8. Its yours.

Mateo laid beside a sleeping Sofia as he checked his email. It'd been a week at this point so the results should have been in, and as his email refreshed it was clear they were in.

He took a deep breathe as he clicked on it, scanning through the email until it got to the results. 99.9% the numbers popped out as he reread it. He was the father, "fuck," he let out lowly.

Sofia turned, her eyes slowly opening as she looked at him. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "nothing. Go back to sleep baby." He got up out the bed walking out the room as he screenshot the results sending them to Xavier.

Mateo shook his head as he locked his phone, the last thing he was going to do was be a deadbeat ass dad. He debated on calling Jessica, he went to his IG deciding to go to her page instead, looking at her most recent post he found himself just staring at the picture.

This was the girl that was pregnant with his child. It was surreal to him. He exited out of the app deciding just to give her a call. The phone rang until it went to voicemail. He decided against leaving a voicemail. She would get the missed call.

He headed back to the room as Sofia was now fully awake, she was still laying down, scrolling through her phone. She looked over at him ruffling her hair. "What were you cussing about this morning?" She asked as she turned to face him.

He knew he could be honest right now or he could lie. His phone went off before he could respond as Jessica's name popped up, he had recently saved her number. He held up a finger as he answered it walking back out the room.

Jessica has just woken up and you could hear it in her voice. "What's up?" Her sleepy voice came through the phone. "You see the results?" He asked as he made his way downstairs. Jessica sat up in her bed, telling him to hold on as she checked her email. The results were what she expected she knew it had to be his. She put the phone back to her ear. "It's not a surprise to me." She let out, the two of them hadn't talked since the day they got the test done and the attitude she had that day was apparent in her voice now.

Mateo sighed as he ran a hand down his face as he took a seat in one the chairs by the kitchen's island, "Jessica." She could easily sense the frustration in his voice.

"Mateo!" She shot back. "I told you regardless of the results I'm good." He couldn't believe she was still on this. "I'm not about to be no deadbeat. You're clearly still mad but you can't force me to not be there for my -" he stopped mid sentence as Sofia walked down the stairs.

Jessica smacked her teeth, "I told you I wasn't forcing you to do anything. Don't dare flip this as if I'm forcing you to do something or not do something Mateo. All of a sudden you're so gung-ho to be there like you and your boy weren't just down my back — "

"Let me call you back," he interrupted as Sofia stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He hung up the phone before she even had the chance to respond.

"Who are we calling back?" Sofia questioned as she dropped her arms going to the refrigerator. Mateo chuckled lightly as he watched her. At this point he felt like he should tell her. He had been reckless all morning.

She pulled out the orange juice and pulled out a glass as Mateo still didn't answer her. She looked up at him. "Can't force you not to be there for who? For what?" She heard the very last thing he was saying.

He sighed as he debated with himself on what to tell her. Part of him felt like he should wait until Jessica was a lot further along, ensuring that a baby was coming. Some of his boys girls had miscarriages further along than Jessica was right now and he just wanted to be sure.

"You know that little beef Ryan and me had, he got his bachelor party coming up and Jose doesn't think I should go." He stated as he looked down at his phone, quickly changing Jessica's name to Jose. He wasn't foolish he knew she would go back behind him since he seemed so suspect. In the process he also deleted the last conversation with him and X.

She shook her head, "I forgot about that, I thought you two squashed it." And they had, but it was the quickest thing that came to his mind.

—

"This man really just hang up on me?" Jessica questioned as she looked at her blank screen. She shook her head as she got up, her phone ringing again, this time it was Alexis. It'd been a while since they talked. Last they talked was when Jessica went to San Diego to get the paternity test, and they had yet to talk about Alexis' trip there when she went to stay with Xavier.

She grabbed her phone answering it as she made her way to her bathroom. "Hello!" She sang into the phone. "Hey sister girl!" Alexis let out as she moved around her apartment, "you home? It's time to catch up."

Jessica laughed as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Yeah, come on through." They got off the phone as Jessica finished brushing her teeth and then started the shower, she knew she would have time messing with Alexis.

Thirty minutes later Alexis was at her door ready to spill all the tea. She smiled as she walked in, plopping down on the couch as she always did.

