Page 82 of Smoke

“Not too much on me or my siblings, Stanley,” I told him.

“Y’all came from my nut sack. I’ll do as much as I want ’cause ain’t one of y’all can check me.”

“Let me call my mama,” Deuce said, pulling out his phone.

We all laughed because Mama Stephanie was the only person that could check this fool. She was my favorite auntie because she didn’t play with or about any of us.

Pops glared at him. “Watch me beat your ass.”

“You scared of your baby mama, old man?”

They started going back and forth, and of course, my brothers joined in. Mr. Mitchell sat there grinning and shaking his head. I had to shake my own head because you really couldn’t take us anywhere.

The house was empty.

Our families had finally left about seven, leaving me and Romi to ourselves. Currently, she was sitting in the recliner in Juri’s room, instructing me where to put all her things. Our families had gone all out with gifts. She had diapers for damn near every stage plus bottles, bibs, wipes, and onesies out the ass.

Jaeda and Mia gifted her the entire baby line from Polished Styles, so baby girl had clothes for days. Deuce and Salima gave her a convertible stroller, while Maceo and Shar gave her a luxury car seat. My mother gifted her a handmade crochet blanket she’d been working on since I told her about Romi. Her parents gave her a bassinet. Steel gifted her a designer baby bag, and Pops was feeling real generous by gifting two ten-thousand-dollar savings bonds for Juri and Korri.

Romi cried for fifteen minutes after he presented them to her.

“I can’t believe you put all of this together,” she said, rocking back and forth. “No one has ever done something like this for me.”

I turned from putting the last of the clothes up in the closet. “It really wasn’t nothing, baby.”

“Would you stop saying that? Every time I try to thank you for something, you brush it off like it’s no big deal. Learn to accept genuine gratitude, Devin.”

I did have a hard time with that. All I knew was to serve and protect. I’d never been one to do shit for recognition or for something in return. She had a need, and I had the means to fulfill it.

“I hear you, love,” I said, closing the closet. I walked over and stooped in front of her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m a little tired. I want to check on Juri though.”

The hospital offered live camera services where she could log in and check on baby girl. The nurse helped her set up the account before we left for the day. She pulled out her phone and logged into the app. After a minute or so, Juri’s little face populated on the screen. She was sleeping soundly as the nurse checked on her. When she noticed the green light, indicating we were watching, she smiled and waved. She pointed to Juri and gave a thumbs up, signifying that she was okay.

A small sigh of relief left Romi as she stared at the screen.

“I miss her already,” she whispered.

“I know. But you can go see her tomorrow as soon as we wake up.”

“Okay.”

“Come on here so you can shower and lay down.”

I slid my arms under hers and helped her to her feet. Leading her out of the nursery, I took her down the hall to her bedroom and into the bathroom. While the water adjusted to her preferred temperature, I got her undressed and washed her face. After helping her into the shower, I stripped down and climbed in with her.

Grabbing her loofah and body wash, I squirted a generous amount before giving her a good lather, being careful with her incision. She stood there with her eyes closed, like she was fighting back tears. I could only imagine what was going through her head. As I finished washing her legs, I stood to find those same tears streaming down her cheeks. Cupping the side of her face, I kissed them away before pulling her into my chest.

“I got you,” I said, softly. “Whatever you need, I got you.”

For a while, we stood there with her wrapped up in my arms, until she got herself together and got out of the shower. I gave my body a generous lather before rinsing off and getting out myself. With my oral hygiene taken care of immediately after, I left the bathroom and slipped into a pair of pajama bottoms.

Romi had gathered the supplies needed to clean her incision. I’d been at the hospital when the nurse explained it all, so I took the items from her and dropped to my knees in front of her. As she watched me cleaning the fresh cut, she reached out and ran her fingers through my fade.

“I’m lucky to have you,” she said. “I was prepared to do this with the help of my mom or sister.”

“What kind of man would I be if I let my lady go through this without me?”

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