Chapter 1
PRESENT DAY
“Juri! KJ! Get y’all’s little asses outta there!”
All I heard was giggles and little feet as I walked into my kitchen to find the fridge open. Thing One and Thing Two zoomed past me with cold pieces of fried chicken in their grasps. I shook my head as I closed the door. It was a damn shame how bad those two were.
They were always getting into something with Juri being the ringleader.
Even though Smoke wasn’t her biological father, I swore she acted like him at her age.
Just getting into shit and riling the other ones up.
Korri, Nayelli, and Lil’ Stanley were angels.
These other eleven acted just like their damn daddies.
Pulling out my phone, I went to the group chat with my sons and pressed the FaceTime button to call them.
“Don’t start your shit,” Deuce said as soon as the call connected.
“Fuck that,” I spat. “Come get y’all’s damn kids.”
“Aht, aht!” Maceo said. “You wanted them all for the weekend, you got them. Ain’t no take backs.”
“Nigga, I will drop these lil’ fuckers on your front step. The only ones that can stay are Korri, Nayelli, and Lil’ Stanley. Them other ones gotta go.”
Smoke laughed. “I thought you loved being Pop Pop, old man.”
“Yours is the worst one. Why the hell is she and KJ stealing cold chicken from my fridge?”
“You fed my baby?”
“Don’t ask me no shit like that. Yes, I fed them. They are just greedy as hell.”
Steel chuckled. “Fat Man doesn’t get full. He always wants a damn snack. Semaj is following in his footsteps.”
Titan snickered. “Fat like his Uncle Smoke.”
“Fuck you,” Smoke snapped. “Don’t make me take a walk to beat your ass.”
“You gon’ limp back if you walk over here.”
“All right now,” Quaid said. “Don’t threaten my brother.”
“Nigga, I’ll threaten your blind as a bat ass too!”
I shook my head. After all this time, they still went at it. It was all love, though. Quaid and Titan had fallen right in with the rest of the family having shit talking as their love language. I had six sons now and while I loved them all, they got on my fucking nerves.
“For real,” I said, interrupting the back and forth banter. “This ain’t like raising y’all. At least y’all sat the fuck down sometimes. I don’t know where they got all this energy from, but Pop Pop is tired.”
Deuce laughed. “Pop Pop’s ass is getting old. Or did he forget that? I bet you wish a grandma was in the picture to share this load with, don’t you?”
“Go to hell, Deuce.”
I couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t right. These days, all my kids were married off and had their own families.
Their mothers were happy and most had new families.
Even Maddie’s ass was married. I’d officially retired from getting my old ass in the field, so there wasn’t any action in my life.
Shit had been lonely as hell over here. My grandbabies kept me going. Still, I went to bed alone every night.
Now that was weird. It was very rare that I didn’t have a woman in my life.
Even if was just to get my rocks off, there’d always been someone around.
I’d unintentionally been practicing celibacy for the last year and a half.
If a woman even breathed in my direction, I’d probably nut on myself.
Thank God for that vasectomy. I couldn’t see myself having another kid at my age.
The six I had were plenty enough.
I sat on the phone with my boys for a while, yelling at my grandkids every so often.
When their daddies got tired of my mouth, they finally made their way up to the house to pick them up.
After raising hell, the bad ass ones cried because they didn’t want to leave.
I was almost a sucker and let them stay…
almost. Once the last one was out of my house, I quickly closed and locked the door.
Pulling a much needed blunt from my pocket, I lit it and went to sit in my sunroom.
Clearly, I was getting old. I’d sit out here for hours, just watching nothing.
I’d been in my rocker for about twenty minutes when my phone rang.
I looked down to see a call coming from my goddaughter.
Swiping the screen, I answered the call.
“Yes, Emmy?”
My baby was six now and growing right on up. I couldn’t believe I’d technically started over with another kid. Emmy would be mine if anything ever happened to Tavia or Hershel. Honestly, she would fit right in with the rest of these damn kids.
“G-Daddy. Whatchu’ doing?”
“Nothing, baby girl. Your cousins just went home, so G-Daddy is about to relax.”
“You don’t wanna come see me?”
I chuckled. “You want me to come see you?”
“Yes. Can you bring me some cookies? Mommy is cooking and I want cookies for dessert.”
“So you’re just using me, Emmy? You really just want cookies.”
She giggled. “I wanna see you, but I want cookies too. Please, G-Daddy? I’ve been a good girl; I got all gold stars this week.”
I shook my head. “I guess that deserves cookies. What kind do you want?”
“Chocolate chip.”
“I got you.”
She squealed. “Thank you, G-Daddy! I love you!”
