***
After getting Liberty situated inside of her room, Mel crawled into bed next to me and snuggled up against me.
I rolled over and pulled her close, nose buried in her hair.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For loving her.”
She turned and looked at me in the dark. “She’s a part of you, so it’s easy.”
And just like that, I knew I couldn’t waste another second.
I kissed her forehead, pulled her even closer, and silently promised myself that whatever came next—I was ready.
21
Chapter Twenty-One
Mel
The morning of my baby shower was straight-up chaos. I woke up to a house full of noise. Nic cussing under her breath, and Kasha arguing with Sophi over which color dress she should wear. I hadn’t even made it to the bathroom before I was being yanked in three different directions.
“Mel, sit yo’ ass down so I can do your face,” Nic ordered, brush in hand, like she was about to perform surgery.
“I just woke up,” I mumbled, clutching my robe.
Kasha popped in with a bowl of fruit. “Eat this. You ain’t passing out on us today.”
Sophi leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You sure you good? You look… stressed.”
“I am stressed,” I said, flopping into the chair. “It’s like a wedding in here and I’m the damn bride.”
“Well, you are the main event,” Nic smirked, already dusting powder over my face.
I sighed. “I didn’t even get to brush my teeth yet.”
“Brush ’em later,” she said without pause. “You can’t have puffy eyes in pictures.”
Kasha was behind me fixing my hair, and Sophi was scrolling through a checklist like a damn wedding planner.
“Y’all are insane,” I muttered.
“Yeah,” Nic said, “but we love you.”
That made me smile.
As the girls moved around, chattering about last-minute details, Sophi suddenly got quiet. Nic glanced at her, then at me.
“You good?” Nic asked her cousin.
Sophi hesitated. “Yeah, just… been thinking. My ex gets out soon.”
The room quieted.
I turned in the chair to look at her. “Damn. I forgot about that.”
