“Why did you lie to them?” Lilly whispers in my ear as I watch my aunties bustling in the kitchen, pulling out bowls and trays like they were nning a feast instead of a snack.


    “What was I supposed to do?” I whisper back. “Noah wants nothing to do with this baby and honestly<b>, </b>I


    don’t want him in our lives either. This was the best solution.”


    I’m not going to spend the next nine months and the rest of my life chasing a man who’s made it very


    clear he doesn’t want me or this child. Noah has hurt me enough times; I’m done giving him the chance


    to do it again.


    I have a baby to think about now, and he or shees first. I’ll protect them from their father’s hate no


    matter what. If that means staying away from him, so be it. I will not have my child feeling the sting of


    rejection.


    “Are you sure about this?” Lilly asks, ncing at the kitchen before returning her gaze to me.


    “I’ve never been surer about anything in my life,” I reply. “Noah and I? We’re chaos. I won’t allow my baby


    to face the consequences of my choices.”


    Ever since yesterday, something has shifted inside me. Maybe it was Noah’s cruelty one too many times.


    Maybe it’s the fact that there’s a new little life to protect. Maybe it’s just the natural pull of motherhood…


    but I feel different. Stronger.


    “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Lilly says quietly. “You’re ying with fire. I have a feeling it’s


    going to blow up in your face.”


    The feeling of foreboding is heavy. I assure myself that nothing is going to happen. I’ve thought this


    through and I’ll be careful. No one will ever know that Noah fathered my child.


    I push away the twinge of unease. “You worry too much. Nothing’s going to happen.”


    “What if Noah changes his mind?” she presses, her eyes sharp on mine.


    Iugh–a dry, humorless sound. “That’s about as likely as the sun rising in the west tomorrow. We both know that will never happen.”


    “But what if it does?” she insists.


    Why is she so set on this? She knows her cousin very well. She knows Noah will never stop hating me. He will never change his mind.


    What has gotten into her all of a sudden? Wasn’t she the one who told me that I’d still be okay even if Noah didn’t ept my pregnancy? Then what changed?


    I frown. “So what? That won’t change a damn thing. He lost all his rights when he told me to get an


    abortion. We will never need him.”


    She goes quiet, looking troubled, but I can’t dwell on it. “I’ll be okay, Lilly. My baby will be okay. Everything’s under control.”


    She finally nods. “Okay.”


    I smile. “Now, I need to make a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow.”


    It takes only a few minutes in the other room to get booked in with a private OB/GYN for nine a.m. The excitement bubbling in me is almost impossible to contain. I was afraid at first, but after talking with my mom and seeing the love surrounding me, I feel like I can do this. I was raised by a single mom, and I turned out fine. My baby will too. He or she will be surrounded by love and I’ll be there every step of the way<b>. </b>


    “How did it go?” Aunt Ava asks as I return to the living room.


    The coffee table is already covered in drinks and snacks, making my stomach growl.


    “Booked in for nine tomorrow morning,” I say, taking a seat.


    “Are <b>you </b>excited?” Aunt Corrine asks, passing me juice and a te.


    “Yes! I read that hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time is magical.” I can’t stop smiling.


    “It is,” Aunt Letty says. “Only thing better is holding them for the first time.”


    “It’s funny. At first I was terrified,” I admit. “But now… I feel like I could take on the world for them.”