Chapter 9
“What’s all this?” I asked as I looked at the bags that filled my bed. “And how did you get them here?”
“The crack head. And the gifts are for every week you held my babies so far.”
“Thank you for the gifts, but not too much on my mom.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and open them.”
I sat on the bed and began opening my gifts. I was in awe as I listened to him explain each one.
“At five weeks, they were the size of diamonds, so I got you diamond earrings.” He said as I opened the velvet box.
“For six weeks, I got you a six-thousand-dollar bag.” He said as I pulled the Dior purse from the bag.
When I opened up the Tiffany and Co. bag, he smiled. “At seven weeks, the twins were the size of blueberries.” He said. I opened the blue box and smiled when I saw the Tiffany necklace. It had a blue sapphire diamond hanging from it. “The same size as that diamond.” He said. “The twins were the size of raspberries at 8 weeks, so I got you a Chanell bracelet with a ruby stone. Look, the ruby is the same color as a raspberry.” He said as he put it on my wrist.
“This was so thoughtful. You really put a lot of effort into this.” I said as tears pooled in my eyes.
“You deserve this and more.” He said. “Now finish opening your gifts. Your ass missed a few weeks.”
By the time I was finished, I was in tears. I was grateful, yet somehow, I felt guilty. Like this possibility, these babies weren’t his was my fault. “I can’t believe you did this, Cane. You don’t even know if they are yours.”
“Na, you don’t know. I know. Now what do you want as your push present?”
“This ain’t enough?” I asked as I gestured to all my gifts.
“Na.”
“Well, ok then. I want to go to Jamaica.”
“Hell, no, you think you’re going to be laid out on a raft while niggas rub shea butter on your legs and shit?”
“Actually, yes. Carrying twins is a lot on my body.”
“Man, I’ll flip that raft over so fast. Think of something else. And take your time thinking!”
“Fine.” I giggled.
“Now come, let me kiss your belly so I can go.” He said.
“Ok,” I said. I noticed quickly how possessive Cane was over my belly. I didn’t mind because with him, I felt protected. He lifted my shirt and kissed my stomach twice. He looked up at me as he rubbed my stomach. “Take care of my babies.” He said. Babies? With his mouth that close to me and his eyes melting into mine, I was thinking about anything but that. I wanted my baby daddy.
Chapter 10
Cane: I’m on my way
I stared at the text for a minute. He didn’t ask. He didn’t check to see if I was home. He was just coming.
When I opened the door for him, I knew something was off. His eyes didn’t light up for me like they usually did. Instead, they were red, liked he had been crying. He no longer smelled like the Tom Ford cologne he always wore. He smelled like weed, like he just finished smoking. “You, ok?” I asked as I stepped to the side and let him in.
“No, not really. My grandfather died, and I just wanted to be close to my babies.” He said.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said.
“Appreciate it,” he said as he stood behind me and held my belly. I knew he wanted to be close to them, but I wondered if he knew how much his touch was affecting me. Did he feel how my body relaxed for him? Did he know how safe I felt? How protected I felt. Or was it just about the kids for him?
When he finally let go, I returned to the kitchen. “What’s that?” Cane asked as he watched me open the Tupperware.
