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

by LaShawn Vasser

  “Yes. I’ve modeled for all of the top fashion houses.” Joy continued to brag. “How about you? What houses have you modeled for?”

  Damian was ear hustling and almost choked with laughter. He was curious how Harlem was going to respond.

  She turned to both Carter and Damian. Her eyes clearly said, you have five seconds to handle this, or I will, and you won’t like it.

  Carter didn’t want a fight to break out before he had introduced Damian to the client. “Joy, Harlem is not a model. She is an architect.”

  “You mean like designing little houses?” Joy asked.

  What happened to sisterhood? Harlem had had enough. “Actually, I design big ass multi-million dollar buildings for fortune one hundred Corporations.”

  Damian reached under the table and squeezed her thigh. Harlem glared at him and decided she had better take a minute to collect herself. “I need to use the ladies’ room.” Harlem got up and left the table without giving Joy a chance to follow.

  She wasn’t feeling that great. Her stomach was really upset. Harlem splashed a bit of cold water on her face hoping it might help her feel refreshed. After giving herself a minute to calm down from the unnecessary insults, she reapplied her makeup and walked out of the bathroom. Harlem was brought up short when she came face to face with Carter.

  “Damian asked that I come to make sure you were alright.” Carter thought it was unnecessary until Damian dropped the bomb that Harlem might be pregnant and maybe more irritable than usual.

  Her response was dry. “I’m fine.”

  He couldn’t understand why she would let someone like Joy get under her skin. If the least little thing set a pregnant woman off, Carter thought Damian should be awarded a Knighthood the moment they confirmed it. Harlem was bitchy on a good day. “He would have come himself but the client is here. He also wanted to make sure you had calmed down before coming back to the table.”

  “I know how to behave around an important client, Carter. Your date on the other hand seems to have been raised by wolves.”

  Carter released a small laugh.

  “I don’t know what’s so funny. Couldn’t you have found someone more suitable?”

  He shrugged. “It was a last minute change.”

  “You might as well have asked the hostess that you exchanged numbers with.”

  “My name is Carter Owens and not Damian Fox. You don’t need to worry about things like that.”

  Harlem couldn’t fathom being in a relationship with Carter. “Thank God.” The man was a pig.

  “You need to learn to go with the flow and stop being so uptight all the time. Damn!” And take the stick out ya ass.

  Harlem spoke through a pasted-on smile. “Because I’m a loving girlfriend, I’m going to go back to the table and go with the flow before your date insults the client’s wife and ruins this entire thing.” Harlem started to strut off, then turned back to Carter. She narrowed her judgmental eyes at him. “Next time, do better.”

  There was one thing that Carter and Harlem could agree on. He could not under any circumstances imagine dating a woman like her. She would drive him batshit crazy.

  *****

  Harlem was quiet on the drive home.

  “A hundred dollars for your thoughts?” Damian joked. “I can afford it now that your man closed the deal.”

  She smiled at him. “Only a hundred? You’re cheap. And was there ever any doubt?”

  “Nope.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you were going to put an MMA move on Joy.”

  “God, she was annoying.”

  Damian glanced away from the road to look at her. “I don’t think she meant any real harm. She is just young and didn’t know what to do or say at the grown folks' table.” He used his thumb to caress the diamond ring on her left finger that he’d given her a year ago. “Back to my original question. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

  She was hesitant. “I guess I’m just nervous.” The closer they came to their high-rise condo, the more butterflies in her stomach became more intense.

  “There’s no need for that. We already know what’s up. My baby is having a baby.”

  He looked so confident, but Harlem wasn’t so sure. They’d had more than a few false alarms over the last year.

  Damian pulled up into their parking garage and whipped his car into his designated spot. “I’ve been counting down the minutes to this moment. This time is the real deal. I know it.”

  He sounded so excited and sure. Harlem didn’t share his confidence and wasn’t nearly as excited.

  Chapter 16

  Harlem stood in front of the mirror in her spacious bathroom and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then began to silently pray that this time would be different. That she would see those elusive two lines. Please, God. I can’t disappoint him again.

  Initially, Harlem had wanted to wait, but Damian was right. They weren’t getting any younger. If she had taken the promotion at work, it would have been almost impossible to balance being a new mother and that role. Something would have suffered. Once she made the decision, Harlem was all in and had done everything in her power to conceive. Not only had they used an ovulation kit, but they made love in all the right angles and positions. They consulted the best doctors in Western and Chinese medicine. They had even resorted to using a fortune teller. Tonight, Harlem prayed all of their careful planning worked.

  At the sound of the alarm on her cell phone, Harlem’s eyes popped open. Without looking, she picked up the test and nervously walked out of the bathroom.

