Epilogue
Two Years Later
With steady hands and focused eyes, I watched as my newest apprentice finished up his latest autopsy. The past two years as chief medical examiner had been very trying, but the reward had been worth it. While I was tempted every day to chop a nigga up from his ear to his asshole, I refrained.
A nigga is evolving in a major way.
“What’s the cause of death?” I dragged my eyes from the deceased to Mandy. The chick was weird as hell with her bright-colored hair and dark makeup, but she knew her shit. “Any abnormalities?”
“Cause of death is natural causes,” she stated with confidence. “Nothing abnormal, Dr. McKnight.”
“I concur.” I nodded. I had been with her every step of the way and conducted my own analysis. “Document it and inform Captain Young so he can notify the family.”
Working with my own staff was so different from when I was worked with Massey.
Some of the previous staff didn’t agree with me getting the job over someone who had seniority, but seniority didn’t have shit to do with knowledge or skill.
It wasn’t up to me to make them understand that either, so when tension started to affect the departments work, I told everyone in a full staff meeting to either get on board with me being the boss or get the fuck on.
Some stayed while others didn’t, but since the meeting, the remaining staff had ceased all the bullshit.
To replace the staff who chose to walk, I contracted an outside agency to conduct an extensive hiring process until I found people I believed were best for the available positions.
It took some of the new hires time to learn my detachment wasn’t personal, but eventually everything began to flow like clockwork.
Massey was the only person who would mean more to me than a colleague.
Stepping into my office, I glanced over at the picture on the wall that he and I had taken at his retirement party.
While I hated to see him go, having my own family helped me realize the importance of quality time with them.
I loved my job, but if I had to choose between it and making sure my family didn’t lack time for memories with me, I would choose them every time.
I never had, and I never would, put these dead muthafuckas before my wife and child.
“Alright, Mandy. I’m about to head out,” I stated over my shoulder as she trailed me into the locker room.
I grabbed my jacket, wallet, and keys from my locker. She was also preparing to leave, slamming her locker as she threw her coat over her shoulders. It was nearing eight, and I wanted to get home before my daughter went to sleep.
“Do you need anything before I leave?” I asked, stopping to let her respond.
“I’m good, Boss. See you next week.” She gave me an uneasy smile. “Did you give your baby the doll I made her?”
“Mandy, you know damn well that doll didn’t make it to my truck.” I chuckled, causing her to do the same. “You won’t have my damn baby crawling up the wall in the middle of the night.”
Stepping out of the lab and into the elevator, I pressed the button for the first floor, closing my eyes and taking a quick moment for myself. I was taking the week off to take my baby to Disneyland, and I was more excited than she was.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Marsha stammered once the door dinged, causing my eyes to open. “I’ll catch the next one.”
“Marsha, get the fuck on if you’re going upstairs, bruh.” I frowned, holding the door open before it closed. “Ain’t nobody worried about you.”
Giving me a nod, she stepped into the elevator, making sure she left enough space between us.
Since Sheena died and I had been with Blossom, she had tried her hand at getting with me.
I immediately let her know that if she didn’t stop with her shit, I was going to send her to my homie Jules so he could make me a nice mantel piece of her skin and bones.
We hadn’t had any problems since. Making it to my truck, I sank into the seat, exhausted as hell.
All it took was one look at my baby girl’s picture on the dashboard to give me the boost of energy I needed to start the engine.
I broke every traffic law to get to her and her mother.
Jailee Jaselle McKnight was the apple of my eye and the reason I got up every day a little less crazy.
Well, I guess that was subjective depending on who you asked.
She was the perfect mixture of her mother, from her looks to her little personality.
While she was pretty like Blossom with her expressive, brown eyes, curly hair, and bubbly smile, she was a firecracker underneath all her meekness.
My princess was as sweet as sugar, but she had a mean streak.
The entire family had her spoiled rotten, especially her grandparents.
Feeling my phone vibrate on the passenger seat, I chuckled at the fact that I’d thought my parents up.
“What’s up, Pop?” I answered, zooming through the busy streets of the city. If the muthafuckas knew the danger they were in, they would get the hell out of my way. “You good?”
“I just left from seeing my sugar bear, so I’m perfect.” He snickered like a simp, exhaling heavily. “I took her some toys that she told me she wanted. I’m taking her to get her little toes done tomorrow.”
“You know damn well my baby didn’t tell you she wanted any toys, Pop.” I chuckled, pulling into Mills Manor. Every time I entered the neighborhood, it was as if the air around me became lighter. “Plus, I’m off for the next week. How do you know I didn’t want to take my own baby to the nail salon?”
One thing I was thankful for when it came to Baby JJ’s village was that they would go to the ends of the earth for her.
All four of her grandparents had put Blossom and me on a schedule as far as when we could have our own child, and her uncles alternated weekends for their “niece and me” days.
My baby would never know what it was to not be loved, and I was appreciative of that.
“That sounds like some shit that doesn’t have anything to do with me.
Aye, make sure you put her on that cute purple tutu with the leggings and little Uggs.
I went and bought myself a fit to match her fly.
Me and my baby gone stunt on all those hoe-ass niggas and raggedy-ass kids tomorrow.
