Epilogue Six Months Later
JAEDA
I sat nestled in the arms of my fiancé, watching Smoke and Romi do their first dance as husband and wife.
Today was their wedding day, and my sis made a stunning bride.
My brother was equally as handsome. I think today was the first time I’d seen him cry.
When she came down that aisle, that first tear fell, and they didn’t stop falling until she reached him.
She’d so sweetly reached up to wipe them away before giving him a reassuring peck on the lips.
I was surprised my brothers didn’t clown him.
Instead, they gave him encouragement. Deuce and Maceo had both been through struggles with their wives before they got down the aisle, so they knew the weight that had been on Smoke’s shoulder during his own.
The only difference was the children involved.
I was so happy to see him be that vulnerable.
That man loved my girl down. It was evident by the rampage he went on while they were dating. Everybody he caught during that time frame was worth it for them to stand in this moment.
“They look so good together,” I said, dabbing my eyes.
“They do,” Quaid agreed. “Nigga ain’t stiff anymore, either.”
I stifled a laugh. Mama Allison spent countless hours teaching him to dance for this very moment.
Of course, my mom, Mama Steph, Granny, and our sister were in attendance for this.
Those sessions were filled with so much laughter.
He couldn’t stop cursing when he got the steps wrong, and his mother kept popping him.
At one point, she was running after him with her shoe, and we were doubled over in laughter.
It all paid off because he was doing a great job.
“Don’t do my brother like that,” I said through my muffled laughter.
“You know his big ass was stiff. You should have seen your father trying to get him to loosen up.”
“Wait, Daddy was teaching him to dance too?”
“Yep. The funniest shit I’ve ever seen. He said he wanted their first dance to be special.”
I poked my lip out. “He really loves her.”
“He does.”
We watched as Juri pranced her little self out onto the dance floor.
Baby girl loved being the center of attention.
She wasn’t going to allow anybody to steal her shine.
Romi laughed as she picked her up. Smoke motioned for Korri and Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell to bring Serena and Sydney out too.
When the six of them started dancing, I couldn’t hold back the tears in my eyes. It was such a beautiful moment.
“That’s gonna be us soon, baby,” I said, squeezing Quaid’s arms.
“Just minus all those damn kids.”
I giggled. “You said you wanted a couple.”
“I do. I want as many as you will give me. We can get started right after the wedding.”
“Sir, as much as you’ve been on me lately, the baby might meet us at the wedding.”
He chuckled. “Did one of those tests come back positive?”
I shook my head. Condoms didn’t exist in our house anymore.
This man moved in with me four months ago, and since then, he’d taken me on every surface of our home.
I had no complaints about that. I was already on birth control, but I had a stockpile of pregnancy tests on standby because this man never pulled out of me.
He said he loved the feeling of us cumming together and letting his dick throb inside me. We were currently building an addition to the house, and he said we had to break in those rooms too. I wasn’t mad about it.
“There is no baby in my stomach at the moment,” I said.
“I guess I have to try harder.”
I playfully smacked his arm. Cupping my chin, he leaned in and kissed me sweetly.
“I can’t wait until this is us,” he said softly. “Watching you walk toward me will be everything.”
“I can’t believe we are really getting married in a few months.”
“To think this all started with you snatching me up. Your father told me this seems to be a thing with his kids. I don’t know if that says more about y’all or him.”
I giggled. “Not too much on me or my siblings. We still have two left to prove him wrong.”
Quaid shook his head. “Steel . . . I might have a little faith in him. But that Mia and Titan, ain’t no telling.”
I could agree with him there. The two of them were good for a little bit, but now they were back to beefing again.
The shit was exhausting. Mia said she needed a break, so once my wedding was over, she was taking an undercover mission for her grandfather.
I wasn’t sure how long she’d be gone, but I was going to miss her.
I hoped she got what she needed while she was away and came back with a new mindset.
We turned our attention back to the dance floor.
The first dance was over, and they’d moved on to the father daughter dance.
I teared up once again, because I could see how much Mr. Mitchell loved Romi.
She started crying the moment he pulled her into his arms. I knew that would be me with my father.
No matter how old I got, I would always be Daddy’s little girl.
Once their dance was done, Romi called Renay up for a special sister dance, and neither of them were any good at that point. I wasn’t either. Quaid held me, gently rubbing my arms as we watched them. When the dance came to an end, Deuce got up and grabbed the mic.
“A’ight. That’s enough of that crying sh?—”
“Stanley!” Mama Steph warned him.
“Crying stuff,” he corrected. “As the best man?—”
“Nigga, I’m the best man,” Maceo yelled.
Deuce waved him off. “We know he only asked you ’cause you asked him. Anyway, this is a party. Eat, drink, be merry, all that sh—stuff. Get ya asses up and make something shake. Come on here, wifey!”
The DJ dropped the beat to “Big Bad Mama” by Foxy Brown and Dru Hill, and that got most people up out of their seats.
Quaid and I made our way to the dance floor.
We hadn’t even eaten yet, but the party was in full effect because that was just the way we did things.
We always made our own rules, and nothing would change about that.
As I danced on my man, I felt nothing but pure happiness.
I had life.
I had love.
I had family, and I had him. It didn’t get any better than that.
The End