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When we finished our conversation, I prayed over what I needed to do. It would rot at my spirit if I didn’t say something to someone. What they were doing wasn’t right, and if something happened to her or that baby while she was with Peyton, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Brooklyn may have believed she was mature enough to be in a relationship with a grown man, but Peyton was going to groom her and ruin her life before it even started. She might not have wanted her family or the police to be involved, but that was a risk I was willing to take.
I knew what church Peyton went to, but I’d never visited. It made even more sense why. He’d been fucking the pastor’s daughter. He could lie and say she lied about her age, but unless her father kept details about his family a secret, there was no way in hell he didn’t mention Brooklyn being in high school. I believed in my heart they’d hold on to that lie to avoid people knowing Peyton willingly slept with a minor. Since that wasn’t something I could prove, I did the only thing I felt I could do.
I went to the church’s website. Her father wasn’t listed as the senior pastor, but they did have a page devoted to him as the founder of the church. I looked his name up on Facebook and sent him a friend request to make sure my message would go through. To gain his attention, I commented on his most recent post since his page was public. Five minutes later, he accepted the request, and I sent him a message.
Lay Johnson: Hi. You don’t know me but I was Peyton Roberts girlfriend until yesterday. He had your daughter and grandson living in our home. They have not been with Jereka. Peyton is 27 and the father of her child. I will not testify to this or be involved. I will also not be available to discuss this. The address they’ve been staying at is 5948 Harley Lake Trail. Good luck and Godspeed.
After that, I decided to temporarily deactivate my social media. What happened to Peyton was now up to Brooklyn’s parents. If they pressed charges or let him get away with it so he could stay free to take care of them, that would be up to them. It was out of my hands and off my heart. I knew I wouldn’t grieve the relationship for long because I was planning to break up with Peyton anyway. Once I released the anger over his betrayal, I’d be good.
The Day Before Thanksgiving
I had no earthly idea where Aspen Meyer James was taking me, but when we pulled up to my gynecologist’s office, I released a hoot of laughter. Looking over at him, I asked, “How in the hell did you know this is my doctor?”
As he casually removed his seat belt and cut his car off, he shrugged. “I have my ways. Your appointment is in fifteen minutes.”
Our eyes remained locked, and while his was serious, I was sure curiosity and amusement danced in mine. This man was too damn fine for his own good. There was no way I could look at him and not be smitten with him. The skin, the freckles, those eyes…
“Why exactly are we here, Aspen?”
“Because I’ma fuck you, and when I do, I’ma fuck you raw. And you bet not fuck anybody else.” My tongue rolled over my cheek as I looked away, but he gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. “You on birth control?”
“Um, no.”
“You gon’ get on it, or you ready to have my baby?” All I could do was stare at him and laugh. “Why you always laughing when I be talking to you about important shit?”
“Because half of what you say is unreal. Did your mama have you tested as a child?”
He looked truly confused as he shifted sideways in the seat. “Tested for what?”
“I don’t know. Whatever mental health tests they do.”
Aspen massaged his chin as his brows wrinkled. “I feel like I should be offended, but I’m not.”
At that point, I was unable to hold my laughter in. And the more serious he looked, the funnier it was. When my laughter died down, he pulled his STD and HIV test results from the glove compartment. It made my heart squeeze to see that he’d gotten the tests done the day after we met. He told me he hadn’t had sex with anyone, and I believed him.
It also made me feel good to know he was taking this precaution to keep us both safe. As crazy as he was, this was yet another thing to make me like and trust him. I didn’t think he was serious about the whole baby thing, but then again, Aspen had been a man of his word.
We went inside, and I got the tests done. I didn’t want to be on birth control, and that wasn’t going to change now. I’d seen the effects it had on some of my cousins, and I wasn’t willing to risk it. Hopefully, Aspen pulled out. If he didn’t, we’d be getting that baby soon.
As fast as things were happening between us, I was okay with that. We’d been knowing of each other since August, and we met officially in September, but Aspen had proven himself to me in ways it took other men years to do.
Daddy had given me a list of things that showed a man’s true character. He told me regardless of how much I loved a man, until I saw him in those elements, I’d never truly know him. I was curious about how Aspen would respond in some of those situations, and I wouldn’t ask, but only time would truly tell. There were married couples who spent years together just for differences in parenting styles and roles to break them up or have them miserable for the rest of their lives. I wouldn’t force anything between Aspen and me, but at this point, I was willing to organically see what would happen.
“Wow.”
My eyes scanned Aspen’s pottery studio. It was in a smaller suite behind his home that sat on two acres of land. On the way back, we talked about our hobbies and interests. He told me that outside of tattooing, he loved art of all kinds, especially pottery. I didn’t believe him… until now. He told me that he also loved reading, sports, and outdoor adventures. But this pottery studio… it was so beautiful and unexpected.
“Aspen, this is… wow.”
I took small steps deeper into the space. The pieces he’d done were on shelves on the left and right walls. Some were big and some small. Some intricate and detailed and some simple. The one in particular that caught my eye most was of a woman. A woman who looked like me. I refused to believe it. Maybe it was my ego making me see what I wanted to see. I looked back at him, needing permission to step further. His head bobbed in its direction as he cupped his hands in the center of himself. His wide stance, tilted head. That skin, the freckles, those eyes…
Standing in front of the statue, I allowed my trembling fingers to softly slide down it. She had eyes the same shape as mine. Same nose. Same lips. This was me. He’d made me out of clay. Blinking back my tears, I sniffled as my head hung. I licked the corner of my mouth and swallowed hard.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked, walking over to me. Pushing my hair off my shoulders, Aspen placed a kiss on my neck. A moan escaped me as my body swayed. My nipples hardened as I clung to his thigh for support. He pressed his strong chest against my back. His nose trailed up my neck as he inhaled my scent, and I shivered. “Just like you.”
“T-That’s me.”
“Mhm.” He kissed my neck again. “Do you like it?”
