Her brother was being obnoxious as hell as of late. He was due to arrive home after successfully completing another semester of school. Lowkey, I knew he was heavy on my sister’s trail. His ass found any and every reason to come to the farm whenever he was in town.
I threw on a shirt, and Bianca threw on some shorts, then we both left the room to answer the door. The smell of breakfast caused my stomach to growl. My mama couldn’t help herself but to fuss over me and Bianca. Every now and then, my mama would sneak in just to cook for us, then sneak back off like she’d never been inside the house.
After sending pieces of Eldon and Arisana on an extended vacation in the Atlantic Ocean, Gion and Margarite were back on the farm, at least for a little while. There was no telling when they’d pick up and leave again. While I had them here, I would love on them.
Going to the door, I opened it to see Kwamé standing on the other side with Jessie on her hip. Surprised to see her, I gave her a hug and kissed Jessie’s cheek. My niece was walking now, and looking so much like her mama it was scary.
A few weeks ago, Kwamé left the farm to go back home. Bianca and I were sad to see her leave us, but Kwamé had a whole life in Atlanta. It wasn’t lost on me that she never mentioned Jessie’s father. She asked me to respect her privacy, and I continued to do so as long as she and Jessie were good.
It gave me some peace that I sent Russ to Atlanta with Kwamé. Of course, she gave me hell about it. However, I stood firm and ended up getting my way. Plus, I had to be sure she wasn’t going through any shit with the nigga who fathered Jessie. So far, there hadn’t been so much as a peep from his ass. Although I was curious as hell, I still honored her wish to respect her privacy. She and Bianca talked daily, and Kwamé was even keeping a close eye on Shyah.
“This is a nice surprise!” Bianca stated. She quickly hugged Kwamé before snagging Jessie, who giggled at Bianca’s excitement at seeing her. “Hey, sweetie!”
“Do you two have a minute?” Kwamé asked. She was amused because Bianca didn’t take notice of Kwamé’s bump behind the black lounge dress she wore. I noticed, and the way my heart stuttered in my chest caught me by surprise.
“Of course,” Bianca replied. “We were just about to have breakfast. Join us.”
Kwamé smiled. “Sure.”
We entered the kitchen where the food was already spread out on the kitchen island. Kwamé sat Jessie’s diaper bag in one of the high-back chairs and quickly washed her hands. As Bianca baby talked to Jessie, Kwamé started fixing herself a plate.
“So, I’ve decided to stay for a while,” Kwamé told us, and that was when I knew. This time, my heart wanted to burst.
Bianca squealed. “I’ve been sad without you here. You were the only reprieve I had from this man.”
Kwamé snickered while I shot my wife a strong ass side eye.
Placing her plate down, Kwamé backtracked to the diaper bag and dug for something. “By the way. I wanted to give you this.” She handed Bianca a small flat box with a burgundy bow on top of it. “It’s a wedding gift.”
“You already got us a gift,” Bianca said. “By the way, those earrings were so stunning that I’ve worn them twice already.”
“I’m glad you loved them. This is another gift,” Kwamé said as Bianca took the box. Just as smoothly, Kwamé took Jessie from Bianca.
Bianca opened the box while mumbling, “Girl, if you got me another pair of earrings…” Lifting the tiny square of tissue paper, Bianca’s eyes fell on the picture inside. Her eyes flew to mine, and I wanted to break down and cry at the look in her beautiful brown eyes.
“When Antonias came to me, there was no question that I would walk this path with you. This is the greatest gift that I could ever give you and my brother. It is my honor to carry the next phase of your lives. Well, in this case,phases.”
Bianca broke down crying, and I was right there to be her pillar when she nearly sank to the floor.
Kwamé’s tears were accompanied by a radiant smile that came from within. Bianca released herself from my hold and walked right into Kwamé’s arms. They embraced tightly, both crying and speaking life into each other.
As Kwamé wiped Bianca’s tears, she said, “You’re going to be so great at this.”
“How do I ever thank you enough?” Bianca questioned Kwamé.
“You thank me every day by loving my brother as he has always wanted you to. That’s all that I ask you to keep doing. Yeah?”
Bianca nodded. “You have my word.”
“Why is everyone crying?” Shyah entered the kitchen and asked. She looked concerned. Since being on the farm, she’d gained weight, and a light I loved to see shown in her eyes. She was thriving, having built a bond with my parents and the Bells. She and Maja were slowly getting to know each other. Their pasts were traumatic, but they seemed to already enjoy having each other around.
“We’re having twins,” I told her.
Gleefully, she clapped her hands and hugged Bianca tightly. “I’m so excited!”
Afewdayslater…
Fresh off saving a life, I stood at the nurse’s station reviewing the chart of my latest trauma patient when Detective Gunner walked through the double doors. He glanced at me, then motioned to Adir’s office.
