Chapter 9
I was still reeling from the date Genesis took me on.
The flower farm was so nice, and the bouquet he made me was beautiful.
When he dropped me off home, I put the flowers in a vase and placed them on the small table near the front door.
I wanted to be able to see them the minute I walked into the house.
If I had a bad day, the flowers would instantly boost my mood.
The bouquet consisted of mainly different colored roses and a few pink flowers as well.
The color that stuck out to me the most was the lavender roses.
Genesis said they signified love at first sight.
I couldn’t believe he felt that way about me already, but I felt things for him as well.
He just seemed so easy to be around, and I loved how easily he took to Paris, even without the paternity test.
I spoke with the manager in charge of the lab and told them I wanted the test to be expedited, so we should have the results soon. After seeing Genesis with Paris, I didn’t think the results would change, but I still wanted to give him that peace of mind.
Genesis had called early in the morning to ask me if he could spend some time with us, so I got myself together before getting Paris ready.
I wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay in the house or go somewhere since he said he wanted to get some things for his apartment.
I knew as his relationship with Paris grew and she got older, he would need more space.
I couldn’t imagine living in a one-bedroom apartment with all the stuff Paris alone had.
Add my stuff in, and it would be even more crowded.
“Can you guess who’s coming over?” I asked Paris as we walked down the steps.
Genesis had let me know he was on his way, so we would wait in the living room for him.
I also knew Paris would want to feed soon, and I didn’t want to have to walk down the steps in the middle of her feeding.
She’d had breakfast, played, and taken a nap, so I knew she would be up for a while to spend time with Genesis.
I placed Paris in her playpen, then went into the kitchen to grab a couple of bottles of water. By the time I came out of the kitchen, my doorbell rang.
I put the water on the table, then walked to the door.
Genesis’s face lit up when I opened the door.
“Hey.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
“Hey.” I stepped back to let him.
I closed and locked the door, then went into the living room where Genesis had already taken Paris out of her playpen.
“Hey, little mama. I missed you.” Genesis held Paris in the air, then kissed her cheeks. He did that a few times, and she giggled the whole time.
I pulled my phone out and snapped a couple of pictures.
“What were y’all up to?” Genesis asked after I sat next to him on the couch.
“Not much. She just got up from a nap not too long ago, so I’m sure she’s going to want to eat soon.”
“You too far away,” Genesis said as he stretched his free hand.
“I was just giving you some space with Paris.” I placed my hand in his, and he pulled me closer.
When I was next to him, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders while still holding Paris in his lap.
Paris looked between the two of us and started babbling. I laughed while Genesis talked back to her.
He looked at me and winked, then focused back on Paris.
“I don’t want space from either of y’all. I missed out on almost the first year of her life, and I don’t want to miss out on any more. I also can’t get to know you better if you’re giving me space.”
“It’s not like I’m in a different room, Genesis.”
“Say that again.” He was talking to me, but he tickled Paris’s stomach.
“Say what?” I was confused because I didn’t say anything special, and I knew he had heard me since I was literally right next to him.
“Say my name again.” His voice lowered a little.
Paris had squirmed to get down, and he let her. We watched her for a second while she crawled to her play mat.
He was directly in my face. “Now, say my name again,” he commanded. His eyes roamed my face as anticipation filled his eyes.
“Genesis.”
I shrugged because I wasn’t sure why he was adamant about me saying his name.
He smiled, then kissed my lips.
“I like the way you say my name.”
“Is that right? Maybe I should call you Gary because that was who fucked me that night,” I teased.
I said it low, even though Paris hadn’t paid us any attention while she played with her toys.
Genesis chuckled, then pulled me onto his lap. He kissed my nose, then tickled me like he’d done Paris a few minutes prior.
Paris heard me giggling, so she decided she wanted to join in on the fun. She crawled back over to us, and Genesis picked her up and sat her next to him. He proceeded to tickle both of us simultaneously. Our giggles filled the room, and the happiness on Paris’s and Genesis’s faces made me happy.
Once he stopped tickling us, he placed me back next to him and picked up Paris.
He leaned down and whispered, “Trust me, when I slide back in you, you gonna know exactly whose name to call.” He kissed my ear, then moved back.
“I’m going to behave myself in front of our princess, but be prepared.
” He winked, then focused his attention on Paris.
Meanwhile, my panties were wet, and I was hot and bothered.
“Um, I’ll be right back,” I said to Genesis as I stood from the couch.
“We’ll be here.” He winked and smirked like he knew what I was going to do.
If I could have quietly gotten away with it, I would have pleasured myself, but it wasn’t the time for it. Instead, I went into the bathroom to freshen up, then changed my panties.
My hormones had calmed down by the time I made it back to the living room. Genesis was on the floor with Paris, playing with her sorting blocks.
“You good?”
“Yup. I got some water for you.” I pointed to the bottles on the table. “I also have some sandwiches and chips if you get hungry, unless you wanted to go out somewhere.”
Paris crawled over to me and pulled herself up as I sat on the couch. As soon as I picked her up, she lifted my shirt. I pulled my breast out and let her latch on. She had a few teeth, so breastfeeding was getting a little uncomfortable, so I wanted to get her completely off soon.
Genesis sat on the floor and watched in awe as Paris drank.
“Damn.” He pulled his phone out. “Do you mind? Nobody will see. It’s just for me.”
“That’s fine.” I really didn’t care who saw it. I was a mother feeding her baby, and if anyone had a problem with it, they could go to hell. Granted, when we were in public, I covered up, but I didn’t knock the women who didn’t. It was a part of life.
“I don’t think you know how sexy you look right now.
