Epilogue
Two years and a few months later
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask my husband. He looks handsome as always but the smugness on his face cannot be missed.
“You really think she’s going to pull this off?” he asks.
“Yes. Yes I do,” I say sternly. “Do you see how excited she is? My baby can do this.”
“Okay,” he says with a slight chuckle. “That’s exactly why I don’t think she can pull this off. She’s too damn excited. This is going to be a colossal fail.”
“Thanks. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” I sigh, then frown.
He steps around the island behind me. After slipping his arms around me, he places his hands on my stomach and pulls me into his chest.
“I’m just trying to prepare you. Don’t sound like that.”
“Don’t you sound so negative,” I counter. “The shirt is perfect. The plan is perfect and it’s going to work. I have faith in Niya.”
“Okay, kyau. It’s going to work,” he says but I still hear amusement in his tone. “We better go. Shuga’s going to be calling soon to make sure we’re coming.”
“We better. Alex and Giselle are almost there. Kyrah is running late though,” I tell him. For this Sunday dinner, I want everyone I love there and that most definitely means my sisters for life.
“Nah, she’s there,” he says.
“How do you know that?” I question because I just texted her ass and she said she might be late.
“I just talked to Shiro; she’s with him at Shuga’s.”
“She didn’t tell me that,” I say, then frown. “I cannot believe her. Wait till I see her; I’m going to curse her sneaky ass out. After all this time, her and Shiro still act like it’s just casual,” I say and suck my teeth.
After kissing me, he says, “That’s their business. Let them do what they want. Just tell me what I’m taking to my ride so we can go.”
“Just the crab salad. Oh, and that leftover steak pasta for Shiro. I promised him he could have it. I’m going to grab Niya.” I start to walk out of the kitchen then stop. “And she’s going to pull this off,” I repeat before continuing.
When I make it upstairs into her room, Niya’s in the bathroom taking her bonnet off.
Not only is this the first Sunday in August and we are having our monthly family dinner at Shuga’s, school starts Monday and she’s starting second grade.
She also has some big news to share so her hair had to be perfect.
She wanted braids so Jae came over yesterday and did Niya’s hair.
“I think I need some more of the white stuff,” she says.
“Mousse?” I ask.
“Yes, that,” she says while nodding.
“No. It’s pretty and perfect. You don’t need any more.”
“Okay,” she says.
“You ready?”
“Yes. I put my jacket and purse in the truck.”
“And you know what to do when we get there. Just keep the jacket on until we start eating. Then you’re going to take it off and let everyone read it,” I reiterate.
“I remember,” she assures me with a big, pretty smile on her face. She’s almost seven and she’s getting tall, but her face hasn’t changed at all. She still looks like a little princess.
We leave her room and head downstairs. I grab my tote from the sofa, then we walk out to the garage. The door is open, the truck is on, and my husband is standing outside of it, waiting on us. After he opens the door for us, he gets in and we head to Shuga’s.
As suspected, her driveway and the street are packed with vehicles and I see Alex and Giselle’s rides.
Shuga’s Sunday dinners are a staple in the Bako family and the amount of people who come has expanded over the years.
My friends have started to attend. The twins and TJ have been bringing girls.
I can’t say dates because they each insist that the girls are just friends.
Alami has even joined us. Last year, Shuga finally fully embraced her and invited her to dinner.
Asali is a distant memory. The relationship with his sons and even his grandsons is over.
None of them talk to him and his relationship with Alami is also strained.
Now that she’s in college, she rarely goes home.
In fact, she spent spring break with us since she was working at Quintus’s firm.
Niya misses her grandfather though and I’m trying to slowly convince my husband to at least consider letting him see her. Only time will tell with that.
After turning around in the cul de sac, Quintus lets Niya and me out in front of the house then parks at the end of the street behind Ace’s ride. While we wait on him, I fasten the buttons on Niya’s patchwork denim jacket.
“They gon’ be so happy,” Niya gushes. She’s truly excited about her T-shirt reveal.
“I know,” I say, feeling excited and nervous myself. “Just remember to wait until dinner to open your jacket.”
When Quintus walks up, he looks at Niya then me. “Are y’all ready?” he asks and we both smile and nod. He’s trying to act cool but I know he’s a little anxious too. Hell, we both are. I’m nervous, anxious, and elated, but ready, so ready.
As we approach the front door, I hear the music playing in the back and definitely smell the Suya spices in the air.
