Page 50 of What I Needed

I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose as she blew bubbles and squealed. I went to her bathroom and washed my hands before taking her downstairs. I’d only been gone for under ten minutes, but Erissa had put everything away and was cleaning chicken thighs.

“What are you making?”

“Chicken and broccoli with fried rice and veggie egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce.”

“You’re making that from scratch?”

“Yeah. It’s not that hard. This was one of my grandparents’ favorite meals. Hey, Rivvy. Did you have a good nap?” she asked.

She washed and dried her hands before approaching us and taking Riverlynn from my arms. I watched as she spent the next five minutes showing my baby girl love. Erissa spoke to her as if they were having a real conversation.

“You get to hang out with your daddy today while I make dinner for your grandmother and auntie. You good with that?”

She kissed her forehead and returned her to my arms. When she turned to walk away, I grabbed her arm. She looked back at me expectantly.

“Can I get a kiss?”

She smacked her lips and snatched away from me, not in an angry way, but in a way that said she didn’t think I was serious.

“Boy, stop playing. I need to get back to this food.”

She went back to the counter and resumed what she was doing. I decided not to bother her, and Riverlynn and I went to the family room.

While I kept her entertained, the TV was on ESPN, keeping me entertained. The sounds of pots, pans, and other dishes, along with the opening and closing of cabinets, filled the background.

Sometime later, I found myself waking up on the floor with Riverlynn next to me, playing with her feet. I looked at my phone and realized I’d been asleep for about an hour. I’d also received a text from my mother saying they’d landed and were on their way.

“You good, baby girl?” I asked Riverlynn as I picked her up.

The aroma of the dinner I’d soon eat filled the house, and it smelled damn good. We went to the kitchen, and I warmed a bottle for her. Erissa was so engrossed in the preparation for dinner that she barely noticed we were there.

“My mom and sister landed and are on their way. How’s everything coming along?” I asked.

“Good. Everything should be done by the time your family and friends arrive.”

“It smells good as hell. Can I eat now?”

“No, River. Why don’t you go up and change Rivvy’s outfit? I picked something out, and it should be hanging on the back of the door.”

“What’s wrong with what she’s wearing?”

“Nothing, but she’s meeting her grandmother, auntie, and your friends for the first time, and I want her to wear something nicer.”

I shook my head but didn’t think her request was worth going back and forth when I didn’t care what she wore. Without commenting any further, I went upstairs to finish feeding Riverlynn. After burping her and changing her diaper, I dressed her in the yellow dandelion dress that Erissa had chosen.

My baby girl always looked adorable, but we didn’t take her out much, so I rarely saw her in one of the many dresses that filled her closet. I had to admit, the outfit change was a good idea.

“Grandma and Rylee are gon’ fall in love with you as soon as they see you, baby girl.”

I kissed her cheeks, then looked at our reflection in the mirror.

“She looks so pretty,” Erissa said when she peeked inside the nursery.

“She gets it from her father.”

“I guess I’ll have to agree since we don’t know what her mother looks like.”

“That was cold.”