” Genesis licked his lips, then snapped a couple of pictures.
“It always amazed me how women could feed babies from their breasts. And to see you feed ours.” He visibly shivered.
“It’s fucking amazing.” His eyes widened.
“I probably need to start watching what I say.”
I giggled and shifted Paris.
“Yes. She’s like a little sponge, and you don’t want her to start repeating what you say.”
“You’re right. I’ll work on it.”
“Good.”
He got up from the floor, then sat next to me. His gaze was on Paris, and I could see and feel the love he had for her already.
Genesis’s phone went off, and it seemed like it was hard for him to take his eyes off Paris and me. I looked down at her, and her eyes were on Genesis. She took to him so easily, it was like she already knew who he was.
For a minute he just stared at his phone’s screen. I heard my phone go off at the same time his did, but I figured it wasn’t anything important.
After some time passed, he put the phone back in his pocket and smiled.
“That was the paternity results. It says that I’m the father. I knew that already, but you know.”
I placed my hand on his leg. “I get it.”
“For the record, I wasn’t going anywhere regardless of what it said. I already love her,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“That’s not something we have to worry about.”
When Paris was done, she went right on over to Genesis and got in his lap.
I looked at Paris and sucked my teeth. “Dang, just eat and run, huh?”
She looked at me, put her fingers in her mouth, then laid her head down.
Genesis laughed. “Princess said she got what she wanted.” He laughed again and rubbed Paris’s back. She started to doze off, so I turned the television on.
“I remember you said you were new to town that night. Was that true?”
“Yes, and no. I grew up here, left for school, stayed out there, then moved back to take the principal job at the school.”
“Oh, okay. Small world, ain’t it?”
“It is, but I’m glad.”
We turned to focus on the movie that played for a little bit.
Genesis put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. We stayed that way for a while.
At some point, Paris woke up, so he played with her while I made us something for dinner. The three of us ate together, and Paris even tried something new and liked it. I wasn’t sure if it was because Genesis fed her, instead of me, but that didn’t matter.
When it was time for her bedtime routine, Genesis helped me, then he read a bedtime story to her while I showered and put on my pajamas.
Once Paris had fallen asleep, Genesis came down to the living room.
“She’s out like a light,” he said as he sat next to me.
“Yeah, she had a pretty busy day.”
He rubbed his hand over my thigh. “Yeah. I commend you for everything you do, and you make it look easy.”
“It’s not, but we make it work.”
He put his hand around me and pulled me close. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes.
When I shifted with my legs on the couch, Genesis rested his hand on my butt.
We stayed that way for a few minutes, until we fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning in a panic. I had to go to work, and I was running late.
“Shit!”
Genesis jumped up with a bewildered look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he wiped sleep from his eyes. He looked so damn handsome, even in the morning.
“I’m late for work, and I have to get Paris ready and drop her off and . . .”
Genesis stood and gripped my shoulders. He looked like he was still tired as he looked down at me. I was sure he didn’t get proper sleep since we had fallen asleep on the couch. I, for sure, was still tired.
“I can stay with her.”
“Are you sure?”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about leaving her alone with him for hours. I knew he wouldn’t harm her, but it was the first time they would be together for an extended period of time.
“Yes. I got this. I keep extra clothes in my car, so let me grab my bag real quick. I can shower whenever she goes down for a nap.”
“You just carry clothes in your car?” I asked skeptically.
Genesis chuckled, then kissed my nose.
“Yes, because sometimes I go to the gym or shoot hoops with my boys after work.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but I had to get myself together before I was even later. It wasn’t like I had much to do, but I hated being late to anything.
“Okay, Genesis. I’ll leave everyone’s phone number, just in case.”
“Okay.” He kissed my forehead, then walked to the front door.
While he was outside, I wrote down my parents’ numbers, as well as my office phone, Hannah’s, and Torryn’s. I made sure there was enough milk in the fridge as well. I also wrote down her feeding schedule. I knew I would probably be anxious all day, but I felt like Paris was in good hands.
It was the weekend, so I didn’t have much to do. More than likely, I would leave work early. I knew I had to learn how to trust Paris with Genesis since he was her father.
Paris was looking at the stars on the ceiling when I checked on her. She didn’t see me, so I took that opportunity to rush to the bathroom to get ready. I heard the front door close right before I turned the shower on.
I quickly got dressed after my shower, and when I was dressed, I walked to Paris’s room since I heard Genesis talking to her.
“Say bye, Mommy,” Genesis said as he waved Paris’s hand.
“Are you sure you are going to be okay?”
“Yes, London.”
I glanced down at Paris, and she had her little fingers in Genesis’s beard.
“Okay. Call me if you need anything. Everyone’s number and her feeding schedule is on the fridge.”
My stomach was in knots, but I didn’t want to tell Genesis that. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t trust him, because that wasn’t the case.
“We’ll check in every hour if that will make you feel better. And don’t hesitate to call me if you want. We’ll be fine. Ain’t that right, princess?” He tickled Paris, and like she did any other time, she giggled.
“Okay.”
I walked over and kissed the top of Paris’s head. I went to walk away, but Genesis grabbed my arm.
“Daddy don’t get no kiss?”
He puckered his lips, and I giggled as heat shot through my body.
I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.
“You lucky my princess is watching. Our time is coming, though.” He winked. “See you later.”
He turned his focus on Paris, so I quietly left the room. I didn’t want her to see me, then cry, even though she hardly paid me any attention when Genesis was around.
I gathered what I needed, then left the house. I thought about what Genesis said about our time coming. It seemed like the more he came around, the hornier I got. I couldn’t wait for the day when that time came.