29. Speak your truth.

"Mateo Santos." Toni smiled as she spoke his name, "we may not watch baseball much but your name is known simply because of how fine you are." Toni stated bluntly into the microphone of the live interview as she flipped her braids back.

Mateo has arrived in New York late last night and was at Hot 97's radio station bright and early for the interview. He could've definitely used some more sleep, but he knew this had to be done.

"Really Toni?" Marcus questioned as he looked over at her causing Mateo to laugh.

"It's true though," Yasmin jumped in with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Had I known you got down with the brown I would've been shot my shot." Toni let out with a laugh.

"Nuh uh," Yasmin started. "Remember he has a girlfriend."

"Speaking of the girlfriend," Marcus picked up about to get right into the bulk of the conversation. "This picture circulating of you and this pregnant girl. What's that about?"

"I knew this was coming," Mateo started. This was all he was really here for. Usually they eased their way into topics like this, but Yasmin and Toni easily opened the door for it early on. "Nothing like they are trying to make it seem. Let's start with the fact that I'm single, so I'm not cheating on anyone." Mateo stated.

"Is that right?" Toni questioned as her voice went kind of a high and smile lit up on her face.

"Since when?" Yasmin jumped in questioning. "I see pictures of the two of you still on your page and hers." She literally had her phone in her hand scrolling.

Mateo chuckled lightly, "for a while now. Past couple of weeks. Past month maybe."

Marcus smacked his teeth, "that isn't that long. But nonetheless still broken up." He nodded in understanding.

"Why haven't you or her taken the pictures down though?" Toni asked.

"You have to ask her why she didn't take them down on her end but I honestly didn't even think about it. I don't be on social media too much. I'll post here and there and do ads for my sponsors but I'm not one of those people glued to my phone. But I'll make sure I take them down to clear up the confusion."

"I feel it, I'm like you. It ain't that deep. My girl told me to delete the pictures with my ex on my page. Shit didn't even cross your mind." Marcus chimed in.

"Exactly." Mateo stated in agreeance.

"Nahh, my man is not keeping no pictures of no girl he was with up." Toni said matter of factly. "But you ladies heard it here first, Mateo is big single. Well maybe because we haven't got into it about this other girl yet." Toni continued.

"Right who is the girl in the picture? You say you and your ex been broken up for the past month. The girl in the picture is very pregnant. Are you about to play step daddy or what?" Yasmin questioned.

Mateo laughed at the last part of the statement. "No I'm not about to play step daddy. She is about to be the mother of my child."

"Wait, what? Let's back up. Let's back up. You said you didn't cheat on your girl. And remind you, you said the two of you have only been broken up for a few weeks but that girl who looks like she at the end of her pregnancy is about to be your baby mama?" Toni questioned with her eyebrows brought in. Confusion on her face.

"I can't even help you on that one man. You're going to have to make it make sense." Marcus let out with a low chuckle.

"Sounds like you cheated." Yasmin said in a sing song voice.

"I didn't though. Sofia and I were broken up when I got her pregnant. I've never cheated on her and she knows that."

"So you two have been broken up before?"

Mateo nodded, "yeah. I'm not one to broadcast anything though. As you can see, simply from this situation alone."

Toni nodded, "you like your privacy. I respect it."

"So you two were dating while this other girl was pregnant? Was Sofia finding out the reason for this recent break up?" Yasmin questioned again.

"Yeah we were dating the majority of her pregnancy honestly and no. She knew for months before we broke up. This had nothing to do with our recent break up."

"Well this is news." Toni stated surprised. "So seeing as how you two have broke up before and got back together and she clearly accepted the pregnancy to stay with you through it. Do you think you two will get back together?" She continued.

Mateo quickly shook his head no. "Nahh, that chapter is closed for us. I'll always care about her, always have love. But I don't see us picking back up again."

"So the girl in the picture is not a side chick and was never one at some point?" Marcus questioned. "Like you ain't never hit again after finding out she was pregnant?"

"No. Not at all. She was not and is not a side chick. She isn't any of what that article said. Like I'm sure even if I would have tried to make her one she wasn't going to go for it." Mateo laughed.

"She knows her worth!" Toni shouted out.

"She knows her worth but got pregnant by him when no one even knew he was single?" Yasmin asked as if she was questioning the girl really knowing her worth.

"Don't do that." Mateo started. "It was a drunk night on both of our ends. And like I said we were on a break regardless if the world knew or not. She's really not like that. And I'm not about to let everyone portray her in this negative light."

"Defending her quite hard, you say you're single but are you sure you two don't have something going on?" Toni asked.

"We don't. Our only concern is the child she's about to bring into this world. But I know her personally and I know how it's affecting her. She never wanted to be in this light to begin with, negative or positive and I'm just not about to let a whole bunch of people who don't know shit about anything tear down a woman who did nothing wrong. She isn't a side chick, a homewrecker, a ho. None of that. She didn't have sex with me while I was with Sofia and I can put my life on that."

