Chapter 36 Titan
“Look at my boy,” I said, looking down at my godson. “This lil’ nigga is big as hell.”
Lil’ Stanley weighed a whopping nine pounds, seven ounces, looking just like his daddy.
They’d been home for a week now and had adjusted pretty well.
Jaeda had that new motherhood glow and was handling it all well.
My boy was at her side for everything. Senior had put a hold on taking missions until their maternity and paternity leave was up.
He didn’t want them stressing about anything other than settling into being new parents.
“It’s crazy that he has your whole face, Q.”
“I know, man. I can’t believe I’m actually a father. I don’t think I’ve ever loved another person so damn quick.”
I smirked. “You been in love with Jaeda before you met her. Did you forget how obsessed you were with her? So much so, you let yourself get kidnapped.”
“Why are you bringing up old shit?”
I laughed. “These are the facts. I’m just saying.”
“Give him to me,” Mia said, walking back into the living room from washing her hands.
“Baby, I just got him.”
“You’ve been over here for the last three hours, so that’s a damn lie.”
“He was asleep. He’s awake now.”
“That’s too damn bad.”
“Not y’all fighting over my baby,” Jaeda said, slowly coming into the living room.
Quaid was instantly on his feet to help her into a chair. He spoke softly to her for a moment before kissing her lips. He left the room and headed into the kitchen.
“He’s hogging him, sissy,” Mia complained.
“Jae, tell her I didn’t hold him while he was sleeping.”
Jaeda giggled. “He really didn’t, Mia.”
She kissed her teeth and sat back on the chair. “You got five minutes.”
“He better make it a quick five minutes because daddy just called and said he’s on the way over.”
“Oh, he calls now!” Mia said, laughing. “Usually, he just shows up.”
“Girl, Quaid let it be known a long time ago that nobody was just gonna show up here and walk in anymore because we needed our privacy as a couple. Much to my surprise, they respected it and will call or text first.”
“That’s right, Q,” I said as he came back into the living room with a plate of chicken salad and crackers for Jaeda. “Put your foot down.”
He chuckled. “You know Smoke told me Kunta put his foot down, and it got chopped off.”
“And what did you say?”
“That Kunta didn’t have a gun, and I do.”
“I’m just waiting on the day that y’all square up for real.”
“It won’t come to that. We might fuck around and wrestle a little bit, but he knows I’m not gonna let him overpower me.”
“Remember that time you lifted him over your shoulder?” Jaeda asked with a grin. “He was not expecting that.”
“He didn’t think I could pick his big ass up.”
Mia laughed. “They stay underestimating you.”
“And my man stays proving them wrong.”
Jaeda beamed at him with pride and love in her eyes, and he returned the sentiment. Next to my parents, I admired their relationship the most. They just had a love you didn’t see every day.
The front door opened and Senior walked in with Ms. Tavia and Ms. Stephanie behind him. He stopped briefly to slap hands with me and Quaid, then kissed his girls before going to wash his hands. When he came back, he scooped Lil’ Stanley right up out of my arms.
“Thank you kindly.”
Ms. Tavia shook her head as he copped a seat in the recliner.
“I’ma beat your ass, Senior,” she threatened. “You know he told me he was holding Lil’ Stanley first, since they share the same name.”
Senior was happy as hell about his grandson being named after him. When he and I went back to meet him in the hospital, that man cried when Jaeda told him the baby’s name. If one didn’t know he was the grandfather, it could be assumed that he was the daddy in the moment.
“Entitled ass,” Ms. Stephanie said.
“You know this could have been us,” Senior said, winking at her.
“You invaded my womb once, and your son was enough.”
“You know I’m a good baby daddy. We could have one more. My parts still work.”
“Your very friendly parts. I’m married, Senior. Happily.”
He kissed his teeth. “So you’re still gonna let your husband come between you and the man you really wanna be with?”
“Daddy, leave Mama Steph alone,” Jaeda fussed.
Ms. Stephanie thumped his forehead as she went to greet Jaeda with a hug and kiss before copping a seat. Ms. Tavia went over and tried to take Lil’ Stanley, but his grandfather popped her hand.
“It’s not your turn yet.”
“How are you just gonna hog my grandbaby?”
“Like I’m doing. It ain’t like you don’t have recent experience with a baby, woman.”
Ms. Tavia scoffed. “I can’t stand you.”
“Then sit down.”
She bucked at him before finally greeting us. Her attention went to Jaeda as she approached her, kissing all over her face.
“How is my baby?”
“I’m good, Mommy. A little sore, but good.”
“You getting enough rest?”
“Yes. My amazing husband has no problem getting up with him during the night and lets me sleep as much as I need to during the day.”
Ms. Tavia cupped Quaid’s chin. “That’s why I love you.”
He blushed. “I love you too, Ma.”
“I can’t believe my Jaeda had a baby,” Ms. Stephanie said, pinching her cheek. “It wasn’t too long ago you were curled up in my arms with me rocking you to sleep. Now you’re a whole mommy.”
