Mel blinked a few times, eyes shifting down to her plate.
“She’s sweet,” she said finally. “A lil’ nosy, but sweet.” she smirked.
“She liked the idea of a baby brother, too,” I added. “Lit up when you told her.”
Mel let out a soft breath and gave me a small smile. “Yeah, she did. You could tell she just… wanted to belong to something.”
I nodded. “She do.”
Mel looked up at me, her voice quieter now. “So do I.”
That hit harder than she probably meant it to. I didn’t say nothin’ at first, just sat back and took a long look at her.
I reached for her hand across the table and squeezed it.
“You do, Mel,” I said, my voice firm. “You belong to me.”
She looked down at our hands, then back at me. That softness I hadn’t seen in weeks flickered across her face, but it didn’t erase the pain. Not fully, but it was a start. We finished in silence. Not heavy, but not light either. Somewhere in between. She pushed her plate away and sat back, rubbing her belly. I stood, grabbed our plates, and started rinsing them off.
“You want a bath?” I asked over my shoulder. “I’ll run it.”
She didn’t answer right away. When I glanced back, she was watching me.
“Yeah,” she finally said. “Okay.”
I nodded, wiped my hands, and headed upstairs.
I let the water run hot first, adding a few drops of that eucalyptus shit she liked. She’d never ask for it, but I paid attention to lil’ shit like that.
The tub filled slow. I dimmed the lights and grabbed her favorite towel—the big cream one she always reached for. When I stepped out the bathroom, she was already in the room, leaningagainst the dresser, hands on her belly like she was trying to ground herself.
“You good?” I asked.
She nodded once. “Yeah.”
I crossed over, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles. “Come on.”
She followed me into the bathroom, eyes sweeping over the steam rising from the tub, the low light, the scent in the air. I saw when it hit her—the way her shoulders dropped just a little, like she could finally exhale. I helped her out of her clothes, slow and steady. Lifted her crop top over her head, kissed the curve of her stomach before sliding her shorts down. She watched me the whole time, lips parted, not saying a word.
“Step in,” I urged.
Once she was settled, I got in behind her, settling so her back was against my chest. My arms wrapped around her, one hand over her stomach, the other resting on her thigh under the water. We didn’t speak at first, just sat there, steam surrounding us, heartbeats syncing.
“You still mad at me?” I asked, voice low against her ear.
“Not right now.”
I smiled into her shoulder before kissing it.
We soaked like that for a minute. My fingers moving slow across her skin. Her head resting back against me. The silence was full but not heavy… just a comfortable silence.
Then I felt her shift. Her hand slid over mine, pulling it up to cup her breast. I moved slow, thumbing her nipple until it pebbled under my touch. She gasped, barely, but I felt it deep.
“Say the word, mama,” I murmured.
“I’on wanna talk,” she breathed.
That was all I needed to hear. We got out the tub and I wrapped her in the towel, lifting her into my arms, and carried her to the bed.
