27. Dinner!

Jessica stood in the bathroom applying some light makeup on her face. Her phone chimed making her stop momentarily as she checked it. "Shit." She let out as she read that Mateo was at the door.

She forgot he said he was stopping by once he left the gym. She finished applying her mascara before she headed downstairs to open the door.

"You always take long as hell." He stated as he stood up from leaning on the side of the house. Jessica rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned back around heading further back into the house.

Mateo took her in, "where you going?"

She remembered she hadn't mentioned it to him. She faced him. "Alexis asked me to come with her and Xavier to dinner with one of his friends. Apparently he wants to make up for all the bullshit." She rolled her eyes as she responded because it still sounded like total bullshit to her. But she was willing to hear him out.

Mateo's eyebrows furrowed together as he crossed his arms and shook his head. "Nahh, you not going."

Jessica chuckled slightly. "That's exactly what I told Alexis when she brought it up bu-" she paused in the middle of her statement as her hand went to her belly. A sharp pain shooting through.

"You okay?" Mateo asked as concern quickly etched his face and he moved closer to her. She nodded. "Yeah," she let out lowly. "These contractions are going to be the death of me."

"Have they been happening a lot?"

She walked over taking a seat on the couch as she shook her head side to side. "Not in the time that means labor though, so relax." She saw the panic in his face.

"I'm fine." She smiled as the contraction subsided. "My doctor said it's just my body preparing for it. It can happen weeks before the actual delivery."

"See no, you're definitely not going." He let out as he stood across from her with his arms crossed.

She chuckled, "I already told them I would go and I'm halfway finished with getting dressed. Plus isn't he your best friend? Don't you want us to put our differences aside?"

Mateo quickly shook his head no. "Fuck that. I don't trust Xavier. We aren't even cool right now and one of his friends is coming? Hell nahh Jess, he's on some sneaky shit."

This was all news to Jessica. "Oh." She let out. "When did this happen? Why aren't you two cool?" She questioned, truly curious.

"Recently and it ain't important just know I'm not fucking with him right now. So he can save whatever apology he was going to give for another time." Mateo didn't believe he was trying to apologize especially from seeing how hostile he was when it came to Jessica the last time the two talked.

Jessica nodded still wanting to know but she wasn't going to push it right now. "I don't think Lex knows that. Let me call her." She got up having to head back upstairs to grab her phone.

Once she grabbed her phone she saw she had a missed call from Lex, she called back as Lex quickly answered. She could hear the smile in her voice. "Hey girl! I know this is last minute but did you want us to scoop you or would you prefer to meet us there?"

"Actually, Mateo doesn't think I should go." She leaned on the bathroom counter as she looked at herself in the mirror and bit her lip. She felt bad that she was about to possibly cancel on her tonight.

Alexis smacked her teeth, "what? Why not?"

"So they're not even cool right now and he feels like it's some shady shit and I kind of have to agree. I felt like that too when you brought it up but to find out he isn't even fucking with Mateo right now and he's inviting me is super weird."

Confusion laced Lex's voice, "what? they aren't cool? X definitely didn't mention that."

Jessica sighed, "yeah, I'm sure he didn't." She threw slight shade.

"Maybe he was trying to talk to you to help." Alexis thought out loud.

Jessica chuckled, "oh no. I'm not getting in that shit so if that's what he was trying to do that's dumb because I don't even like that nigga."

Alexis sighed as Jess continued, "Sorry it's so last minute but I'm not going, if baby daddy says no then it's a no. Especially since it's his friend."

"I get it." She sounded sad. "I'm definitely going to ask him about and him and Mateo though. We have to do lunch before I leave tomorrow or something! My flight leaves at six in the evening."

"We will definitely make it work then! I'll see you girl."

"Alright, bye." Alexis said before the two got off the phone.

Jessica made her way back down the stairs. She was honestly happy to not be going to the dinner, but now that meant she had to cook or go grab something. "So what am I going to eat now since you got me canceling dinners?" She questioned.

He shrugged, "if you want to go out to eat I'll take you." He was seated on her couch playing a rerun baseball game. He had definitely made himself comfortable.

"Then we're going to eat." We stated with confidence.

—

Mateo pulled up to a local restaurant that Jessica had suggested. They quickly got out the car as a man noticed him almost instantly. "Mateo Santos?" He questioned as he looked their way with a smile on his face.

Mateo looked his way slowly nodding, slightly skeptical. "What's up?" He questioned as the man neared him. "I'm a huge fan," he grinned as he brought his hand out to be shaken. Mateo looked down at his hand, bringing his to meet the mans. "Oh yeah? Appreciate it." Mateo smiled lightly.

The man looked over at Jessica as they dropped hands. His eyes going from her face to her belly. He knew the girl wasn't Sofia, he followed both Mateo and his girlfriend on social media. He noted it, he was a true fan but he also was what most called a paparazzi, but he preferred the term news photographer, he only did it part time. He knew this would be some nice tea for the athletic world and it had been a while since he was able to catch something juicy. Scandal and infidelity always made news lines and if he could be the first to get it out there he could make some good money. "Can I get a picture with you?" He questioned with a sincere smile.

Mateo looked Jessica's way as she nodded with a smile before he looked back at the man. "Yeah, let's make it quick, got a pregnant hungry lady right here. They can get crazy." He laughed out causing the man to as well. He quickly headed to his car to grab his camera.

Jessica reached for the camera, assuming she would take the picture for them. "Hold on," he let out. "Let me make sure the lens is right." He held up the camera slightly towards the two. Jessica thought it was odd and quickly turned as Mateo did the opposite and looked up from his phone by hearing the camera click. He brows automatically furrowing in and the man caught it.

