Fight For My Heart (5 page)

They turn to me when they hear the gasp I couldn’t hold leave my lips. Vin does a double take, while Carmen smiles that evil shit eating smile at me. “Taleah?” Vin asks, still deep into Carmen, not moving anymore, just kind Chillin’. Guess he doesn’t want to lose the moment by pulling out. Fuck my life right now.

“Hey, um, sorry, your dad said it was ok to come up here.” I look at everything, but him and her butt ass naked on the bed. I don’t understand why today of all days I had to walk in here and see this shit. Talk about a blow to the ego.

“What are you doing here?” He asks me finally disengaging himself pulling his shorts on and walking over to me. Before he can touch me I step back and move into the hallway. I look to Cadence, who has tears in her eyes, and Ant, who looks sick about the whole situation. I then find myself whipping a tear away. I’m embarrassed about all of this. And I cannot believe what I just saw.
“Trust me”
goes through my head, and I turn back to Vin.

Fuck this, just get it out there. In a voice that doesn’t even sound like mine, by how fragile it comes out I say, “I haven’t heard from you at all really then in more than just a few texts, in about a month and today Cadence took me to the clinic on campus, I found out I’m pregnant, but you should already know that since you called it the one and only time we were together..” I hear collective gasps and spin around seeing Erica, Marco, and another man standing in the hallway. Carmen comes out of the room fully dressed and crying, stomps by me, swings her fist back and throws it at my stomach.

Before she makes contact, Vin has her in his arms in a vise-like hold. I’m too shocked at what she almost did that I stare at her like she’s lost her fucking mind. “NO! NO! NO!” She cries and turns in his arms. I should probably feel bad for her, but I’m actually too hurt to care.

“Are you sure?” Vin asks me, putting Carmen back into his room and closing the door.

“Yeah, I’m due in May, the 19
^th
to be exact.” I whisper.

“Vincent! You cannot be so reckless, you know that was stupid!” His father booms walking closer to us.

“Dad, give me a second to process this shit.” Vin tells him.

This shit? He did not just call MY baby this shit! “That’s not what I meant Taleah, sorry that was a bad choice of words.” Damn it, I keep talking out loud.

The man I don’t know, steps around Marco. “Hello, I’m Erica and Carmen’s father Frank. I’m sorry to say this, but you are not welcome here. Your baby will be terminated, and you will not come near Vincent and Carmen again.” Erica smiles and Marco laughs at me. I see red and in one swift move punch this asshole in the face.

Erica jumps at me, but Cadence pulls her by the hair and backs her away from me. “I am NOT terminating my baby!” I scream at them all. Vin just watches this all play out not saying a word. Finally Marco says, “Ok, this is what’s going to happen, we will provide for the baby then, you will not be permitted to see Vincent, after the baby is born our lawyers will set up visitation and Carmen will be the mother, all ties to you will be cut off.” I’m really shocked that these people are so fucked in the head to think I’ll do what they say.

I just stand there, then turn to Vin. “I just wanted to let you know what was going on, that’s all. I didn’t think that I should keep this to myself. I see what your family wants you to do, and I will not do it. I’m not asking you to be with me, especially after what I just saw, but I am asking that you be in your child’s life. Financially I’m good, so I don’t want your money, I just want you to be a father, that’s all. Bye, I’ll send word when your baby is born.” With that, I grab Cadence and Ant’s hands and walk away.

He doesn’t stop me; everyone moves out of the way, I’m sure they are shocked that I don’t want to be in his life or want his money, but hey, I’m no fool and telling Vin was the easy part, now I have to tell my dad, shit.

Good thing about living in Virginia now can tell my dad over the phone, but I know Tony will be here at any minute after I get off the phone with my dad.

“Hello,” he says after he answers the phone.

“Hey Pops, I need to talk to you” I’m really nervous, this is going to be soo bad.

He gets quiet; there aren’t many times when I use those words, so he knows this is serious. “What’s going on?” I can hear him setting whatever he was working on down, and then getting comfortable, most likely he’s in his office.

“I messed up, and I am just going to tell you. I’m pregnant, a month and a few days actually. I found out today,” I just get it out there, I don’t want to drag this out.

