2 Places || The Sophomore Trilogy || Tori Kelly

Rock-A-Bye Baby

7:18 AM

Tori was being treated for her infection through an IV and definitely feeling better. While waiting for the bag to fully drain into her system, Tori scrolled through her finsta account. "It's too early for this Murillo," Tori groaned. André glanced over and sat up confused.

"What?" He asked, with less attitude and more concern.

"Why the hell are there girls in my dms asking if we broke up?" Tori groaned. André shrugged and moved to get in the bed with her.

"I don't know. No one has talked to me," he replied pulling up his empty messages. Tori rolled her eyes and started and IG Story video.

"Umm, I don't know what y'all think marriage is, but we can't just break up like that. Just because me and my man have a fight doesn't mean, y'all can ask for his snap. We good. Thanks though," Tori said, before flashing the camera towards her giant, cuddled into her side stroking her nonexistent baby bump. After the video cut off, Tori posted it, not even caring to watch it back and put her phone away.

"Bruh," André said watching the video back all the way through.

"What?" Tori asked, slightly pushing him away, but allowing the warmth of his hand to soothe her stomach.

"I hope you were ready to announce baby number four, because this is not something we can cover up." Tori looked at the video and saw exactly what he was talking about. The baby monitor on her stomach and André's hand were dead giveaways that this was more than just a routine visit. But I'm all honesty, Tori couldn't care less.

"Oh well. I'm proud of our family. Are you?" She asked. The basketball player, moved Tori's hair out of her face and pecked her lips.

"I will always be proud of you and the family we made together. I know I was a jerk before, and I'm sorry. But, today, seeing you in pain and the thought of losing this baby, made me realize how blessed we are to even be together after the past year," André replied. Tori smirked and pecked his lips for the first time in a couple of days. Sparks flew just like they had a few years prior at the house party where they met.

"I missed us," Tori mumbled against her mans lips before pulling away. A buzzing under André's leg, confused him, forcing him to hop up and see Tori's phone going off.

"It's your mom," he announced. Tori's eyes went wide realizing that they literally left her brother alone with their kids in the middle of the night. The singer instantly grabbed her phone and put it on speaker.

"Hey, mom," she answered.

"Tori, are you okay? Noah called," Laura worriedly asked.

"Yeah, it's an infection but they are treating it. Baby is okay," she replied. A sigh of relief hit her ear as her mother finally took a breath.

"Good, so now I can chew you out! Victoria Loren Kelly are you and that doofus of yours insane! You left Noah alone with two toddlers and a baby, scared. Your lucky he called. When I got here Ella was on the edge of the bed and the boys were crying!" Laura yelled. Tori's eyes went wide as she and André shared a glance.

"Where was Noah?" Tori fumed.

"I just said he was crying with them! Poor guy, was freaking out that you and the baby were dying!" Laura yelled, before hanging up and coming into the room. Tori shrank back into the bed.

"Sorry. I didn't get sick on purpose," Tori replied. Laura took a deep sigh and shoved her purse at André. The momma bear took a seat next to her daughter, running her hand along her daughters exposed abdomen.

"How are you feeling? Truly?" She asked. Tori picked at the sheet then glanced to André.

"I'll go get a drink or something," he awkwardly said, dropping the purse on the couch and leaving out of the room. The door shut, and Tori took a breath. Her face went soft as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"I— I don't know how long I can keep pretending like I'm okay," Tori cried. "I mean he's the father of my kids. My husband. But I can't even look at him after earlier. I mean, I want to be okay. I want us to be okay—"

"Wait, wait, wait. Tori, honey, slow down. What are you talking about? What happened earlier? What do you mean?" Laura asked. Tori but her lip, unsure of what to say.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Tori shoved away. She promised not to bring her family into she and André's stuff. But, the weight was getting to her.

"Tori, if something is going on and you're not telling me— if something happens to you or those kids, Tori—"

"No. It's nothing like that. The kids are safe. I— it's..." Tori trailed off. Laura searches her daughters eyes. They were yearning to tell the truth. Laura had only seen that look once before.

flashback

"What does it say?" André hastily asked. Laura glanced at him then back to Tori, who's facade broke as soon as her mother's glared hit. The twenty-year-old glanced off as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "No," he whispered, reaching over the counter, snatching the test from Tori's mom.

Two pink lines smacked him in the jaw, as he took a gander at the stick. "Don't act like you didn't know! You lied to me!" Laura yelled. André ran his free hand over his head in complete shock, staring at the test, not sure what to do.

"He didn't," Tori whispered, catching her mom and boyfriend's attention. Laura whipped around to her daughter, feeling much more than anger at that moment.

"But, you did. Didn't you?" Laura rhetorically asked. Tori nodded. "How far along are you, Victoria?" The aggravated mother interrogated as André still sat frozen behind her.

"Fourteen weeks,"

fin

"He cheated, mommy. He got me pregnant with Ella, unknowingly but it still stands, and then he cheated. He got a disease, from a red headed whore he worked with. And now this disease that he gave me from her, is affecting our next child. A child he specifically told me, in front of Noah might I add, that he wanted me to abort. So, I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should believe that he has changed just like that, after seeing me in pain. Or if it's all talk because of adrenaline. I don't know. But, what I do know is that he is a good father. And a good husband. He gets up with Ella on his turns. He takes the boys to the park religiously. He holds my hair and gives me heating pads when my morning sickness is killer." Tori whimpered. "I— I love him. Why would he do that to me?"

Laura watched her daughter break. It hurt her to see her child so hopelessly in love with a man who could even dream of hurting her. And now she was in too deep. They were married. They had entered a sanction of unity which could not be broken. And even though they both knew the only grounds for divorce was infidelity, this was a special case. Because they both needed each other. Like lungs needed air after staying under the water too long. André and Tori needed each other. The water was the infidelity and the anger, but the air was the kids, the love, everything they built together.

Laura wanted nothing more than to draw up divorce papers and serve them with André's head on a platter, but she couldn't. So, she mustered up all the strength she was holding back from leaving the room and finding André to strangle, and looked her daughter in the eyes. "You know what to do. You know who to turn to. Don't be irrational. Go to the throne. There is a way to turn this around. Just be patient." Laura answered. Tori knew that she and André hadn't been in their word like they should've. And enough was enough. She was getting her family back in order.

🙃🙂🙃
To Be Continued