Page 36 of Still Made For You

“Babe, see what I’m talking about? You are distracting me, and I’m trying to make sure our family gets edible food tonight.” Baby girl pouted.

“Fine, I do have something I want to run past you tonight. It’s business shit.” Ty paused, then took a look at me for a moment.

“It must be serious if you want to talk to me about it. Is everything okay?” The look of concern was evident in her eyes.

“Everything is good, baby. I just need your advice on a possible business move. We can talk about it tonight before I fill you up with baby number three.” Tyeis rolled her eyes at me.

"Whatever it is you want to talk about, just know that I’m in your corner one hundred percent.” There were no doubts about that. If nothing else, I knew my woman was riding with me until the wheels fell off. I just didn’t want any decisions I made to negatively impact our family.

“I’m about to go check on my babies.” Sauntering down the hall, I didn’t even bother to look in Tru’s bedroom because I knew exactly where she was. The moment I pushed the door open to Orion’s room, there they were, sitting in his gaming chair together. I stood there for a moment to watch the scene before me because it warmed my heart.

Tru was clapping her hands together and babbling in his lap as he focused his attention on the game. This was normal for the two of them because the second Orion came home from school, he ran straight to Tru’s room.

The bond the two of them had was so strong even with them having such a large age gap between them. “What are y’all in here doing?” Both of their heads turned to look in my direction.

“What’s up, Pops?” Orion quickly refocused his attention on the game while baby girl began squirming in his lap.

“What’s up, son? Hey, daddy’s baby! You in here bothering your brother?” Tru did not have a clue what I was saying, but she didn’t care either. All she knew was her daddy was talking to her. Reaching over, I scooped her from Orion’s lap. She was rocking a pink polka dot onesie with a matching headband.

“What’s up, mamas!” I kissed her all over her little face. The older she got, the more she looked like the perfect mix of her mother and me. It was crazy to see yourself in another human being. Tru’s giggles reverberated throughout the room as drool dribbled down her chin. Baby girl was a chunky little thing even though she felt lightweight in my arms.

Taking a seat on the edge of Orion’s bed, I watched him play the game for a bit. We normally played together on the weekends as a way for us to bond if we weren’t at the gym or the basketball court.

“Are you going to the gym in the morning with me and Uncle Wisdom?” I asked while Tru pulled my hair.

“Yes, sir. You know I have to keep my body in shape for the ladies.” I shook my head at him because he knew damn well if his momma heard him talking like that, she’d have a fit.

“Man, gone. Ain’t nobody checking for you.” I teased him, even though I knew it wasn’t true. These young girls were something else these days. The last time we went to one of his basketball games, there were two young girls wearing his jersey number. He swore he wasn’t dating either of them, but they didn’t seem to share the same sentiment.

“The ladies love me, pops. What can I say? I get it from my dad,” he boasted. My chest always swelled with pride when Orion called me Dad. I never imagined how powerful hearing those words were until he said them. I didn’t believe in stepchildren, although there was nothing wrong with the term. I wanted Orion to know he had the same love and privileges as Tru. He was my son forever.

“You got that shit right. It’s in our DNA. Just make sure you’re focusing on what’s important. Grades come before any of these little girls. You have the potential to really make something of yourself, and those scouts are going to start looking at you in a year or two. I need you at your best, you hear me?” I never pressured Orion to play sports, but he made it clear that he wanted to go to the NFL.

Ty wasn’t in agreement at first because of the potential injuries, but I told her we’d hire the best trainers to get him in shape. If this was what he wanted, I never wanted to get in the way of his dreams. He loved basketball, too, but football was his life. Orion made a promise to me that he’d give it his all and keep his grades up, so I didn’t care how much money I had to spend. I was going to make sure he was set up for success.

“I got you, Pops. I made the Honor roll this month and last month. Your son is no slouch when it comes to my schooling. I just hate doing all this homework, especially during football and basketball season,” he admitted.

“I hear you. Just make sure you don’t have any more of these little girls doing your homework.” I jested.

Tyeis blew up last year when the school called to tell us Orion and Cayden had been paying some girls to do their homework for them. Personally, I thought the shit was smart as hell. However, I had to put on my parental hat so I could set a good example. People already put stigmas on our boys, so I couldn’t have him out here setting the wrong example.

“Naw, Rylie is still not allowed to speak to me after all of that went down. Her father said I was a bad example, so I’ve been on my best behavior.” He grinned as he sat his remote down, then reached for Tru. Of course, her traitor ass went right over to him.

“That’s how you do me, Tru? You’re going to trade me in for your brother? Huh?” Her little ass babbled while blowing spit bubbles. That was a new thing she’d recently learned, so she was obsessed with it.

“I hate to break it to you, Pops. I’m her favorite in the house. It’s me, then you, and then mom.” We burst out laughing because I knew if Tyeis heard him say this, she’d probably cry. Tru loved everyone, but she cried more with Tyeis when we first brought her home. I assured her it was because of her nervous energy. Babies pick up on shit like that, but she thought it meant that she didn’t like her.

Ty dealt with a mild case of postpartum, but I was determined not to allow her to go through it alone. From dates, spa days, and endless love and affection, I made sure she never felt as if she was alone. Tru loved on her more now that she was more confident, but I often joked about being the favorite.

“Tru only likes you more because you sneak her the best snacks.”

“Yeah, right! She laughs with me more than anyone else,” He boasted, tossing Tru into the air as she squealed with delight.

Watching the two of them together reminded me of how fast my life changed. There was a time in my life when I swore I’d never settle down and have kids, and now I couldn’t imagine my life without them. Every milestone they hit meant everything to me, and I felt honored to be able to witness it. My heart has grown so much with them being in my life, and I wouldn’t trade a thing.

“Are you excited about the season starting?”

“I’m geeked about it, honestly. Cayden and I have been running plays every day this week, and I can already tell it’s about to be a great season. I’m ready to show them what I can do.” He had that fire in his eyes, so I already knew he was going to shut shit down. My ignorant ass was going to be right there in the stands, loudly cheering him on.

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