"Was just making sure it'll come out right, sometimes it's weird." He quickly handed the camera to Jessica before any suspicions could settle in. She took the picture and quickly handed it back to the man, as she motioned for Mateo to head towards the restaurant with her. "Thank you!" The man yelled out. Mateo let out a quick no problem as they focused on getting inside.

The man waiting until they both were turned around before snapping some pictures of the two walking in the restaurant, and since he had nothing more planned he would wait until they came out as well to get some face pictures. Because the one he tried to get sneakily was horrible.

"Aww, that was cute." Jessica commented with a smile as they made their way inside the restaurant. "But he was also a little odd, like when he tried to snap a picture of us. I wasn't feeling that."

"I know." Mateo let out. "And you never know when people doing some sneak work on the low. Just going to hope he wasn't the paps or nothing." Jessica nodded as they were quickly escorted to a table towards the back that allowed more privacy.

The two ordered their drinks and food before engaging in light conversation that quickly turned to more serious.

"So I have the pool." She gave a small smile as she thought about the home birth.

Mateo took a sip of his drink as he nodded. "You ready?"

Jessica let out a big sigh, "as ready as I'm going to be. I'm scared though. I hear it hurts and you know I'm trying to go the natural route. I just hope I can handle it."

"You'll be fine," Mateo encouraged. They continued talking about plans for the birth and the baby as Alexis and Xavier were on their way to eat.

"Why are you just now telling me she isn't coming if she called and told you while we were at the house?" X questioned with slight anger as he drove.

Alexis was taken aback by it. "First off, calm the fuck down. It's not that deep and second off I didn't think it was that serious. Mateo told her not to, which by the way I didn't even know you two weren't cool right now. So why the fuck were you really trying to act like you wanted to get on Jessica's good side?"

Xavier smacked his teeth. "This whole time you been bugging me about apologizing to her and that's all there is to it. The fuck you mean?"

Alexis rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah and you decide to do it when you and Mateo fall out? That shit lowkey shady as fuck and you know it."

He smacked his teeth. "Whatever yo. You should have told me so I could have told Raymond never mind."

"Nahh X what the fuck did you have up your sleeve?" She wasn't about to drop it that easy. It didn't sound right to her knowing he wasn't on good terms with Mateo and if he thought he was about to try her best friend on some shady shit he had another thing coming.

He ignored her as he picked up his phone to call Raymond. She rolled her eyes as she looked out the window. She kept an ear to the conversation even though she could only hear his side.

"Yeah, she not coming." He let out before it was followed by a pause. "Damn, they already been tipped off?"

"We don't need that shit, not anymore." Alexis looked over at him trying to figure out what he was talking about but couldn't so she figured they went from Jess not coming to something completely different.

He was off the phone within five minutes as the rest of the ride was silent. Alexis was trying to bite her tongue but she couldn't. They pulled up to the restaurant as he parked his car and pulled out his phone again. "Why did you really invite Jessica?"

Xavier smacked his teeth, over this conversation. "Alexis what the fuck!" He screamed out causing her to jump a little as the bass of his voice vibrated through the SUV. "You beg me to fucking apologize and then think it's shady as fuck when I decide to? I can't fucking win with you."

"Because you decide to do that shit when you and Mateo aren't cool? And you invite one of your homeboys? That shit doesn't make sense."

"Man whatever, I'm not doing this shit with you. Act like you got some fucking sense when we get in here."

"Nigga what? You not my fucking daddy and you're not going to talk to me like I'm a child."

He unlocked the door and quickly got out in the middle of her talking. Further more pissing her off but she quickly got out, slamming the door as she saw Raymond walking towards them shaking his head as he headed to dap up Xavier who looked over at Alexis with a scowl on his face before facing towards Raymond again.

They all started walking towards the restaurant as paparazzi started swarming them taking Alexis by surprise. Xavier quickly grabbed her hand as they walked inside the restaurant.

They had never been in the spotlight like this so why now? It was like someone knew Raymond and him were going to be there. It clicked in her head as anger took over her face once they were seated at the table. "You tried to set her up." She let out without thinking as Raymond and Xavier were engaging in a conversation.

Xavier looked over at her with confusion and anger on his face. He didn't want to hear another word about Jessica. "What?"

She zoned in on him. "You were going to try and make it seem like she was out here with Raymond, portray her as something she wasn't. Is that what you thought would get you back in the good graces of Mateo? Like what the fuck is wrong with you. She hasn't done shit to you!" Her anger was rising.

"Fuck you Xavier, I truly thought it was just some type of misunderstanding between you two that could be worked out. But you are manipulative as fuck and for what?" She stood up deciding she didn't even want to hear the bullshit response he was going to come up with. She was leaving. She didn't have a key to his place but she would Uber to Jessica's and chill there until she could go get her stuff. But one thing she knew was that she couldn't stand to be in his presence right now.

"Wait, what?" She heard Raymond question. "This was supposed to be a stunt to help me get more deals right? Them seeing me with a girl. Looking like a taken man not scared to show his woman."

Alexis quickly turned around as she started laughing. "Is that what he told you?" She looked over at Xavier again. "Conniving as fuck. Raymond, get you a real friend because he would have fucked that all up for you. Because my best friend," she put her hand on her chest. "The one who was supposed to come, is pregnant by who I thought was his best friend, Mateo Santos. You know the baseball player?"

"Alexis shut the fuck up." X let out as anger seeping through each word. "If you leaving, leave."

Raymond slowly nodded as his brows furrowed together as his focused stayed on Alexis. "Yeah," she continued not giving a fuck about what Xavier said. "And that really wouldn't have been a good look for you and especially not for her. But enjoy your dinner and your fake ass friend." She gave a fake smile and

quickly turned on her heels headed towards the front of the restaurant as she pulled out her phone, quickly calling Jessica.