Page 77 of Tension

I twisted free, but Chris lunged again. Vel moved faster, cracking him upside the head with the gun, dropping him where he stood.

“Oh, thank God,” I gasped, bending over, one hand clutching my stomach as nausea surged. I hadn’t been sick much during the pregnancy, but my body was revolting now.

“You were gonna fuck this nigga?” Vel demanded, fury shaking his voice.

“To save my life,” I said, breathless, “and my baby’s! Yes!”

“You’re pregnant?” Chris croaked from the ground.

“Hell yeah,” Vel snapped back. “With my seed. And you just tried to take that from me with your little pedo van.”

Vel glanced inside. His jaw tightened.

“Duct tape and rope in there, too. Freaky ass nigga.”

Vel pulled out his phone without lowering the gun. “Call the police,” he said coldly. “Before I change my mind and off this nigga.”

VEL

Chris, the security guard, and I had one thing in common. We both had that same pull toward her, that quiet obsession that wouldn’t let go.

The difference was simple.

I didn’t hide in the shadows like a bitch and hunt her like some wild animal.

I let the quiet tension build until we both could no longer deny our connection.

If I hadn’t seen her running that night… if I’d been even a few more minutes late… I shut that thought down. Thinking about what could’ve happened to her, or my child, still made my heart hurt.

Things were different now. Better.

Ol’ boy was in jail, exactly where he belonged.

Pregnant Chris had narrowed her priorities down to fucking, eating, and sleeping. I wasn’t mad at it. She was still deeply invested in the gym and our home, too. She’d already mapped out a nursery, let go of her apartment, and moved everything into my place like it had always been hers.

And now she was trying to run around like she hadn’t planned this entire gym opening down to the last detail. But my mother wasn’t having that.

“Girl, come sit down,” my mother told her. She was happy to have Chris around and in my life.

“Mama, I’m not helpless,” Chris tried to argue as my mother guided her and her now-rounded belly to a seat.

“Just tell us what you need, and we'll get it done,” my father chimed in, knowing that he, my brother, and I would do whatever she needed.

Chris took her seat and started bossing us around like only she could.

“Women should have an easy life. Especially pregnant women because you’re creating one,” my mom said to Chris, taking a seat beside her.

Luckily, Chris didn’t mind how personal my mother was. This was her second grandchild, and I had been keeping Chris to myself for too long, according to her.

“She’s good for you.” My mother was beside me now.

My family moved around her like it was the most natural thing in the world; her comfort mattered more than a schedule.

“Are you ready?” My mother knew I was proposing; everyone did. Nia and Jasmine kept nudging me whenever they passed by me. My brother was giving me a stupid smile. And LL kept winking at me.

But these were the people Chris and I both loved.

We were doing a small opening ceremony, just staff, close friends, and family. Tomorrow, we’d officially open our doors to members.