Ysis #4
Surrounded by all the hugs, laughter, and voices talking over one another, the sadness I’d been carrying for weeks lifted.
Since this shit began... nobody was asking me how I was holding up, nobody was apologizing, nobody was crying, nobody was talking about Marius.
Tonight...I was just a woman celebrating the two little lives growing inside of me.
The evening passed in the most beautiful blur imaginable.
We played games that had everybody arguing over baby names, guessed which twin would look more like me or Kade, laughed until our stomachs hurt during diaper-changing races, and nearly cried listening to Mama Sina tell stories about raising boys who somehow grew into the stubborn men scattered throughout the room.
Every gift managed to outdo the last one, from handmade blankets and personalized storybooks to tiny designer outfits Kade insisted our children needed despite me reminding him babies outgrew clothes every other week. The funniest moment came when everybody had to guess pregnancy cravings.
“Baked chicken and pickles.”
“No.”
“Watermelon with ranch.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I got this.” Kade confidently stood.
“Oh?” I folded my arms.
“You like scrambled eggs...”
“So far so good.”
“...with extra cheese.”
“Correct.”
“...breakfast potatoes.”
“Uh huh.”
“...sour cream.”
“Keep going.”
“...ketchup.”
The room waited. “...and enough Sriracha to kill a grown man.” The entire room exploded into laughter.
“I knew it!” Marcus shouted.
“I been telling this man that’s disgusting,” Kade argued.
“It is disgusting,” Kayla laughed.
“I love it though,” I defended.
“You pregnant,” Yayo hollered. “That don’t count.”
The laughter rolled through the room all over again.
Watching everyone together, I turned in a circle, taking in every smiling face surrounding me. Looking around, I realized something I hadn’t even known I was searching for. Family—not the kind connected by blood, the kind connected by choice.
Growing up, I always wondered what it would feel like to have sisters.
Women to laugh with, cry with, call in the middle of the night over absolutely nothing, and celebrate life’s biggest moments beside.
Since taking the job as Kade’s assistant and becoming Ysis Myles, God had answered a prayer I’d never even thought to speak aloud.
He’d given me the sisters I’d spent my entire life missing. Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by love so overwhelming it nearly brought me to tears again, I rested both hands across my stomach and smiled. My babies weren’t just being born into a family.
They were being born into a village.
Knowing that alone, my heart felt completely at peace.
The games eventually gave way to presents, and before I knew it, I was being ushered toward an oversized ivory loveseat positioned under a balloon arch while everyone gathered around with phones in hand.
Looking across the room at all the beautifully wrapped boxes stacked nearly as high as the loveseat itself, I laughed, realizing my husband had clearly ignored every conversation we’d ever had about taking things “just a little easy.”
“Oh, Lord,” I sighed, already shaking my head. “I know this fool done lost his mind.”
“Excuse me?” Kade placed a hand against his chest in mock offense. “My children deserve luxury.”
“Our children ain’t even got here yet.”
“Exactly,” he answered without missing a beat. “I’m trying to stay ahead.”
“You see what I deal with?” I looked around at everyone.
“You married him,” Yayo hollered from the back.
“Voluntarily,” Marcus added.
“With a smile,” Cassian piled on.
“I hate all y’all.”
“No, you don’t,” Kade kissed the top of my head, taking the seat beside me. “Now open the presents, TroubleMaker.”
Bella walked over carrying the first two boxes, wrapped identically in cream paper with gold ribbon tied into oversized bows.
“These are from Mr. Extra himself.”
“I knew it,” I laughed.
“Guilty.” Kade grinned. I untied the ribbon from the first box before lifting the lid, gasping the moment I looked inside. Nestled in white tissue paper sat two custom diamond tennis bracelets, each one engraved on the inside.
Our Mom.
Dad’s Favorite Girl.
My hand immediately flew to my mouth. “Kade...”
“I figured the twins needed something to give you.” He shrugged.
“You bought me diamonds from babies who ain’t even born?”
“They told me they wanted to spoil their mama.”
“You are unbelievable.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Still shaking my head, I reached for the second gift. This one was considerably larger, forcing Kade to help me lift it onto my lap. Inside sat two tiny white gold charm bracelets nestled inside matching velvet boxes. Confused, I looked back at him.
“Those are for them.”
“For the twins?”
