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“You’re going to be soon,” I promised, giving her a wet kiss on the cheek.
“Get away from me,” she shrieked, pushing at me. “If they keep winning, I’m going to be waddling permanently.”
“They’ll keep winning. They’ve got the best coaches in the city.”
Gabriel had wanted to join a Little League team. I’d volunteered to be the coach, much to his excitement. Carlos, Easton, Stone, Daniel, Donato, and my father weren’t going to be left out. We were a couple of months into the season, and nobody could beat us. Because we were having fun, we didn’t take it too seriously. Gabriel had a future in baseball if he wanted it. That was obvious even at his age.
“She’d be so thrilled,” she said as Gabriel celebrated with his teammates. He encouraged them more than anyone else did and had made a lot of new friends. Sonya was right, my mother would have been happy.
She’d gotten to see him hit his first home run. Watching her cheer had reminded me of when I’d hit mine. She’d spent every moment she could with Gabriel. With all of us. Holly had stayed true to her word. It was just another thing I owed her and could never repay.
My mother had never been happier than the last few months of her life. My family had become inseparable, our lives converging, centering around one another in a way most people never had a chance to experience. There had been good days and shitty days—some really shitty days, ones where Mama couldn’t eat and I’d had to feed her because she’d lost the desire and nothing tasted good—but damn it, she’d tried for me.
It had meant a lot to her that I’d stopped my world from turning to be with her. In the last months of her life, she’d become my best friend. We’d talked about Gabriel. We’d talked about Sonya at length. My mother loved her like a daughter despite her imperfections.Becauseof them. Just like I did.
Sonya and I had gotten married at the park where I’d taught Gabriel to play ball. It had been a quiet ceremony, with only our family and friends in attendance. Gabriel had been the ring bearer, and he stood with us at the altar. He knew the significance despite not knowing I was his father. Mama had believed I should be there for him and when he got older, tell him the truth. Sonya and I had agreed—Holly and Carlos, as well.
Mama had been almost normal the day of the wedding, her color right, laughing like I remembered. She’d smiled all day.
None of us knew she’d be gone the next day. We’d all been there. She’d had a moment with Gabriel, though what she’d told him was still a mystery. What she’d said to me would stick with me for the rest of my life. She’d said the cancer had been worth it, because it had given us the time to find each other. Just before she passed, I asked her to watch over all of us, especially Gabriel and the grandchild she was going to have. That news had made her smile, an angel’s smile before she’d ascended to heaven. Knowing she was going to be a grandmother again was a gift she received before she drew her last breath.
“I hope our daughter is nothing like you,” Sonya said.
“What about our son?” We hadn’t known at the time Mama died that we were having twins.
“God, no,” she groaned. “I refuse to have a son who takes popcorn from his pregnant wife.”
“Yeah, that’s a shitty thing to do.”
“Can you watch your mouth in front of your children?” she asked in mock horror.
“As soon as you do, sugar. Those charley horses make you cuss like a sailor.” I kissed her cheek again. “And the orgasms I give you do too.”
“How many times do I have to tell you: just because we’re having twins doesn’t make you some sort of super sperm donor,” she huffed, leaning into me.
“I don’t give a damn how many times you say it. I’m a stud. That’s all you need to know,” I returned proudly.
“I’m asking for it, and I willneverrepeat this, but yes, you are a stud.”
I beamed. “Thank you, sugar.”
“You’re welcome.” She offered her cheek, demanding yet another kiss. I obliged. Keeping a woman happy was more rewarding than I’d ever imagined. “What are you going to do when I get too big for you to victory fuck?” I’d gone overboard taking her any and every way I wanted after we’d won the baseball games. “That’s not happening,” I assured her.
“What about those two? Their stomachs are flat, and they don’t crave copious amounts of that brisket Miss Ruby sends.”
I slid my arms around her waist, not even looking at whoever she was referring to. “We’ve been through this. I only need one woman. Hell, you take all my damn energy.”
“Believe me, I know.”
We’d put my past need for multiple women to bed, though Sonya still liked to bring it up. She more than satisfied me. I needed the intimacy I had with her. And when she’d asked me for a threesome with another man, I’d proved to her that she didn’t need anyone else either. “I have needs, Tigress. You’re the only one who can satisfy them.”
“I better be,” she said.
Turned out my tigress had a jealous streak a mile wide. I was tempted to bring another woman into bed just to see what she’d do. I loved that she was vicious. I’d have liked to see her tear another woman apart for even looking at me, but I refrained. She pushed me too, flirting with other men to see how far I’d go. I only had to remind her that I’d kicked the shit out of two men at once, one of whom wasn’t even interested in her, and that was enough.
I didn’t regret how I’d lived, avoiding intimacy at all costs, because it made me appreciate Sonya all the more. I’d been on the losing end before, but that was nothing compared to what I had with Sonya. “Are you going to the store today?”
“I have to carry your children, provide our living, and support your hobbies?”
