Page 156 of Mia

“Hell yeah,” Maceo added. “Another Dillinger to the fold. We’re about to terrorize those schools in a few years.”

Smoke chuckled. “Group parent meetings ‘cause they are all in there whipping ass.”

“And yours are gonna be the ones starting it,” Steel shot back.

Smoke shrugged. “Probably.”

“Hold up,” Quaid said, looking at them all. “So y’all ain’t gon throw a fit right now? It was the end of the world when I got your sister pregnant.”

Smoke kissed his teeth. “’Cause that was Jaeda and my baby was innocent. This one right here is a no-limit soldier.”

Mia reached out and twisted his nipple. “Kiss my ass, Devin.”

“I’m just saying!”

“Jaeda is just as freaked out as the rest of us.”

Jaeda gasped. “Mia!”

“Aight!” Senior said, frowning. “Some things your daddy don’t wanna hear about, and that is one of them. Y’all need to learn to filter your nasty ass mouths.”

Deuce rolled his eyes. “Oh, now he wants censorship, like he doesn’t talk to us like we’re one of his little friends.”

“Your friends might not beat your ass, but I will. Make me take off my belt.”

“Bet you can’t catch me, old man.”

The brothers all looked at each other before each of them slapped Senior upside his bald head and took off running. He immediately took off his belt and went after them. Everybody was in stitches as he caught them one by one and whipped their ass with that belt.

“Whip them good, Daddy!” Jaeda yelled.

Beside me, Mia wrapped her arms around my waist and laughed.

“At some point, that’s gonna be you chasing your grown ass son for trying you like that,” she said.

I smiled. “I’ll take that.”

Istared down at my baby boy with a smile on my face.

He was ten months old and the absolute love of my life. I’d never known perfection until I had him. I never knew what it was like to love someone before I met them. Titan Ahmad DeLuca Jr. was my rainbow baby and something I never knew I needed so bad. His little smile lit up my world. He was the happiest baby, but also had a mean mug like his damn daddy when he was upset.

I was raising a mini crash out at times.

If he was still hungry, he was going to throw a fit until he was full. When he was wet, he wanted that diaper off immediately. I’d quickly learned to differentiate between his cries and moods. After everything I’d gone through, being a mother was still my biggest challenge, but one I refused to fail at.

My baby girl sent him to me when I needed him the most, and I wouldn’t fail her either.

“Good morning, TJ,” I said, scooping him up from the crib.

His little coos and babbles did my heart all the good in the world. I smothered his chubby cheeks with kisses and loved on him for a bit before getting him ready for the day and heading downstairs. The smell of breakfast made me roll my eyes because I knew exactly who was in my house. When I entered the kitchen, I was surprised to find not only my father but my mother in there.

I shook my head as they argued over who was supposed to be doing what. Their relationship was much better these days. While they always came together for me, there wasn’t any tension when they shared a space anymore. They’d had a conversation where my father sincerely apologized for what he’d done to break her heart.

My mother admitted that she’d always held some reservations about him and Ms. Stephanie. She said her gut told her too many times that something was going on back then, and she’d just ignored it because she loved him. That was her mistake. They ended up calling a truce, however, I think Mr. Bronx, who was now my stepfather, had something to do with that.

My mother was in love and happy as hell. True to her word, she retired and spent her days enjoying being a wife, mother, and grandmother. Our relationship was much closer these days. She was right. I enjoyed her not being my coworker. Bronx was a great addition to the family. The man spoiled me with his cooking and he loved my mama something serious.

He came into this with an open heart and treated me like his daughter. He and my father actually got along, but that was no surprise. Senior could make a damn friend out of anybody if he gave them a chance.