Page 78 of Feeling Blue

The high-pitched squeal she released made Blue smile and laugh with her. She was such a pretty baby with chubby cheeks and a head full of hair that Goody had styled into pigtails, even with the long stream of slob running from her open mouth.

“You see your mama ain’t got no friends. You wanna be like her?”

“Zurich, leave my niece alone,” Forever’s giggles made Jerrica notice her.

Seconds later, she was leaning over and reaching in Forever’s direction.

“Why you had to say something? We was vibing. Know she don’t be fucking with me when you’re around.”

Zurich’s fake frown adorned his face as he passed Jerrica to Forever. They were both seated on the large bed in Goody and Jerrico’s guest room, babysitting Jerrica while her nasty parents were in the other room, doing what they did best.

“That’s because her know her Tee-Tee girl, yes, her is. Yes, her is,” Forever cooed to a giggling Jerrica.

More slobber and baby laughter carried between Forever and Jerrica as she gripped a handful of Forever’s long hair, laughing as if Forever nuzzling her protruding belly was the funniest thing she’d ever encountered. With skin a few shades lighter than Forever, but still darker than most, Jerrica’shappiness radiated from her in the warmest way that Blue had ever seen.

The weak feeling in his stomach surfaced again as he watched their interaction. It had been that way since he’d been in Georgia at Goody’s house with the baby. The sight of Forever with a baby made him want his own. He’d desired his own family for a while, even months before his incarceration, but after Journey’s betrayal, he’d crossed all of that out.

She’d been the love of his life and the woman he’d wanted to mother his children, but after she slid on him just to pop up pregnant by his homie, it made him rethink everything he’d been considering. Women could be the most vindictive and conniving people on the face of the planet, and the last thing he wanted was to be tied to a person who would do something evil to him and use his baby to do it.

Although he didn’t foresee Forever doing anything like that, he hadn’t thought Journey would either. She’d gone on and on to him about them having a baby for months, for her to lose faith the moment he was down bad longer than a week. That wasn’t the kind of loyalty he wanted from his child’s mother. He needed that unwavering, even if I hate you today, I’ma still fuck with you tomorrow, kind of loyalty. One where even if he and the mom wasn’t speaking, their child was straight.

“Blue-Blue, stop staring at me,” Forever mumbled without even looking in his direction.

Caught, Blue covered the rising smile on his face and held in his laughter. “Why you can’t come do my stomach like that?”

“Because you’re a grown man, it’s not going to tickle you like it does her.”

“Yes, it will. Come see.”

“How about you come do me, and let me see,” she faced him with lust in every bat of her lashes.

Zurich slid from the bed and circled it so that he was on her side while rubbing his hands together.

“Shid, say no more.”

As soon as he was in front of her, he slid her to the edge of the bed until her legs were dangling enough to be wrapped around his waist. Forever squealed from his sudden movement, prompting Jerrica to release a squeal of her own.

“Hush, lil’ fat mama. This ain’t about you no more. Matter of fact, come here,” Blue picked her up and held her stationary in the crook of his left arm while sliding the tips of his other hand to graze the skin of Forever’s exposed skin. “Look at Tee-Tee.”

As if understanding him, Jerrica’s head turned toward Forever. Together, they stared down at Forever as Blue continued rubbing her skin, not in a suggestive way, but definitely a comfortable one.

“Tee-Tee, pretty, ain’t she?”

Blue smiled when Forever blushed so hard that she had to look away and cover her face with one hand.

“Yeah, she is.”

“Zurich,” she whined when his hand slipped between her legs, rubbing her through her shorts. “The baby...”

“She’s cool. She bout sleep anyway.”

Jerrica’s little head had just settled against his shoulder, and she’d began sucking the two fingers she’d deemed as her personal pacifiers. The silence in the room grew more and more as Blue bounced the baby softly while still massaging Forever just as gentle.

“You look amazing with her.”

“I’d look even better with ours. What we gon’ name it?”

“Baby Blue.”

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