Keira
"You decided on whea we going on our honeymoon?"
"I have a couple ideas." I looked up at him.
"And yeen gonna tell me huh?" He chuckled.
"You tell me anything about the wedding?"
"No."
"Well there goes your answer then."
"I ain't worried either way."
Leaning in, I met him half way as we kissed. After clearing up the whole music thing, he left with our daughter to get some stuff we needed at the store.
I had taken it upon myself to listen to the music on the drive. It was four songs in total and aside from the one song, the others I didn't know.
"You listened to them didn't you?"
"Why you ask?"
"I'm seeing the drive in your macbook." He looked at me.
"Yea I did."
"And?"
"The three other songs, I don't know them but they were good."
"They had anything to do with you?"
"It didn't seem that way." I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Ok."
Going back to what he was doing above me, I just laid on his lap staring up at him.
"Stop doing that."
"What?"
"I'm not mad about anything."
"You're lying."
Saying that, I got his attention as I wanted.
"Come again?"
"Tell me how you feel?"
"You wanna know how I feel?"
"Yes."
"Aight." He put down his ipad.
Shifting myself, I gave him my attention.
"It is bothering me that he sent it. Just like it bothered me when he sent that wedding gift."
"Ok."
"This the same nigga who told ya ta move on with ya life but soon as he bout ta get out early, he starts doing this shit."
The tone in August's voice had changed at this point. I understood fully where he was coming from and if it was the other way around, I would feel some the same.
"Baby, listen. I'll talk to Mike and-"
"Nah. Just leave it alone."
"You sure?"
"Yea."
"You know I'm still going to talk to Mike right?"
"Yes I know." He laughed.
"I just want to stop this. We're happy, I'm beyond happy and I'm ready to be your wife."
"Yea well you been my wife regardless."
Sitting up, I smiled as he licked his lips.
"Come get you what you want girl." He pulled me into him.
As we shared another passionate kiss my phone rang.
"Ignore it!" He spoke against my lips."
"I can't babe." I pulled away. "Last time you told me to ignore it, Kevin came charging in here."
Walking over to my phone, sure enough it was Kevin calling me.
"Hey bro." I smiled still watching August.
"Keira."
Here the haste in his voice, it snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Kevin what's wrong?
"Go to my house and in the hall closet grab Nita's hospital bag, she's in labour. "
"Oh my God! OK sure."
"Yea and meet me at Emory and call momma."
"Ok I got you."
Getting off the phone, I got changed.
"Nita went into labor."
August looked at me shocked.
"Ain't she like a week early?"
"Yea but her doctor had said it could happen at anytime."
"Oh! Well I'll meet you thea soon as YaYa wakes up."
"Thank you baby." I kissed him while pulling on my top.
"Hold on." He pulled me.
Shifting my top, he took hold of my breast before flicking then sucking on my nipple.
"August!" I moaned lightly.
"Aight you can go now. That's just part of what ya was gon get."
"Love you too." I shook my head.
Making my way out of our room, I went and check on my daughter. Kissing her cheek, I left.
******
"Yea mommy, I'll text you my card info, y'all see what flight you can get as soon as possible."
"No need to love. I'll put something in place."
"Ok. Well I'll see y'all in a bit."
Making my final left, I pulled up at Emory hospital. Grabbing both Kevin and Nita's bags, I quickly made my way in.
"Keira!"
Hearing my name, I turned and saw Sarah.
"Hey, how is she doing?"
"She dilated quickly."
"Really?"
"Yea so they took them up."
"So what do we do now?"
"I was waiting on you to go up."
"Ok."
Getting my pass, we got on the elevator.
"Hey can I ask you something?"
"Sure, wassup?"
"How often is Mike in contact with Damian?"
"Oh. Um. I'm not sure."
"Ok."
The elevator dinged as its door opened on the fourth floor. Heading over to the waiting room, we sat and waited.
Kevin
"That's my girl."
Kissing Nita on her forehead, I coached her as she pushed.
"We're almost there mommy. Just one more push."
Holding my hand, she nodded before following the doctor's instruction and pushing again.
"You got! You got it mommy, just keep pushing!"
"You got this babe." I coached.
"We got him!" our doctor spoke.
Nita laid back on the bed exhausted as the sound of our son's cries ring through the delivery room.
"You did it baby." I kissed her. "You did it."
Placing him in her, she cried as the nurse wiped him off.
"Daddy you want to do the honors?"
Looking at our doctor, he held up the scissors.
"Babe." Nita called me.
We had had this discussion before about cutting his cord. As strange as it sounded, she wanted him to stay attached till everything was complete.
"I understand." Our doctor smiled.
Calling another nurse for assistance, holding our son, Nita finished off.
"Tell nurse Roberts to prep for a lotus birth." He instructed.
I watched in awe as they got him cleaned up and Nita. The fact that my son was here was overwhelming but exhilarating.
"Kevin."
Giving her my attention, she held out her hand.
"I love you so much." I kissed it the her. "I just love you Anita."
"I love you too baby." She cried.
******
"So y'all just going to leave him attached to it till it separates for itself?" Keira asked.
"Till it stops pumping, then I'll cut it." I laughed.
"Where the hell y'all got that from?"
"Its called a Lo-"
"Lotus birth!" I heard a familiar voice.
Smiling, Nita's aunt and me and Aug's mother came walking in the room.
"Y'all going through with it?" She hugged me.
"Yea." I smiled.
