I stop chewing and look at him. His gaze on me is intense, almost invasive. I look away as I feel heat creeping up my neck.
“Lily, I–”
“Titi!”
“Lili!”
I know those little voices. I grin and turn around to see my nieces toddling towards me with their arms out.
“Naya girl! Sky baby!” I hop up and scoop my babies up in my arms.
“Titi! Titi!” Naya calls out giggling and burying her face in my neck. She’s my cuddlebug. I plant kisses all over her face, and she squeals.
“Lili!” Sky yanks my hair, never one to go without attention.
“Yes?”
“Poopoo.”
I freeze and turn to Charisse. “Risse, she just said poopoo.”
“What?” Charisse’s whole body reacts. “Does she stink?”
I lean in and sniff her baby booty. “No.”
“Oh, it’s go time!” She reaches for Sky and runs off.
Naya throws her head back and laughs, and there’s no sound better than baby laughter, so I laugh too. “Sissy’s going potty.”
Naya keeps laughing. “No no no!” She wags her finger at me. “Sissy no potty.”
“How old are these babies?”
“Almost 2. I don’t know how to tell their age in mom-speak. I’m sure it’s counted in months. They were born two Christmases ago.”
That Christmas. In the midst of that joy, I was dealing with our falling apart. Javonte holds a hand out to Naya. She reaches for him, and his eyes go wide.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never held a kid before.”
He shrugs. “I’d be lying.”
“Really? I get never holding a baby, but a toddler?”
“I don’t have any kids. And no one ever asks me to watch theirs.”
Naya’s practically climbing out of my arms to get to him. I hand her over, and he’s as awkward as I expected holding her. She lays her head on his shoulder and puts her little arm around the back of his neck.
“Okay, Naya. Staking your claim, huh?”
“Not niecey-pooh likinghim,” Porsche exclaims as she and Zea walk up to us.
“Hey!” Javonte frowns at Porsche and puts his hand on Naya’s back.
“Lily, you have a baby? Is it my brothers?”
We all turn to Zea and blast her with a chorus of no’s. She throws her hands up in the air. “My bad. Where’d this baby come from then?”
“False alarm!” Charisse sets Sky down and lets out a deep breath.
