Free Web NovelChapter 187: Princess Still Wants 12 Pups
Fi-fiance! What the fuck is this bitch talking about? Since when did I become someone’s fiancée? The word felt like a physical slap, making my head spin. I stood there for a second, just blinking at her, wondering if the smoke from the fire was making me hear things.
I stared at Shuga, with her all-back cornrow hair that looked tight enough to pull her eyebrows up. She was standing there with her chest puffed out, trying to look like a threat. She was staring at Princess, who looked like someone who couldn’t care less about what Shuga just spat at her. Princess was busy dancing with the little kids around the fire when Shuga arrived. She was spinning in a circle, her movements loose and clumsy from whatever Guru had given her, laughing as the kids tried to keep up with her long legs.
When Princess didn’t pay attention to Shuga, Shuga moved closer to her, her boots stomping over the grass. She tapped her on the shoulder, a sharp, annoying jab that finally got her attention. Princess slowed her spinning, blinking her wide, blown-out pupils at the girl in front of her.
"I’m talking to you, bitch. How dare you try to snatch my fiancée?" she said to Princess, who looked entirely confused. Princess tilted her head to the side, a lock of hair falling over her face, looking like she was trying to solve a math problem in her head.
I walked to both of them, moving as fast as my heavy body would let me, now standing in between the two. The heat from the fire was at my back, but the tension between these two was even hotter.
"Shuga, what is the meaning of this? Since when did you put a ring on me?" I said. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking her dead in the eye.
Shuga looked at me, ignoring the fact that I had a baby bump that was clearly visible even under my heavy coat. She didn’t seem to care about the reality of the situation. She was just going on about it, her voice rising so that people nearby started to turn and whisper.
"Our first kiss was a promise. It was our engagement..." she said. She said it with so much conviction that for a split second, I almost questioned my own memory.
I stared at her, confused, like, bitch, what the fuck... I thought her brother Ruger was delusional, but she happened to be worse. I did tell her that it meant nothing back then. It was just a dare, a stupid game we playey, but she still carried that day in her mind like it was a sacred vow.
Shuga stepped forward and held my hand, her grip tight and desperate.
"Faye, I don’t mind if you are having someone else’s child. I have been working non-stop on my family’s plot. I will be able to take care of you and your baby..." she said with a serious face. She looked me in the eye, trying to be the hero in a story I never asked to be in. She was making it sound like she was doing me a huge favor by accepting me.
I noticed Princess staring at the way she was holding me. Her loopy grin vanished for a second, replaced by a sharp, predatory focus on Shuga’s hand. Okay, I would have done something, I would have pulled away, but I wanted to see where this was going. I wanted to see how high Princess was actually playing this.
"Babies?" Princess muttered, her eyes still locked on our joined hands. Her voice was low, vibrating with something that wasn’t quite anger but wasn’t friendly either.
"Huh!" Shuga flinched, hearing the IES word. She blinked, her gaze dropping to my stomach as if she expected it to grow right then and there. "I can take care of you and the two babies. I will even drop out of school and work day and night on my field..." she said, making promises she definitely couldn’t keep.
"Four." Princess showed Shuga four of her fingers, holding them up right in the girl’s face. She had a strange, proud smirk on her face.
Immediately, Shuga released my hand as if it had suddenly turned into a hot coal. She backed up a step, her eyes popping out of her head.
"Four! You are having four babies... even if I drop out of school, work 24/7, I can’t raise four babies..." Shuga exclaimed. She looked pale under the orange light of the fire, her hands shaking slightly.
And with that, Shuga instantly said it was over between both of us. She turned on her heel and marched away into the crowd, muttering to herself about sheep and expenses. I was speechless. I didn’t know where to start, because I don’t recall that girl ever being my girlfriend or fiancée in the first place. One minute I’m engaged, and the next I’m dumped over a headcount.
Princess wrapped her arms around me from behind as we sat down by the campfire again. The wood popped and hissed, sending sparks flying into the night sky. Her hands were on my baby bump as she petted my tummy repeatedly, her touch light and rhythmic.
"See, I’m the only one who doesn’t mind having more than four pups..." she said as she leaned in and kissed my neck. Her skin was warm, and the smell of the smoke still clung to her.
"Seriously, still on that? We are not having more than four, you hear me..." I said. I tried to sound stern, but it was hard when she was being this affectionate. My heart was still thumping from the weird confrontation with Shuga.
"We will see about that..." she muttered against my skin.
I can’t believe this girl wants to have 12 pups. The first four haven’t even arrived yet, and she is still talking about that like we’re starting a sports team. Obviously never, I am not going to go through this again. The exhaustion, the cravings, the way my feet feel like they’re made of lead. The full stop is number four.
"So why are you so obsessed with 12 anyway?" I said, leaning on her properly, letting her take my weight. I looked into the flames, watching the way they danced. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Because you want 12," she said. She said it so simply, like she was stating a fact about the weather.
"You are definitely high. I never told you that... you are the one who said it..." I replied. I felt a laugh bubble up in my throat. She was definitely on another planet right now.
"No, you said it yourself... I want 12 pups just like you," Princess said with a serious face. She pulled back just enough to look at me, her blue eyes shimmering with a sincerity that was actually a little bit scary.
"Now you are making things up..." I shook my head, my hair brushing against her shoulder.
Of course she was, like, when on earth did I ever say that? I’ve always been the one complaining about how much work even one pup would be.
"I remember you asking me to marry you. You were so loud that day... we were in the playground, and you proposed. Then when I said yes, you said you wanted 12 pups like me... so yes, you were the one who implanted that number in my head."
I froze. I searched my brain for any memory of a playground proposal, wanting 12 pups, now I want my memory... I still don’t believe her. When we get back to Oakland, I’m asking Malo if this is true.
He has the memory of an elephant when it comes to my embarrassing moments. There is no fucking way I’d say something like that, especially not back then.
My entire body feels like it’s expanding. The skin on my stomach feels tight, and my back aches with every move. There’s no way I am going to bear more pups after this. Never.
