Page 97 of Senior

“We are.”

“Are we crazy to start over after all the kids are grown?”

“Shiiiit, we might be.”

She giggled as she pulled back and cupped my face. “I love you, Stanley,” she whispered.

“I love you too, mama.”

We shared a passionate, sensual kiss. As I held her in my arms, I knew right then, I had to make her my wife before I made her a mother again.

“So y’all are really gonna adopt two more kids?”

I sat in Steel’s man cave, sipping a glass of Hennessy with him while watching ESPN. It was his one-on-one day, so Steph and I were having dinner with him, Neha and the kids. The women were in the kitchen cooking while the kids were around here entertaining themselves.

“That’s the plan,” I answered, taking a sip of my drink.

“I thought y’all were just going to get a feel of the kids.”

“We were and we got chosen.” I chuckled and shook my head. “They just felt right to us, Kerrion. The big man upstairs gave us a sign.”

“How and what?”

“Lucky number seven, son.”

“You lost me.”

“Her name is Sevyn. I have six kids, she’d be number seven in age. Maybe it wasn’t a sign, but shit, I took it as one. Her little brother’s name is Daxon.”

He smiled. “You over there lighting up, old man. Those kids really imprinted on you, huh?”

“They did.” I swirled the liquor around in my glass. “They’ve had a hard life, Steel. Both have been sexually assaulted. She’s been trafficked.”

He sat up. “What?”

“That’s what we were told. Steph didn’t take that news well. Shit had her crying. It’s different when it’s that close to home.”

“Something tells me y’all are already looking at these kids as yours.”

I smiled. “You know how I feel about my babies, man. Grown and all, y’all are my heart. This daddy shit been in me.”

“It has. I’ve been lucky to have you and Hershel my whole life. My kids are lucky to have you, too.”

At that moment, KJ and Semaj came running into the room.

“Gimme my tablet, Semaj!” KJ yelled.

“Nanny nanny boo boo! You can’t catch me!”

Semaj was KJ’s karma for terrorizing his cousins along with Juri. Make no mistake, Semaj could be bad too, but he was calm with the other kids. At home… in his element… he ran his siblings ragged.

I snatched him up and held him in the air.

“Where you going, thief?” I asked.

“I not a teef, Papa.”

I chuckled at his cute self mispronouncing words. As I sat him on my knee, KJ stood there with his arms crossed and brows bunched.