“I’m going to kill that damn Dominic! That little fucker isn’t going to have balls when I’m done with his ass. Fucking wide receivers, can’t trust them always dropping the ball and shit. I knew he was trouble, didn’t you pull that damn gun on him and your brother?! Fuck I hate wide receivers!” Umm, I don’t know what this has to do with anything, he just keeps talking about football and how Dom drops the ball too much. I’m a bit confused, and I just look at my phone then at Cadence whose covering her mouth trying to stifle a giggle. It’s not funny; I think my dad has finally lost his shit.
“DAD! What are you talking about? And, for the record, it’s not Dom’s baby, it’s this guy named Vincent’s.” I try to calm him down. It seems to have worked, because he stops talking. It’s eerily quiet, then…

“Who the fuck is Vincent?!! Hopefully a defensive end you cannot go wrong there!” Back to football, what the hell?

“No! No football player’s dad. He’s a fighter, shit wait, it doesn’t matter, what matters is I wanted to tell you I was pregnant, and I didn’t want to wait too long before I told you, I’m sorry, I know you’re mad, but hey at least it’s not a Romo, right?” HA! That’s was funny, because he gets quiet again, like he’s thinking this thought over.

“Yes, yes very good, no Romo’s. Thank God. Ok, I’m on my way to the airport, I’m going to charter the jet and be there tonight, give me 3 hours I’ll see you soon.” The he’s gone. I look over at Cadence again and this time there are tears rolling down her cheeks even Ant is on his back they are laughing so hard.

“What’s so funny?” I’m very confused by all these events happening.

“Your” gasp “Dad” laugh “was talking” laugh “about wide receivers” gasp “and defensive ends, while you were looking like you wanted to break you phone!” Ant cannot stop his laughter. I don’t think this shit’s funny at all.

Suddenly there’s a knock at the door, expecting it to be Tony or Dom, because let’s face it with all the football talk those fuckers just appear in the air when there’s talk about their beloved sport. I go grab my 9 MM and answer the door pointing it at a pair of eyes I hope my baby has. “Vin?” I ask.

“Whoa whoa, I know you’re probably mad, but really?” He holds his hands in the air.
“Sorry, thought you were someone else, what do you want?” I snap. These hormones are making me crazy.

Ant decides to grab my gun while Cadence cracks up all over again, she’s used to all this. I do Love my pink gun, so cute! I sigh.

“I want to talk, I know you probably were shocked by what you saw, and I promise that’s the first time I touched her since you, I had a hard day and I was thinking about those lips, and I needed to see you, but she came in and well…” he trails off.

“What…..? Oh hell give me my fucking gun back!” I yell to Ant. I’m going to show this ass hole who he thinks he’s fucking with, he DID NOT just try to justify his shit by saying that to me!

Vin backs out into the hallway like he’s about to make a run for it, and low and behold there is my twin brother Tony. ‘YOU FUCKER!!” Tony yells, grabbing Vin by the collar of his shirt and throwing a punch. Now I completely understand why people say things happen in slow motion and it feels like 5 hours because I definitely feel like I’m watching something from the outside and looking into a movie. Vin turns so quickly I almost miss it if I were to blink. He catches Tony’s fist then rams his fist into his stomach making Tony double over. I yell and block the next blow by throwing myself onto Tony, Vin stops his fist before it connects with me.

“Taleah! Move! What were you thinking baby?!” Vin yells then crouches down to pick me up, cradling me to his chest and rubbing my hair from my face. “You gotta be careful baby, you don’t want anything happening to our lil one.” Did this fucker just coo to me?
“Let me down! I don’t like you!” I punch at his chest trying to wiggle away from this ass hole. He cannot just come into my room, hit my brother, then coo, seriously?! Fucking coo?! Yes, I’m stuck on the cooing.

“I’m sorry, and I do not fucking coo! I was just being nice and trying not to stress you out. It’s bad for the baby, so chill the fuck out.” He damn near shouts at me. Have I said that I need to filter my thoughts? I keep saying them out loud. I’m going back to blaming the damn lip tattoo, yes that’s safe.

“Tony, you ok? Get up. Why are you here?” I know Why he’s here, but I am so not going to admit it, I’m going to act like I have no guilt for what I have done and sit here doe eyed and innocent.

“Don’t look at me like that! Dad called me and assuming as he says you’re pregnant and I saw you with this fuck head, I know he’s the father considering you were a VIRGIN!!!!” Wow, umm, I didn’t want him to say that in the hallways of my dorm that is quickly filling up. People are staring back and forth between Vin and Tony and then smiling shyly at them. Oh goodness shoot me now.

“Can we take this inside, please?” I ask because, let’s face it, I probably look like an idiot by now.

