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“My son in law changed her. She’s with a real man and feeling what real love feels like for the first time. So yes, she’s going to feel hurt and betrayed because her cousin whom she has a lot of love for, crossed her. But I bet she ain’t think about how that nigga betrayed her or did her dirty once, and that’s because she been stopped giving a fuck about him. I thought she’d have a stronger reaction too because sometimes it’s the principle of shit. But imagine her fighting because Lyss fucked her bum ass ex and had a baby for him. Then gon name the baby Kash like the daddy not broke. Bitch, this is too much. I’m about to pop open that wine I brought over,” she jumped up.

“Fix us a glass, too,” Granny demanded.

“Yes, let’s all drink to the truth!” I declared because my mom had perfectly summarized how I felt. The thought of them playing in my face for years was hurtful, but I wasn’t angry with Kenny or Nalyssa. I felt nothing in regard to Kenny. He was nothing more than my loser ex. I felt bad for Nalyssa because she could have had so much better but she made a deliberate choice to be pathetic. I didn’t feel the need to call her about this to ask questions or argue. Nor did I want to lay hands on her. With Kenny as a baby daddy, life was going to whoop her ass for at least the next 18 years.

Chapter 24

Armias

“Your shoulders feel so tense. They stressed you out today, daddy?” Lourdes asked while kissing the side of my face. She sat behind me on her knees giving my shoulders a deep massage while I smoked a big, fat blunt. It was late night so we were posted up in bed after having a full house for the past few hours. Granny and Ms. Lucia had been over all day, which was something they did a few times a week since Alouri had come home from the hospital. Their presence made it easier for me to step away and go handle my business, which could take hours. I never wanted Lourdes to feel overwhelmed or like she was on her own, so I appreciated our village.

“I’m stressed every time I step into one of my barbershops, but I’m not complaining. I'd rather be stressed about business booming because my shit could be tanking.”

“That’s true,” she dug her hands into my shoulders harder. “But you shouldn’t let anybody stress you out if business is booming.”

“I can’t help it.”

“It’s all about what you decide you’re going to allow to bother you. A lot of people wonder how do I put up with kids screaming and jumping around while I’m trying to do their hair. It’s really just mind over matter. I tune all the theatrics out and focus on getting their hair done.”

“I hear you, but I’m not as strong as you, doll baby,” I smirked. It may have sounded like I was mocking her, but I was being real. I could never do what she did for a living. I didn’t have the patience or the nervous system for it. I’d be quick to text those parents to come pick up their screaming kid. Then the ones who liked to kick and hit would be permanently banned.

“Is your hard day the reason why you sent the kids home?” She questioned. I laughed because there was no doubt in my mind that she wanted to ask that about an hour ago when my siblings went home.

After I was done with work, I scooped up my siblings from school because I promised them that I would. They attended Audubon Charter School which ran from pre-k through 8th grade. Private school was out of the question because that was an expense I wasn’t trying to cover six times over. New Orleans had great public schools and I did my research on the best place to send the little ones. Audubon was an A school and they had three locations with one of them being in Gentilly where our family home was. Everyone, with the exception of Zee, had been there for years and had been flourishing in and out the classroom. Aspen and Aneesah knew what schools they wanted to attend for middle and high school, and they had good choices so I never had to protest. Scholarships had covered a good portion of Aspen’s college tuition and Aneesah was headed down the same road. Therefore, spending thousands on my siblings' primary and secondary education wasn’t necessary.

School had been cramping their style lately because all they wanted to do was come to my house and play with the baby. Mind you, she couldn’t do anything except look at them and smile. But they thought it was the most amazing shit ever. They would argue over holding her and do the most to get her attention. Phoenix was the one who really thought my baby was his baby with the way he’d shoot me texts throughout the day. He’d ask ridiculous shit like did I change, feed, and burp my baby. But overall, their excitement for our family's new addition was a highlight for me because I was a little worried about how they might feel about me having a baby of my own. Them being jealous or feeling like I was replacing them crossed my mind several times, but that worry had been denounced immediately. It was love at first sight for all my siblings and now it was even harder to get rid of them.

