“Hey, baby. What are we eating for dinner today?” Savannah asked after Terrance had said good-bye to the last member. She reached out and straightened his tie. He couldn’t help but notice how she said “we,” like it was a given that they’d be dining together. His aunts stood off to the side, giving him evil looks, no doubt upset with the way Savannah was fawning all over him. He was in no mood to deal with them today, so as soon as he saw them heading his way, he turned and made a beeline to his office.
Of course, Savannah was right on his heels, chatting away. He had sat down with her this morning before church and told her that he planned to do right by her and their baby. Of course, she’d been ecstatic and her whole mood had been chipper ever since.
A baby? How had he ended up getting Savannah pregnant? He’d tried his best to live the right way, and the one time he’d slipped up, this had been the consequence?
“Babe, why did you run out the sanctuary?” Savannah asked, taking a seat in front of his desk. “I was trying to see where we were going for dinner.”
He exhaled loudly. “Look, Savannah. I have a lot to do. I, um, I have to run by Sister Margaret’s and check on her husband.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Terrance wanted to scream No! but he caught himself and calmly said, “I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind and I need to be alone.”
Savannah playfully stuck out her bottom lip. “No, T-baby. I’m sorry. I’m being pushy. I know you have a lot to digest, with our baby and all.”
Terrance fought down the sick feeling in his stomach. He had been convinced that marrying Savannah was the right thing to do, but now, just the sound of her voice was irritating the heck out of him. He just wanted to get home. “Thank you for being so understanding.”
She stood up, reached over, and gently squeezed his hand. “Just call me Miss Understanding.”
Terrance was grateful that she didn’t fight him and left quickly. He wasn’t too far behind her, because he didn’t want to chance running into his aunts.
After a brief run through the drive-through at Burger King, Terrance pulled back up at his house. He just wanted to get inside, gulp down his Whopper, and try to figure out this mess that had become his life.
He’d just walked in the door at home when he bumped into Raquel. His eyes made their way down to the two suitcases in her hands. “Wh…What are you doing?”
She lowered her eyes. “Umm, I’m going to stay with my great-aunt.”
“The crazy one who lives in an efficiency in the hood? With all of her cats?”
She shot him a forced smile. “Beggars can’t be choosy. Besides, it’ll only be for a little while. I found an apartment. They’ll have it ready for me at the end of the week.”
He reached for her suitcases. “Raquel, you don’t have to leave.”
She pulled both of the suitcases out of his reach. “Yes, I do.” She looked him in the eyes. “I’ve caused enough problems with you and Savannah.” She swallowed. “And now, with a baby on the way, well, you don’t need any more problems.”
Terrance looked down in shame. “About that…”
“Hey, you don’t owe me any more explanation.”
“No, I need you to know that I wasn’t lying to you. I really did like Savannah. But I was conflicted in my feelings about her. So, that’s why I told you I wasn’t sure she was the one.”
“You weren’t conflicted enough not to sleep with her.”
Terrance sighed. “I’ve only been with Savannah intimately one time.”
“That’s all it takes.”
“I know that. I just…” Terrance eased over to the large window in the corner of his living room. He stared outside, thinking. Finally he said, “I don’t know how I got myself into this.”
“Well, regardless of how you got here, you’re here and you have to deal with it.” Her voice had lost its accusatory tone. She now sounded genuinely concerned for him.
“You reap what you sow, huh?” Terrance said, turning back to face her.
Raquel set her luggage down. “Yes, but you’re a strong man of God and you’ll get through this.” She walked over to him, then reached out and hugged him. Although her hug was quick and lacked the warmth it normally had, he savored the sweet smell of her perfume.
“You don’t have to leave,” Terrance whispered. “Honestly, I don’t want you to leave.”
Raquel pulled away. She seemed to be trying to gather her strength. “No, I really do need to leave.” She hesitated like she had something to say, then changed her mind.
“What?” he asked, reading her eyes.