“I love you too. Give your mama the phone.”
I could hear her running and calling for Tavia.
“Girl, who do you have on this phone?”
“G-Daddy.”
“Of course. Hello?”
“Hey, Tay.”
“Hey, Senior. What has this girl asked you for now?”
“Cookies.”
She sighed. “She doesn’t need cookies. I made brownies for dessert.”
“Well, my girl doesn’t want brownies. I’ll be over there in a little bit. Y’all need anything else?”
“No, Stanley. Oh, Steph is here too.”
“Oh, she’s staying for dinner?”
“Yes. You’re welcome to stay. I don’t think Emmy is gonna let you go.”
“Say less. I’m on the way.”
“See you soon.”
We disconnected the call and I stood from my rocker.
This was what my retirement had been reduced to.
This house was too big and too lonely. I was almost tempted to grab my grandkids when I made it back.
It would be nice to come home to someone.
Not even come home because I didn’t go any damn where these days.
It would just be nice to have someone. Maybe one of these days it would happen.
I pulled into Tavia’s driveway behind Steph’s BMW and shut my car off. I managed to catch the bakery just as they put out a new batch of cookies so I was sure baby girl would be happy about that. Opening my door, I climbed out with the cookies in hand and made my way up the front steps.
I didn’t even get to knock before the door opened, and there stood Emmy with a wide smile.
“G-Daddy!” she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.
“Hey, Emmy Cakes. Can G-Daddy get some love?”
She opened her little arms, and I scooped her up. The girl damn near choked my neck as she hugged me and kissed my cheek.
“How many cookies did you bring me?”
“Baby girl, I brought cookies for everybody, not just you.”
“It can be a secret.”
I chuckled. “How about this? If you’re a good girl all week, I’ll bring cookies just for you next Friday? If you’re really good, I’ll take you to the toy store and buy you that big doll house we saw last time.”
Her eyes widened. “Can I get new dolls too?”
“Of course. What’s a new dollhouse without the dolls to match? We got a deal?”
“Deal.”
“That’s my girl.”
I placed her on her feet, and she grabbed my hand, leading me into the kitchen. Tavia, Kalia and Steph were standing around the island, sipping wine, laughing and talking.
“Ladies,” I said, placing the cookies on the counter, then making my rounds to greet them.
Tavia smiled. “Hey sucker, I mean Senior.”
“You funny,” I said, playfully mushing her head before moving on to Kalia.
I was surprised to see her. Baby girl was off at college doing big things. It was her junior year, and she’d been on the dean’s list every semester, just like Jaeda.
“Hey, Uncle Stanley,” she said, throwing her arms around me.
“Hey, baby. Girl, you just keep growing up on me.”
She giggled. “That’s kinda how it works. I see Emmy still has you wrapped around her finger.”
“You were Emmy once upon a time.”
“She’s still Emmy,” Tavia said. “You’ll be breaking her off with money before you leave here. She won’t even have to ask for it.”
I couldn’t even deny that. Whether my baby mamas’ kids were mine or not, I never treated them any different than my own.
“Whatever,” I said with a grin.
My gaze landed on the last woman in the kitchen. She stood sipping her wine, looking over the rim of her glass at me. A smirk appeared on her lips.
Stephanie Michaels, formerly Stephanie Larkins.
Damn she was looking good. She wore an all white, strapless jumper with a sweetheart neckline. Her salt and pepper tresses were pulled into a sleek bun. Simple studs adorned her ears, and a plain white gold necklace rested on her neck. She never had to do too much to stand out.
Stephanie had always been gorgeous, but age had graced her beautifully.
She’d always been the love of my life. Even after she married Aaron, nothing about my love for her changed.
Until his untimely death, I kept it friendly with him.
Was I jealous? Damn right. Did I wish him any harm?
No, I didn’t. He was good to her in ways that I hadn’t been.
He loved, cherished and respected her, and he loved and respected my son.
No matter my feelings for her, I wouldn’t step on his toes and disrespect their union. He’d been gone for four years now, and she hadn’t been the same. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes anymore.
I didn’t like that.
I tried to check on her at least once a week.
Sometimes I go over and make her dinner or sit and watch TV with her, just keeping her company.
I randomly sent her flowers or treated her for a pick me up.
I wasn’t trying to fuck her… even though I missed that shit like a muthafucka.
I just wanted to make sure she was good.
I mean, I still looked out for all my kids’ mamas.
If I sent her flowers, I sent Tavia, Allison and Maddie flowers too. It was a group thing. Even if none of those relationships worked out, I’d forever have love and respect for them for birthing my aggravating ass kids.