They had light conversation until Jessica got to questioning. "So how was your trip with that little asshole?"

Alexis got wide eyed and laughed. "Well what did he do to you?" Jessica waved it off, "you first." Alexis rolled her eyes with a smile as she repositioned herself. "It was good, for the most part. I met Mateo's girlfriend too." She did a little eye roll. "Girl fuck him too." Jessica let out.

Alexis paused, "okay, no you have to go first." Jessica laughed, "no! You first, your trip was first." Alexis shook her head no. "Nahh, you throwing too much shade. You first." She smiled.

Jessica rolled her eyes "well for starters. It's his child. Which we already knew." Alexis nodded. "But it was the trip there, both of them were basically accusing me of keeping this baby for money. And Alexis you know me, that's far from what I'm even about."

She nodded, "yeah, I do know you. They don't. I get where you're coming from and you being upset but Jessica think about it. They're pro athletes, girls are known for purposely trappin' niggas like them."

Jessica rolled her eyes, she knew she was being slightly dramatic but still. No one wants to be told their trappin' someone when they aren't. "Whatever." Alexis laughed, "what did he say about the results?"

"We just got them this morning, he called me and I basically told him I already knew with an attitude and when I left I told I didn't need shit from him regardless of what the results said."

Alexis rolled her eyes as she started laughing, "bitch you are so dramatic." Jessica started laughing too. "I know, I'm being petty and I need to stop. But I can't flex like I'm not still upset about the comments."

Alexis shrugged, "I get it. But just prove you don't give a fuck about his money. Like just focus on growing a healthy child, let go of all that bullshit and only focus on the benefit of the child. Who will need their father regardless of how you feel right now." And Jessica knew that, she wouldn't really keep Mateo from being apart of his child's life, but she did want to make it clear she didn't need him if push came to shove.

"I know," Jessica dragged out. "Tell me about your trip though."

"Wellll, like I said it was good for the most part. So I was there for like a week and shit was smooth. However, I know he still dealing with others. There was this one girl he kept texting and that shit was bothering me like I know we haven't said we were strictly talking to one another but the least you can do is dedicate your time to me when you're with me. You know?"

Jessica nodded. "So I saw the name, it was Mahogany and you know me. I had to do some research so this nigga is out of town right? And it's not for football. So he posted this picture." She grabbed her phone going to his Instagram. She pulled it up showing it to Jessica.

"Okay," Jessica said waiting for her to get to the point. "So like I said I did my research and I'm pretty sure this is the girl he was texting because look," she passed her phone back to Jessica. "Now tell me if I should feel some type of way." Jessica grabbed the phone looking at the picture as she got wide eyed.

"Wow. Yeah, that's definitely her. And you do have a right to feel some type of way, but then again you don't Alexis. Like you said you two didn't set any boundaries or rules. I feel like you two should talk about it. For all we know she's been in the picture."

Alexis rolled her eyes, "like don't fly me out, wine, dine and fuck me good and then be on a trip with another bitch the next week."

"He's a pro athlete," Jessica mocked. "That's what they do." Alexis gave her a stale face. "Besides! It's not like you're not still doing you Lex."

"That doesn't matter! I actually like him Jess. Like my feelings lowkey hurt. I've been ignoring him since I found her page yesterday."

Jessica felt for her, "don't ignore him. Talk to him! Even though I'm not a fan of the asshole, but you have to say something. Men aren't mind readers." Alexis knew she was right but she could so easily drop niggas she didn't want to say shit to him about it, but the other part of her liked him too much to just drop him.

"Can we just go get drinks so I don't have to think about it," Alexis pouted. Jessica looked up at her like she lost her mind. "I forgot," Alexis said quickly as her phone lit up and she rolled her eyes. "He just liked my picture."

"Let me see what you posted," Jessica said as Alexis unlocked her phone and passed it to her.

Jessica smiled, "cause you cute girl!" She handed the phone back to her as she continued. "But how about you go buy a bottle of wine or liquor, whichever your feeling. I'll get some sparkling juice and we just chill."

Alexis nodded, "I'm with it." Her phone started ringing as they both saw Xavier's name pop up. She silenced it as she got up, "let's go to the store! Fuck these niggas!"