  Damian’s back was turned away from her, but he could hear as she approached. He pivoted to find Harlem standing in the middle of their bedroom just an arm’s reach away. Damian searched her lovely eyes for any signs. He hoped to see that special sparkle they always have when she’s excited. Maybe even see that smile that Harlem reserved only for him, but neither were anywhere to be found. Instead, his baby, the love of his life, looked wide-eyed and nervous.

  Harlem was a wreck. Her palms were a hot, sweaty mess. Her hands shook so badly that she thought she might drop the little white stick on the floor. “Dame, I can’t read it.”

  He took the few short steps to close the gap between them.

  “You do it.” She extended her arm and handed him the test.

  Damian was equally nervous but did his best to mask it as she placed the little piece of plastic into his palm. When Harlem moved to pull her hand out of his grasp, Damian tightened his hold. He hoped his smile conveyed confidence he didn’t feel. Damian did his best to project calm. “No matter what, we’ll be okay. You know that, right?”

  Harlem couldn’t speak. Her throat was thick. All she could do was nod.

  Damian couldn’t stand to see the anxiety in her eyes – not his Harlem. She was always so fearless in everything. Damian pulled her close and pressed his lips gently against hers. He spoke softly. “I couldn’t love you any more than I already do.”

  Harlem fought back the tears. That’s why I want to give you a baby so badly. Harlem did her best to check her emotions.

  Damian gave her a minute. “You ready?” He asked.

  Harlem shook her head no as she quietly whispered. “Yes.”

  Slowly, Damian lifted the pregnancy test. They stilled as they looked up to read the results. The answer seemed to pulse as it glowed bright blue.

  Neither spoke for several long moments as they stared at the results.

  There was only one line.

  The tears Harlem had been barely holding back rolled down her face and splashed onto her cheeks. She was a failure—an utter disappointment.

  Damian’s heart broke. He swallowed hard and coughed a couple of times to clear the thickness from his voice before speaking. “Sooner or later, we’ll have a few knuckled-head kids running around driving us both crazy.”

  She whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  Damian wanted to reassure her. He kissed the temple of her head. �
��You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s just not our time.”

  “We’ve been trying so hard. Maybe having our own children isn’t in our future.”

  He cradled her face in the palm of his hands and gazed lovingly into her eyes. “C’mon now. You’re young and healthy, and so am I. It’ll happen for us. It will. I’ll get my little black Princess to go with my Queen. You’ll get a big head boy that will grow up to be tall, dark, and handsome . . . just like me. Folks will envy us and all this strong black love.”

  Harlem admired his faith. She had to trust it. “M-Maybe we need to see another specialist or . . .”

  Damian tensed. “We can do this. We just have to be patient.”

  “Dame . . . we’ve been trying for a year. Is that not patient?” She knew it was hard for him to watch all of their friends start their families and felt inadequate for not giving him the one thing he craved. Damian loved kids. He volunteered a lot of his time to underserved children. There wasn’t an organization or group home in the Chicagoland area that hadn’t received a donation from Damian Fox. He was especially partial to the one he grew up in, Maryville Academy.

  Damian was fighting hard to contain his own frustrations and pulled away slightly. “Look, we’re both disappointed and emotional. It’s late. Let’s just go to sleep and figure out our next move tomorrow.”

  Harlem didn’t want to argue. Instead, she allowed Damian to take her by the hand and lead her toward the bed. Once they were settled underneath the covers, he cocooned her within the strong embrace of his arms.

  Damian’s chest felt tight. As if his heart was going to explode into a million jagged pieces. Still, he had to keep it together and took comfort in being able to hold Harlem in his arms.

  Harlem could handle almost anything, but this was a hard blow. She felt like such a failure. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the accelerated beat of his heart.

  He wanted a child, and Harlem wanted to give him one. What she couldn’t reconcile was why she secretly felt at least partially relieved at the negative pregnancy test.

  Chapter 17

  It had been a few days, and things between Harlem and Damian had been strained.

  Damian kissed a sleeping Harlem on the forehead before leaving for work. He had a couple of stops to make on his way into the office. Neither of them had received much sleep over the last several nights. Their days were filled with tiptoeing around each other to not say the wrong thing.

  That was even more tiring.

  Damian walked into the restaurant where he was meeting Carter. He immediately spotted him and went over toward his table.

  Carter’s smile was wide but slipped just a little at the sight of Damian’s bloodshot eyes. “You look like shit.”

  Exhausted, Damian sat down. “I feel worse than that.” Almost as soon as he was seated, a server came over to take their order. “I’ll just have coffee, strong and black, please.”

  Carter ordered a hearty breakfast and a cup of coffee too. Once their server left, Carter got right down to it. “I thought you’d still be flying high after closing that multi-million dollar deal the other night. What’s up? What’s going on?”

  “Another negative test.” Damian rolled his head around his shoulders. “I thought for sure we were pregnant.”

  “Damn, man. I’m sorry.”

  “She had all the symptoms.” Damian sighed. “I just . . . never thought having a baby would be this difficult. Back in the day, I remember all too well being terrified of a positive pregnancy test.”

