“Thank you, Jordie! You’re the best daddy ever!”
Without a whimper in sight, she disconnected the call. Looking at each other, we both burst out into laughter.
“Man, I’m in trouble.” He chuckled as he pulled me into his chest. “You don’t mind cutting the night short?”
“Of course not.” I yawned and snuggled into him. “I’d look at you funny if you didn’t.”
“Bet.” He leaned over the seat and gave the driver directions to his parent’s home. “I hope you like tea, Disney Channel, and cookies. If I have to party hard with Gi Baby, so do you.”
“Jordie,is Mimi coming with us today? I want to see her.”
Glancing at my little twin through the rearview mirror, I couldn’t help but smirk at her. Every day that she was in my life was a day I thanked God. I loved her more than words could express. The only thing I appreciated when it came to her rat-ass mother was her having my Gi Baby.
“Mimi had to go back home.” She pouted, folding her arms in the process, and that shit broke a nigga’s heart. “She told me to tell you she was going to FaceTime you as soon as she was settled, though. Maybe we can take a trip to Disney World and go see her.”
“Oh my gosh! Yes!” She cheered up instantly.
It was crazy how she was in love with Mi all from one encounter. They’d spoken on FaceTime before, but the night after the club was the first time they actually met. Being interrupted by her was a good thing because had I dropped dick in Noemi like I planned, she would have never gone back to that nigga.
It’s been a week since she went back to Florida, and I was missing the fuck out of her. Hearing her sound so sad on the phone was becoming unbearable, but we both knew what this was when we started kicking it. Mimi was strong, and she would be all right. She would always have me in her corner if she ever needed me.
“Is Uncle Uno and Uncle Wild going to be at the park today?” my baby asked from the backseat. “I miss them so much.”
“Do you?” I chuckled at her excitement as I threw the car in park. It was a nice day out, and my mother suggested a family picnic. Normally, we would just eat at a restaurant or in the backyard, but with AJ walking and Gianna being a ball of energy, my mother was all about memories, different experiences, and a shit load of Polaroids. “Between you and me, who’s your favorite?”
Turning to face her, I tried my best to hold in my laugh as she tapped her chin in deep thought. She was so cute today with her free flowing curls and overalls. My mother dressed her up damn near everyday like the little doll she was.
“My Uncle Uno is nice because he gives me lots of hugs and kisses. He buys me nice toys and tells me he loves me every day.”
“Your Uncle Wild doesn’t do that?”
“Of course, he does, silly.” She gave me a “duh” face as I got out of the car to undo her booster seat. “He does the same thing as Uncle Uno, but he buys me way more ice cream and pizza. He lets me go to work with him so I can help him point out the skeezers. It’s a fun game, Jordie, and I always get it right.”
I was going to kill Adrian.
Getting my baby girl out of the truck, I grabbed her backpack and led her through the park. It was a nice Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t packed, and for that, I was grateful. This particular park was between the Heights and Highland Meadows. Uno wanted this one built to unify both areas and show that one side of town was no different from the other. So far, there haven’t been any reported incidents. That fact didn’t stop me from being strapped. I took no chances when it came to protecting my family.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” She snatched away from me and ran across the park when she saw my parents seated. “It’s meee—ahhh!”
Wild came out of nowhere and scooped her up in his arms, causing her to start laughing uncontrollably. He swung her around as she squealed and giggled with tears in her eyes. He began tickling her and only stopped when she screamed that she had to pee.
“Unhand my baby, boy, before she soils herself,” my mother fussed and hit his chest. “Come on, sweetheart. Let Grandma take you to the bathroom.”
I dapped up my father and brothers before kissing Harley on the cheek. She was now three months pregnant with their second child and was pretty as hell. Harley was like the sister I always wanted, and I fucked with her heavy because her soft demeanor always calmed my mind down. All of us needed that type of energy around.
“How’s it going, son?” my father asked as I took a seat beside him. I reached over and tickled AJ, who was babbling away. “Fatherhood looks good on you.”
“Feels good too.” I nodded, giving my attention to Wild. “I’m going to kill you, nigga. Why you got my baby picking out skeezers?”
Throwing his head back in laughter, we listened as he told us about the game he and my Gi Baby would play when they were at his shoe store. He would let her greet and ring up the ladies, and she would tell him who was nice enough to be his friend.
“This is why y’all need to keep y’all kids from that boy’s store.” My father shook his head in disappointment. “The nigga ain’t got the good sense God gave him.”
As we sat back and ate the lunch my mother packed, we watched as the ladies played with the children. I never thought this would be my life, but I was happy with it. The only thing I was missing was my special girl.
“Skip, have you heard from Noemi?” Uno asked as he sipped his water, reading my mind. He was on vacation for the next week from his mayoral duties, and he was enjoying every minute of not having to make decisions or answer to the demands of either the council or the citizens. “I heard y’all were booed up damn near every day that she was here.”
“I wonder who the fuck said that?” I side-eyed Wild. The ignorant nigga had the nerve to raise his hand as if my question wasn’t rhetorical. “Why are you telling my business, nigga?”