” I heard my mother hit him in the background, so I knew he was serious. “Kiss my baby. Love you, nigga.”
Letting him disconnect the call, I tossed the phone onto the seat as I pulled into my driveway. I blew out a breath of relief when I didn’t notice any additional cars. Between my siblings, Stacy, and even Marshall, there was always somebody here. Tonight, it was just my girls, thankfully.
Keying in the code, I pushed the door open and couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
I knew this house would be our home the moment I laid eyes on it.
The ten million that I spent purchasing and furnishing it for Blossom would always be worth it.
The main reason was jumping up and down in the middle of my living room floor.
“Do it, Ma Ma!” Blossom clapped and hyped Jailee as she danced and sang to Gracie’s Corner. “Wiggle those little hips and shake what Ma Ma gave you!”
“She better not be wiggling shit,” I said, making them both jump. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m the one who gave Ma Ma that lil’ something to wiggle.”
“Daaa!” Jai screamed, running into my open arms. “Hey, Da Da!”
“Hey, Pretty Princess.” I kissed all over her chubby cheeks, causing her to giggle. “Have you been good today?”
“Nopppeee!” she answered, and I damn sure believed her. “I so bad, Da Da.”
Hugging her tightly, I walked over and pulled her mother into my arms, lifting them both in an embrace. Kissing Blossom gently, I ignored my baby’s slaps as I showed her mother some love. With each passing day, my love and obsession for this woman grew.
“How was your day, Papa?” she asked, leading me to the couch.
Every night I came home, she would crawl into my lap, followed by our daughter.
If they both could live in my skin, they would, and I’d let them.
It was the best feeling in the world. “Is Mandy still trying to get you to bring that doll home?”
“Mandy better get her ‘follow me to the dark side’ ass on somewhere.” We shared a laugh as she snuggled into my chest. Jai was tired of us already, so she wiggled back to the floor with some blocks I’d never seen. “I take it that’s what Pops brought?”
Nodding her head up and down, a soft giggle slipped from her lips. “Did you know he’s taking her on a nail date tomorrow? Apparently, he’d told my father he was, so he’s buying a matching outfit to crash. They’re worse than her grandmothers.”
Her parents were the best in-laws a nigga could ask for.
They stayed out of our business and didn’t try to insert their opinions when they weren’t needed.
I took care of the home on every front, so they didn’t have reason to anyhow.
When they decided to have Rowan moved into their home with full-time, long-term care, Blossom asked me how I felt.
Hell, he wasn’t my brother, so I didn’t give a fuck.
I did, however, let them know I didn’t want him around my child.
With the bad juju put on that nigga, I didn’t want any of that shit rubbing off on my daughter.
Wrapping my arms around Blossom, I kissed her temple and listened as she began to tell me about her day.
She was still thriving with her real estate business and was looking for more properties to purchase.
Stacy had finally taken her up on her offer to become an official partner, and the girls had been killing it.
They’d even been thinking about expanding the team and opening more brick-and-mortar locations.
I was down for whatever would keep my baby less stressed.
“Are you hungry?” She yawned, sliding from my lap. “I made smothered pork chops. It’s time for her to go to bed, so I can go ahead and make your plate so you can eat while I give her a bath.”
Looking her over, she was just as pretty as she was when we met.
The baby weight she’d gained did her body right, and I couldn’t get enough of her new curves.
I tried to put a baby in her every chance I got, humping on her at every opportunity.
Tonight, I could tell she was tired, so I would let her be unless she initiated.
“How about this?” I pulled her into my arms, kissing her forehead. “How about I go run you a bath, and I put the princess to bed. I’ll fix my own plate and meet you upstairs when I clean up down here. If you’re not tired, we can watch that ratchet shit you like. Deal?”
Grinning, she nodded. “Deal. Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Have I told you I love you just as much?” I kissed her lips before swatting her ass. “Go ahead, Bloss Baby. I’ll take care of the boss.”
Rolling her eyes playfully, she walked over and kissed our baby before making her way up the stairs.
My eyes followed her until she was gone before I dragged them back over to Jai.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her little eyes struggling to stay open.
Scooping her into my arms, I decided her bath would have to wait as I kissed her cheek.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I could’ve melted.
Carrying her up to her nursery, I chuckled at all the pink and yellow scattered about.
My princess was a girly girl, and I wanted her to stay that way as long as possible.
“Daddy loves you so much, Jailee.” I sat down with her in the rocking chair, staring as she drifted into a deep sleep. “You’re so damn perfect…” I kissed her little hand, causing her to grin subconsciously. “You’ll always be my baby.”
As I hummed her favorite nursery rhyme, I thought about how much I’d changed.
I went from slicing and dicing niggas to changing diapers and kissing boo-boos when my daughter fell.
I went from checking niggas in the daytime to killing them when the night fell to catering to my wife when she had a bad day.
While I had calmed down for the better, that crazy nigga was still in me.
These days, my reason for crashing out was a little different.
For Blossom and Jailee, I was bringing it to your front door.
And when you answered, just pray Slash wasn’t on the other side.
I would always be a maniac.