Always Unique by Nikki Turner Read Free Book Online

stone.”
    Obviously it had been the one that Kennard had preferred.
    “One carat for each of the months we’ve shared each other’s lives,” Kennard said. “How do you like it?”
    Nine carats! This is one helluva promise, Unique thought. She knew that she and Kennard screwed like rabbits, but who knew he’d treat her like one and supply her with so many damn carats … and just the kind she liked? “It’s beautiful.”
    While Unique was admiring the ring, Shummi excused himself for a second. “The courier,” he said. “Let me square him away; there may be few other pieces I can show you afterward.”
    Kennard took a call while Shummi dealt with the courier. Unique continued to look at the ring but couldn’t help overhear the conversation between the store owner and delivery boy. She couldn’t believe someone would allow diamonds of this quality to be transported by way of bicycle.
    But Kennard and Shummi finished up at about the same time. When they all reconvened, a deal was closed. Unique left the store the proud owner of a gorgeous nine-carat promise ring … and possibly a way to get some of the money Fat Tee was demanding.

 
    LET THE CARDS FALL WHERE THEY MAY
    Unique’s eyes snapped open all of a sudden. She looked over to see that Kennard was still sound asleep. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was four in the morning. It had been a week since Fat Tee had broken into their house and raped, threatened, and tried to extort her, and she had not been able to get a wink of restful sleep whatsoever. Her thoughts were constantly being invaded by how she was going to handle the situation and where she would actually get the money to pay him—or at least enough to get him off her back.
    She stole another peek at Kennard, and then she eased out of the bed, trying not to disturb him as she headed for the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, preparing to pee, she opened the box to take a pregnancy test. She had been a week late and her period had been due to come on the same day Fat Tee had violated her but she hadn’t seen a drop of blood anywhere. She was assuming it was the stress she had been going through from the Fat Tee situation. Since he left there a week ago, she had not been able to think of anything else until yesterday when it dawned on her that she had not seen Aunt Flow. The thought of being pregnant was the furthest thing from her mind, but the fact remained that she and Kennard screwed like rabbits, every chance they got, and having unprotected sex most of the time resulted in pregnancy.
    Unique peed on the stick, thinking, Let the cards fall where they may. So there she sat on the closed toilet lid, waiting for an answer, and almost immediately two pink lines appeared. Positive! What the fuc—?
    The deck had been stacked against her; the two lines indicated that she was indeed pregnant.
    She couldn’t move; she just sat there looking spaced-out and dumbfounded, not knowing what she was going to do. It was too soon in her relationship to have a baby, and though she wanted to have kids with Kennard, now wasn’t the time. She was only twenty-nine years old, and there were still so many things she wanted to do: finish culinary school, travel the world, and live life to the fullest, and maybe ultimately marry Kennard. Tears trickled down her face. For someone who wasn’t a big crier, she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. How would Kennard feel about all this? She had just started to live this amazing life with him, and she didn’t want a baby to be a monkey wrench in it. And most important, she didn’t want him to feel like she was trying to trap him with a baby.
    Unique was so caught up with deep thoughts that she didn’t hear Kennard walk into the bathroom.
    “Good morning, gorgeous.” He walked over, leaned down, and gave her a kiss; morning breath and all. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the white stick. “What’s this?” he asked, already