Page 11 of Love Me Now: Adrian & Kwamé
“It’s alet’s be togetherring,” Kwamé explained with a blush stealing her cheeks.
“Naw, that’s an engagement ring if I ever seen one,” Pops chimed in.
Damn, first Adir and now them. Everybody wanted to be in a nigga’s business.
“Trust me, y’all gon’ know when I propose. Just make sure y’all prepared,” I told them.
Mama smiled brightly, and Kwamé’s smile grew even more. I wasn’t leaving any room for her to think that this was a game, or that marriage wasn’t the end goal for us. Because it was. The end goal was for us to be happily married, with our kids, living out our wildest dreams.
CHAPTER 5
KWAMÉ
“I’veplannedtocookfor you several times, and Adrain beats me to it,” Margarite fussed. I was inside her kitchen, snacking on some chicken salad she’d made while Adrian and Gion put a swing set together for Jessie. “Look at ‘em,” she softly barked as she peered out of the large kitchen window overlooking the backyard. “Out there being all manly and take charge. What ifIwant to spoil my daughter and granddaughter?”
Giggling, I said, “Really, Mom.”
She pouted. “No, not really. I’m trippin’, huh?”
Nodding, I replied, “Just a tad.”
She smacked her teeth. “Oh, hell. At least he’s not some bum. And at least he loves Jessie. Look how she’s trying to help her daddy. Aww.”
Something warm fluttered inside my chest. Adrian was so patient with Jessie. She was all in his way, but he redirected her every time her little tail got in the way.
“I owe you a beat down for keeping her from us,” Mama fussed some more.
Sadly, I avoided this conversation with my mother. She wanted an in depth play by play on what happened and who Jessie’s real father was, but I wasn’t ready to go there with her. I wasn’t ready to discuss that shitever.
Today, Adrian, Antonias, and Bianca accompanied me to see Dr. Cartright. Now that I was staying at the farm for the foreseeable future, having care closer to home was necessary. We were sixteen weeks now, and with all hope, we could learn the babies’ genders today.
When we made it to the office, Minnie and Judge Bell were waiting for us. Minnie embraced her daughter, then me. The way her eyes shined with tears at seeing my belly made this even more worth it. Every time she saw me, her reaction was the same.
Inside the exam room, Dr. Cartright chuckled at all of us gathered inside there to see what he had to say. I wasn’t worried. My last exam went well, and I was doing everything in my power to grow these babies. Everything else was up to God.
As Dr. Cartright did my scan, Adrian held my hand and paid close attention to the ultrasound screen. His focus on every little thing was endearing. These weren’t his children inside me, yet his attentiveness to know every detail told me that once it was our turn to conceive, he’d be just as invested.
Bianca and Minnie sniffled as soon as they heard the twins’ heartbeats. The babies were growing perfectly, and come November, Bianca and Antonias would be the proud parents of a baby girl and baby boy. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
Thirty minutes later, everyone was all smiles as we filed out of the exam room. Antonias and Bianca had another round of ultrasound pictures to add to the ones I gave them a few weeks ago. We all agreed to meet for lunch at Bell Estates. Adrian led me to his office where Russ was watching Jessie until we were done.
When we walked inside of Adrian’s office, Russ looked relieved.
“Say, mane,” he started, “the next time y’all ask me to babysit, I’ma respectfully decline.”
I burst out laughing while Jessie sat in the middle of the floor playing with her toys, looking all innocent.
“She done climbed on every damn thing in here,” Russ said.
Adrian stooped down to clean Jessie’s toys up and tweaked her chin. “You can’t give Russ a heart attack, lil’ baby,” he said to Jessie, who giggled. Her big brown eyes snagged Adrian, and just like that, he folded. He picked her up, then grilled Russ. “I think you lyin’ on my baby.”
Russ chuckled. “Yeah, aight. When she’s flippin’ off the roof of the house, I don’t want to hear shit.”
“Now you talkin’ shit,” Adrian stated. “Yo’ big ass will be the first one dodging to catch her if shediddo some shit like that.”
Russ smirked but didn’t deny it. He loved him some Jessie.
“First of all,” I started, “both of you would dive to catch her. Second of all, I’m starving, so can we get a move on?”
