“No, but it's damn close. I’m definitely putting in my request for her to make my baby shower cake. Her waiting list is a couple of months out, but she’s worth it.”
“Well, give me her info too. I’m still debating if I want to have a baby shower, but I’ll talk to East about it,” Lyric expressed.
“Why don’t you want to have a baby shower?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t have one when I was pregnant with Noodle, so I didn’t feel right having one this time.”
“Lyric, you were in two different stages in life. Regardless of whether you had a baby shower for Noodle, you have given her a great life. If you want to have a baby shower this time around, do it. You are in love with a man who loves your dirty bath water. Do whatever feels right. Hell, we can have one together if you want. I don’t mind sharing my day with you. All I know is you should do what you want,” I remarked.
I wasn’t able to have a baby shower for Kiaya and Keyaire, but I made sure they had nice birthday parties too. This time around, I wanted the full experience. This was the first pregnancy Keynauri and I would be experiencing together, and I wanted to do everything I never got the chance to as a teen mom.
“You make a lot of good points. East has been saying the same thing, but he also supports whatever I want. His ass can’t stay out of the mall, so our son has everything he could ever need. Same for Noodle. He has her spoiled rotten, and her little ass knows she can get whatever she wants from him.” Lyric snickered.
“I’m not mad at her. I love to see our babies live better than we did. All three of my babies are spoiled rotten, and they deserve it. As long as they know they have to earn the things they want in life, I want them to have the world,” I replied. There were some people who would voice their opinion on whether it was appropriate to spoil your children, but I never cared for the opinions of anyone who wasn’t paying my bills and paying me.
“How have things been since Keyami has been there full-time? Has Taina’s ass reached out?” Nova inquired.
I rolled my eyes at the mention of her name. We were currently in court for a custody battle. Keynauri remained calm, cool, and collected; meanwhile, I wanted to put my hands and feet on her bitch ass.
“Well, you know she took us to court for full custody. She claims Keynauri is dangerous and that she doesn’t feel safe with her daughter in the house with us. She also claims that I’m unfit and that she believes Keyami is being starved and abused.”
“Tell me you’re lying? What the hell is her problem? I always knew Tiana was a little slow, but there’s no way she dragged y’all to court with false allegations and a bunch of bullshit,” Nova uttered.
“Y’all don’t even understand the half of it. Our lawyer said it’s an easy win, but it has been a hot mess. She came there without a lawyer, and she is doing a terrible job representing herself. It’s honestly embarrassing. We wanted to work something out so we could co-parent, but it’s clear she isn’t on the same page as us. She doesn’t want Keyami, but she thought I would be miserablewith her living with us. Once she saw that we were happy with our blended family, it set her off. She wants to hurt us but doesn’t even realize how much it’s affecting her own child.
“Keyami doesn’t cry for her as much, but she still asks about her. Keynauri hates her guts, so it makes it hard to have those conversations. Keyami doesn’t understand what is going on. All she knows is that she lives with her daddy, but she has a mommy, too. Part of me hopes the judge will grant joint custody with stipulations, but Keynauri is over it. He wants Tiana completely out of Keyami’s life.”
Regardless of my personal feelings for Tiana, I would never want her to be completely removed from Keyami’s life unless it was absolutely necessary. I knew what it was like to have family trauma, and I wanted to avoid those things from happening with my children. I loved Keyami as my own, so she was included. We continued to catch each other up on what was new in life, until Keynauri grabbed the mic and interrupted us.
“I know this day is supposed to be about me, but I wouldn’t be here without the people I love. There’s one person in particular I owe everything to, and I’ve been wanting to ask her a question for a while. Naiari, can you come up here, please?”
All eyes were on me as I got up to walk over to him. Keynauri smirked when he noticed the bashful expression on my face. He knew how I felt about being put on the spot the same way I knew how he felt about surprises. He held his hand out for me, and I took hold of it. Cameras flashed from both sides of the room, letting me know all the attention was on us. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up on someone’s blog, because that was the world we lived in.
