𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 ❷ ⓿ ❷ ❷
Opening the backdoor of his Silverado dressed in a Off-White Cut Here Arrows T-shirt, dark denim G-Star jeans, and Off-White Odsy Mix-Media Sneakers, he unfastened his niece from the carseat and picked her up. With the one year old being drowsy, she rested her head on his shoulder, as he closed the door and approached his mother's house, walking straight in to the scent of food wafting in the air.
Toby found his mother alone in the kitchen, standing at the stove. "Why yo' door unlocked?" he asked, which gained her to glance over her shoulder, "We from da' hood. We don't leave doors unlocked."
"Is that my beautiful See-See?" Ruth smiled widely as she approached, grabbing Seona from him. "You spending time with Uncle Toby today?"
"Yup, she been wit me and da' boys since last night." Toby informed, raising the lid on the large, deep skillet to see what smelled so good. "Mm, gumbo. This done?"
"Almost," Ruth said. "You been babysitting?"
"Voluntarily. I just popped by there and took ha' wit me. She finally let Lolo hold her."
Ruth's eyebrows raised as she chuckled. "And how did that happen? You know babygirl here can be a mean booty sometimes."
"Oh she was mean then a mufucka." Toby laughed, "She kept pushin' Lolo head away when she tried to talk to her and when she touch her she snatch away hard as hell."
"Oh my God!" Ruth snickered, rubbing the one year old's back as she sleeps on her shoulder, "When did she loosen up?"
"When Lolo let her watch Cocomelon on her phone. She fell asleep on her and everything. But then when she woke up she gon' hurry up off her lap and go to Troy."
Ruth let out a chuckle as she shook her head. "Honey yes, she mean. She'll loosen up. She'll just have to be around Lotus more."
"Yea' that's what I told Lo."
"How is Anicia doing with her pregnancy? She accepting it better?"
"Oh yea', way better." Toby apprised. "She been spending mo' time wit Lo and takin' ha' break from songwriting to focus on the kids, us."
"So, are you and her officially a couple?" Ruth wondered.
He nodded his head. "We are. And I kno' it's gon' lead to marriage one day. I could propose today, tomorrow, or a year from now. But it's gon' happen." he noticed the change in her expression, "Why you lookin' like that?"
"I love Anicia, but I love you more. I just don't want you rushing into that kind of commitment so quickly." Ruth expressed to her first born.
"I been in love wit Nene tho'," he ran his tongue across his lips. "Two decades was taking away from us and we back. I know it was rocky—"
"And that's what worries me. That rocky point was about her running away pregnant and not telling you. I just don't want neither one of y'all going into that type of commitment and not really resolving the issue. Whose to say y'all won't argue and you realize you are still messed up about not being in Lotus's life for eighteen years."
"Whose to say I will tho'? Y'know me, I had to let that anger go because Lotus hea' right now. She may be nineteen, but we in each other lives and moving forward. I forgave Nene. I had to. She gon' be my wife and if I gotta put my pride aside to go to premarital counseling to make sho' that's fully buried then I can to step into that next part of my life wit my soon-to-be wife and kids. We gon' be straight."
Ruth nodded her head. "Okay, rather you do propose tomorrow or years from now, I support you wholeheartedly. I just wanted to make sure your head was in the right place. I would love to see you marrying someone you love. That will make me happy. All of my son's will be married. I'll be proud. Are you looking around for rings?"
"Not yet. But when I drop off Seona, Tae gon' have the same jeweler that helped him pick Shantey ring there to show me som' choices."
"That's gonna be nice. You're taking this next step in your life. Did you talk to the boys about it?"
"Yea' they wit me doin it. The older ones just ready for me to get married so I can stay out they business." he said, which made Ruth chuckle.
"Of course that's all they worrying about." Ruth said, "Speaking of them; how's Troy doing? I know what Kimberly done again with her dumbass messed his head up."
"Momma, man, I'm tellin' you, ian' neva' wanted to fuck up a woman so bad. She pull that shit intentionally knowin' he just got outta rehab and really wantin' a mother's love. She toyed wit 'em, and ion' play that shit bout my kids. She com' back I'm gettin' a real, gutta bitch to beat ha' ass up. I'm not bullshitting."
"Honestly, Toby, I do not blame you at all." Ruth spoke seriously, "I even wanna beat the bitch up. She know he vulnerable and she prayed on it."
"She did that." he nodded, "But he in a outpatient rehab and going to meetings. As long as he pushin' forward, that's all I'm caring bout."
"You're absolutely right."
"Lemme have a bowl of that Gumbo tho'," he rubbed his stomach, "You got me smellin' the seasonings and ain't even tryna gimme a bowl."
"Boy..." She snickered, "Let me go lay her down and I'll fix you one."
A few hours later, Toby left his mother's house to his brothers residence in Woodland Hills. Tae let him inside, with Toby carrying Seona that ate on chicken nuggets. Tae grabbed his daughter and says, "I see you talked yo' Uncle into getting you som' nuggets."
"Nuggets!" Seona repeated, grinning widely.
