Chapter 20 Lily
Javonte’s acting like a nervous teenage boy around me. It’s almost cute. We get some food and sit at a table not too far from Porsche and Zea. They’re talking with their hands, high fiving and vibing with each other.
I watch them, and Javonte follows my line of sight. “That’s hella weird.”
I shake my head and look at him. “No, it’s not. Porsche’s missing teaching. She always vibed with the teenage girls. Boosted them up. Brought smiles to her face. She runs a free salon for girls to get their hair done if they can’t afford it. She’s a girl's girl.”
He stares at them. “I had no idea.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” I tell him, looking down at my plate.
“That’s on me.”
I stop chewing and look at him. His gaze on me is intense, almost invasive. I look away as I feel heat creeping up my neck.
“Lily, I–”
“Titi!”
“Lili!”
I know those little voices. I grin and turn around to see my nieces toddling towards me with their arms out.
“Naya girl! Sky baby!” I hop up and scoop my babies up in my arms.
“Titi! Titi!” Naya calls out giggling and burying her face in my neck. She’s my cuddlebug. I plant kisses all over her face, and she squeals.
“Lili!” Sky yanks my hair, never one to go without attention.
“Yes?”
“Poopoo.”
I freeze and turn to Charisse. “Risse, she just said poopoo.”
“What?” Charisse’s whole body reacts. “Does she stink?”
I lean in and sniff her baby booty. “No.”
“Oh, it’s go time!” She reaches for Sky and runs off.
Naya throws her head back and laughs, and there’s no sound better than baby laughter, so I laugh too. “Sissy’s going potty.”
Naya keeps laughing. “No no no!” She wags her finger at me. “Sissy no potty.”
“How old are these babies?”
“Almost 2. I don’t know how to tell their age in mom-speak. I’m sure it’s counted in months. They were born two Christmases ago.”
That Christmas. In the midst of that joy, I was dealing with our falling apart. Javonte holds a hand out to Naya. She reaches for him, and his eyes go wide.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never held a kid before.”
He shrugs. “I’d be lying.”
“Really? I get never holding a baby, but a toddler?”
“I don’t have any kids. And no one ever asks me to watch theirs.”
Naya’s practically climbing out of my arms to get to him. I hand her over, and he’s as awkward as I expected holding her. She lays her head on his shoulder and puts her little arm around the back of his neck.
“Okay, Naya. Staking your claim, huh?”
“Not niecey-pooh liking him,” Porsche exclaims as she and Zea walk up to us.
“Hey!” Javonte frowns at Porsche and puts his hand on Naya’s back.
“Lily, you have a baby? Is it my brothers?”
We all turn to Zea and blast her with a chorus of no’s. She throws her hands up in the air. “My bad. Where’d this baby come from then?”
“False alarm!” Charisse sets Sky down and lets out a deep breath.
“Sissy no poopoo,” Naya sits up and says, then plops her head back down on Javonte’s shoulder.
I snicker. She was right.
“What’s going on?” Charisse asks, motioning toward Javonte.
“We don’t know. Your girl made a choice. We’re all respecting it.”
Sky walks over to Javonte and reaches up for him. He bends down and scoops her up. She kisses his cheek and lays on his other shoulder.
“The fuck?” Porsche whispers.
“Babies know,” Charisse leans in and whispers in my ear.
I look up at the tree of a man. He looks more comfortable now. More natural. I trust my girls’ judgment...the babies, not the adults.
This isn’t something I expected.
“If I knew you were a baby-whisperer, I’d have asked you to babysit,” someone says from behind us.
I turn, and the woman is vaguely familiar. Then Tank and his three very tall children approach us, and it hits me: she’s the one who had that slick comment at the club.
“Hey, Joy!” Porsche calls out, and my skin crawls. I didn’t tell the girls exactly what went down or who said what because I know Porsche too well.
“Hey P! Miss Charisse.” She turns to me. “Javonte, are you back with your little painter girl?”
This bitch.
I see Porsche’s facial expression change and her mouth open.
“Joy, this is Lily Sage from Lit with Lily. Ain’t nothing little about her or what she does. She’s doing what she loves, and she’s amazing. Lily, this is Joy, Tank’s...very long time girlfriend.”
My hand flies to cover my mouth before I laugh.
“I know that’s right!” Porsche says with a grin on her face.
Joy’s smile falls off her face, and she walks away.
“Okay, Javonte,” I say as I look up at him and smile.