When I came home, those same crowds no longer interested me. Grai was pregnant with Ace, so I devoted my free time to her. I used to love those random moments when she got excited because he’d be kicking. Nothing ever compared to the way my heart melted when I felt those little kicks against my hand. Even in the womb, Solace was my ace boon coon, and that was how he got his nickname.
“What’s on your mind?” Grai asked when I passed the blunt back to her.
I sat up and went back to loosening her braids. “I was thinking about my father.” She didn’t press me to say anything more—something I loved about Grai. She could sense what I needed from moment to moment, sometimes even before I did. “Wondering if I’m anything like him. He never really got to be a father to me.”
She glanced at me over her shoulder. “I’m sure you are the best parts of him.”
“How do you figure that?” I teased her, trying to lighten the mood.
Grai looked at me with a sincere, slackened expression. Suddenly, my mouth was dry, and my breathing slowed. “Because you’re an amazing father to Solace and Shiloh without having a blueprint.” She stabbed my chest with her manicured fingernail. “You are the blueprint, Poppa, and I think that’s because he lives in you. He got robbed of that chance, but you didn’t. You fulfilled the role and then some.”
A big smile curled the corners of her mouth. I couldn’t help but smile, too, as I leaned forward, pecking her lips a few times. Since I’d been thinking about her being pregnant, I decided to gauge her thoughts on the topic. “Bubbles, I want you to give me a baby,” I admitted, staring deeply into her eyes.
There was a sparkle in her eyes when her head snapped back. She spun around so that she was on her knees between my legs. I chuckled at the way half of her hair was standing on top of her head like she’d been electrocuted. “Really?” She leaned closer until we were nearly face-to-face. I could smell the mixture of weed and wine on her breath, but it didn’t bother me.
I brushed my nose along the curve of her chin. “Yes, really.” Her breath was tickling my skin, but I didn’t mind. It was comforting and a reminder that she was not only real, but she was mine. Of course, I wanted to put a baby in her fine ass. “You’re an amazing mother, Bubbles. Ace and Loh are my sons and have my whole heart without a doubt. But I wouldn’t mind a third that’s part me, part you. So, like half on a baby, or nah?”
She giggled and palmed my face. I couldn’t be sure what she was thinking, but her closeness made me feel like she was open to it. Out of nowhere, she stood, pushed me back, and straddled my lap. I couldn’t stop my hands from wrapping around her. As I looked up at her, all I saw was her beauty radiating around her like a halo.
“Honestly, I would love to give you a baby, Poppa. You are a dream come true, and my baby would be so lucky to have you.Literally the best parts of my first two pregnancies include you. It would be an honor to continue your lineage.”
I didn’t expect her words to slam into me like a freight train. Tears I didn’t know I could produce sprouted from my eyes. I shook my head, trying to understand how I got so lucky. But I knew I never would, because this was grace. Shit like that couldn’t be explained, but lived in, so I snatched my woman closer to me and planted the most passionate kiss on her.
She was damn near cumming in my lap by the time I released her. “So, I’m giving you a junior?” she questioned before tucking her face into my neck. I laughed when she began sniffing me like a lunatic.
I massaged her hair and kissed her cheek. “That would be tough, but honestly, I want a baby girl.”
She pouted. “Damn, you’re already trying to replace me. If we have a daughter, y’all are going to kick me to the curb. It’s literally a tale as old as time.”
I allowed my lips to trail her earlobe before I sucked on it. “Don’t worry, baby. Daddy will always make time for you. You’re my world, Bubbles. I can’t have a baby girl without your beautiful ass.”
She smirked. “That’s true. A daughter would be so fun. I’m tired of Boyville. It’s gross over there.”
I mushed her with a laugh. “Aight, not too much, Broccoli Head.”
She began fake fighting me, which had me too tickled. I lifted her in my arms, then spun her around before placing her on her feet. Her laugh was music to my ears and an answer to a prayer. I cuffed the back of her head. Whatever doubts I had disappeared as she floated into my arms. When she looked at me, I realized this was the only way our story could end. I was made for her, and she was made for me.
The Isley Brothers’ “Make Me Say It Again Girl” began to croon from the speakers. “Dance with me, baby.” I held out a hand that she accepted. Her body melted into mine as we took up our rumba positions.
Slowly, we began to sway around the back patio under a blanket of stars, and it felt like destiny. Nothing mattered but the music and how the lyrics wrapped around us like a kaleidoscope. With the love of my life pressed against my chest, allowing me the pleasure of feeling her steady heartbeat, I made a promise to learn one thing from my mother. And that was to never risk what I had at home. This was enough for me. Grai and my boys were enough for me until my last breath. All I could do was sing the song because I knew my happily ever after was a chocolate, five-foot-five firecracker I planned to spend my life showering in the love she deserved.
Chapter 23
Lyrix
Three months later . . .
Leaning against the door frame, I used my tongue to twist the toothpick in my mouth. Grai was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. There were pictures, stickers, and other decorative items scattered all over the place. She was too busy updating a page in her scrapbook to notice me standing there and admiring her.
Even as I stood there, my heart yearned to tether to her heartbeat for comfort. The last few months together had been bliss. Each day, I fell more in love with the family I was blessed with. They made me want to work harder to continue giving them a life of leisure. I didn’t want Grai to work, and thankfully, she didn’t fight me on it. I loved to see her spend her time doing whatever she wanted. Today, that was creating something sacred we could keep forever, proving why I loved this woman with every fiber in my being.
If I were honest, the first time she spoke to me, I knew there was something different about what I felt around Grai. But I was a child who didn’t understand the depths of true love. Love ordained in the harmonic keystrokes of heaven for a fatherless boy who never thought he could mean so much to a woman. Thiswoman . . . She was special, and tonight, I wanted to prove to her just how much. There were so many things Grai didn’t think she was worthy of, but whenever I looked at her, I couldn’t find anything to add to the list. To me, she was worthy of it all.
I took a deep breath to settle my nerves before walking into the room. She glanced up from the page she was gluing a picture to. When she saw me, a genuine smile appeared on her face, relinquishing me of any nerves I had. This was my best friend. What was there to be afraid of?
Sliding onto the floor behind her, I placed a kiss on her shoulder, then began to give her a massage. She moaned and momentarily paused her work. “What page are you updating?”
She sank into me with a sigh. “I finally got the Field Day photos developed, so I’m creating a page for that.” She shook her head and huffed. “I’m so behind. That was months ago, and we’ve taken so many pictures since then.”
