Once we’d changed back into the clothes we’d worn there, the four of us, Genesis, Zyah, Ryann, and I grabbed a late lunch.
The next day, we were on the jet headed home bright and early. It was Ryann’s birthday, and she knew that her family and friends would want to celebrate her.
“You coming to my house, or do you wanna go home?” I questioned as I maneuvered through the streets of Chicago.
“I thought your house was my home.” She pouted.
That drew a small chuckle from me. For all intents and purposes, she had moved into my home and into my bedroom. I loved it. I loved going to sleep holding her. I loved waking up at various points during the night and having the ability to slide inside her. I loved standing with her inside of our daughter’s future room making plans and knowing that the three of us would be together. Knowing that neither of us would have to kiss her goodbye, then pass her off to the other parent. Doing this thing with Ryann had me loving life.
When we pulled up to the house, I turned to look at her. “Happy birthday, baby. I’m slowly bringing you around to accepting surprises, so I want you know that there’s a surprise for you in the house.”
“Okay.”
I carried our luggage up the porch stairs and set it on the landing while I entered the code and unlocked the door. I encouraged Ryann to walk in first, and when she did, she was met with the resounding chorus, “Surprise!”
I watched as my baby almost suffered a heart attack. When her hand flew to her chest, I promised myself this would be the last time I surprised her while she was pregnant. I left the luggage where it was and made my way to her, but her mother beat me to it.
“Ryann, baby. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” her mother cooed. “Is the baby okay? Please calm down.”
“Sorry, Ry.” CJ approached her with a sheepish smile. “We didn’t think this through. My bad.”
“It’s okay. Hey, Mama.”
“Hey, baby. Chris Cross flew us in. He thought it would be a good surprise. We probably shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Anyway, happy thirty-first birthday.”
One by one, her family members stepped up to hug her while I watched to make sure that her breathing had returned to normal and that she was good.
When I was sure that she was okay, I grabbed the luggage. As I headed to toward the primary bedroom, Mr. Upton approached me. “Let me help you with those, son.”
He and I both knew that I didn’t need help moving two carry-on size bags, so I figured he needed to talk to me about something.
I stopped outside of the bedroom and set the luggage down. I wasn’t into inviting people into where I laid my head. He sat down Ryann’s bag and looked past me into the bedroom.
“I see touches of Ryann in there,” he stated.
“Yeah. This is her home, and this is her bedroom for as long as she wants it to be. Respectfully, Mr. Upton, I get that Ryann’syour daughter. I’m about to have a daughter of my own. She’s not here yet, but I can’t help but feel that Gensie was my warm-up. I love my little sister, and I’ll fuck up the world behind her.
“When CJ first made his run at her, not gonna lie, I felt a way. But then I considered what he told me about how he would never go after my sister on no bullshit. Knowing him the way I do, I believed him. And he’s been true to his word. He’s good to my sister. He treats her with the utmost respect and spoils her rotten. He worships the ground she walks on and treats her exactly the way she deserves to be treated. I hope that when I tell you that I would never purposely hurt or deceive Ryann, that all I want to do is provide, protect, and spoil her, you’ll consider the man you know me to be. I hope you’ll watch my actions and acknowledge how they line up with my words. And I hope we won’t have to revisit this conversation.”
“You ain’t gotta puff your chest out at me, young blood,” he began but paused as CJ bent the corner and joined us.
“Yo, my wife sent me around here to check on y’all. She wanted to make sure that nobody had anybody in a headlock or nothing like that,” CJ said and I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.
“It’s nothing like that, man,” Mr. Upton insisted. “Brix, when I mentioned that I saw touches of Ryann in the bedroom, it wasn’t an accusation. It was an acknowledgment. I see you integrating my daughter into your home and into your life. Ryann got on me about the things I said to her that you overheard.” He sighed. “She told me that my words caused you to pull away from her, when what she wanted was to continue to explore where things could go with you. She and my wife fussed at me about my daughter being a grown woman. I know she’s grown, but to part of me, she’ll always be my little girl.
“But at some point, I’m gonna have to trust her with some little nigga. And of all the no-good niggas out there, I’m coolwith it being you, Brix. I’ve always liked you. Always thought you were respectable and kind. I watched how you treated the other little girl you used to date, and you were good to her. Lil Chris has always spoken highly of you.”
“Now, I’m Lil Chris?” CJ joked.
“Shut up, CJ. And I couldn’t love Genesis more if she was my biological daughter. You come from the same stock as her, so I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt off the rip. But I wouldn’t be any kind of upstanding father if I didn’t tell you that I will break my foot off in your motherfucking ass if you even think about hurting my baby girl. No questions asked, I will disappear you.”
“Noted.”
The three of us stood there in an awkward silence. Finally, I broke it. “Ay, y’all wanna see the nursey before the women see it? Ryann finished it a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah. Then I can rub it in Kim’s face that I saw it before her.”
“Come on.” I led them across the hall.
