“Don’t send me shit ’cause I’m not about to be traveling for Christmas. How do you know I even wanna see all y’all?”
They all laughed like I’d cracked a joke.
“Yes, we won, Rim.” Ro’s little voice happily announced before she leaned forward and hugged Karim’s neck.
“Damn, Romance. I’ve been here what, two hours, and you still ain’t gave me a hug or shit. You’re breaking my heart, lil mama.” I feigned pain in my chest.
She hopped up from Karim’s arms, moving toward me. “No, Daddy, I missed you. I called you these many times.” She then held her hand with all five of her fingers up for me to see.
I laughed. “Nah you didn’t. You rushed me off the phone.”
“Daddy. I missed you.” She now stood against the back of the couch, waiting for me to scoop her up.
“I missed you too, Ro, but you been acting like you don’t wanna hang with me and Rim since you’ve been around your aunties.” I tickled her, making her laugh.
“That’s not true, Daddy.”
“It is. You ready to come home with us tonight?” I asked, already knowing she was about to tell my ass no. I peeped why though and it didn’t bother me even though I missed my child.
“Hell, nah she ain’t going home with you. She’s staying here with us.” Rennix’s voice interrupted my daughter’s fake ass thinking.
“Daddy, I wanna stay and help Auntie Cay with the baby.”
“Romance, you are a baby!”
“No, Daddy. I three.”
“A baby.”
I went back and forth with my baby a few times before ultimately agreeing to let her stay. I wasn’t playing either. On my mama, I was picking her up in the morning after we left City Hall. I let her stay because I knew she loved being around other kids. At the house it was just me, her, and Rim. She got boredand I damn sure wasn’t buying her no dog like Rim suggested. I wasn’t that much of a fucking adult yet.
Chapter
Twelve
Karim
A few days later…
Thursday, we applied for the marriage license. Then Friday we went back and made it official. Exactly two days ago we returned to the courthouse and everything about us shifted. It wasn’t loud nor dramatic, but it was felt. My life had taken a new shape and I welcomed it.
Karim Ortega-Blac.
My mind continuously replayed the moment we pulled up to City Hall and my whole body threatened to bend into a smile. Shit wasn’t even possible, but the impossible had happened already. I was married, legally tied to Reminisce, and my whole body accepted it.
“Rim, we go see my cousins?”
I nodded and glanced up from my coffee mug to the toddler in the doorway. “Yeah, in a little bit. Is your iPad on the charger?” This too was new, but it belonged to me in ways I didn’t know possible. Reminisce had cut out early this morning to meet with his brother. Romance would be with me for the better half of the day before I met him later at Rennix’s place. Ihad a late start this morning since I’d stayed up doing work for one of my clients.
“Okay. We eat?”
I nodded, then pulled the gray sweater over my head. “Yeah, we’re gonna go see somebody, then we’ll go.”
“Okay.” She left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. That only lasted for a couple minutes though because my phone was ringing seconds later. I already knew it was Reminisce seeing if I was up yet.
Squeezing the headphone in my ear, I moved into my closet to grab jeans. “Yes, I’m up. No, we haven’t left yet. I’m getting dressed and we’ll be out of the door in less than thirty minutes.” I answered every question he was about to ask before he spoke.
He chuckled.
