The Single Mother

Chapter 17- Talla Knight: Preparing for the Engagement Party

"Phoenix?" I quietly huff out. "Is something wrong?"

I was a little concerned with his phone call due to how late it was.

In the background of his phone call I heard a series of voices, but they seemed to be far away which made me assume that Phoenix was in a different room to his guests.

"I don't know how to explain this Talla..." Phoenix began, and I could picture him closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose while trying to form his next sentence.

I stood in the middle of the bedroom that my parents had redecorated to suit Sienna, unable to comprehend what Phoenix was about to say.

Did it have to do with his older brother? Was the engagement suddenly being called off? At least a dozen other scenarios ran through my mind.

The seconds that passed felt like hours. And the anxiety was gnawing at my stomach and my heart was pounding. My palms were beginning to get clammy, and I thought that my legs were going to give out on me- which is the last thing I needed right now because my daughter had only just drifted off to sleep.

"Phoenix?" I whispered, when a full two minutes had passed, and he still hadn't elaborated. "You're beginning to scare me..."

"Okay... here goes nothing then." Phoenix exhaled a breath of air, that he'd obviously been holding onto for a while. "When I got home from our date tonight, my parents and best friend were already sitting in my living room awaiting for my arrival."

"I don't know where this is going at the moment, but it sounds like something from a TV show." I remarked.

Personally, I didn't think that my comment was that funny, but I heard a faint chuckle slip out of Phoenix.

Against my own will, a small grin made its way onto my face. which bought a small grin to my face.

"I should apologize in advance for when you live with me- my parents or best friend typically stop into my house randomly and will wait until I get home."

I wish that I could say that my parents visited me when I lived alone in my apartment. However, now that I remember the mold growing on the walls in my bathroom, and the lights that constantly flickered in my kitchen and dining room, even though I had my landlord and electrician look it over time and time again.

"Anyway," Phoenix continued pulling me out of my own thoughts and back to reality, "they sat me down and said that our engagement party is being moved from next month to tomorrow."

Oh shit... I thought to myself. I have nothing to fucking wear to that stupid ass party.

"I saw my parents when I got home from our date, and they didn't inform me of the engagement party being moved forward." I faintly stated.

"Yeah- I'm honestly surprised that mine told me tonight and didn't wait till tomorrow morning or afternoon." Phoenix replied, and it was then that I noticed that the voices were no longer present in the background.

Suddenly I felt extremely aware of the fact that I was a poor person who was going to be surrounded by millionaires and billionaires for a couple of hours to celebrate my engagement.

"Hey Phoenix, can I ask you a question?" I mumbled but didn't wait for him to reply. "Do you have anything to wear to the engagement party?"

I could feel a lump forming in my throat and it made gulping down a breath of fresh air difficult.

"Based on that question I'm going to guess that you don't have a dress." Phoenix casually stated. "If it's any help, last week I bought three new suits- one is pastel pink, another one is navy blue and the last is green."