Lusting For Ralph
Chapter 21

"Madison, come on you know my family loves you. It's Mable's birthday with the whole family, she will ask about you if I come alone." "Ralph, babe...I know you. You need me there so that your mom won't scold you for being such a player." She teased making him laugh. "Right! that's exactly why I'm making us official with them. I'm telling the whole family that I'm with you, so that..."

He wrapped his arm to her waist and pull her closer to his side. He has been showing their newfound relationship for the past couple of weeks at the campus. "Ralph...I don't know about that, I still think it's too soon."

"Mmhh...I don't care, you should know this by now. And I'm not liking that professor Hastings is still looking at you like he wants to have you for dinner."

Madison took a deep breath and take his and on hers. "I'll talk to him tomorrow when I see him in class, but honestly we haven't talked much."

"And, I don't like that you still talk to him even a just by little." He pulled her in for a quick kiss before they parted when they got to her class and Ralph needs to go to his.

"You two love birds looked like you're having such a good time." Kendra was to her side and Madison couldn't believe that she was stuck with Ralph's ex for the rest of the lecture.

She contemplated moving but the only way out of her seat was to pass half a dozen students who are already seated to her side. And she didn't want to make a scene, so she cursed on the inside and stay put.

"Thank you." Madison didn't feel like having a chat with his ex, so she opens her notes and pretended to listen to the lecturer.

It was not until the end of the lecture that Kendra left her a pink sticky note with words that were going to haunt her until days later.

I'm pregnant.

It might be Ralph's.

At least she was honest with the might be part. But still, the knowledge that he could be a dad to another woman's child was messing with her head all through the rest of her classes.

What will Kendra do with her pregnancy? will she keep it? will she tell the would-be baby daddy? will Ralph get back to her?

All the questions were assuring her that she was doomed for a relationship. That she should've not start anything with Ralph and now that her walls were down the hurt was slicing her insides and made her hide in the bathroom until she decided to go home early from campus.

She was looking out her apartment windows, thinking how she would tell him about the news. Then she thought maybe she didn't have to. Maybe Kendra had already told him and he was with her taking responsibility, handling the issue.

Hundreds of worst scenarios played through her mind. And it was f*****g her mind, she was hating the fact. She didn't even know how to move on if it was his child that Kendra was carrying. She didn't know how she would feel seeing Ralph marry Kendra and... She was wiping her tears when Ralph entered her apartment with his spare key.

"Maddie? are you okay? what happened?"

Ralph saw her reddening eyes and her still wet cheeks. She didn't say anything, she just pulled him down and wrapped her arms around his body.

"Madison baby, you're scaring me. What is it?"

"Just hug me, I want to feel you a little bit longer."

Ralph pulled her into his embrace, he didn't like what she was referring to by a little bit longer.

Where is she going?

His mind was starting to wonder, while her arms rubbed his back and snuggling closer to him.

"I love you..." she whispered lowly.

"Madison, talk to me, baby." He holds her face and kissed her temple.

"I saw Kendra, she sat next to me."

He instinctively backed away, waiting on the bomb that she was about to drop. With the mention of Kendra's name, Ralph knew right away that she had hurt Madison.

Though in a way he was glad that it had nothing to do with her sickness. Cause he was sure that he didn't see dark shadows anywhere near her.

"We didn't chat, but she gave me this."

Then he looked at the pink sticky note and realized that he was wrong, it was much worse.

"Maddie, babe..."

He didn't know what to say, knowing that nothing he says would make it any better. Not until he knows the truth, not until he talk to Kendra.

"Hold me, before you go to her. Give me a little more time."

He didn't want to leave her. Ever. But he needs to know the truth, she needs to know.

"I'm not..." he tried to say but she puts her finger on his lips.

"You will do what you need to do. You will do what's right."

She said with certainty, knowing that it was exactly what her parents did with her. She was the unwanted child, accidentally conceived making them trapped for life.

And that day she was witnessing the repetition of her doomed life.

Madison stayed in his arms until she finally gets up and went to her room. He was still sitting and holding the pink sticky note, then he snapped out of his thoughts within seconds and decides that he was going to go straight to Kendra's. Ralph was being smart, he knows from his brothers that you can have a paternity test even when the baby hasn't been born yet. Larry his oldest brother lectures him one day on how to be careful with women.

He checked the nearest hospital and set up an appointment with a gynecologist for Kendra. Thankfully there was a cancellation and they were scheduled for that hour.

Ralph wanted it done quickly, he needs to rip the bandage and didn't want his Madison to dwell too long on the what-ifs.

Though he was hoping that it was not his, he needs to be sure.

"Ralph? what are you doing here?" she was half-naked in a man's shirt opening her door after he was knocking practically banging her door for the last fifteen minutes. "You're f*****g? you're pregnant but you're f*****g other guys?! what the f**k, Kendra!"

"Dude! what's your problem?!" then he saw Brian in his boxers and was about to stand up for his current s****l partner.

Ralph didn't say anything instead he showed him the sticky note with Kendra's handwriting on it.

"F**k..."

"You think?!" Ralph questioned him a bit too harshly.

Kendra was teary as she felt humiliated by the two men in front of her.

"Damn it, Kendra! how could you?!" Brian shouted as he puts on his pants.

While Ralph told her to go get dressed. He was taking her to see a doctor telling her that she needs to see a gynecologist to check on her pregnancy.

"Just go Brian, and start counting. The baby might be yours too." Ralph shrugged when Kendra left him alone with Brian, the frat boy wanna be famous football athlete.

Brian looked at him in horror and asked him the stupidest question. "What are we going to do about it?"

"We? I'm taking her for a paternity test." Ralph looked at the pale clueless guy with pity in his eyes as Ralph was sure that he was not the only daddy on the list, the jock must've just did a quick count and realized he might be the daddy too. "Look, I'm not suggesting that you should come. She might get embarrassed as she did just now. Let me take her, then you can set another appointment with another doctor with her. Do your homework before, google stuff you need to know." Brian nodded and left her place without even saying goodbye to Kendra.

"Where's..." Kendra was about to ask when she was dressed and ready to go with Ralph.

"He's gone, he's counting his days."

She looked at Ralph and about to say something more when he cuts her words and opened the door for her.

"Look Kendra, let's do this now I don't want to wait nine months to know if I'm the father or not."

"I thought,"

"We're not going to play house, Kendra. I love Madison. I'm doing this to ease her mind. I think I'm not the dad, but you never know. So, let's go."

Ralph knows he has always played it safe, but anything could happen. And Kendra is still a woman, he needs to be a man and take responsibility for his action.