mine too

21.

Josiah

We've been spending time with each other with going out on dates, going to each other's houses, and making love. I can't even remember when I have ever received this much affection in a relationship before.

Music was playing softly as I was laying in my bed, scrolling through Pinterest for new bedroom decoration ideas.

That wasn't until I hear Braelyn scream down the hallway, "COUSIN!" Followed by her heavy stomps to my room.

"Yes, Braelyn," I asked, putting down my phone on the bed.

She plops down next to me on the bed. Her long pink manicured nails tapping away on her phone. "Trez texted me from a different number again and I don't know what to do," she whined.

Braelyn was stressing that her baby daddy knows where she's now living at.

"I'm so scared, cousin. I don't want him nowhere near my baby. He's not stable enough to be around my child."

I was trying my best to calm her down. "Braelyn, calm down. We're all going to be okay. I just don't want you to stress yourself out."

She's now pushing being six months pregnant. All pregnancy long, she's been carefree until she got a text from a random phone number that says they know where she lives at now.

Braelyn moved down here to Memphis to get away from her ex, Trez, hoping that he wouldn't find her.

They met almost two years ago at her old job before eventually dating. She was the happiest she ever was until he slowly started to change, or better yet—show his true colors. He's been in and outta jail, cheated on her a couple times, and even put his hands on her at one point. When she broke up with him, he didn't like it because he viewed her as his property and to have control over.

Braelyn cried the night she found out she was pregnant and contemplated on getting an abortion. I had to talk her out from getting one and suggested that it would be best if she moved outta town. We're close so wherever she goes, I go. We got some family out here in Memphis, so that's why we moved down here. She changed her number and has been doing better until she got this mysterious text last night.

"I'm petrified on what he could do, Siah. I don't feel safe anymore."

"It's going to be okay. What are the possibilities that he knows where we live? The chances are very low."

Braelyn has to take a moment to think on it. We're miles and miles away from Florida. Why would he travel all the way down here to Memphis?

She goes to rub her belly while pouting. "I just don't want him to hurt us."

"He's not going to, Brae. We're safe."

I give her a smile and squeezed her hand to reassure her. I surely hope he doesn't find us.

Braelyn stirs the conversation to a different topic. And just like that, she covers her stressful expression with a warm smile. "So, how they been treating you? Do I need to whoop some ass?"

I shook my head with a giggle. "No, we're all doing fine."

As soon as I got home that day, I told her that the three of us made it official. I couldn't contain my excitement and was dying to tell someone—my cousin specifically.

"We're all doing fine," she mocked. "You stay smiling when thinking about them."

I try to hold in my smile, but I failed. "I don't."

"Mhm. They treat you like a princess? If so, run their pockets dry and be bratty. That's what I would do."

"Of course you would, Braelyn. But me on the other hand, I'm not like that. They both spoil me either way."