  “Back in the day?” Carter laughed. “What are you talking about? Some of us are still in the game. I’m still terrified.”

  “Maaaaan. You are getting too old for that shit. How old was Joy? Twenty-four? Twenty-five?”

  Carter smirked. “Twenty-two.”

  “If you had just one grown woman, maybe Harlem wouldn’t mind it so much when we hang out.” Damian chuckled but it was half-hearted. “Seriously, everyone around us are starting families. Don’t you want that too?”

  “Nope. Not ever. I’ll leave that to you and the guys.”

  “You do realize you’re the Godfather to Nate and Spencer’s kids, right? And when Harlem and I finally have children, you’ll be the Godfather to ours too.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “If something were to happen to any of us, YOU would have to take up parental responsibilities.”

  Carter laughed out loud. “First, I’m a co-Godfather. Before that happy honor is bestowed upon me, it would fall to you, Nate, or Spencer. Therefore, it’ll never happen.”

  “Actually, I never planned to make you a co-Godfather. If Harlem and I ever have children and anything were to happen to me, I want you to look after my kids and her.”

  All jokes aside, Carter was stunned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  Damian shrugged as if he hadn’t just dropped a nuclear bomb. “It makes perfect sense. Nobody knows me like you do, not even Nate or Spencer. That matters to me for whoever is raising my children. And Harlem . . . she can sometimes get too caught up in her head. You would make sure she had balance.”

  Carter couldn’t fathom that scenario. He did not have the patience that Damian had. He would end up going to prison for choking the shit out of her. “I know damn well you haven’t discussed this with Harlem.”

  “Not yet.”

  “I hate to tell you this, but Harlem and I only have one thing in common, and that’s you.”

  “Maybe.” If they weren’t already in love, Damian thought Carter and Harlem would be a perfect match. He sighed. “If I remember correctly, you spotted Harlem first. I just beat you to the punch.”

  “That was a blessing for all of us,” Carter said. Harlem was hands down one of the most attractive women he’d ever met, but she was also one of the most rigid and stubborn women he’d ever known too.

  “Being a guardian to our children might not be anything you have to worry about. Honestly, I’m not sure how much more of this baby rollercoaster we can take. It’s really taking a toll on us.”

  “It’ll happen. You just need to be patient.” Carter said assuredly. “Some people have been trying for years.”

  Damian wasn’t as confident. “True. I’m lucky to have Harlem. She’s an amazing woman. I just feel like a baby would really seal the deal between us.”

  Harlem was the lucky one. Carter thought. He had never seen this side of Damian. The man sounded almost insecure. “Are you trying to tell me that you don’t think your relationship would survive not having kids? If so, that’s fucked up.”

  “That’s not it. I’m almost thirty-two, and I just want what I’ve never really had, and that’s a family.”

  “That part makes sense. Why don’t you just get married if you’re looking to trap Harlem?” Carter said, only half-joking.

  “You know how I feel about that. Marriage is a certificate. It doesn’t guarantee shit.”

  Carter sat back in his seat. “Can’t argue with you there. I’ll even go so far as to say monogamy is not natural. Not long-term anyway. Not sure how you people do it.”

  “I can’t see any woman putting up with yo ass long-term either.” Damian laughed before turning serious again. “Monogamy can be a challenge, but with the right woman, it’s worth it. Harlem checks all of my boxes. If you quit hanging around women barely out of high school, you might find that person whose mind is as sexy as her body.”

  Carter couldn’t imagine. “I dream about making money, not settling down. At all. My parents are both on their third marriages. Each trying to outdo the other. And kids? Why would anyone put children in the middle of that shit? No, thank you to all of it. Like I said, I’ll leave marriage and kids to you and the guys.”

  “I agree that most marriages end in disaster. Solid relationships don’t. Harlem finally understands where I’m coming from when it comes to that. I just wish her mom would quit guilt trippin’ her about living in sin every time we go for a visit. Mrs. Thomas is great, bu
t I hate that she always brings up Harlem’s childhood wedding plans. It almost feels like she owes her mom a wedding. Seriously, if Harlem wants a party with a pretty dress, we can do that.”

  Like that promise ring, Carter thought. He still wasn’t sure how Damian pulled that one-off. “Every woman wants marriage, financial security, a man who can wear em’ out and put them to sleep.” Carter laughed. “I’m only willing to give one out of the four.”

  Damian chuckled. “That’s why your ass is still single. Harlem has her own money. She doesn’t need mine, but if anything were to ever happen to me, I’ve got that covered. She is the beneficiary on all of my assets, and I’m the beneficiary on all of hers.”

  “All of them?” Carter asked.

  “Well, all of them except for my business. Shares in Fox, Johnson, and Steele Investments will be divided between Spencer and Nate, but they’ll have to pay Harlem market value for them. Otherwise, everything else goes to her.”