He nodded. “They’ll get one on their first birthday. Every birthday after that, we add another charm. By the time they grown, they’ll have every memory they’ve ever made with us hanging from those bracelets.”
“Aww...” Lauren whispered. Even Mama Sina dabbed beneath her eyes.
“Kade...”
“I know.”
“I love you.” I leaned over and kissed him.
“I know that too.”
One by one the Wolfpack came up after that, each carrying gifts that reflected their own personalities. Lauren gifted personalized leather-bound journals titled Letters to My Son and Letters to My Daughter, encouraging me to fill them with memories the twins could read when they were older.
Nia presented matching heirloom quilts she’d secretly commissioned months earlier, each stitched with the twins initials and family tree embroidered into the corners.
Bree, ever the thoughtful one, handed me two beautifully assembled memory boxes filled with keepsake albums, tiny milestone cards, tiny mementos, and handwritten letters she’d secretly collected from everyone closest to us before the babies were even born.
Kayla giggled as she rolled over an entire luxury wardrobe rack packed with matching designer outfits in every size imaginable.“My god kids gone be fresh from birth, ya here me.” she declared proudly.
“I can see that,” I laughed.
“Y’all done skipped right over newborn.”
“They’ll grow.”
“Eventually.”
Mama Sina waited until the girls finished before making her way over. Unlike the mountain of luxury surrounding us, she carried only a single gift bag. Smiling, she placed it in my lap before taking my hand.
“This one ain’t expensive but I prayed over every stitch.” Inside were two tiny hand-crocheted blankets, one cream and one soft sage, along with a well-worn children’s Bible whose pages had yellowed with age.
“My mama read this to me,” she whispered.
“I read it to my boys...and now I want you to read it to yours.” Fresh tears immediately filled my eyes.
“I will.”
“I know you will.”
She kissed my forehead before returning to her seat.
Majeston approached next carrying a polished mahogany keepsake box. Opening it, I found two delicate gold lockets resting against navy velvet.
“One for each grandbaby,” he said. “When they’re older, you can place whatever memories you want inside.”
“They’re beautiful.” I smiled up at him.
“They deserve beautiful.” Just as I thought we’d reached the end, Kade’s security guards quietly approached him, leaning down to whisper something into his ear. I watched my husband’s expression change ever so slightly before his eyes found mine from across the room.
“Babe,” he said, motioning me over.
“What is it?”
“Security got somebody at the gate.”
“Who?” He looked unsure whether he should answer.
“Yuki.”
The room around us continued buzzing with conversation, unaware of the moment quietly unfolding near the front entrance. My stomach tightened almost immediately, not because I was afraid she’d make a scene, but because I genuinely didn’t know why she was there.
“What she want?”
“They said she brought a gift.”
I stood there for several long seconds, silently debating with myself. Part of me wanted to protect the peace we’d all worked so hard to create today. Another part couldn’t ignore the fact that, despite everything, she was still my mother.
I looked back at Kade. “Let her in.”
“You sure?” His eyebrows lifted.
“If she came here peacefully...I’m not turning her away.”
He searched my face for another second before nodding to one of the guards standing nearby.
A few moments later, Yuki stepped inside carrying a medium-sized white box wrapped in pale lavender ribbon.
Gone was the intimidating woman who’d once walked into every room surrounded by armed men and unwavering confidence.
Today she came alone, dressed fashionably, her hands clasped around the gift as she made her way toward me.
Conversations faded, and eyes followed her every step. Even Mama Sina looked up from her seat before lifting her glass of sparkling apple cider. Taking the smallest sip before muttering just loud enough for those closest to hear.
“Hmph...look who figured out how gifts work.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. Yuki either didn’t hear her or pretended not to. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell which. Stopping in front of me, she held the box out with both hands.
“Congratulations daughter. I’m so happy for you and beyond proud of the women you've become Ice.”
I accepted the gifts. Inside sat two beautiful handcrafted jade bracelets alongside a handwritten note explaining they’d been carved by artisans her family had worked with for generations, each one intended to symbolize protection, health, and long life.
My fingers lingered over the smooth green stone as a thousand thoughts crossed my mind at once.
Funny how she keeps showing up now, and I can’t seem to get rid of her...but when I was a little girl, she couldn’t be bothered to show up for me.
The thought hurt. It probably always would.