After picking them up from school, we headed to the Westbank because they wanted to see their niece. This had become a regular occurrence whenever I picked them up since Alouri had been born. They’d come over and be with their niece for a few hours, Aneesah would get out of cheer practice and spend some time too, and then they’d all go home in her car. I’d watch Neese’s location all the way to Gentilly and then I’d call her to ensure they all got inside safely. This was a new thing for me because they never really came over to my apartment. They preferred being at home in the comfort of their own rooms over being in my one bedroom bachelor pad. When I bought my house and showed it to them they said they were going to come over all the time, but it didn’t actually start until Alouri entered the world. The only person who ever came over almost everyday was Aneesah because she had her own car and she went to school on the Westbank where we lived. She’d come over after cheer practice just to hold Alouri for about an hour before heading home. The little ones didn’t have that privilege because none of them could drive. They could only come over when I picked them up from school and that couldn’t be everyday for multiple reasons. They all had things to do after school on most days whether it was sports, hobbies, or tutoring, so we often had conflicting schedules. I was never in charge of getting them from point a to point b. That had always been Rahesha’s duty and that was one thing I could give her credit for. I paid for all their extra curricular expenses and she made sure she got them there and back. If I was the one responsible for transporting them daily then it would have to stop once Alouri was born because my schedule now revolved around taking care of her. That was the biggest reason why my siblings couldn’t come over everyday no matter how hard they tried, and they definitely tried hard. One time Milan suggested I send an uber or lyft to her and Icelynn’s dance school so they could come over after dance classes on Tuesday and Thursdays. That obviously was never going to happen, so they had to wait for whenever I could get them. Fridays and the weekends had proven to be the best time for everyone. They still had things to do, but we could maneuver better without school in the way. They’d even spent last weekend with us. I said no at first because Alouri was still a new born and my younger siblings could be a rambunctious bunch when they were excited. I didn’t want Lourdes to be overwhelmed, but she was the one who shot me down and told them they could stay. I let her have it so she could see on her own, but surprisingly they proved me wrong by chilling and being helpful. Lourdes also had to remind me that her granny and Mom would help with my siblings if we needed it. That never crossed my mind because I didn’t want to throw that type of load on them. That’s why I had to send them home tonight with Aneesah. I had plans for Lourdes tomorrow that would take up our whole day, and I already had enlisted Granny and Ms. Lucia to babysit Alouri for the next few days. I was not going to abuse their kindness by throwing my siblings in the mix. I’d already briefed them about my plans, so they knew better than to ask again in front of Lourdes.

“I sent them kids home for the same reason I asked Granny to spend the night and keep Louri. We need time for ourselves.”

“They weren’t going to be in the room with us, Armias,” she giggled.

“So Zee wasn’t in bed with us last weekend?”

“Just until he fell asleep. Then you went and put him in the room with Phoenix.”

“And in the morning he found his way back in here up under you.”

“You sound jealous,” she giggled.

“Not jealous at all. They can come over anytime, but we got a whole day planned tomorrow, so they had to go home.”

“What exactly do we have planned for tomorrow? I must have missed a few chapters.”

“I have a couple of surprises lined up for you, so it wasn’t meant for you to know.”

“Do these surprises require me leaving the house?” She asked unenthusiastically. Lourdes was someone who enjoyed getting out and doing things like going out to eat, shopping at places like TJ Maxx & Marshalls, and doing fun activities with family and friends. The fact that the thought of a day out didn’t excite her anymore was troubling. There was no question that postpartum depression had grabbed ahold of my baby, but I refused to let it overcome her. I was getting her out of the house tomorrow and for the next few days. I was on a mission to remind her of all the little things she loved about life.

“The surprises require you letting go and trusting me.” I turned my head to make eye contact with her. “You trust me, right?”

“I guessss,” she groaned playfully.

“You guess?” I snarled, while grabbing her chin firmly.

“Ok! I do, I do,” she giggled.

“It’s too late for that.” I pressed my lips into hers and wasted no time slithering my tongue into her mouth. My dick was already semi-hard from the ambiance she created with her lit candles that smelled like strawberries and vanilla, the dim lights, the massage, and my blunts that she had pre-rolled. All that shit was foreplay to me.