A great life indeed.
Eventually we all split up.Henny suggested we try to reach out to JJ while the new parents got Melody settled. I was reluctant to leave Pharrell’s place, but I knew there was more to what my man wanted.
The second we were back home – which wasn’t far considering how close we lived – he rounded on me. “What was all that?”
“All of what?”
He scowled. “You know what, Pip. I saw how obsessed you became over Melody. You cannot steal their baby! She isn’t a knife or a gun for you to collect.”
I froze for a second before laughing my ass off. He thought… thought I would… steal a baby??
“Whenever you’re done, I’d like to have a serious discussion.”
“Sorry,” I said, forcing myself to get it together. “It’s just, you can’t really think I would steal a baby. I don’t have the parenting gene. Uncle status is where I’d like to live. Favorite uncle if I can help it.”
Henny’s shoulders dropped. “So, you don’t want kids?”
“It’s not really been a goal of mine. Plus, you didn’t want any.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you said so like six or seven years ago. I wasn’t about to have any without you,” I shrugged, as if the connection were obvious.
Henny stared at me for a long moment before pulling me into a kiss. I melted against him, soaking up the attention.
When he pulled back, I had to blink a few times to focus. “What was that for?”
“You saw me. Even before we became us, you saw me and listened and prepared your life to include me.”
“Of course I did, Daddy. You were always going to be mine.”
Later,after some good old-fashioned fucking, we returned to Rel’s place to have dinner with the others. Henny had tried to call JJ to keep good on his word. There’d been no answer or word back. My man was really starting to worry.
JJ had been gone for months, and I had opinions about that which Henny and I had discussed at length. We never agreed on what JJ was doing. He clearly had extended his mission for some reason. The man should have been home by now.
I wondered if he was getting laid. Was his silence because he was getting his dick wet? That would be a fucking riot.
If the asshole didn’t show up soon, I’d go hunt him down.
Dinner turned into work talk, then it became a timeline of history between everyone. We spoke about how we met, when we worked together, and how it overlapped with other people’s shit.
If I didn’t like these guys so much, it would have been boring. I’d have shot them and been done with the small talk.
But this was my family. That meant nights like this would be a regular thing when we could make it happen. Especially since Rel and Ricardo were Melody’s godparents.
After dessert, I convinced Preacher to let me hold his little girl. When he placed her in my arms, I could literally feel myself calm.
"I've got her," I said when he still hovered.
Preacher looked at me with an expression I couldn't fully read. Then he sat back by Dante.
Melody settled immediately when I got her against my chest, face turned in, one tiny fist near her mouth. I put a hand on her back and felt her breathe. She made a small sound that felt like a declaration.This is acceptable. I am tolerating this.
"I like her," I announced.
"She likes you too.” That came from Dante.
"Obviously." I looked down at her. Her eyes were closing. "She has good instincts."
