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“I think we’re already well on our way, consideringourorigin story,” she countered. “Honestly… my parents had a better one. At least there wassomeemotion. Some passion.”
“So there’s no emotion here, Nala? No passion?” I asked. “You honestly believe that?”
She pulled herself upright and shook her head. “I don’t,” she admitted. “I think… that there’s something here. I think we’re getting to know each other, and working towards something, but this started with… a hostile takeover. Remember?” she huffed. “And we… we can’t just skirt past that.”
“I agree, but we also don’t have to let that be the entirety of the story. I told you, Nala—fuck the contract. Was our process fucked up? Yes, it was. But that doesn’t have to mean that we aren’t real.”
“So… you don’t think we’ve set ourselves up to traumatize a future generation?”
I laughed. “I think it’spossible, but I also think we’re aware enough tonotdo it.”
“Easy to say when your parents were in love.”
“They weren’t perfect though.” I chuckled. “My mother was nasty as hell to the first girl Ares fell in love with. Justmeanas fuck, ’cause she thought nobody was good enough for him—for any of us, actually. My father… his ass married a woman the same age as his damn kids and tried to get us toreallysee her ass as our stepmother. They had their weird shit too.”
She nodded. “Okay… I guess that does make me feel slightly better.”
“Good,” I told her. “It should. Again… I’m not saying we’ll be perfect, clearly not so far. But don’t count us out. We’ve got room to grow. You’re willing to grow with me, right?”
She smiled. “I am.”
“Then… there’s not shit that can stop us.”
EPILOGUE - NALANI
ONE YEAR LATER
“You can turnyour ass right around if that’s the shit you’re coming in here with!”
The sound of Calli fussing pulled me right out of the daze I’d been in as the baby peacefully nursed. He was zoned out, and so was I.
It had been a nice break from the house full of people—which I hoped would be over sooner than later—but now we were back to reality.
And somebody had decided to stress Calli out.
As if he’d noticed too, baby Leo detached himself from my nipple with his usual aggression, creating apopsound that always made me smile. He grinned right back, milk dribbling from his mouth until I grabbed a nearby burping cloth to clean his chin.
The whole time, he didn’t take his eyes off my face.
Not while I burped him, not while I changed him, making sure he was nice and fresh before I went back into the crowd. The wrap I’d planned to wear him in, in hopes of avoiding entitled grabby hands, lay discarded to the side.
There had been no need for it with Calli around.
For a while, she’d stationed herself at the door, informing every woman that crossed the threshold, “Keep your germs, your lips, and your hands to your damn self, you got me?”
She knew what my preferred boundaries were and was enforcing them damn near more strictly than I was.
Between her and Orion, I hadn’t experienced any of the horror stories of people’s entitlement to a new baby I’d heard all about.
And I loved them for it.
I emerged from my personal, private break area with Leo in hand, tucked comfortably against my side—his preferred place at all times. The décor for his”welcome to the world”party was immaculately done, deep navies and silver and clouds and constellations, all very fitting to the “family” theme. It was beautiful, but not my focus at all. I followed the sound of Calli’s voice. She was going back and forth with somebody I quickly discovered to be my Aunt Lucinda.
They both looked up as I approached and Lucy cut her eyes at Calli before turning to me with outstretched arms.
“There she is withmy baby,” she cooed at Leo, who gave her the blankest of blank looks before tucking himself closer to my body like he could feel the way that shit grated my nerves.
Did I appreciate that he had a room full of people who loved him?