“Terrance, you are a very special man. You helped me get out of a very bad situation, and for that I thank you. But being here…with you. It’s not good. Especially now.”
They stared at each other, not saying a word. They didn’t need to. Her eyes told Terrance she felt the same way about him as he did about her. They had both fallen in love.
chapter 31
“If she’s pregnant, so am I.” Monty stared at Terrance like he couldn’t believe Terrance was buying Savannah’s claim. He’d stopped by Terrance’s place after visiting some woman he was dating in the neighborhood. They were sitting at the kitchen bar where Terrance had just told Monty the news about Savannah’s pregnancy. “I know you’re all saved and sanctified and stuff. But everybody ain’t, especially that trick you’re messing with,” Monty continued.
“Stop calling her that.”
“She’s a trick who’s tricking you,” Monty casually responded. “I mean, come on, man, she couldn’t do no better than a fake pregnancy?”
Terrance had never really given much thought to the idea that Savannah could be making this all up. Until Savannah showed him otherwise, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Tell me, were you all in the middle of an argument when she blurted this news out?” Monty asked.
Terrance thought about it. “Not really. Well, she was a little upset about Raquel being at my house.”
Monty threw up his hands. “Oh, gimme a break. Dude, I know it’s been a while since you been in the game, but come on. That girl has had one thing on her mind since y’all started dating, snagging you. And she’s willing to do it by any means necessary. You need to listen to your boy. I know the sneaky ways of women, and Savannah is straight runnin’ game.”
“Naw, man. I believe her. I mean, I did sleep with her,” Terrance replied with a heavy sigh.
“Yeah, you and probably half the other men in this town.”
Terrance cut his eyes at Monty.
“Oh, let me guess, you don’t want me bad-mouthing your fake baby mama?”
“And what if she’s telling the truth?”
Monty looked like he didn’t want to even fathom that scenario. “Shoot, on the rare, rare, rare chance that she’s telling the truth, there’s no law that says you have to be with her just because she’s having your kid.”
Terrance looked at his friend, wondering how they even stayed friends, their views were so different. “Number one, I’m not going to run from my responsibility.”
“Nobody’s saying run from the kid, Terrance, man. Just run from Savannah.”
Terrance shook his head. “The other thing is, it’s bad enough that I had premarital sex after vowing not to, but what kind of example would I be setting as a minister to have a baby out of wedlock?”
“You’re human. Just ask God to forgive you and move on,” Monty nonchalantly replied.
“God doesn’t work like that. Your remorse has to be real. And, well, I’m just not gon’ mess up and say, ‘Oh, well, God forgives me.’ Forgiveness isn’t that simple to me.”
Monty sighed, seemingly frustrated that he wasn’t getting through to his friend. “So does this mean you plan on marrying this chick?”
“It looks like I don’t have much of a choice.” Terrance got up and walked over to the refrigerator. He grabbed two Cokes. “Want one?” he asked, holding the drinks up to Monty.
> “Dog, marrying Savannah is a bad decision,” Monty said, taking one of the sodas. “And what about Raquel?”
Just hearing Raquel’s name tore at Terrance’s heart.
“Last time I talked to you, you were talking about how you were feeling her and everything,” Monty continued.
“I was. I am,” Terrance replied dejectedly as he sat back down on the barstool and popped the top on his Coke.
Monty leaned over and looked Terrance in the eye just as Terrance was about to take a drink. “Man, is that a look of love? Are you in love?”
Terrance set the can down, leaned back, and rubbed his forehead. “I am in love with Raquel. But it doesn’t matter because I have to do right by Savannah.”
Monty sat back and opened his drink. “So you give up love because you gotta pay the consequences of one night of lust?” he asked, then took a sip.
Terrance looked away. “Come on, Monty. Savannah isn’t that bad.” He didn’t know whom he was trying to convince, himself or Monty.
