Carter was still fully clothed and in bed when his cell phone buzzed. Elaina’s name popped up on the screen. He balled his hand into a fist and gently tapped it against his forehead. Carter debated not answering, but he couldn’t do that for obvious reasons.
His voice was groggy. “Elaina. What’s up?”
“Carter? I hate to bother you, but I’m not feeling well. Do you think you can drop by and bring over some saltine crackers and soup?”
In the age of grocery delivery services, there was no need for Elaina to call him. She was being manipulative, and Carter knew it. He ran a frustrated hand down his face. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll see you later.”
He disconnected the call and grabbed his laptop that was lying on the other side of the bed. Carter turned it on and did the exact same thing Elaina could have done. He ordered the items she requested and scheduled them to be delivered to her home.
As he placed the order, Carter noticed the time. It’s after five. He didn’t realize he had slept so late in the afternoon. Carter needed to call Harlem and quickly dialed her number. The phone rang a couple of times before she picked it up.
“Hello.”
Carter didn’t miss the irritation in her voice. “Hey.” He wished he could have an easy day. One that wasn’t so damned difficult. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards. If he wanted Harlem in his life, he was going to have to work for her. “I miss you. Why don’t you come over tonight, and I’ll make us dinner.”
Is that before or after you go over to Elaina’s? Harlem had no right to feel jealous, but she was. She hated that feeling. Still, Harlem had some pride and would never admit it. Her attitude was oozing through the phone. “Mesha drove up last night. She’s not leaving until later. So–” Her voice trailed off.
“Come over after. I don’t care how late.” Carter waited for her response. It was slow.
“Mesha and I have been shopping all day. I’m actually pretty tired.”
Carter was frustrated and hurt. “That sounds like bullshit, Harlem. Either you want to see me, or you don’t.”
“I just ran into your batshit crazy pregnant ex, so it’s a bit hard to get up for a visit!” Harlem snapped. “It was almost like looking at myself.”
Carter had no idea what Harlem was talking about. “What?” Elaina wasn’t even showing yet.
“Never mind.” Harlem closed her eyes as she sat in the car, fuming and waiting for Mesha. She was foul for taking her frustrations out on Carter, and she knew it. Harlem’s voice softened. “Can I call you later?” She didn’t want to continue to take her anger out on him.
Carter spoke calmly when he was anything but. “Yeah. Okay.” Angrily, he ended their call.
Mesha got in the car at the same time he disconnected. “Sorry it took so long.” Immediately, she could tell by the look on Harlem’s face that something was wrong. “What?”
Harlem sighed. “Nothing. I’m just tired.”
*****
It was always loneliest at night. That was also when Harlem’s thoughts would run wild. She lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, thinking about Carter. She hadn’t spoken to him since their last call a couple of days ago.
Harlem didn’t realize how much he filled her days and thoughts until he stopped being such a powerful presence in it. She was genuinely surprised but understood why he hadn’t called. It was best. Still, she missed him. Harlem could only hope with time, she wouldn’t miss him as much.
They needed to talk. Harlem didn’t have the nerve to speak with him in person. So, she rolled over onto her side, grabbed her phone, and dialed his number.
It was late when Carter’s phone vibrated. Elaina had been blowing it up all day. He had half a mind not to even pick up. As much as Carter would like to disappear, he couldn’t. Two women were carrying his children. That knowledge still boggled his mind. Carter fully planned on getting a vasectomy as soon as his schedule allowed.
His phone continued to vibrate. He glanced over at the screen and recognized Harlem’s number. He wondered how long it would be before they spoke again. He missed her like crazy, but Harlem was emotionally all over the place. She needed some space to figure out what she really wanted. Carter was committed to giving it to her. Still, the past couple of days had been long.
Carter picked up. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Harlem was nervous. “I figured one of us should probably reach out.”
Damn, she sounded good. “I knew when you were ready to talk, you would call.”
There was an awkward silence between them before Harlem said anything. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us.”
“Yeah?” Carter had a bad feeling. However, he remained quiet and waited for her to finish her thoughts.
“Things are so complicated.”
He couldn’t lie. They were.
“Maybe we should try to uncomplicate them.”
“How do you suppose we do that?”
Harlem blinked back tears. “Maybe, for now, we should focus on just being good parents.”
“That’s really what you want?” He asked, knowing the answer. If Carter were honest, Harlem had every reason to run away from a relationship with him.
It’s not what I want. “It's best.”
Carter had finally allowed himself to open up to
