Chapter 9
One year later…
“Go, baby!” I smiled, watching Wesley cheer Anthony on as he made the second of his free throws.
She was so proud of him that it shined through her eyes as we watched the game. As much as I regretted missing his childhood, I enjoyed every moment of the time I spent with him now. Wes was fighting us tooth and nail on our weekly rides, but she knew he was in the best hands when it came to riding a bike.
“I’m about to get some nachos from the concession stand. You want something?” I asked her as I stood.
“No, I’m good.”
“You sure, Wes?” I asked, knowing damn well she was going to eat most of my nachos if I didn’t get her something to eat of her own.
“You know what, bring me some salt and vinegar chips and a red slushie.”
“OK.” I nodded, glad that I didn’t have to ask her five times before she changed her mind.
“And a Snickers bar and some of those sour candy ropes if they have them.”
“Anything else?” I chuckled.
“That’s all. The slushie and chips are for me. That other stuff is for your son,” she said, rubbing her swollen belly.
After our small wedding ceremony that only included AJ, Ant, and my mom, we moved into a five-bedroom house near my mom. She loved having us so close. Wes was even looking for a new location for the bookstore.
Six months after moving into our new home, we found out that Wesley was pregnant. I cried tears of joy when my baby broke the news. I couldn’t believe that she had been nervous about telling me. Apparently, she and Anthony had come to the conclusion that, at thirty-eight, I would think I was too old to be a dad.
We were only twelve weeks away from meeting the new addition to our little family. I was beyond excited to experience the early days of fatherhood. Lade stood and followed once he noticed that I was headed to the concession stand.
“Bro, I know you are about to go on a hiatus to take care of the fam. I just wanted to update you and let you know that the last batch of guys finished the program and are set to go on the road soon. The other guys are making time on their routes, and we have some new contracts to go over and bid on.”
“OK, then. You know I love to hear it.”
“We have three new recruits that we want to try to get vetted before you leave. I told the guys we are going to put a hold on new membership until you come back.”
“You know AJ can handle that kind of stuff, if necessary,” I mentioned.
“Nah, we all agreed we don’t want no one else getting comfortable in your position. I don’t want nobody trying to stage a coup.”
I chuckled at his rationale but knew there was no reasoning with him. More than anything, I was grateful that the guys felt so strongly about my leadership. It was a rocky start, but I was grateful that I’d made the decision to take over.
As I stood in line, Wesley linked her arm through mine and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Missed me already?”
“Yes, that and it’s almost halftime, and Peanut decided that he wanted some boiled peanuts.”
“I shoulda known.” I shook my head and kissed my wife on the top of her head.
“So you don’t like taking care of your wife and sons? Tell me right now that you don’t love us.” Her eyes were watery as she looked up at me, actually expecting an answer.
I had become accustomed to Wesley’s pregnancy mood swings and weird eating patterns early on in the pregnancy. It was a good thing that I loved her because both Ant and I had to hide food all over the house just to keep from starving. My baby was eating up everything, but I loved to see it. Closing my eyes, I kissed the top of her head.
“Wesley, stop that, baby. You know there’s nothing and nowhere I would rather be than anywhere you are.”
“Oh, just checking,” she said, smiling up at me as if she had just hit the lottery.
I didn’t know about her, but I damn sure felt like I had won a million bucks. Pulling her body closer to me, I rubbed her belly as I finally placed our order. Of course she tossed in a pickle to go with her salt and vinegar chips. Whatever my baby wanted, she could have.