Off Script

Let 'Em Know (MBJ POV)

I ended the call with Mina, but my phone was still in my hand. My chest felt like it had a fist around it, and it wasn't letting go.

Before I could think about it too much, I hit Ryan's name.

He picked up after two rings, the sound of papers shuffling in the background. "What's good, Mike?"

"Not good," I said flatly.

He must've caught it in my voice because everything went quiet on his end. "What happened?"

I told him. Every detail. The grocery store. The stranger reaching for Mina's stomach. The paps outside. Her falling. J.C. crying. Me stuck on a set in London, finding out through Tasha instead of being there. By the time I finished, my jaw hurt from clenching it.

"Man..." Ryan's voice was low. "That's—damn. How's she doing?"

"She's okay. Baby's okay. Gabriela checked them out during the call." I scrubbed my hand over my face. "But that's not the point. That shit never should've happened. And the only reason it did is because of me."

"Hold up." His tone sharpened. "Nah, we're not doing that."

"Ryan, she was there because—"

"Because she's a human being who goes grocery shopping," he cut in. "Mike, this is not on you. It's on some dumbass paps who don't know their place. They crossed a line, period. If you weren't in the public eye, they'd just be harassing somebody else."

I leaned back in the chair, staring at the floor. "Still feels like I put a target on her and J.C. just by being in their lives."

He sighed. "You put love and stability in their lives. You think J.C. is yelling 'Don't touch my mommy' because he's scared of being around you? No. He's scared of strangers crossing boundaries. That's not on you, Mike. That's on the people who don't respect those boundaries."

Ryan's voice softened again. "You need to take a breath, man. You're wound up because you're over there and she's over here. You can't keep trying to control it all from a thousand miles away."

I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my jaw. He wasn't wrong.

"Yeah," I said, though it felt heavy in my chest. "I got to get to these call sheets, shift my head somewhere else for a minute."

"Alright," Ryan replied. "Hit me if you need me. Zinzi and I will check on Mina too."

"Appreciate you, bro."

We hung up, but I just sat there, staring at my phone. The idea crept in slow — one I hadn't let myself fully think about until now.

Maybe she shouldn't be over there.

Maybe... she should be here.

London wasn't L.A., but I could make it safe. Quiet. I could make sure she didn't have to deal with grocery store strangers or paps hovering outside. She could rest, I could see her every night after set, I wouldn't be depending on FaceTime to know she was okay.

The more I thought about it, the more it stopped feeling like an idea and started feeling like the only option.

I stared at my phone for another minute before pressing her name again.

She picked up quick, her voice warm but tired. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, though my mind was already turning over the words. "I was just thinking... maybe you and J.C. should come here. To London."

There was a pause on her end. "Come there? For... how long?"

"Until I wrap," I said carefully. "It's not about controlling where you are, Mina. I just... I hate knowing you're dealing with all that without me. If you were here, I could make sure you're good every day. We'd be together. No FaceTime check-ins just to know you made it home safe."