, "So, I’ve been meaning to ask . . . does anyone else know?"

She gazes down at my stomach, and I know what she’s asking. She wants to know if we have told anyone else that the baby is not Kip’s. I thought about it. Hell, I tried to bring it up to Kiptyn, but with everything going on right now, it’s just not the right thing to do.

The family already had to suffer the shock of a lifetime finding out that Camryn is still alive, and as amazing as that news is, they can’t even fully celebrate it because of the condition he came back in. No one knows exactly what happened while he was over there, and I have a feeling no one ever will. Camryn is tight-lipped about it. I can’t say I blame him one bit.

"No, and they don't need to. Not right now, anyway—maybe never. I signed the papers terminating his rights. It’s the only way he would agree to stay in the hospital and willingly get help. I hated doing it, but maybe he was right. He knows better than anyone else if he’s capable of being a father.”

I still can’t believe he was so adamant about giving up his rights to the baby. It killed me to sign those papers. My heart shredded for my unborn child. I felt like he was giving up on him before he was even given a chance, but over the last two weeks, I have come to realize that Camryn needed to do that for himself.

He can’t focus on getting well if he’s constantly worried about the safety and wellbeing of another human. He needs to be free and clear of all worry and commitment so that he can focus on himself. There are still times I don’t agree with it, but I understand.

“Stay away from the Bo's moonshine, Lisa. I can't have this getting out and creating drama. Kip knows and you know, that's it . . . and for goodness’ sake, don't let Nana sucker you into her ‘secret stash’.”

"I know, Sky, I know."

She looks so solemn. I can tell she understands how much this means to me, and I love her even more for that. She is my best friend. I know I can trust her with any secret I have. I always have. I shoot daggers at her, raising my eyebrows in the mirror dramatically.

"I'll be watching you, Lisa," I reply, trying to be serious. She bursts out laughing and drops the brush she’s holding. It hits the floor with a loud thud and rolls across the room. About that time, a knock on the door startles me.

"Sky, Lisa, y’all in there?" Devan calls through the door. He sounds worried and out of breath. I wonder what’s going on and why he’s looking for me. I glance at the clock, noting the time. We still have at least half an hour before the ceremony is supposed to start, so I know he isn’t here to walk me down aisle.

"Yeah, Dev, come in."

The door swings open wide, and Devan glances at me, but his eyes only bounce off me before settling on Lisa, who squirms under his gaze. She looks everywhere around the room but at him.

"Sorry to bust in on you, but Nana is trying to doctor the punch,” he says, still staring directly at her. I’m staring at her now too, noting the blush that is creeping up her ivory neck and coating her cheeks. She turns around and pretends to straighten the makeup on the vanity, but every second or so, her eyes glance up in the mirror and catch his.

"Seriously? What’s she trying to put in it?" I ask while making a mental note to question my best friend on this strange behavior later. It’s very obvious she has been keeping something from me.

"Bourbon." Shit, that’s not good. Leave it to my Nana to try to get the whole wedding party drunk off their asses before the wedding. I’d be surprised if she didn’t spike the brownies too.

"Oh hell, the ladies at the church will stone us all. Devan, go distract her until I get down there."

He nods and races out the door and down the spiraling staircase to the kitchen. I slip my feet into the sandals I’ve decided to wear today instead of heels. Slipping and falling again while seven months pregnant doesn’t sound fun, especially not on my wedding day.

"I knew having the wedding in a church was a bad idea. Between Nana and Bo, we are all going to end up kicked out and thrown in hell for something, I’m sure."

Lisa laughs, but it sounds choked.

“Come on, bitch. We will talk about your secrets later,” I tell her and grab her arm, pulling her behind me.

She breathes a sigh of relief and follows me down the stairs to attempt to save the world from the force known to most as Nana. I just hope we aren’t too late and that Devan or Jaxon were able to intercept her before she poured too much in. Lord, why didn’t I just go to Vegas and let Elvis marry me? I could have already been enjoying my honeymoon. When I enter the kitchen, Nana is cornered by the refrigerator, and Devan and Jaxon both have their hands raised in the air in surrender. I can't see what she’s doing or holding, but it can't be good.