Page 95 of Honey's Special Roux

I wiped my eyes again and turned to Honey who made the situation even worse. Her emotional ass had been silently sobbing through the interaction. I shook my head.

“Man, you gon’ make me cry for real. Chill out.”

Honey took in a deep breath and laughed as she wiped her face with her hands. “That was literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I might give you another baby tonight.”

I chuckled. “Don’t make no promises you ain’t gonna wanna cash in on because I’m ready.”

“So am I.”

“Mommy! Daddy! Come play with us,” Quis shouted as he motioned with his arms to join the game of basketball.

“Here we come.” I stood up and held my hand out for Honey to take. We walked over to the basketball goal and divided ourselves into two teams. It was aunties versus parents and child. Dayari had laced up some of her shoes and joined the game as well. We had a lot of fun playing ball. Everyone let Quis do his thing on the makeshift court. It was nothing but good vibes and genuine laughs well into the night.

Shit like this made me grateful for Honey. I didn’t have these moments growing up, but I was glad Quis got to experience things like this. I wouldn’t miss anything else in his life.

Seven yearslater

“Happy anniversary!” Our children cheered around the dinner table. I grinned brightly as they clinked their glasses together. Three sets of eyes that looked exactly like their fathers… It made no sense how I could have three tiny replicas of a man.Where the hell were my genes when we were making these babies?

They all had sparkling grape juice in their cups while Marquise and I had red wine in ours. We were all dressed in shades of brown. Even though we were all at home, we still wanted to dress up for the occasion.

Quis was thirteen going on thirty. He’d transitioned from cute kid to smelly teenager in the blink of an eye. He’d started taking sports more seriously but opted out of basketball and focused more on baseball. He was still a science lover and went to science camp every summer. He was almost taller than me, and I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of looking up at my son. He was his father’s twin through and through.

In addition to Quis, Marquise and I had popped out two more kids in the last seven years. There was Janie who turned five a few months ago. She was spunky and creative. She loved to help me in the kitchen or come to the restaurant and cook with me. Her love for food had started in the womb. Whenever I ate a bowl of gumbo, Janie would do handstands in my belly. It was then we knew she would be the child to honor my grandmother.

The last of the bunch was Quita. She was the feistiest three-year-old in the world. She ran our home as if she was the boss—and she was. Her deep dimples, round face, and tiny stature had everyone eating out of the palm of her hands—especially Marquise’s ass. Quita was his princess, and he spoiled her rotten. She was his road dog since she was a month old. He would have her in the back seat of his car, taking her on all kinds of adventures.

Quis was the best big brother. He helped with the girls most of the time. Sometimes, he needed a break and would spend some time with Jenifer’s son, Jordan. Jordan was six years old, but Quis didn’t mind bonding with the hyperactive child since the rest of his aunties haven’t had any kids to add to the tribe.

“Thank you, babies. I love y’all so much.” I lifted my glass of wine and took a generous sip.

“Tonight, I whipped us up something good,” Marquise explained.

I grinned. My man spent a lot of time developing his cooking skills. He took classes and even went to culinary school after he got his GED. He told me he wanted to be better for his kids, and he’d done that shit like a boss.

In the last seven years, he’d given me his all in ways I’d never thought he could. He even got a business license to open a food truck to make my restaurant mobile. He said he wanted to be an extension of me in the best way. He’d opened three food trucks in the last three years which was a feat in itself. He and Quita kept those employees in line. My baby girl was a natural leader. Her little self could make the hulk fold under her gaze.

Marquise uncovered the plates and showed off blackened salmon over a bed of rice and a side of grilled bacon wrapped asparagus. The smell of the dish had my mouth watering. The kids were excited to dive in too. Janie said grace, and we all dug in.

“This is really good, Dad. I’m impressed.” Quis nodded as he shoved the rice into his mouth.

Marquise chuckled. “I ’preciate ya.”

“It’s yummy in my tummy,” Janie agreed. She rubbed her stomach as she bit into the asparagus.

“Fish spicy, Daddy.” Quita frowned at her fork.

“You don’t like it, stink?” he asked with a raised brow as he claimed the seat at the head of the table.

“No.” Quita whined.

“I’ll make her some chicken nuggets. She’ll be alright.” Quis stood up and grabbed his youngest sister’s hand. She happily skipped into the kitchen with her big brother.

Janie looked at them retreat into the kitchen and looked over at me with pleading eyes. “Can I have her piece of fish?”

“Are you sure you’re going to eat it all?” I asked.

“Yes, Mommy.” She poked out her bottom lip. Marquise was a sucker for their little pouty faces. He poked his fork into the barely eaten piece of salmon and plopped it onto Janie’s plate. My girl dug into the fish like she was starving. She had a high metabolism, which we were grateful for because all my baby did was eat.

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