Da’von hurried over, scooping the girl into his arms where she tried to lunge for Nami next.
“Auntie Nami!” Bebe squealed.
Someone swooped in to take the casserole dish from Nami, and she glanced back to see it was Brianna, who gave her a knowing smile. Nami took Bebe from Da’von and only then realized Bebe was wearing one of her “wuff suits.”
Nami’s stomach tensed, her nerves tautly strained. “Are you a little wolf today, baby girl?”
Bebe threw her head back and howled, Beck and Brianna softly joining her and making Da’von and others gathered nearby laugh while Nami wanted to stomp on Beck and Brianna’s feet to shut them up.
Nami blew a raspberry against Bebe’s cheek. “You gonna go swimmin’ later?”
She threw her arms in the air. “Doggy paddle!” she squealed.
“Oh! Well, that would make sense.”
Lu’ana walked over. “You can’t swim in wuffie,” she told Bebe as she took her from Nami. “You have to put your swimsuit on first.”
Bebe pouted. “Wuffies swim!”
Lu’ana looked at Nami. “Sis, help?”
Beck leaned in. “Wouldn’t want to be a wet wuffie all day, would you?”
Bebe considered that and finally shook her head. “Did you and Auntie Nami bring your swimsuits?”
“We sure did,” Nami said, patting the tote bag over her shoulder. “We’re all gonna wear our swimsuits. Okay?”
Finally, Bebe nodded. “Okay!” Then she wanted down and took off after another little girl, who looked older than her by a couple of years.
“Glad I bought two more of those wolf suits as spares,” Lu’ana said as they watched Bebe run off. “Did Da’von ever go through a phase like this? Because I don’t remember him doing that.”
“All kids do,” Beck said, catching Nami’s eye. “In various ways.”
“He did,” Nami fibbed. “But it was some TV show he loved. Robots or something. And you and Malyah had your own interests at the time.”
Someone walked up to ask Lu’ana a question, giving Nami a chance to grab Beck and head inside to deposit Reggie’s present in the living room with others already there, and so she could go to the bathroom.
Again.
Then she found Imani. She’d always envied the older woman, who looked closer to fifty-two than seventy-two, and wore her natural hair in a short afro. And, as she proudly boasted, her lack of grey hair was all her and nothing to do with her hairdresser. Nami couldn’t remember ever seeing her in a wig or with a weave, either, although she did have an amazing collection of stylish hats and fascinators she would don for special occasions.
“Oooh, lookachoo, girl,” the older woman said, hugging Nami. “You’re glowing! Everything okay?”
“Yes, just had a scan this week and she’s perfect, so far.”
“That’s so good!” She leaned in. “Now help me talk your little sister into makin’ me a grandma again,hmm? Not that I don’t love you, too, and you know I will spoil your little girl rotten, but you know what I mean, right?”
Nami nervously laughed but instead of committing to an answer, she introduced Beck to her.
She didn’t miss how the older woman looked him up and down, close to a full-on read if she’d ever seen one.
“Very nice tofinallymeet you, Beck,” Imani said, smiling and offering him a hug. “Welcome to the family. Reggie and Lu’ana have told us very nice things about all of you.”
“Thank you for having us, ma’am.”
“Davis is out back fiddling with his grill, if you want to introduce him,” she said to Nami.
“Thanks.”