"Respect." Marcus let out as the girls were taken aback.

"Can you be my baby daddy?" Toni questioned causing everyone to laugh.

"Can we share him?" Yasmin questioned back. Causing another laugh.

"Look, I'm good with one right now." Mateo let out with a smile.

"Now you said you don't see yourself getting back with your ex but what about with your baby mama?" Yasmin questioned with her eyes zoned in on him.

"The mother of my child?" He shrugged. "I can't say. But my only focus right now is my career and my son."

"You can't say? Does that mean there is a possibility?" Marcus chimed in.

Mateo laughed, "it means I can't say. I can't say I see myself getting with her but I can't say I don't see myself getting with her either. It's a toss up."

"Mmm, you're not saying yes but you aren't saying no." Yasmin let out.

"Because he's saying he doesn't know." Marcus states matter of factly.

"So ladies and gentlemen, Mateo is not big single. Baby mama just might snatch him up." Toni let out causing everyone to laugh.

Mateo shook his head as he laughed and Yasmin changed the subject to the game he had later that day. They talked about his career and any new things he might be doing in the near future for the rest of the time being.

—

"Bitchhhh!" Alexis yelled over the phone to a groggy Jessica.

"Why are you so loud?" She questioned with attitude. She was still laying in bed with her eyes closed. She hadn't got a good nights sleep with all her tossing and turning. She was ready to have her body back Kaiden needed to come out and soon.

"I just listened to the Hot 97 interview with Mateo! And I'm definitely tuning into Wendy Williams later to listen to Sofia too. But girl, you and Mateo have something going on I need to know about?"

Jessica sat up. "What? No. Why?"

"Well shit, it sounds like he wouldn't mind if something went on with the two of you. But he definitely had your back in that interview, I respect him even more now."

That made Jessica happy. She would definitely have to get her hands on the interview to listen to it. "Well that's nice to know." She stated with a yawn as she stretched in her bed. "How did you listen to it?"

"Online. I just went to the radio's website since I knew he'd be on this morning. I can't believe you weren't up listening to it."

"I can't believe I'm up right now seeing as how I haven't gotten any sleep from all the tossing and turning I did." She stood up heading to her bathroom. "But I'll make sure to catch it up on it."

"Alright, well I guess I'll let you get back to sleep then! Bye girl!" With that she hung up as Jessica mumbled under her breathe as she removed the phone from her ear. "Well I'm up now."

She used the bathroom and started doing her hygiene routine. She was meeting up with Mateo's mother for lunch, she had a few hours but she might as well get ready now.

Her stomach grumbled as soon as she finished getting ready. She knew she needed to get something or Kaiden would go crazy. She went to the kitchen deciding to just eat a bowl of cereal. Her phone went off just as she sat down to it.

She looked down at it seeing Mateo's name pop up. She answered as she put a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "Hello."

Mateo walked into his hotel room and set his key down as he walked towards the chair in the room. "Hey, how you feeling?" He questioned as he took a seat and took his shoes off. He was definitely going to try and get in a quick refresher nap.

"I'm okay." Jessica started, "you? And how was the interview. I heard you did that this morning."

Mateo sighed as he sat back in the chair. "I'm good and yeah I did. I think it went well. I was honest."

"Did you say something about us?" She questioned as she took another bit of cereal. "Like almost as if we had something going on."

Mateo laughed confused on what would make her ask that question. "What?"

Jessica shook her head as if he could see, "nothing Alexis made a comment, it's nothing." She reiterated.

He laughed again, "alright. But no, I didn't make a comment as if we had something going on. They asked if it was a possibility we would be together and I said I couldn't say."

Jessica's heart skipped a beat and she didn't know why as she froze for moment. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Oh okay. Gotcha."

Mateo chuckled lowly, "okay," he sighed. "Well I just wanted to check in on you. I'm about try and get in a quick nap before the game later. You got anything planned for the day?" He questioned before ending the call.

"I'm meeting up with you mom for lunch and going to grab a couple of last minute things for the baby. But other than that nothing." She sighed. "Wait," she remembered. "I joined this mommy group on Facebook and me and this girl might be meeting for dinner later. She's due around the same time I am."

Mateo nodded. "That'll be nice, get you some friends out there. But be careful."

"Will do."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later. Let me catch some Z's." Mateo let out. "Good luck on your game!" Jessica states before they said their goodbyes and ended the call. Jessica put her phone down and finished her cereal before putting it in the sink and washing it. She decided that a nap wouldn't kill her as her sleepiness was showing its face and she had some time to spare before the long day ahead of her.

"Kaiden, you are draining mommy's energy." She let out as she brought a hand to her belly and made her way upstairs to lay down.

One thing she knew was that she was happy the due date was approaching. She was over being pregnant and ready to meet her little boy.