Tae chuckled, exchanging a hand fold with his brother. "Was she good witchu?"
"Yea' she was just bossin' us around and shit."
"She mama and Shantey put together, I'm tellin' you." Tae leaded his brother to living room where a Asian woman awaits, with various diamond rings across the coffee table. "This my jeweler Susan. She hooked me up wit the rock I got Mini. Susan, this my big brotha Toby."
Susan stood with a smile as they shook hands. "Nice meeting you."
"Fasho. I'm glad you came by hea' on my expense." he responded as sat down on the couch.
"Of course, of course." Susan smiled friendly, sitting beside him. "What're you looking for? Or shall I ask, which ring speaks her?"
"She notta real flashy person, real low-key. I kno' what I choose for her she gon' rock either way. But I kno' what she would always mention when we was younger was ha' love for emerald cut rings."
Susan nodded. "Here're the emerald cut choices." she reached for the display of specific twinkling diamonds and handed it to him, "Which one captures your eye?"
Toby's gaze examined the diamonds closely. It locked in on one specific ring: White Gold Emerald Cut Halo ring. He picked it up with his index finger and thumb. "This one right hea'. How much?"
"Six thousand." Susan enlightened. "2.28 carats and 18k White Gold."
"Lemme get dis one."
Walking into the living room dressed in a maternity tracksuit and slides, Shantey yawned and stared at the rings on the table. "Ooh rings! Who's getting married? Hey mamas!" She picked up Seona from her father.
"I'm proposin' to Anicia." he informed making Shantey gasp, "Don't say nothin' either."
"Hey, I know how to keep a secret." Shantey sat on her husband's lap, with Seona laying on her shoulder. "I gotta wedding planner that can plan your shit quick too. How're you gonna do it?"
"I got som' thing in mind." he smirked not spilling the details, "She'll love it tho'."
"Are you doing it soon? Or do you just have the ring for you do?"
"Just got it for when I do."
"She's gonna love it. This is so exciting."
"Are you cryin'?" Tae asked through his chuckle.
"Love is just in the air." Shantey voice breaks as she buried her face in her husband's neck.
"Excuse her," Tae rubbed her back. "This pregnancy got her sensitive."
Toby and Tae laughed. "It got 'er sensitive."
"Sexy mama!" Toby exclaimed, with a wide smile, as he stared at Anicia standing on the porch dressed in a fitted romper with a cardigan sweater and UGG boots. She ate on a pack of chili cheese Fritos and the strap of the Victoria Secret Pink duffel hung from her shoulder. He opened his arms and says, "Gimme som' love baby."
Anicia walked into his arms, kissing him repeatedly. He let her in, closing the door as he grabbed the duffel from her shoulder. "I see you brung yo' spend the night bag."
"It's spennanight," Anicia corrected as he chuckled. "Where're the boys? It's quiet."
"Guppie and Avant just left wit they auntie to Vegas for the weekend, Troy at a meetin', and Tyson wit som' female. Gabe the only one back there on that fuckin' game."
"Gabe say he a homebody; forget weekend plans." She and Toby laughed softly in unison. "Did you see this?" She pulls back one side of her cardigan to show the small bump forming at the low of her belly.
"Aah, that's crazy!" Toby smiled, rubbing the small bump softly. "What I did notice is those twins right there." he gestured to her breasts appearing fuller and poking out the round neckline of her romper. "Got me wantin' to motorboat them mufuckas!"
"Uh, no. They're sore." She continued to eat her chips as she followed him, "What did you do today?"
"Not shit really; chilled wit Seona's bossy ass." he purposely left out buying her an engagement ring.
"She's bossy foreal?"
"Man, as fuck." Toby chuckled, opening the fridge. "She was bossin' every last one of our asses last night. She can say shit so clear. Eight o'clock came around and she was tellin' everybody to 'lay' and sayin' 'off' to cut lights out. When it's ha' bedtime, everybody going to bed around this mufucka."
"Oh my God! She is too freaking cute for her own good."
"Most definite. What she said went baby." Toby faced her, "Whatchu tryna eat?"
Anicia shrugged, chomping on the last of her chips. "I don't know. I really want a big ass bowl of chili cheese Fritos and strawberry ice cream."
Toby nearly responded, but his eyes landed on Gabe in only his underwear about to enter the kitchen. He immediately gestured him away. "Pants, pants, pants!"
Sucking his teeth, Gabe spun around back to his bedroom and Toby says, "Boy foreva' in his boxers."
"He home and comfortable."
"You still got photos of us from when we was teens? Or you cut them hoes up?" Toby wondered making Anicia chuckle lightly.
"I almost did. I won't lie." Anicia stated, "But I kept all of them. Especially the ones all over Myspace. Why?"
Toby shrugged slyly, "no reason. Just wanted to see our young asses. I still got som' but you kno' you females keep all of 'em."
"We can look at the ones on Myspace. The printed off photos are in my old Converse shoebox at home."
"Let's do that." Toby spoke, having a plan set in motion. .
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