“You look beautiful, baby. Let me see that smile that stole my heart.”
Chapter 21
Grai
“Grai, hurry up before we’re late,” Poppa called from the front door. He and the boys were waiting for me so we could head to their school for Field Day. I examined myself in the mirror one more time, then scurried to the front.
“Sorry. My hair didn’t come out right,” I fussed. As soon as we got in the car, I was going to book my next appointment. I couldn’t handle doing my own hair. The bun I’d slicked it into would have to work for today.
Poppa snatched me to him with my waist. “You look perfect, as always, baby.”
I never got used to hearing him call me that or being in his arms. Things were still new between us, but they felt right. He smacked me on the ass when I passed by. I giggled like a schoolgirl while ushering the boys to the car.
I was wearing Loh’s class shirt for his third-grade teacher, Ms. Carpenter. They were The Caterpillars, so the yellow shirt had a simple white outline of the bug with the class name. Poppa was wearing Ace’s class shirt, which was brown for Ms. Brown’s Bulldogs. It also had an outline of a bulldog in white withthe class name. We both wore jeans and white block walkers to complete the look. The boys wore shorts with their shirts though.
All four of us piled into the car, and then we were off. We listened to R&B on the drive to their school. Poppa kept my hand cradled in his, even lifting it once or twice to kiss the back of it. I squirmed in my seat every time he did it. I think it was also his excitement about today. I usually attended alone because Drey would flake. It felt good to have some support for the first time.
I had to admit, Poppa did his best to be involved in the boys’ lives. He tried not to be on the road during important events like award shows, sports events, or field trips. They always looked forward to him being there, and he hadn’t let them down yet.
When we arrived at the school, it took us a few minutes to find a nice parking space. We went our separate ways as Poppa and Ace headed to his classroom. Loh proudly took my hand in his and dragged me through the school until we made it to the third-grade hallway. He slowed down to show me all his work on the walls. I stopped to take pictures of everything and even took some with him before we finally made it to his class.
He took off into the room to join his classmates. My hands covered my heart as I watched my baby in his element. Ms. Carpenter walked up to me with a kind smile. She was a young, white girl with blonde hair and big glasses. She was sweet, though, probably was a fairy or something in another life. And although she was tiny, those kids knew not to play with her. She’d earned their respect quickly and maintained it the entire school year. She was Ace’s teacher last year, so I was satisfied when Loh ended up in her class this year.
“Good morning, Grai.” She looked over her shoulder at Loh. “Someone’s in a good mood this morning.”
I nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty excited. My boyfriend is here too. He’s with Ace right now, but we’re going to swap out during the activities.”
She clapped her hands. “It’s Poppa, right? I’ve heard quite a lot about him over the year.”
I giggled. “I can only imagine. They adore him.”
She placed a hand on my back. “From what I heard, he adores them, too, and you. I’m happy for you, Grai.”
She walked away to greet a set of parents who entered the room behind me. I glanced up as Loh came running up to me, asking if I wanted to see his desk. I didn’t get to answer him, because he yanked me over there. It was decorated with stickers that mimicked my baby’s lively personality.
When it was time for the events to start, the kids lined up. All the parents trailed behind. I ended up walking next to a woman around my age. She had a daughter in the class that we noticed Loh was fond of. Her name was Reginae, and she was as sweet as pie with doll-like features and innocent eyes. Her daughter, Reniya, was her twin; she literally stole her whole face.
The sun was shining brightly when we made it outside. It was a beautiful spring day, and there was a light breeze blowing through. The large field behind the school was filled with vendors, bounce houses, and setups for all the games. Poppa winked at me when we passed Ace’s class.
“You’re going down, Broccoli Head!” he yelled in his cupped hands.
I choked on my spit when I burst into laughter. Very discreetly, I gave him the finger. I was rewarded with his dazzling smile. We made it to the area marked off for Loh’s class. It wasn’t far from where Ace posted up with his little crew. I watched two other little black boys surround my son and stand just like Poppa. It was the cutest thing.
I swear, when he looked at me across the field, everyone else disappeared. All the space between us no longer existed either. My phone vibrated against my leg. Sliding it out of my pocket, I saw a text from Poppa. I opened it up to see a song. It was “Don’t Be Afraid” by Aaron Hall. I held the phone to my heart and snickered. He knew how to keep me smiling.
The games began soon after. Loh had me participate in the three-legged sack races with him. He’d signed up for the relay race and egg-and-spoon race with Poppa. Ace had signed me up for tug-of-war and the water balloon toss. I had to admit, I had a great time playing with the kids.
After the sack race, I was bent over with my hands on my knees. Poppa walked up to me and tapped me on the ass. “I know little Miss Pilates ain’t out of breath over here,” he teased lightheartedly.
I bumped into him with a grunt. “Be quiet, big head.”
He chuckled with a whistle and a disappointed shake of his head. “I mean, damn, you couldn’t help my boys win at least one race.”
I frowned, folding my arms over my chest. “That’s not funny. I really tried.”
He tried not to laugh when he tossed his arms around my shoulders to pull me into his sweaty frame. I inhaled his armpits and instantly felt peace in every bone in my body. “I know, baby. That’s why I’ma give you some dick later for your efforts. I think I should be rewarded with some super head for winning everything the boys signed me up for, though, and maybe you could clean my toe jam for me.”
I nearly gagged at the thought. I pushed him in the chest and stomped away. I hated it when Poppa won because he would gloat forever and a day. I was never going to hear the end of this, not when he was going home with four stupid medals as proof. He’d already told me he was going to keep them in my keepsakebox. I tried to kick him in the groin, and that got him scurrying away from me, but not before laughing in my face.
