Page 51 of That Fire

After getting inside, he said, “So, I packed your bag for the hospital. We’ll just leave it in here. I should havebeendone that. My mama said your bag should have been packed a month ago and accompanying us wherever we went.”

I shrugged. “Okay, baby. Thank you.”

He gently slid his fingers across my cheek and smiled, then opened the garage door and backed out. As we traveled down FM 365 to the family barn, I felt uneasy. I wasn’t sure why I felt that way, other than me possibly anticipating the arrival of our babies. Glancing over at Royal in his powder blue pants and white short sleeved shirt, I couldn’t help but lick my lips. He wore a brown belt and brown shoes to complete the fit.

He knew how to dress and take care of his own grooming. I supposed having a dad who was a barber benefitted him. Mr. Jasper had been taking care of my dad’s haircuts and shaves since before either one of us was born. He was one of the first to do facials at the barbershop, my dad had said. He said he used to tell them that a woman didn’t want a nigga with roughskin. With my dad being in the sun all the time at the rodeos, he needed those hot towel treatments and moisturizers.

When Royal turned in the parking lot and parked, he looked over at me. “I love pink on you. It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you. I love every color on you.”

He smiled, then kissed my hand and got out of the vehicle. When he opened my door, I grabbed my pink dress and stepped out on the running board, then allowed him to help me down. I smiled at all the blue, pink, white, and gold balloons. There was also a sign that read,It’s a boy AND a girl!It was so cute.

We were an hour late, so I was sure everyone was anticipating our arrival. Proving my thoughts to be correct, when Royal opened the door, everyone applauded. I didn’t think they would give us a hard time, knowing how difficult moving around had gotten for me. Bali and Noni both rushed to me and led me to a recliner so I could put my feet up.

“Thank you, ladies.”

They both gave me tight smiles as Royal came and sat next to me in another recliner. People were still applauding and some had come to greet us. My mama appeared with two plates of food, and Mama Chas had TV trays for us to set our food on. Everyone else was seated at tables. When I saw the smoked boudin, I was in hog heaven. There was a variety of food, including the typical baby shower meatballs, and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Aunt Jen had grabbed the mic and blessed the food, then promised a great day of games and fun. As we ate, Mr. Jasper approached us, wearing pink pants and a white shirt. I had to admit, he looked fly. Clearly, this was where Royal got his style. After greeting Royal, he kissed my cheek.

“I know this nigga didn’t wear pink pants.”

I didn’t even have to look in the direction the voice came from to know who had said it.Mayor Storm.Daddy Jasperfrowned and stared at him as he approached us. “First of all, nigga, I’m the only Henderson that could pull this off without looking feminine. You, on the other hand, need to find a better tailor that would make sure your pants ain’t high water.”

My face had to be red from holding in my laughter. I could see now, these two would keep me in stitches. Mr. Storm pushed him out of his way, then shot him the finger. When he turned to me, I smiled and said, “Hey, Uncle Mayor. You look very nice.”

“Thank you, niece. This nigga don’t know style, even if it punched him in the throat.”

Daddy Jasper rolled his eyes as I chuckled. He slapped Royal’s hand, congratulating him. As he was about to walk off, he pushed Daddy Jasper again, and they started arguing.

“Man, y’all go somewhere else with that shit,” Royal said, causing them to gang up on him.

I slowly shook my head as I enjoyed the rest of my food. They were not going to deter me from eating. If I went into labor, at least I would be full. As I was finishing up my wings, I saw Nikki and Lareesa walk through the door. I smiled slightly. Although I felt a way about Lareesa, I was glad to see her. Maybe she just made a bad judgment call, since she knew her cousin.

They came over to me and both hugged and kissed me, then brought their gifts to the gift table. When they came back to me, Nikki said, “We miss y’all nasty asses. I know you’ll be glad when your six weeks is up once you have the babies.”

“Absolutely. Royal and I are struggling big time. He said as long as I can’t have sex, neither will he.”

“Girl, he told me. I wanted to cry when that nigga said that over the phone. I was so overcome with emotion,” Nikki said.

“I miss y’all too, boo,” Lareesa said. “I hate that what I did caused you to doubt my love for you, girl. I should have thought better of that.”

“It’s water under the bridge now, Reese. I miss you too.”

“Well, it’s some handsome ass men here,” Nikki said.

“Yes. We don’t have no ugly ducklings in our families. Most of them are married though.”

“Girl, I already scoped out those wedding bands,” Lareesa said, making me laugh.

We continued talking, and the moment Kane came running in, my heart sank, and my soul got lodged in my throat.

Chapter 17

Royal

“Ican’t leave, Dad. I gotta make sure Aaliyah stays calm. Tell PJ I said thanks for still looking out.”