Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER…
“ H ey, daddy lil stinka.”
Blossom showed me her big toothless grin. Our baby girl was nearly five months old and one of the joys of my entire life. She was my world, and I didn’t hesitate to let anybody know it. I named her Blossom because she was such a beautiful flower when she was born. She bloomed from greatness. Her mother was a gorgeous flower, so only flower seeds would come from her.
Yunique’s pregnancy was something serious. That woman’s attitude was all over the place. At first, I thought it was just with me, but when even Giselle talked about it, I knew her hormones had ‘no respect of persons,’ just like Romans 2:11 said about God. That attitude didn’t care who it unleashed on. It only got worse as she neared her delivery date. I believed it had gotten to the point where she was getting on her own nerves.
Blossom was just as dark chocolate as her mother, and I loved every bit of it. She looked like a dark Hershey’s Kiss. Unlike Akia, my baby’s presence didn’t grace no damn day care. I took care of her when Yunique was at work. Whenever we went anywhere, I had her dressed to the nines with her jewelry and tiara on.
When I got close to her as she swung in her swing while Yunique cooked, she started kicking her chunky legs. She was almost nine pounds when she was born, and I felt for Yunique’s small frame. Baby girl didn’t slow down after she was born either. For her six-week checkup, she’d already gained nearly four pounds, and now she was eating all kinds of shit she shouldn’t be eating, like mashed potatoes.
She hated baby food. She went straight from formula and baby cereal to table food. Yunique fussed continuously about what I let her eat, but what was I supposed to do? I was holding her while I ate, and she tried to suck my damn lips trying to get to that food. She was only three months old at the time.
When I got to the swing, I saw Yunique playfully roll her eyes. I unstrapped my little stinka, and the moment I lifted her to my shoulder, she grabbed my face and brought her mouth to my cheek. I smiled so hard. She was my munchkin and my road dog.
I turned to Yunique and said, “You just jealous, girl. The more you hate about our love, the closer we gon’ get. We have a double date with Gentry and Akia next weekend, by the way. So you and Giselle can go do whatever.”
She slowly shook her head and chuckled. “I swear, it was like my warning to you almost a year ago went in one ear and out the other. The only good thing is that she still recognizes who her mommy is.”
“That’s ’cause you got them milk bags on your chest. Stop breast feeding her and watch what happens.”
Yunique laughed. “She gon’ be trying to suck your nipples. That’s what’s gon’ happen, nigga.”
I smirked and rolled my eyes as I kissed Blossom’s cheek. “You love your da-da, huh?”
I lifted her in the air, and she screamed with laughter. Yunique couldn’t help but smile. It was impossible to hear Blossom’s laughter and not acknowledge it.
We’d been married over a year, and once Yunique’s mental state was better, things were great. She was still journaling every day, some days longer than others, and I was proud of her for not letting that get away from her. She had only had one nightmare since her breakdown. That had stemmed from a movie we watched. She said it was probably too soon. The good thing was that it didn’t result in her having a full-blown anxiety attack. It was extremely mild, and I was able to help her through it.
Our one-year evaluation with Arranged Hearts went well. The ladies were extremely excited when we brought Blossom with us. She was only a couple of months old at the time. They said that we were one of their most interesting couples. We’d overcome so much together. No one would have blamed us if we separated because of the extensive trauma Mo brought to Nique’s life. They expressed that. However, they were grateful we didn’t negatively impact the success rate. We laughed about that.
I shifted Blossom to one arm and made my way to Yunique. Standing close behind her, I lowered my head and kissed her neck. Nothing about her got old. The faint scent of shea butter in her hair had me fiending to taste the honey between her legs. I gently tugged her earlobe with my teeth as she released a moan.
“Baby, unless you gon’ put your lil stinka in her swing to give me a quick tune up, I suggest you stop. Besides, Keke, Vegas, and the rest of the family will be here in thirty minutes or so.”
As I was about to respond to her, Blossom grabbed ahold of one of Yunique’s dread locs and pulled. “Oh shit!” Yunique yelled.
Apparently, Blossom thought that shit was funny. She pulled even harder as I tried to pry her fingers loose. After I got her to let go, Yunique turned to her with a frown on her face. I chuckled as Blossom smiled at her. I squinted slightly and pulled her lips down some to see the white spot on her gums.
“Uh oh. Big Nique gon’ be downgraded to Lil Nique when Stinka get ahold of you with these teeth. She got two teeth about to come through.”
Yunique frowned as I leaned Blossom over for her to take a look. She poked her bottom lip out. “She’s growing up, Harlem.”
“Yeah, she is. That means we gotta make another one.”
Yunique rolled her eyes. “The hell I went through is still too fresh on my mind for that. Find somebody else to do it.”
My eyebrows lifted as I laughed. She chuckled and turned to the stove to stir her chili. “Uh-huh. I do that, and you will take my ass to the fucking cleaners.”
“Hell yeah. I’ll make sure to drag your name through the mud first.”
I pulled her to me again as she side-eyed Blossom. She kissed her plump cheek, then gently tugged it with her fingers. Turning her attention to me, she kissed my lips softly, then rested her head against my chest, near my neck. I kissed her head then kissed my baby girl’s. These women were my strength and my weakness.
It was hard to believe that I’d reached this level of peace in my life. Being in love with the woman of my dreams and being in love with being a father was the fuel that kept me going. They kept me up on my responsibilities to them to not only love and protect them but also provide for them. That provision was not only financial and physical, but it was emotional, spiritual, and mental as well.
As a man, I vowed to create an atmosphere of peace, love, and stability for my queen and princess. Nothing would keep me from doing that, and I planned to do that shit with an extreme amount of fervor.
The End
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