26. Epilogue - Autumn
Epilogue - Autumn
Planning a double shower is nuts.
Planning and executing a double baby shower for your best friend, your wife, and three different semi-illegal organizations is downright ridiculous.
But, I am a miracle worker.
Well, me, Rico, Dal, and Macy, who’s actually pretty cool. She’s Brina and Dal’s new secretary since Renelle quit with no explanation, and she’s the one who found this cute event space downtown that was big enough for everyone.
Different shades of brown balloons fill the ceiling and are stationed around the space, with almost every table filled, even if everyone is kinda segregated.
“I don’t understand why I couldn’t have an entrance like Brina and Set,” Pay complains from the chair next to me. When I look over at her, I can’t help but smile at my baby.
After all the bullshit with the First Nations ended, her blood pressure finally dropped to a normal level, but we kept her ass on a leave of absence. Now, she’s nine months and glowing. Her hair is shiny, and her cheeks are as plump as her new cankles.
The way she’s carrying I feel like it’s a girl, but I still wanna be surprised. She dropped a couple days ago and the way she’s sitting in the chair with her brown maxi dress, it looks like she’s preparing for labor now.
“Pay, you didn’t even want to come. I needed to be here early, so I made you come with me in case our nugget decides to come early.”
“Early?! Sis looks like she’s about to blow right now! You know the due date is approximate right?” Nutty’s insensitive ass plops down next to us with Shad. Turk keeps walking to kiss me on the forehead and cheek.
He looks at Pay as has the same love in his eyes that seems to grow every time he looks at one of us. His collar is unbuttoned, showing his new tattoo of her name at the base of his throat.“C’mon, baby mama number two. Let me give you some relief.”
Nodding, she sniffles and he helps her up. Turk gets behind her, gets a good hold on her bulging bump, and lifts it up.
Pay sighs audibly, no doubt feeling the relief Turk promised.
“C’mon, Auty! They’re about to walk in!” Mace squeals, grabbing my hand.
“Okay, okay, slow down mama!” I call as she drags me with one hand, camera in another. She recently cut all her hair off, rocking the cutest low fade. When she turns to wink at me, I see the swirled design she cut into it.
She bogards her way to the front of the room and pulls me next to her, just as the double doors open.
The whole room cheers as 504 Boyz’s I Can Tell starts playing, per Brina’s instructions.
My bestie is all stomach and hips in a bronze short caftan dress and gold stilettos that I don’t know how she fit them feet in, but knowing her, it’s some sandals in her Birkin.
She swings her long blonde boho braids over her shoulder and starts twerking on Set, who actually starts moving them hips back.
All of us go crazy, well all of us except Mekhi and her father. She spots their cool glares and stops dancing on Set but still does her lil girly two-step as people start coming up to her.
When I spot who comes in after them, I whisper to Mace that I’ll be back and start making my way toward the back to Pay and Turk.
They’re right where I left them. Turk sees me first, since Pay’s eyes are still closed.
“Wassup?”
“Um, some people are here for you, Pay.”
Her eyes pop open as Turk slowly lets her tummy go. She looks over my shoulder and instinctively backs into Turk, who tucks her into his side.
I move onto her other side as the Get Money crew sans Grimey walk up to us, with Cochise leading the pack.
He nods to me before stopping a few feet away from us. “Hey, Fox. Damn… you’re really having a baby.” He lifts the huge gift bag in his hand, and Turk grabs it from him.
“Look,” Trippy says, “We know a lot of shit went down, but you still the first one of us to have a kid, and that’s a big thing for us. We not on no hood shit, or none of that. We just wanna kick it witchu, and get to know your people.” I never seen him look so contrite, even in the media.
“Yeah,” Sheisty continues. “And we wanna apologize. I wanna apologize, Fox. We wanted to stay out of you and Grime’s shit, but in doing that, we chose up anyway. And that’s bullshit. Not ‘cause you the Princess, but uh, you know, you was our homie, too.”
PC clamps a hand down on his brother’s shoulders and nods, smirking at Pay. I guess he really is a man of few words.
Poor Pay’s snot nose crying and sniffling. She leaves from between us and pulls all these big ass crips into a group hug and for the first time I see how their dynamic was. These men, and probably including Grimey, revolved around her.
And still do.
“Fox, you gotta chill before you sneeze out my ni–”
“Ay, Autumn don’t know the sex,” Turk says for the first time, wrapping an arm around my neck.
Pay lets them go and turns toward us. “Guys, this is Autumn and Royce, my partners. Deuce, our other son, is running around somewhere. And this is Pic, Shaka, Tripp, and Cochise.”
“We all met already, Fox.”
“Let me have my moment!” she shrieks, but calms immediately when Cochise rubs her shoulders.
“No hard feelings, right?” Turk asks.
Sheisty shrugs and smirks. “You did what you had to do for your shorty. I get it. I’d body anyone over mine.”
PC holds out his hand and Turk accepts it, dapping him up.
“See, I told you Patrick, everything’s okay.”
“Yeah, I had to come see for myself. Especially since yo lil boyfriend came–ow!”
Nutty ambles over with Lena on his back, and the rest of Foe Dub behind him.
“We good, nigga, damn. We gotta be, shit, we family now,” Turk smirks, pulling Pay back to him. She tries to maneuver out his arms but he just chuckles and tries to kiss her neck.
“Ugh! You get on my nerves I swear,” she hisses, but there’s no heat in her words, not anymore.
Shad nods to Cochise, and they all move to a more private area to talk. Nut comes closer and scowls at Pay. “You always crying. You and Brina. This why Dal won’t let me put a baby in her, she scared she gone become a crybaby like y’all.”
