Page 47 of Kobalt

“How, Kai? We’ve known each other almost all our lives. We’ve been involved with each other forever. This isn’t our first go-round, but hopefully, it will last this time.”

“Which is why we need to think about our next step before jumping there. We need to make sure that we have everything we need to make it rather than saying hopefully, baby. Don’t you think?”

“No. I’m sure about what I feel and what I want from you, but if you need time to think about it, I get it.”

Before she could respond, I looked up and saw Niagara in the driveway with her arms folded, leaning against the trunk of her car. She looked pissed off.

“What’s she doing here, and I wonder what’s wrong?” Kaimera asked as we pulled into the driveway.

“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”

I turned off the car, climbed out, and headed around to let Kaimera out before I approached my sister.

“Hey, li’l sis.”

“Hey, Nia.”

“How long have the two of you been involved?” she asked, not responding to our greetings.

“A little over a month,” Kaimera replied.

“Not this time. Before y’all went to the farm.”

“Wassup, Nia?” I asked.

Disappointment over Kaimera not agreeing to move in filled me, so I wasn’t in the best mood.

“I’m just curious about how long you two have been fooling around,” Niagara stated.

“Off and on through the years—first time, the weekend before she left for college, and the last time, the night of her grand opening. Why?” I asked.

Niagara shook her head. “Does he know?” she asked, pushing off the trunk of the car and stepping closer to us.

“Know what?” I asked.

Instead of responding, Niagara widened her eyes at Kaimera and repeated her question.

“Yes. I told him the truth while we were at the farm,” Kaimera replied softly.

My sister sighed, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe that I didn’t figure it out back then. What’s worse is that I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, Kai. Why did you think that you couldn’t trust me?”

“Nia, you would’ve felt that he had a right to know that I was pregnant.”

“He did have a right to know,” my sister argued on my behalf.

“But I didn’t want him to lose out on the opportunity of a lifetime, and it was my decision to make,” Kaimera explained.

“He should’ve made the decision with all the factors, though, Kai,” Niagara argued.

“You’re right. I was wrong, but that’s in the past now, hon.”

“Thanks for being concerned about me, li’l sis, but I can handle my own battles, and she and I have already discussed this,” I interjected.

“But of course you did. I was the only one who was left in the dark,” Niagara stated, throwing her arms up in the air. There was a hurt tone in her voice.

“What are you exactly upset about?” I asked.

“The fact that I didn’t tell her the complete truth back then—before the miscarriage or after,” Kaimera answered in a soft voice with her gaze pinned to Niagara’s. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Nia. I’m so sorry, babe. I truly am, and I wish that I could take it back.”