Page 173 of When a Soul Cries

That was the crazy part.

Rome had never had children. Neither one of us had. There were no nieces and nephews running around our family functions. We hadn’t grown up babysitting cousins or changing diapers. I couldn’t remember ever seeing Rome hold a child longer than it took to hand one back to somebody.

Yet here this little girl was, curled against him like she’d known him longer than a day.

Rome looked down at her.

She tilted her face up at him.

For a few seconds they just looked at each other.

Then she rested her cheek against his chest again.

I pressed my lips together.

I tried to stop myself.

I swear to God I did.

“Man, hell nah.”

Rome’s head snapped toward me. “Don’t start.”

I lifted both hands. “I ain’t say nothing.”

“You’re about to.”

“I’m observing.”

“Observe quietly.”

Zari snorted.

Sol rubbed her palms slowly over the front of her leggings, still looking uncertain. “Do you mind if I go freshen up? Me and Zari were talking, and I wanted to finish—”

“She good,” Rome said before she finished.

Sol hesitated.

“I can take her.”

Rome shifted the baby higher against him, supporting her without even looking down to check where his hands were. “Nah. I got her. Go handle your business.”

Sol’s eyes stayed on him for a moment.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She looked at her daughter again. The baby seemed completely content.

Sol finally leaned forward and kissed the baby’s cheek. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

The little girl watched her mother walk away but made no move to follow.

Zari stared at the baby for another second before shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

I stared at Zari.