A teenage boy comes and hands Lena some punch. “Ms. Dal said she’s done having kids because she doesn’t want a mini you,” he quips.
Nut rolls his eyes. “Lena, why the fuck you even invite this nigga?”
“Yeah, who this Lena?” Turk questions, smirking at Nut.
Lena just sighs. “Please don’t get him started. P, you know he’s my taxi–”
“Hey–”
“Guys,” Lena talks over him, “this is Trell. Trell, this is Turk, Autumn, and Patience. It’s her shower, too.”
Recognition colors Trell’s features as he smiles at Patience. “I’ve seen pictures of you before. You know my brother right?”
Pay regards him before nervously smiling. “I’m sorry, you don’t look familiar. Who’s your brother?”
“This Grimey’s lil brother. Montrell Grimes,” Nut grumbles.
Pay freezes before her eyes get misty again. “I didn’t know he had one,” she says just above a whisper.
Trell’s smile falters but he recovers just as quickly. “Yeah,” he says, rubbing his neck. “We have the same moms. Congrats on the baby, Fox.”
“Can I hug you?” Pay blurts, making me and Turk exchange glances. In the last few months, Pay hasn’t really been sad about Grimey. She says she misses the friendship more than anything, but she’s been fine, especially because she and PC hang out more frequently now.
Trell’s smile is almost shy as he nods, and Pay envelopes him in a tight embrace.
“Damn, Dub, a sixteen year-old finna take yo girl,” Nut cackles. Lena and Turk both punch him in his arm, making him laugh more.
Pay lets him go and wipes her face. “You take care of yourself, okay? If you need anything, you call me. Get my number from PC.”
Trell nods and rubs his hands over his curls. He glances at Lena, who gets off Nut’s back and hooks her arm with his, walking him away from us.
“Okay… what the hell was that?” I ask Pay.
“Yeah, the fuck was that?” Nut asks, coming in closer.
Pay sniffles, and leans into Turk. “That’s not Grimey’s brother… that’s his son. He’s the reason I left.”
“Damn… you think he know that?” Nut says, no humor in his voice, as he looks to where Lena and Trell are sitting down.
“I don’t know.”
Nut walks toward them, only to be replaced with PC. He smirks at me, and gestures for me to follow him toward the food station.
“You never come with Fox to our lunches,” he rasps.
I shrug. “You’re her Rico. She needs her own friends.”
He pours me a drink first before making one for himself. “Ah, the nigga with the blonde fade? He looks familiar.”
I smile to myself and take a sip. “He has one of those faces.”
PC smirks and takes a sip of his drink. “Come to our next lunch, Autumn.”
This time I grin at him. “Aww, you wanna be my friend Piccolo?”
He winks at me. “Is that so hard to believe? You cool peoples.”
He leaves me by the food station, and I lock eyes with both my lovers. Patience hooks her finger beckoning me, and says something to Turk. He nods, not taking his eyes off me. I float over to them and smirk. “Pay, this baby shower is for you, too. You should mingle.”
She just shakes her head and leans on me. “I’m good right here with you.”
“You’re so sweet bae, but no. I spent too much time on this, come on.” I hand Turk my drink, take Pay’s hand, and start walking toward some of her hospital colleagues.
And when I look back, she bites that bottom lip, giggles, and squeezes my hand.
“I love you, Auty.”
“Yeah, I love you too, Pay.”
Turk
She’s perfect like her mothers.
Just like I knew she would be.
I ain’t stopped shedding thug tears since two in the morning. How could a nigga like me make something so perfect? It don’t make any sense, but fuck it. I’m not finna question shit.
Patience was a week late. She was supposed to give birth a week before BirchFest, but my baby girl told us she was gone come when she wanted. In fact, Pay was gonna get induced today, but her water finally broke last night, and my daughter come three hours later, screaming her lungs out.
Of course I won the poker game so I get to name her. But Daddy did good, as always, and when I said her name, both my girls were teary-eyed.
My little rhubarb yawns before her eyes flutter open, and my eyeballs start sweating again. I take a seat in the chair in Pay’s room and just stare at my creation, like I’ve been doing for the past few hours.
She got a head full of jet black hair, and looks just how Deuce looked, so I’m already knowing Daddy’s girl is gonna be my twin too.
If they mad, we can always try again.
The door opens, but I can’t be bothered to look up. Not until I hear my cinnamon apple’s voice. “Okay Deucey Doo, remember, we gotta be quiet because Mama Pay and Rue Bea is sleeping. Go wash her hands and put on the mask.”
Deuce does when his mom says before coming to stand by me. Autumn goes to Pay, kissing her forehead.
“This is your brother, Rue. His name is Royce, like Daddy, but we call him Deuce.” I stand up and tell my son to sit down, then place his sister in his arms. Deuce looks mesmerized, and terrified to move. When he looks up at me, a tear runs down his face that I wipe away.
Autumn wraps an arm around my waist. “She’s got him wrapped around her finger already… Rue Bea Atkins. You did your big one, Turkey.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head. “I got my cinnamon apple, my honey crisp, my Deucey Doo snack and now my little rhubarb.”
“You’re a mess,” she chuckles. “Why all food names? Because you’re Turkey?”
I pull her into my arms more, and tilt her head. “All food names because y’all give me life, shorty.”
“Y’all are so cute,” Pay’s tired ass rings out. “Please bring me my baby.”
I smirk and let Auty go to go wash my hands, then bring Rue to Pay. We surround her, Deuce getting on the bed with her to lay on her legs.
“She’s perfect, Turkey,” Pay whispers, before meeting my gaze. It’s the first time she’s called me that after learning how I got the name.
And the final piece completes the puzzle.
“Just like her mamas.”