“Whatever, mane. I’m about to dip. Don’t bring her back home until I tell you to.”
At times, Mahari was ashamed to say he and Lance had some of the same blood running through their veins. Mahari didn’t agree with the way he moved, but it wasn’t up to him to try and change Lance. Lance would be who he wanted to be, and if Aspen wanted to accept it, who was Mahari to stand in their way?
Watching Lance’s car drive off, Mahari turned his off and headed inside to see where Aspen was. He could hear rumbling upstairs, so he took them two at a time and headed toward the sound. Aspen was in the nursery, looking at the wall while tapping her fingers against her lips. Mahari went and stood beside her with his head tipped to the side.
“What do you think? Should I change the color?” Aspen asked.
“What does Lance think?”
Aspen scoffed and walked off. Mahari followed behind her to her room where she plopped down on the bed. When she tried to lean down to put her tennis shoes on, Mahari kneeled to help her.
“Thank you.”
Mahari glanced up at her. “I don’t know why your ass chose to wear tennis shoes anyway. We both know you can’t put them on, and your feet are going to be swollen by the end of the day.”
“I’m only wearing them because you’re making me sit with you all day, so you can deal with the consequences later.”
“And what exactly are the consequences, Bunny?”
The pleased smirk on Aspen’s face let Mahari know she was about to be on some bullshit.
“A foot massage and some food.”
Standing up, Mahari held his hands out and pulled Aspen up. He cupped the sides of her face, kissed her forehead, and looked in her eyes before replying, “Anything else?”
“I still need to go get some stuff for the twins, if you want to take me one day.”
“Let me check my schedule, and I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. I’m ready to go.”
Hand in hand, Mahari and Aspen headed to his car. Once Aspen was safely buckled in, Mahari got in and pulled off. He reached in the back seat and handed her a bag full of her favorite drinks and snacks. Aspen did a little dance in her seat, pulling out a bag of white chocolate-covered pretzels.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to butter me up, Mahari.”
“Nah. I’m trying to keep your spoiled ass from complaining and having me run to the store every five minutes. Everything you and the girls want is in the bag. Whatever you want for lunch later, I’ll order it.”
“Why are you so good to me?” Aspen leaned over the best she could and kissed Mahari’s cheek before going to town on the pretzels.
When they arrived at Mahari’s studio, Mahari went to grab Aspen’s snack bag to carry, but she swatted his hand away and frowned. He ran his hands through his locs and got out to help her out. The way she waddled to the front was cute to Mahari. Taking a quick video and saving it in his album made specifically for her, Mahari opened the door for her. They were immediately greeted by Mahari’s receptionist, Santana, rushing over and hugging Aspen.
“Oh my gosh! I’ve been waiting for you to come back up here.” Santana gushed and palmed Aspen’s stomach. “Girl, the twins are doing you well. You look so good, Aspen.”
“Aw, thank you, Santana. It’s so good to see you. Did Mahari tell you they’re girls?”
Santana’s light brown skin reddened. Her hands flew over her mouth as she looked back and forth between Aspen and Mahari. “No, he didn’t. That’s so exciting! How does Lance feel about it?”
“Yeah, how does he?” Mahari repeated with a raised brow.
Aspen shrugged one shoulder and popped a pretzel in her mouth. “He’s happy, I guess.”
Mahari and Santana shared a knowing glance. They’d spoken on Aspen and Lance’s relationship a few times. Santana felt he wasn’t good enough for Aspen and believed she could do better but thought it was best to keep her opinions to herself. She’d witnessed the women Lance paraded through the studio in Aspen’s absence, and none of it ever set well with her. He’d even tried his luck with her, but Santana shut it down quick.
Clearing her throat, Santana expressed, “Well, I’m happy for you and can’t wait to shower you and the girls with love.”
“I appreciate you, Santana.”
“No worries. If y’all need anything, let me know.”