“Hey Vin.” A blonde purrs next to me. I recognize her from across the hall. Her name Tiff. What the hell kind of name is that? “I missed you last week, I haven’t come that hard in forever, I was hoping for a redo performance?” She bats her fake eyelashes. I want to throw up right now. He says he hasn’t touched Carmen since me, but obviously Tiff has gotten some action. I’m just another in a long list of fucks and I’m starting to blame that tattoo again.
Vin looks at me pleadingly. “Seriously?” Tony shouts at Vin. “You just fuck whoever you want, while my sister is pregnant? You ass hole! Taleah I can’t even begin to believe this shit. Dom is in tears over you and you fuck this mother fucker and he has his dick in anything that moves.” Wow, Tony is really mad. I may need my gun again, for protection this time, not because I like it, Ha yeah right, I like to wave it around.

“Taleah, baby, I know I fucked up, but I have missed you, I just you know, umm, we messed around a bit. We didn’t talk about there being an, us. And after what happened I got scared and didn’t want to mess everything up. I know you’re mad, but give me a chance. I talked to my dad after you left and he knows I’m in 100%, I’m not going anywhere and I’ll stop with the messing around and be completely into us.” He’s basically begging me right now, and what to do? I don’t even know if I want to be with him, but the look in his eyes says so much, I can’t doubt he wants to be a good dad.

I completely forget we have an audience until Cadence clears her throat and pulls all of us into the room. I flop down on my bed and check my phone. My dad should be here in about an hour. “Hey, Tony, dad will be here soon, do you what he wants?”

“Yeah, he’s getting you an apartment, that’s why I’m here we need to pack you two up so we can get you settled ASAP” he tells me then starts throwing stuff in to my suitcases.

Cadence happily jump up directing Ant to help her, chatting happily away about all the decorating she wants to do for a baby room, hoping it’s a boy. I’m stuck stunned for a moment and don’t know what to do.

“Baby, you really were serious about not needing my money, huh? I didn’t believe it, but after hearing that your dad is on his way and you will an apartment by the end of the day, I guess you’re right.” It’s like he’s speaking to himself. I just shrug and start helping packing so I don’t need to explain I have a trust fund or that my dad is a self-made millionaire. We have money to blow people out of the water. I don’t have to describe my life for anyone. I wasn’t the little rich girl people wanted to see. I sat back and watched everyone around me trying to be someone they’re not.

“Vin, I have a fucking Escalade. Did you not notice anything about me?” I’m exasperated now and just want him to go. I already said I’m not a little bitch; I can hold my own.

“Escalade? Really? And, no I didn’t know this because you never showed me your car. It doesn’t matter though, I want to be with you. I’m serious, too. I already told Carmen we’re through. I’m coming wherever you’re going. Done deal, no excuses. You’re my baby.” The fucking cooing is really annoying, but the hormones have me melting into him. Tony gags, Cadence aww’s, and Ant shakes his head.

There’s a knock at the door, we’re all done packing and just waiting to see what happens now. I open the door and there stands my father holding Dom’s collar pushing him into the room. ‘Fucking wide receivers”, my dad mumbles. Why (the hell) is he still on this?

“Hey pops, why you got Dom with yah?” Tony asks, still laying on my bed with his feet propped up.

“Tony, I told him I didn’t sleep with your sister, help me!” Dom squeals. This is really entertaining right now, too bad Vincent looks ready to beat the shit out of someone.

“You slept with him?!” Vin yells at me. Oh no he didn’t.

“Cadence give me my gun!” I yell back.

‘Whoa baby girl, calm down! Give your old man a hug first then we can both shoot them, I got my 9 with me, too.” My dad is the best!

“Daddy! Tell Vin I didn’t sleep with that ass hole, matter of fact, tell Dom to leave.” I whine, yes whining isn’t below me.

‘My daughter didn’t sleep with anyone but you, and your ass is mine son.” My dad smiles at Vin, but it isn’t a nice smile, it’s more of an I’m giving you 10 seconds to move smile.

‘Sir, I’m Vincent Santiago, a pleasure to meet you, and I’m Taleah’s boyfriend” Vin has some serious balls right now. One, he isn’t my shit, oh wait, baby daddy is one, then two he’s a liar.
“He’s NOT my boyfriend, just a mistake.” I clarify. My dad just looks at me. I don’t know what that look is for, but I don’t like it, not at all.