How Is This Love? (BWWM)

26.

Ending the book at 30 chapters...

After talking to my mother, life seemed so much more peaceful. I walked out of the hospital with a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Even though that was probably the last time I'd see my mother, we had made peace. It seemed like my life was changing for the better.

When I stepped foot outside the hospital, Josiah was waiting outside for me.

How the hell did you know I was here?

"You following me around town now?" I asked him.

Josiah laughed. "Something like that." I rolled my eyes. "But no. My OG is here." Josiah told me.

I folded my arms across my chest and stared at him. This man disgusted me...

"Heyyyyy, jo!" Josiah called out to someone behind me.

I turned around; it was Joseph. He carried a black backpack and handed it over to Josiah. I listened to the brief exchange between them.

"Get rid of it all. Take forty, ship the rest to my crib in Haiti." Joseph instructed him. Josiah nodded, dapped him up, then sped off in his truck.

"You still here? I thought you'd left by now." Joseph noticed.

His question, nor my response wasn't important to me at the moment. How the fuck did he know Josiah?

"How do you know Josiah?" I questioned my father, who looked at me with his eyebrows raised. My question had surprised him. "How do you know Josiah?" Joseph repeated the question back to me.

"He's nothing special... just a friend." I lied through my teeth. I didn't need Joseph in my business.

He sighed in relief, pretending to wipe sweat off of his forehead. "Good, the motherfucker is crazy. All he do is beat bitches and tie them hoes up in basements." Joseph let out. "You are very beautiful. And that's a very bad thing. Stay away from him." Joseph continued.

I left in a rush after Joseph told me about Josiah. Truthfully, I was scared shitless and I wish I hadn't done my deeds with him.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Archibald calling me.

"Hey babe," I greeted him.

"Hi, sweetheart. I have some good news..." Archibald started out.

"Go on," I encourage him to spill the beans.

"My divorce has been finalized!" Archibald cheered. I squealed into the phone as he let out his happiness.

"Babe, that's great. Im so happy for you," I told him.

"Be happy for us. I'm heading out to Miami a little sooner now that everything's done here." Archibald told me.

"How soon?" I asked.

"Two days." He stated.

What? "I thought you said two weeks." I exclaimed.

Archibald sighed. "I'm ready for a new life, Karma. I can't stay here much longer. I finally have peace. I have to go enjoy it." He tells me.

"I understand."

"Look, I'll come by tomorrow before I leave, okay?" Archibald reassures me.

"Okay."

We hung up the phone.

Archibald was leaving for Miami and I didn't have my shit together at all.

Before heading to Tootsies for my shift, I stopped by CVS to pick up a pregnancy test. If I was pregnant, I was damn sure taking my ass to Miami with Archibald in two days.

When I met up with Lauren at Tootsies, I gave her the run down on the info Joseph had spilled about Josiah. The man was crazy and I had some shit to figure out.

I found myself de-stressing by playing around on the pole with Lauren.

"Girl, you better pack your shit tonight and hop on that plane with Archibald." Lauren told me, straight faced.

"What about Josiah?" I asked.

"Fuck Josiah." Lauren said, simply.

I took a deep breath. "Lauren, I might be pregnant." I confessed.

Lauren looked at me cockeyed. "Whoa, whoa. Hold the fuck up..." she trailed off, sort of in disbelief. "I know you weren't that dick-matized that you forgot to use protection?" She threw her hands up.

"I forgot to take my birth control." I told her, mentally slapping myself.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you were. You getting fat anyways." Lauren commented, carelessly. My jaw dropped at her response.

"Wow. That was nice." I replied, sarcastically. There was a long moment of silence between us before Lauren blinked repeatedly at me.

"Well, bitch. Did you take a test?" She asked, in a duh tone.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Annddddd..." Lauren dragged the word out.

"I don't know. I threw it in my locker. I was too scared to look." I told her, like a coward.

Lauren huffed and stormed off the stage. I decided not to follow behind her.

As I waited for Lauren to come back, I noticed Josiah waltzing into Tootsie's with a few of his friends. I recognized their faces from the party Josiah and I had went to.

I was about to walk away but Josiah caught up to me and dragged me over to his friend group. "Ya'll remember Karma, right? My lady." Josiah introduced me to them again. They attempted to shake my hand but Josiah stood in front of me.

Posessive asshole...

Lauren found her way back to me. "Bitch, it's positive! You're going to be a-" She yelled, getting the attention of the circle behind me. Josiah turned around and focused his attention on us. My eyes traveled down to Lauren's hands, where she held the pregnancy test.

But before she could finish her statement, I pinched her thigh causing her to wince in pain.

"What?" Josiah inquired, his eyes focused on the same thing as mine.

"Lauren's pregnant!" I fake cheered, trying to suppress the tears attempting to erupt from my eyeballs. I guess Lauren somehow noticed my eyes glazing over and pulled me into a big bear hug. "I'm so happy for you," I tell her, lightly sobbing.

Josiah and his crew all had their eyebrows raised in confusion. When I finally pulled away from Lauren and wiped my tears, the men just stared at us.

Josiah leaned down until his lips were next to my ear. "I'll get up with you when you get off." He told me before heading to the bar with him friends.