Page 41 of Counting His heartbeats

Woof. Woof.

Cleo barks as if she's telling me about myself before walking out the door, leaving me to follow behind her.

"Lord, please give Cleo some act right before she becomes the reason my woman leaves me."

"What's good, family?" I say five minutes later, making my way around the table to greet my people.

"Wow. Two for two," Masani states, intently staring at Zurmani, who hasn't moved from the dining room threshold.

"Shit. My bad, love. Everyone, this is my piece of toffee, my baby mama, my lady... Zurmani Coates," I introduce, returning to Zurmani, lifting her hand, and placing a kiss on her skin.

"Hold up, did this little nigga say his baby mama?" Kayshon asks.

"He had me at piece of toffee," Ms. Aretha says.

"Shoot, I'm stuck at hearing Masani boast about being two for two," Kyce adds.

"Jawaan," Zurmani whispers.

"No worries. I got you, Tigress," I assure her, leaning closer to Zurmani, removing the space between us.

"Let the girl breathe, son," Papa D jokes, causing a low chuckle to escape my mouth before I pull away from Zurmani.

With her hand in mine, I resume greeting my people while also providing personal introductions to each person I come to.

"It's very nice to meet you, sweetie. I hope you're taking good care of our Jawaan," Mama Lo lovingly comments.

"I'm working on it," Zurmani replies in a soft tone that I'm unfamiliar with hearing from her.

"Don't let us intimidate you, suga. We're a harmless bunch. After all, if you can survive this one, you're already light years ahead of the game," Ms. Aretha says when we get to her.

"I mean. The poor thing has been having to listen to bad jokes and lies for God knows how long," Kayshon adds.

"Hm. Meanwhile, you're suffering from prolonged exposure to Hell's tenor. Blink twice if you need me to plead with Heaven so you can receive a pity severance package," I joke while pulling out the empty seat for Zurmani before sitting in the one next to her.

"Forget you, Jawaan. I was almost starting to miss your tail," Ashari says.

"Nig—" Kayshon starts before Papa D cuts him off.

"Let's not delay this delicious-smelling meal any longer, shall we? Since you've been on an unexpected leave, why don't you say grace today, Jawaan," Papa D insists in a deadpan tone that brokers no argument or rebuttal.

"Thanks, Papa D, because I had a feeling they were about to get started, and my stomach is touching my back," Kyce interjects.

Warmth fills my chest, and contentment surges through me when I look around the table at my family. Despite my absence, I have missed having this time with them each week. A squeeze to my thigh has my eyes shifting to Zurmani, and my heart skips a beat at the smile on her face. Having Zurmani here for the first time makes the moment worth every dig or backlash of my disappearance I'll potentially experience before I leave for the evening. I provide the first directive to break the eye contact between Zurmani and me.

"Everyone, bow your heads." Taking a second to allow my family to do what I asked, I shift my mind into an attitude of prayer. "Father, thank you for allowing us to see another day. Thank you for the group of people gathered around this table. Thank you for family. Thank you for what you did at the altar this morning. I also want to thank you for gracing Zurmani and me the privilege of becoming parents. We will make sure that our son is raised in a house where You are at the center. La?—"

"What did he say?" Ms. Aretha asks, but I continue preventing anyone from answering.

"Lastly, thank you for this food that we are about to receive. Let it be nourishment for our bodies. For Christ's sake. Amen."

Opening my eyes and lifting my head, I look around the table at the varying expressions on my family's faces. The various degrees of shock show that they all caught onto what I said during my prayer. Again, a squeeze of my thigh has my eyes shifting to Zurmani, whose orbs shine with disbelief, shock, and something I'm unable to identify. Desperate to put her mind at ease, I lean over and kiss her lips.

"It had to be said, anyway. Why not in the best way possible," I whisper while shrugging when a light gasp escapes Zurmani's mouth.

"Uh, do you mind repeating what I think my ears heard a minute ago?" Kyce asks, interrupting the moment between Zurmani and me.

"Zurmani and I are the proud parents of a baby boy. Congratulations, the family has a new addition," I announce, smiling.

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