Page 167 of Roulette: The Madam

Slowly, she gained consciousness. Falling asleep wasn’t in her plans but I’d taken much longer than expected in the meeting. It was hard for me to enter the room and it was even harder for me to exit.

“My family is waiting, huh?”

“Yes. And, they’re going to be pissed if we don’t show up.

She breathed out a heavy sigh before stuffing her nose in the baby’s neck.

“She just smells so good and feels so soft. Babies are everything innocent and pure and soft and good in the world,” she whined.

The moment was precious and one that I didn’t think I’d ever witness. It wasn’t the fact that Roulette was holding a baby that had taken me by surprise. It was how quickly she gravitated to the child and who the child belonged to that had me stumped. It defeated any allegations of bad character when it came to her.

Six weeks before the due date of my Godchild, my mentee, Chino, had gotten himself into a nasty car accident. His drinking and depression had coupled, making him lose control of his vehicle and collide with a box truck.

The truck driver walked away with barely a scratch, although his vehicle flipped twice. Chino, however, was left paralyzed from his waist down. The news devastated the mother of his unborn child, sending her into pre-term labor.

The baby stayed in the NICU for two and a half weeks before she was able to come home. Since her arrival, her mother hadn’t gotten more than two hours of sleep between caring for Chino and the baby simultaneously.

Asking Roulette to join me tonight as I made the visit to his home felt more abrasive than it truly was. She didn’t hesitate to put on her clothes and jewels to leave my home two hours before our intended time to make the stop. From the moment she stepped into the home, she reigned supreme.

While my focus was Chino and steering him in the right direction, she was focused on the little girl I’d vowed to father in the event her biological father couldn’t. Right now, he was in no position to do anything but heal.

“You’re right, Princess.”

“Ugh. We should get going but I don’t want to leave her. She’s so stinking cute.”

Aubree Kiara was her name. Her early arrival was unplanned and so was the predicament her father had gotten himself in. While Roulette and I promised to lend a helping hand for the duration of the meeting, I knew that once we left Chino’s home, she wouldn’t think twice about the precious bundle of joy she was holding.

Her maturity level spoke volumes. She’d been wronged by both parties, yet she refused to pass her transgressions to the child. According to her, she was always doing girl’s work and this was the perfect example of the measures she’d take to make sure the work was done.

In my absence, she’d cleaned her nursery, bathed her, got her in some new clothes, fed her, oiled her down, read her a bedtime story, and rocked her to sleep. In the meantime, Kiara was in a deep slumber on the couch, possibly getting the best sleep she’d had since Chino’s accident.

“She is. If you want, we can visit again sometime. I’ll let you say when. This is all on your terms, habibi.”

“I need to get her in bed without waking her up. Help me up from this chair.”

I took Roulette by the hand and waited until she was ready to pull up. When I felt the bulk of her weight, I pulled toward the door. She stood on her feet, still a few inches taller from the pumps she wore faithfully. Caring for a newborn wasn’t the exception to her ritual.

“She’s a good baby,” she whispered, watching a sleeping Aubree.

She’s successfully placed her in the crib without disrupting her sleep.

“You trying to see if we can make a good one, too?” I posed, watching her as I stood against the wall.

She was a natural. And, her handling of a baby that was the product of her betrayal had me wondering just how well she’d do with one made from our love. The possibilities were endless.

“I will remove my womb and give it to a woman who needs it before I grow a baby in it. No thank you. They’re not even all that to be stretching my body out, stressing for the rest of my life, or dealing with their bullshit until I die.

“No thank you, Big Fella. There are enough babies in my family to go around. You want to see how I’d be with a child of our own, then watch me with one of my nieces or nephews. Because, they are mine. All mine. The good part about it is I can give their asses back when I’m ready and that’s how I like it.”

“Come on. Let her rest.”

Roulette followed me out of the room, hand-in-hand with her shoes clacking against the floor. I would never get tired of that sound. It let me know that she was en route and there was almost nothing more exhilarating than knowing she was nearing me.

We passed a sleeping Kiara on the couch. Cautious not to wake her, we tiptoed out of the front door and locked it behind us. There was a monitor on the living room table right next to her. When Aubree woke, she’d know.

I opened the passenger door and watched as Roulette got comfortable inside. I made it to the driver’s seat in a matter of seconds.

“You good?”

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