Quintus came over early this morning and started the grill and Shiro and Ace finished grilling.
Suya grilled fish is my favorite but I still can’t get with eating the eyes like my little girl.
“Sounds like they’re already out back,” Quintus says as we walk into the house. He’s right too because the house is empty. So we walk through and out of the door to the solarium.
Shuga walks over to us. “I thought y’all weren’t coming,” she says with a smile.
“You know we were coming,” I tell her as we embrace.
Quintus walks over to the food table and places the crab salad down then talks with Shiro. Shuga runs her hands over Niya’s braids.
“I love this. You look so pretty,” Shuga tells Niya. “I think I want to braid mine.”
“Thank you, Nana.”
“Braid this beautiful fro? Really? I can’t even imagine you without it,” I admit. I love how her fro frames her pretty face.
“If I’m going to find me a man, I need to switch things up,” she says lowly and I grin.
“I’m here for it,” I admit, then smile. “Good luck explaining you’re looking for a man to my husband or your other sons though.”
“Girl, they can’t beat me,” she says with a smirk.
Caught up in Shuga possibly dating, I don’t notice Niya’s jacket has been unbuttoned. When I finally realize it, it’s too late.
“Nana, did you read my shirt?” I hear Niya say at the same time Kyrah yells, “Are you pregnant?”
“What?” Shuga asks as she looks down at Niya’s shirt. “Only Child promoted to Big Sister, ETA April,” Shuga reads as my friends rush toward me. “Oh my God!” She pulls me into a bigger embrace. “And this one is a girl. I feel it,” she says before touching my stomach softly.
“I’m going to be a big sister,” Niya announces, just in case no one read the shirt.
My husband was right. Our baby girl was too excited to share the news. I should have known because she’s wanted to wear the shirt every day since it was made last week. We found out our little family was growing three weeks ago during my annual exam and told Niya last week.
I don’t know who’s more excited of us three.
Quintus and I want a girl but Niya wants a baby brother.
She already has picked green for his room at the house and the small office we are converting at the condo.
Although we spend more time at the house, we are keeping the condo.
I love it and it’s so convenient when Quintus has court in CF or if I need to stay late in the city.
After the baby though, and when my current term ends, I’m going to announce my run for a judicial seat in Diamond Falls.
“Oh. You’re slick. That’s why your ass didn’t drink last FNF. Talking about you had a stomach bug. More like a stomach baby. Congratulations,” Giselle says before pulling me in for a hug.
Alex embraces me next. “Our first newborn,” Alex says. “He or she is going to be spoiled. You don’t know what you’re having yet, do you?”
“No. I’m only seven weeks.”
“Then we can have a gender reveal and a baby shower. I’m so happy for you,” Kyrah adds before hugging me.
The conversation quickly switches to preparing for both events and Shuga joins in.
Niya runs to Alami to show her the shirt and Quintus breaks away from his brothers and steps to me.
My friends and Shuga are so into their party planning that they don’t even notice when he pulls me away into the house.
As soon as we are inside, he pulls me into his arms.
“I told you,” he says with a grin.
“So,” is all I can say because he was absolutely correct. There’s no need to even try to plead my case. His smugness is already on ten and I don’t want him gloating. “I hated holding it in anyway,” I finally admit.
The past few FNFs have been tortuous. I wanted so badly to share my wonderful news with the three people who truly know how much I wanted a baby, the right husband, and a family, but I couldn’t.
My husband and I committed to waiting until this family dinner when we knew everyone would be in attendance.
I use the word perfect so much that I think its true definition gets lost. However, in this moment, in the arms of my loving husband, while carrying his child announced by the daughter he gave me has to be what perfect is.
This feeling, this love, this happiness is beyond anything I could’ve even dreamed.
I’m grateful for the morning I woke up in The Metropolitan married.
It wasn’t part of my career or life plan but it was my destiny.
Quintus and I were meant to be and I love that for me.
“Just admit I was right,” he teases before pecking my lips.
“I plead the fifth,” I say.
“We’re not in a court of law, Your Honor. You can answer me.”
“Don’t call me that, baby. I told you; with you, I’m just kyau.”
“You’re right ’cause you are my kyau and I love you.”
“Exactly! I’m all yours and I love you too. Now kiss me for real this time. I need more than a peck,” I tell him and he leans in and kisses my lips lovingly.
The End