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Of course.
Did I appreciateanyof those people, even playfully, doing the wholemy babything likeIwasn’t the one who tore up to my ass pushing his big head out?
Absolutely not.
It wasn’t cuteto me.
Which was what mattered.
“You don’t like to listen do you?” Calli snapped, moving fast on her cane to step in front of Lucy. “Your old ass ain’t pushed out nothing but a turd and dust in the last three months, so what is themy babyshit about?”
My eyes went wide. “Calli, it’s okay,” I said, trying to soothe this trouble before it really got started.
“He’smygrand-nephew,” Lucy argued, propping a hand on her hip.
“Then let that be what you call him, and you let the motherofferfor you to hold him, don’t be demanding shit around here,” Calli kept fussing. “You didn’t like it when the mommas and aunties did that shit to you, so don’t be around here thinking it’s just your turn. We stopping that shit, just like I did with these boys’ mama. Nobody did it to her and you’re not gonna do it to this one? Y’all hear me?!”
She wasn’t wrong.
And Imorethan appreciated that she’d brought that energy through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. She’d been my strongest ally, even more so than my childless friends, who were wonderful, but couldn’t quite relate.
She’d even checked Orion a time or two hundred.
Still, I coulduse a little breather, so once that smoke had cleared a little, Ididhand baby boy over to Lucy to dote on—withCalli, since the two women had grown to be friends since our families blended.
As soon as I was childfree, Alexis and Morgan led me to the bar for glittery blue champagne and to giggle about the “fight” that had just happened. I was on my second glass when they got quiet on me. And from the looks on their faces—the same goofiness they always gave when this happened—I knew Orion had walked up.
“Can I borrow Leo’s mother for a moment?” he asked, and as usual, theynevertook the route of telling his ass no.
Instead, they were all too eager to give me away, not that it was the worst thing.
His hands immediately wrapped around my waist, head dipping to plant a lingering kiss on my lips, publicity be damned.
“You doing okay?” he asked me quietly, and I sighed.
“I’m fine. I’ll be glad when this is over, but I’m fine,” I answered honestly.
“You want me to send everybody home? ’Cause we can clear it out right now if—”
“No.” I laughed. “It’s not that serious. Besides… there’s only another hour left anyway, right?”
He glanced at his wrist and nodded. “Yes. And we don’t have to wait around for everyone to leave. Our reservations at the Drake are finalized. We’ll be in a suite there for a few days while the house gets put back in order.”
“Good,” I mused. The thought of being in a messy house after everyone left was honestly more stressful than the party itself.
Not that I’d lifted a finger for it.
Orion had made sure of that, prioritizing my rest and mental health over everything. Even the store had been functioning without me. Our new CEO—who had been in a corporate position atNectarsince my mother’s reign and was perfect for the position—had been great.
Lately, I’d been using that word a lot.
But… it was accurate.
Which I was grateful for.
“Hey… make sure the staff leaves extra linens in the room for us,” I told Orion, confusing him.
“You know they’ll change things out every night, right?”