“She used to be so sickening about you as a child,” Ms. Tavia said, laughing. “She couldn’t get out the house fast enough on days you kept the kids.”
Jaeda smiled. “Mama Steph’s house was fun. How she used to manage five of us by herself was beyond me, especially with the boys.”
“Because y’all know I didn’t play that shit,” Ms. Stephanie said. “That’s why those babies don’t act up with me either. Ms. Juri is an angel with me.”
“Ha!” I said. “That’s laughable. She just told me my hair was stink at the hospital and finessed me for twenty dollars.”
Ms. Stephanie shook her head. “Because y’all are suckers for those little faces, just like their granddaddy.”
Senior blew her a kiss. “I’m a sucker for you too, baby.”
“Daddy, please!” Mia said. “Leave this woman alone. You’re acting like a love-struck teenager.”
“He can’t help himself,” Ms. Stephanie said. “His sons have it honest with their aggravating asses.”
“You love my kids. All of y’all do.”
“We really didn’t have a choice,” Ms. Tavia said. “Between the three of us, we had them back to back. Whew! That was such a ghetto time in my life.”
“No more ghetto than having a baby in your forties,” Senior retorted.
“And if me or my husband die, you get that baby.”
“I swear, y’all have the healthiest co-parenting relationship I’ve ever seen,” I commented. “I don’t know if I could do it with multiple women.”
“Son, when it’s all about the kids, it’s easy,” Senior said. “They had me and they don’t want my ass anymore.”
“Facts!” both Ms. Tavia and Ms. Stephanie said before breaking into laughter.
Senior glared at them. “It ain’t that damn funny.”
We ended up staying for another hour or so.
Senior finally gave the baby up so his grandma and auntie could love on him.
I watched my wife with Lil’ Stanley and she was in love.
I hadn’t seen her with the other kids too much as newborns, so this was different for me.
The entire time she held him, she spoke to him or stared at him lovingly.
A few times, she swiped tears from her eyes, and I knew she was thinking about our baby girl. She never got to hold her or smell her. She never got to see those little eyes open and stare back at her. When she started getting emotional, I knew it was time for us to head home.
We took the short walk back to our house hand in hand in silence. The moment we stepped over the threshold, she broke into tears. I caught her before she collapsed to the floor. Picking her up, I carried her over to the couch and sat with her in my lap.
I didn’t need to say anything because I knew where the tears were coming from. Instead, I held her in my arms and rocked her, planting kisses to her temple. After a while, her cries subsided into sniffles. When she was fully calm, she slid off my lap.
“Titan?” she said, her head down.
“Yeah, mamas?”
“I’m ready to try for a baby.”
My ears perked up. “You are?”
She nodded as she looked at me. “I am. Watching Jaeda become a mother only confirmed that I’m really ready this time.
” She grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach.
“I want to feel my baby growing inside me. I want to love on it… sing to it… read to it. I want what I didn’t get to have with Eden. I’m ready.”
I stared at her for a moment before cupping her face. Leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Okay? We can try?”
I chuckled. “As much as I’ve been nutting in you lately, there might already be a seed planted.”
She blushed. “I thought about that. So much so that I bought a stockpile of pregnancy tests the other day.”
“Damn, really? You feeling any different?”
She shook her head. “No. I just wanted to be prepared. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to take one.”
“Shit, we can take one now.”
She stared at me for a moment before standing to her feet and grabbing my hand. We headed upstairs to the master bedroom, and she went into the closet. Returning to the bedroom, she produced a bag and dumped it on the bed. There had to be at least twenty pregnancy tests.
“Damn, baby.”
“I told you I was anxious!”
I picked up one and handed it to her. “Come in here.”
I followed her into the bathroom and sat on the tub while she took the test.
“What if it’s negative?” she asked, capping the stick.
“Whatever it says, we will deal with it and move accordingly. I’m right here with you, mamas.”
She nodded and heaved a heavy sigh. For five painstaking minutes, we waited for the results. When the timer went off, our gazes met, and neither of us moved at first.
“You look,” she said, rubbing her hands together.
I stood from the tub and walked over to the counter. Picking up the test, I read the results. My heart sank a little when it read negative. I didn’t realize until that moment just how much I wanted it to be positive. I looked over at Mia and shook my head.
Her shoulders dropped, and sadness plagued her beautiful face. “Okay.”
Pulling her into my arms, I kissed her forehead.
“Maybe not this time, but our time is coming. Look at it this way, we get to keep trying. That’s the fun part.” I kissed her neck. “We can start right now.”
“Can you just hold me for a second?”
I answered her by picking her up and wrapping her legs around my waist. She locked her arms around my neck and held on to me tightly. Her shoulders lightly shook as she sniffled in my ear.
I hated this for us.
There was no telling how long it would take for us to conceive. The doctors warned us that there might be complications with that moving forward, but said all hope wasn’t lost. However long it took, I was gonna be right here.