"Its a sacred tradition that is practiced in our culture. Him being attached to the placenta till it finishes it's job, gives him a higher chance of proper health."
"Damn I should have done that with YaYa." Keira mumbled.
Same time, Aug came walking out the elevator to with my niece.
"Wazzamin y'all."
"Uncle Kevin, this for you and teetee and the baby." YaYa smiled.
Handing me a balloon tied to a teddy bear, I just smiled.
"Thank you princess." I kissed her cheek.
"Can I see him?" She asked.
"Umm. Just now you will." I smiled.
"Ok."
As everyone conversed, I waited for the doctor to come out the room.
"Kevin?"
"Yea doc?"
"Everything is fine with Anita and your son. She's nursing so you can go in. Once she finished anyone else can visit."
"Ok thanks."
As he left, I explained everything to them before going in and checking her.
"He's just so perfect." She whispered as she gently played in his hair.
"He is." I agreed.
"I can't believe he's here." She looked up at me.
"Well he is. All eight pounds thirteen ounces of him."
"Two weeks early too." She laughed.
"Hey, I don't mind because I was praying he didn't come on Aug's birthday next weekend."
"Really babe."
"Deadass."
"Kevin I can't believe you."
"Picture having another August Nita." I straight faced her.
"We already have another August. The female version." She laughed.
"I know right."
As we laughed, there was a constant knocking on the door.
"Teetee can we come in now?" YaYa called.
"There she go right there." I shook my head.
"Go let my princess in." She laughed.
Anita
"How long y'all gonna be in here for?"
Smiling at my son, I wasn't paying attention to anyone. He looked so much like me.
"Nita?"
"What you said Auntie? "
"I asked when are you going to be discharged?"
"Oh well they want to run some tests on him tomorrow and once everything is as it should be, we will be discharged then."
It's been four days since I've given birth and I couldn't be any happier. Baby Kenneth was the sweetest thing ever. All the nurses loved him and so did our family.
When my aunt and mother-in-law found out we honored mines and Kevin's dad by naming him after them, they were more than happy.
"What you thought about the overall experience lovie?" My aunt came over to me.
"Honestly." I smiled. "It was life changing."
"Yea?" She smiled.
"Mhmm. I still can't believe that I was in labour for two days and not know."
"Yup. That can happen." She laughed.
"Then giving birth natural made it even better. It was hard but worth it in the end."
When they checked to see how dilated I was, at the time I was fully dilated. Soon as they got me prepped, he was crowning.
"You're going to be a great mother." She kissed my forehead.
"I was raised by a great mother." I looked at her. "Thank you for being my mother. I don't know what I would do without you meng."(aunt)
"Thank you for allowing me too. I know it was hard for you growing up, but I love you like you're my own."
Wiping her tears, I tried not to let mines fall.
"I never told you this, but when I had found out that I couldn't have children, the same day I told your mother, was the same day she found out she was pregnant with you."
"Really?"
"Yea." She nodded. "She didn't tell me till a couple days later because she didn't want to make me feel bad."
"Did you?"
"I did." She confessed. "One night she heard me crying and she came in and just laid with me. I told her that I was happy for her but just trying to cope with my situation."
"And what did she say?"
"She told me that regardless, when you get here that you would be as much mines as hers and asked me to be your guardian no matter what."
"Why didn't you tell me this."
"Because regardless of it all, I was always going to love you like mines."
"And I'm glad you did."
Looking at Kenneth, he was sleeping. Tickling his chin, he gave us a smile.
"Auntie I need some advice."
"Talk to me." She said taking him and putting him in his bassinet.
"I have an issue on work."
"The girl who was coming on to you and Kevin?" She came back over to by me.
"Yea. How did you know?"
"Girl you know word travels in this family." She laughed.
"Keira and Aug huh?"
"Those two and keep a damn thing quiet." She laughed.
"No they can't." I laughed shaking my head.
"So what's up."
"Well before my water broke, Faith came in to clear her name. Apparently she has a twin sister and she was the one flirting with Kevin."
"Really?"
"Yea. I still can't believe it."
"But how was she around Kevin though."
"I don't know. I mean I've never noticed anything different at work but that's the only thing I could think of."
"You need to clear this whole thing up angel. I don't want this little one being raised in all that negativity."
"Yea. I guess I'll talk to her but without Kevin. I need to talk to her one on one first."
"If you feel like that's best, then you should do it but don't exclude Kevin."
"Exclude Kevin from what?"
Walking through the door with food, I smiled nervously.
"Tell him." My aunt nudged me.
"Is everything ok?" He asked.
"Everything is fine but um." I paused. "I was telling my aunt about the Faith thing and how I think I want to talk to her one on one before anything else."
"Oh. Well if you feel like that's what you want to do then yea."
"Yea?"
"Yea. Somehow I feel like whatever Faith gotta tell you is on some personal female shit and I ain't bout that but we talk to the both of them together after."
"You think so?"
"Yea, something ain't adding up when ya think about it."
"What you mean?"
"Yesterday when I was putting him to sleep, I was thinking about everything and there were times where she was being strange."
"In what way?"
"Most of the time, she would be professional, calling me Mr. Cox and not even giving me much attention, but then would switch up and call me Kevin in this tone and be in my personal space."
"Again you never told me this."
"Let's not do this again please." He sighed.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "But I need to know the truth."
"Well you do what you have to do."
"Yea."
Passing me my Chinese we sat eating. Kevin told me how his mother and the others would be coming by later so I decided to get some rest before then.