“Anytime. I can’t speak for my brothers, even though I know they’ll come around, but I want you in my kids’ lives although you’re new to mine. I say kids plural because my baby right here is also carrying my son.” Hell yeah I was speaking a son into existence. I was already outnumbered in my own home on the daily, I had to somehow manifest a junior.
Jade laughed. “You don’t know that yet.”
Wiley laughed. “He’s speaking it up.”
We all laughed, sending warmth through my chest. We stood there and talked for longer until Wiley had to go. Jade invited him over for dinner sometime next week and I lowkey found that interesting, considering my baby didn’t cook a damn thing. I didn’t mind though, as I was learning that family was family, regardless of the time we had together.
“Do you think Kinga and Sora will come around for real?” Jade asked as I drove in the direction of my brother’s house.
“Yeah, Kinga is the most stubborn, but he has no reason not to.”
Jade didn’t respond, instead kept her eyes outside of the car. This woman was my everything and she was so unaware. Nothing or no one would stop me from giving her everything she needed in this life and the next one. She deserved the world and I would hand it to her on a silver platter as soon as I could. She was my peace, and for the life of me, I had every intention of preserving hers. Had Kinga not taken the lead that night with Ant, I still would’ve handled it. Not a thought was necessary when it came to her.
“Dad.” Aja’s voice had me looking in the rearview mirror at her.
“Yeah, baby?” I answered, reaching to turn the radio down.
“So, if he is your father, where has he been? Why hasn’t he always been around?”
I glanced over at Jade, briefly wondering what I’d say before it just came to me. “Because he didn’t always know he was my father.”
“Oh, now that he knows, does that mean he’s gonna be around more?”
“I don’t know, baby. I hope so.” My hand went to Jade’s thigh while my eyes cut to the mirror at Aja again. I didn’t know what it was, but something about touching Jade always made my mind race less. Feeling her under my grasp kept me grounded and in the present.
Aja nodded. “And another thing. Dad, Jade.”
“Huh?” Jade responded before I could.
“Are we having a baby?” she asked, throwing both of us for a loop. I could straight up tell from the way Jade’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
“Yeah. Are you okay with that?” Jade asked, turning her entire body to look at Aja.
She was quiet for a moment, so fucking quiet I was about ready to pull this fucking car over on the expressway to make sure she was fine.
“Yes, we talked about this. As long as it’s my brother.”
I hadn’t realized I stopped breathing until she said yes. Her answer kickstarted my heart, bringing a smile to my face as I tightened my grip around Jade’s thigh.
Jade laughed. “All this talk about a boy, how do we know I don’t want a girl?”
“Because you have me.” Aja’s voice flowed to the front of the car.
With no hesitation or second guessing, Jade smiled even harder and nodded in agreement. “You’re right; I do have you.”
It wasn’t long before we pulled into Kinga’s driveway. Before the car could stop, Aja was hopping out, saying she was going to tell her Auntie Harlem that we were having a baby. I was good with that because I needed a minute with Jade.
“You know you stuck with me, right?”
She laughed. “How are you so sure it isn’t the other way around?”
“Because it’s not. You know it isn’t.”
Her smile was so big it could outshine the fucking sun. “Whatever.”
“I’m serious. I love you with everything in me, Jade. And I have every intention of showing you that for as long as you let me.”
“Good, because I intend to let you for a very long time.”
“As if you got a fucking choice. Yeah, alright. Now tell me you love me so we can go in here, eat, and take the end of this conversation home.” I winked, half expecting her to rebut.
“I love you too.”
The End…For Now
