Page 36 of His Secure Embrace
“My fault, big pimp. I don’t want no smoke, Mama.”
They had a cute interaction while I washed and dried my hands. The Hills were the first family I’d met associated with someone I was dating. Many men had come and gone, and none of those relationships had ever progressed to this point. Back then, all of my value was between my legs to men. James had seen me for more than that in record time.
“Brielle, do you like pot roast and potatoes?” Mrs. Hill asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll eat most things,” I answered.
“Change that most to some. Wait until the holidays roll around and y’all see what she puts on her plate.”
My jaw nearly dislocated from how hard my mouth dropped in surprise. “Throwing me and my tastebuds under the bus is crazy.”
His mother and sister eyed me curiously, but it was his sister who posed the question, “So what do you put on your plate for Thanksgiving?”
“Macaroni, Hawaiian rolls, and maybe a turkey wing,” I answered proudly. I braced myself for the attack.
“You and Rose will both have the same plate, then.” Jasmine giggled.
“I knew when I met Rose, she was a real one. The real always recognize real.”
My comments had the whole house hooting and hollering. The nerves had eased, and it felt like I was in the room with family. Hell, I was in the room with family. James’s mother and sister welcomed me with open arms, made me feel safe and secure—just as James had done since the first day we met. His family heavily influenced the way he loved and cared for me. I was in a new safe space around his mother and sister.
Our kids would be too.
Some timelater
I loosened my tie as I entered our home. The smell of lavender and chamomile scented candles greeted me. The house was quiet . . . too quiet. Usually when I returned home, there was a beautiful chaos from the family I loved.
With calculated steps, I looked in the kitchen and living room first. Not a living soul in sight. Then I took the steps, two at a time, to the main bedroom. I pushed open the door and smiled at the scene that awaited me. Brielle lay on her side with Janiya tucked under her arm. My baby girl was her mother’s twin—round face, cute nose, and gentle brown eyes. In the side sleeper bassinet were our twins, Jeremiah and Josiah. I thanked God for giving us identifiers for our identical twins. Jeremiah had abirthmark behind his left ear and Josiah had a row of freckles on his cheeks. If it weren’t for these beauty spots, I was certain I wouldn’t be able to tell my babies apart.
After I’d toed off my shoes and tossed my tie onto the vanity table near the closet, I closed the distance between us and examined each child. Josiah was sound asleep, sucking on his pacifier. Jeremiah was awake. When his round eyes locked onto me, he stirred.
“Now what you gonna make a fuss for? Huh?” I scooped him up in my arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He whined.
“You hungry or stinky?” I asked. I lifted him up and sniffed his butt. Sure enough, the stench of poop hit my sense of smell like a right hook from Mike Tyson. “Damn, boy. What the hell yo’ mama feeding you?” I asked.
He let out a grunt as I walked with him to the nursery. I grabbed a fresh diaper and the wipes out of the warmer. I lay him on the changing pad and went to work.
“You gon’ need to learn how to poop on the toilet if you gon’ be filling those diapers up like that, little dude.” I swaddled him in his custom bear blanket and lifted him up. I scattered kisses all over his face, which made him squirm and smile.
I chuckled as I sat in the rocking chair with him and stared at his tiny face. I was really a dad of three and married to the love of my life. Over the last four years, life had been nothing short of blessed.
Brielle and I got married in the spring on the one-year anniversary of Jana’s death. We turned a traumatic date into one filled with love. A few months after we got married, Janiya was born. It was one of the most surreal days of my life.
“Babe,” Brielle called out gently.
My eyes fluttered open. I had blurry vision because I hadn’t had a good night’s rest in months. The pregnancy was rough for Brielle. She had sicknesses all throughout her pregnancyand her ass stayed eating shit that made my baby girl punish her hours later. Between the trips to the ER when she couldn’t feel peanut moving to the late nights with me rubbing her back as she threw up, the journey was trying.
“Yeah?”
“Either I pissed all over the bed, or my water broke.”
“Did you pee on me, Bri?” I asked as I sat up in bed. I’d slept in because for the last couple of months I’d been heavy in building my business. I had my own security business where I trained guards and installed security equipment for businesses and residential areas. I wanted a better schedule to be there for Brielle and our growing family.
“I don’t think it’s pee. It’s literally constantly coming out of me. We’re about to be parents. What the actual f—yuck,” she complained. The sight of the clear liquid sliding down her leg made me laugh.
“Oh nah. I thought when your water breaks it’s like a quick little gush of fluid and you are good to go.”
“I don’t know what I expected this to feel like, but I don’t like it. Let’s get this baby out of me right now, please!”
