“Hey, Mahasin. You look beautiful,” Paris smiled.
“Thank you, Paris. And thank you for coming. We—I greatly appreciate it,” Mahasin said, correcting herself with a soft smile.
Nah, baby, you had it right the first time, I thought to myself.
The evening ran smoothly. Paris was kind and socializing on a level I’d never seen. The DJ lowered the music and made an announcement: the photographer wanted to grab a few final pictures of Mahasin and me under the sunflower arch. We’d been taking group photos all night, probably because neither of us wanted to make it look like we were a couple.
I checked Mahasin’s face before heading to the arch, making sure she didn’t look uncomfortable. I would shut that shit down immediately. But when she got up with no hesitation, I followed.
She stood beneath the arch, and I stood behind her, my palms finding the curve of her belly and settling there as she leaned back into me.
The camera flash popped a few times, and I could hear sounds from the crowd—those involuntary hums andawwsand the occasionalI want a copy of that onefrom our mothers as we changed poses.
There wasn’t a single angle where we didn’t look like what we were—me in love, and the woman I’m in love with carrying my child.
Noticing the time, I squared things away with the photographer and made my way to the DJ booth. I wanted to say a few words before folks started to head out.
Standing in the center of the room, I had the perfect view of everyone. When I looked at Paris, she didn’t smile—not once. Hell, she looked like she wanted to kill someone.
What the fuck happened that fast?I wondered quietly.
“Can I have everyone’s attention for a moment?” The room went silent.
All eyes on me—and I looked for the nearest exit. Not because I didn’t like attention, I just didn’t need it all on me and from everyone at once. But I wanted to do this, so I found the person who made me feel safe—I looked at her.
“I want to thank you all for coming and celebrating with Mahasin and I.”
The crowd clapped and whistled.
“I’ve never been this excited in my life, and I can’t wait to hold my baby girl. Mahasin, you’re giving me something I didn’t even know I needed, and I promise you both the world.”
More hums. Moreawws.Napkins dabbing eyes. Mahasin blew me a few playful kisses and I winked at her—your welcome, baby.
“Continue to enjoy the rest of the evening. The hosts will bring out to-go containers and slices of that beautiful cake. Y’all take all this shit home with you.”
“Gage!” my mother warned, giving me a look.
“Leave him alone, Janice,” my father said, calming her down.
The crowd laughed. And just as I handed the mic back to the DJ, Paris snatched it and made her own announcement.
“And don’t worry, Mahasin. I’ll make sure Gage is well-rested during our trip to the cabins Christmas week. I won’t tire him out too much,” she said sharply into the mic, her voice filled with jealousy.
Mouths dropped. I put both hands over my face.
“Paris, what the fuck?” I grunted and snatched the mic from her hands.
“Oh, this bitch got me fucked up,” I heard Amber mutter.
“It’s cool, Ambs. I got it,” Mahasin said softly. I didn’t even see her walk up to the DJ booth.
“Can I see that for a second?” she asked, gesturing to the mic.
I gave it to her.
She turned to the crowd with a smile, but her stare was fixed on Paris.
"As Gage, previously stated, thank you all for coming," she warmly addressed the crowd before turning to Paris. “And as for you Penelope, I appreciate you looking out for Gage’s well-being on your trip. It must be easy for you to commit to something like that—seeing that you don’t do shit else,” she said sweetly, venom laced beneath her warmth.