“Naiari Allgood, I have loved you from the moment I saw you on the playground. I knew you were something special from your aura alone, but I had no idea just how important you would be to me. You know I’m not very good at expressing myself, but if youlisten to any of my songs about love, they tell the story of how deep my love runs for you. I was lost in this world for so long, without you, and now that I finally have my heart back, I want to lock it down forever. Naiari, a.k.a Cocoa Puffs, loving you comes as naturally to me as breathing. It’s a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re the blessing I probably don’t deserve, but I thank Big G for looking out for a real nigga. Everyone used to think we were in love with each other as kids, and the truth is, I was madly in love with your beautiful ass, but I felt like I wasn’t good enough to give you the life you wanted. A jewel as special as you deserved to be spoiled and given the world, and I wasn’t sure if I could be the one to provide it. I’m that nigga now, though.” Keynauri winked, and the crowd burst into laughter.
“I’m just playin’. You were one of the first people I ever played my music for, and you supported my dream. You encouraged me to reach for the stars, and now that I’m here, I wouldn’t want to share this journey with anyone else.”
When Keynauri dropped down on one knee, I almost passed out. I was almost certain my makeup was ruined, as I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“I can’t promise we won’t go through shit. There will probably be times when you want to cuss me out, but I promise I’ll never disrespect you or break your heart. My love for you is forever, and you won’t ever have to question it. Naiari, will you spend forever with a nigga?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” I could barely get the words out before everyone started cheering and screaming. The night was supposed to be about Keynauri and to celebrate his accomplishments, but I wouldn’t complain about the turn of events. My eyes bulged when he retrieved the ring box with a humongous diamond ring inside. I shook my head in disbelief, as I had never seen something so beautiful and extravagant inmy life. A part of me was afraid to wear it because my hand appeared so plain in comparison.
Keynauri kissed my hand before sliding the rock on my finger. Tears blurred my vision as he stood up and pulled me into his arms. I sobbed like a baby, and like always, he comforted me. I felt so lucky to be with a man like Keynauri. I never had to question his love, because he made sure to show me in every way, by what he did for me.
“I love you, Cocoa. Always and forever. We’re locked in for life, and if there really is an afterlife, I’ll still be loving you long after I leave this world.” Keynauri kissed me, sliding his tongue into my mouth. For a moment, I forgot where we were, and the kissing grew sloppy.
“If this is about to turn into a Pornhub episode, let us know so I can grab my good camera!” Dominique shouted. I hid my face in Keynauri’s chest in embarrassment.
“Don’t be embarrassed now, friend. That’s how you got in the position you’re in now. Over there being fast.” Dominique continued to tease me. He had been traveling as a celebrity makeup artist, so I hadn’t seen him in forever. It felt good to have all the closest people to me here for my big moment. Everyone came up, hugged us, and congratulated us on our engagement. I appreciated all the love and well-wishes, but I couldn’t wait to take my heels off and cuddle in bed with my man.
“I can’t believe you hijacked my surprise for you. Why were you carrying a ring in your pocket, anyway?” It was a question I had been burning to ask. I suspected one of our people must have spilled the beans about the party.
“To be honest, I’ve been carrying this ring around since we came back from vacation. I’ve been waiting for the right time, but I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I was planning to take you out of town and do it, but given how I’m feeling, I want to fly you outto Vegas and make it official. I’m tired of people addressing you as my girlfriend. Your title is much bigger than that.”
“I wouldn’t mind a trip to Vegas, but I want a real wedding too. I’ve been dreaming about our wedding since I was a youngin, so I want all the razzle and dazzle. Besides, if you don’t cry when I walk down the aisle, I’m leaving your ass at the altar,” I informed him, just to make sure we were on the same page. I needed all the bells and whistles.
Through all the ups and downs, there was nobody else I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We weren’t perfect by any means, but he was my person, and I was his. We went through the fire, and now it was time to sit back and enjoy the sunshine. Loving him was the only thing that made sense to me.
