Page 118 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“You sure you still wanna tell him today?”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “I got his gift ready.”
Seth smiled like he was proud of me. And that, that did something to me. I wasn’t used to being seen. Not like this. Not loved like this. And I wasn’t about to take it for granted.
“You sure you up for Disney? This ain’t gonna be too much for you?”
Seth asked for the third time that morning, standing there looking me dead in my face like I wasn’t already dressed and walking out the door.
I turned and stared at him with a soft smile. “Seth, I’m fine.”
He didn’t budge. Still had that concerned look on his face.
“I also know you called the doctor four times asking her if it was fine.”
“She a snitch,” he mumbled, putting on his shirt. “Whatever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?”
“You’re not the patient.”
“My son is,” he shot back, smirking, like that made him win.
I raised an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure it’s a boy?”
“I want a boy.”
“So you don’t want a daughter?”
“I mean yeah,” he said, dragging the word out. “But only if she looks and built just like me.”
I blinked. “Seth, what?”
He just shook his head, laughing to himself like he wasn’t saying crazy things.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said quietly, but something in his voice made me pause.
Maybe he was scared of having a little girl. Scared of loving something that soft. Something that delicate. Something thatmight break him if she ever got hurt. That’s how Seth was, he hid his fears in jokes and control.
So I softened. “You want more kids after this?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
“How many?”
“However many you give me.”
That answer did something to me. Something warm. Something deep. Because I did want to give this man more children. I wanted to build a life with him, not just the house or the jet or the matching fits at Disney but a real life. One filled with little hands, late nights, scraped knees, baby bottles, and tired kisses at the kitchen sink. I smiled without meaning to. And he saw it. Seth leaned in, kissed my lips like he was sealing a promise between us, then reached down and pulled me up by the hand.
Outside, S3 was already running circles around the rental car, yelling about roller coasters and churros.
Seth popped the trunk and tossed the bags in, then helped me into the passenger seat like I was fragile. I wasn’t. But I didn’t stop him either. I was starting to like being taken care of.
“Y’all ready?” he asked, glancing at both of us as he got in the driver’s seat.
S3 threw both arms in the air. “Let’s goooooo!”
And just like that, we were on the way to Disney.
My first time. Our first time as a family. And this baby’s first adventure riding along with me, already changing everything.