“Really she is. And she dang sure ain’t no Raquel. She may be finer than Raquel, but that’s about it.”
“Well, again, it doesn’t matter. Savannah is the one pregnant with my child.”
Monty shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that ‘I’m pregnant’ trick still works in this day and age. So you’re just gon’ let Raquel go? Just like that?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do. You’re just making the wrong one.”
Terrance stood and walked over to his bay window. He paused as he gazed outside and took in the beautiful November day. “I don’t expect you to understand. No one understands,” he finally said. “I grew up without a father. I will not do that to my child.”
“Your daddy died before you were even born.”
Terrance thought back to the only memory he had of his father—a five-by-seven photo of his father rubbing his mother’s pregnant stomach. His father had died in an automobile accident one month before his mother gave birth to him. “I know that,” Terrance finally responded. “But I still missed him. I needed him. It’s why I was so much trouble growing up. I didn’t have any male direction. I won’t subject my child to that. I made a promise to God after my grandmother died that I would try to live right. I have some skeletons in my closet as it is. The least I can do is try to honor my word. I…” He let his words trail off, not wanting to travel down that painful road again.
“We all got skeletons. And I’m sure your grandmother wouldn’t have wanted you to marry a woman you don’t love. But you know what?” Monty said, standing and grabbing his keys. “I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation with you because homegirl ain’t even pregnant.”
Terrance was tired of arguing. He’d hoped to find some solace by talking to Monty, but now he felt worse than he did before his friend even arrived.
“I know you’re not trying to hear me,” Monty said as he headed to the door. “Just whatever you do, don’t marry the girl until the baby pops out. And even then, wait for a DNA test!” Monty called out, then the door slammed closed.
chapter 32
Eva couldn’t get Thanksgiving dinner out of her mind. She’d been thrilled when Terrance showed up at her door yesterday. That was until she saw Savannah by his side.
“I hope I’m making this very clear,” Terrance had said after Eva had tried to talk to him in the kitchen shortly after his arrival. “If you want to be a part of my life, you will have to learn to accept Savannah.”
Eva had warned her sisters to be on their best behavior, but as she had stood in the doorway and watched Savannah poised next to Terrance like she was already the first lady, Eva knew she’d be hard-pressed to follow her own advice.
They’d eaten dinner in virtual silence, with Terrance and Savannah both trying to make small talk. Eventually, the two of them left, and Eva and her sisters had been in a funk ever since.
“He is a grown man,” Eva had finally conceded to her sisters. They’d been rehashing the dinner as they wrapped up a Christmas committee meeting at the church. Eva and Mamie were still in the conference room, lamenting the situation with their nephew. Dorothy Mae had gone down the hall to the restroom. “We just have to let him make his own mistakes,” Eva added.
Mamie stared at her eldest sister like she couldn’t believe Eva was throwing in the towel.
“You’re kidding, right?” Mamie asked, astonished.
Eva sighed in frustration. “What do you suggest, Mamie? We’ve dang near run the boy off already. Maybe we just need to let him see what kind of woman Savannah is on his own. I mean, even if she tries to put on an act, eventually her true colors will show. Sooner or later she’ll have to scratch her fleas.”
Mamie shook her head like she didn’t want to accept that. “You can buy it all you want, but not me. I’m going down to his office and let him know what I really think.” She pushed back from her seat and bounced down the hallway.
“Mamie, wait,” Eva called out, following her. “Don’t go busting up in the boy’s office.” Eva finally noticed Dorothy Mae with her ear against Terrance’s door. “Dorothy Mae, are you eavesdropping on that boy?”
“Sssshhhh.” Dorothy Mae waved, her eyes wide.
Both Mamie and Eva looked curiously at their sister. She had a frantic look across her face. They watched her for a few minutes until she finally motioned for them to walk back out in the hallway.
“Who’s in there?” Eva asked as soon as they stepped in the hallway. “And why were you all up in their conversation?”
