Page 98 of Smoke

I couldn’t help but laugh. She was feisty, and I loved it. Devin waved her off and grabbed my hand. Kerrion put Korri on his shoulders, and we headed out back. When we stepped into the yard, it was packed with people. Music was playing. Drinks were flowing. Kids were running around.

“Your family is… wow. It really is a lot of y’all.”

Devin chuckled. “I told y’all. This is four generations right here, baby.”

“Hey, y’all!” Shar said, bouncing over with her little belly on display.

Salima, Mia, and Jaeda were right behind her. She pulled Renay and I into a hug before greeting my baby.

“I’m happy to see you out and about,” she said. “Look at that snap back, girl! Stomach on flat, booty on fat!”

I laughed. I was back to my pre-baby body. It had been the same with Korri. I was nothing but belly. Today, I’d chosen a hunter green tank top that I tucked into a pair of high-waisted distressed shorts that stopped mid-thigh and a pair of sandals. My hair was done in a topknot, and gold jewelry was added to accessorize.

“Thank you,” I said, blushing.

“You look happy as hell,” Salima noted, looking between me and Devin. “We’re gonna steal her for a bit.” She grabbed my hand, but Devin pulled me back.

“Y’all can gossip later. I was about to introduce her?—”

“Unhand my friend,” Shar demanded. “Don’t let this belly fool you. I’ll still fight?—”

“Not with my baby, you won’t,” Maceo said, coming over.

Shar rolled her eyes. “Please tell your brother I’m pregnant, not handicapped.”

“You heard what I said. Let this man introduce his lady to the family, then you can have them. So impatient.”

She huffed. “Hurry up, Smoke.”

Devin mushed her head. “Don’t rush me. It’s a lot of people here, woman. I gotta give them to her in doses. I promise y’all can gossip till your tongue falls out ’cause all of y’all are nosy.”

Salima pointed at him. “You’re lucky Korri is here. Otherwise, we’d have some choice words for you.” She turned to me. “Y’all come find us after all the introductions.”

I nodded. “I got you.”

Kerrion handed Korri over, and the rest of them left us be.

Devin looked at me and Renay. “A’ight, some of these people are extra as a mutha—very extra. They mean well, though. Y’all ready?”

I was nervous as hell to meet the rest of his family. The people I met already seemed cool as hell, and he assured me that the rest of them were too. It was just so many people. I was so used to it being just my family and Korri’s grandparents. This… was a lot. I prayed it went over smoothly.

It tookme forever to introduce Romi, Korri, and Renay to everybody. I almost wanted to jump on the mic and do it all at once, but that would have been doing the damn most. Currently, Romi and Renay were sitting with all my sisters and a few of my female cousins. Korri was running around with the other kids, and I was sitting with my brothers and my cousin Jakobi.

They had let me live for the first thirty minutes, but now they were really laying into my ass.

“How you feeling, Big Papa?” Deuce asked, slapping my shoulder. “You done brought your lil’ family to meet the family.”

I shrugged him off. “Fuck you.”

“Don’t be so sensitive, little brother,” Maceo said, elbowing me. “You knew this shit was coming the moment you brought her short ass around. How is baby girl?”

“She’s doing good. She gained a pound. We went to see her this morning before we came here.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Juri. Deuce was right. That skin-to-skin attachment was a muthafucka. I thought it would have been awkward holding her, but it was becoming the most natural thing in the world for me. I looked forward to seeing her and getting updates on her like she was mine. Baby girl fucked around and stole my heart.

“Steel and Jakobi told us how y’all snatched up the baby daddy,” Deuce noted.

I chuckled. “Made target practice out of that bitch.”

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