“It was Terrance and Raquel,” Dorothy Mae whispered.
“His secretary? What were they talking about that has you all in a tizzy?” Eva asked.
Dorothy Mae shook her head, like she didn’t know how to break the news.
“Hel-lo,” Mamie snapped when Dorothy Mae didn’t respond. “You wanna tell us what’s going on?”
Dorothy Mae blew out a deep breath. “They were talking about Savannah.”
Mamie rolled her eyes.
“Apparently, she’s pregnant. And apparently it’s Terrance’s baby.”
Mamie gasped. Eva clutched her heart and let out a deep moan as she steadied herself on the water fountain. “Tell me you’re lying,” Eva finally whispered.
“I wish I were,” Dorothy Mae replied.
“He’s sleeping with her?” Eva asked in disbelief.
“I keep trying to tell y’all that boy still got needs,” Mamie said, shaking her head. “Lord knows, I just wish he coulda fulfilled them with somebody else.”
Eva finally seemed to shake off her shock. “I don’t believe it.”
Both Mamie and Dorothy Mae stared at Eva.
“I mean, we know she’ll stoop to any level to get Terrance. This, this oldest trick in the book, is just that—a trick. She knows if she convinces Terrance she’s pregnant, he’ll do right by her and marry her. I’d be willing to bet she’d then miraculously lose the baby.” Eva’s voice had finality about it, like she’d completely figured out Savannah’s game.
“So what are we supposed to do, wait until he marries her and see?” Dorothy Mae asked.
“No, I have the perfect plan,” Eva announced, her mind racing. “I told y’all, Little Miss Thang just doesn’t know who she’s messing with.”
“I thought you were throwing in the towel,” Mamie declared. “Didn’t you just tell me to let him find out she wasn’t the one for him on his own?”
“No, this little scam of hers changes everything,” Eva replied.
“So what are we going to do?” Dorothy Mae asked.
Eva got a sly look. “Oh, believe me, I have it all figured out. It’s as simple as a visit. So let’s go.”
Eva started marching down the hall.
“Where are we going?” Mamie asked, trying to match her sister’s stride.
“To pay Miss Thang a visit.” Eva was furious. “Savannah is out of her mind if she thinks she’s going to trick m
y nephew. I’m about to show her that when you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned.”
chapter 33
“I still can’t believe we’re just going to show up at her doorstep and demand that she take a pregnancy test,” Dorothy Mae said as they pulled up in front of Savannah’s North Side apartment. They had stopped in the church office, pulled up Savannah’s address in the database, and hightailed it over to her place.
“Believe it,” Eva said, throwing the car into park.
“So is Terrance really on his way?” Dorothy Mae asked.
“He should be here any minute now,” Eva said, glancing at her watch as she got out of the car. “I called him from the drugstore and told him it was imperative that he get over here right away.”
“How do you know she’s even home?” Mamie said.
Eva rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t work, trifling behind. Where else is she gonna be?”
Eva led the way as they made their way up to Savannah’s apartment. She vigorously knocked on the door.
After about five minutes, a groggy Savannah opened the door. “Who is knocking on my door like they don…” Her voice trailed off and she quickly became alert. “Ms. Eva? What are you all doing here?” She looked back and forth between each woman.
“May we come in?” Eva coldly asked.
Savannah had a horrible migraine and was not in the mood to deal with any of their mess, but she sighed and stepped aside.
“Look,” Eva began after they were all inside Savannah’s living room. “We understand that you are claiming, excuse me, that you are possibly pregnant with our nephew’s child.”
Savannah silently cursed herself for even opening the door. She could already tell this conversation was not about to be pretty. She was two seconds past tired of them and ready to give them a piece of her mind.
Instead, she folded her arms and firmly said, “I am pregnant with Terrance’s child.”
Eva grimaced. Both Mamie and Dorothy Mae groaned in disgust. “If that’s the case, that means you will be a part of our family—whether we like it or not.”
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