Page 30 of Breeze and Melodie

One Year Later

“Ma, can you get Kadence down from there?” I shouted from the kitchen.

I knew having twins would be a lot, but ‘a lot’ wasn’t enough to describe it.

There were no words in any dictionary in any language to describe what it was like parenting two children going through the same stages and phases simultaneously.

I couldn’t imagine what it was like for parents of triplets or other multiples.

To say I was grateful my parents moved to Onyx City would be an understatement. Their help had been a godsend, and I couldn’t thank them enough.

“Kadence, get your little behind down from there,” Ma said, pulling her granddaughter away from the gate I’d put up to keep them from entering the kitchen.

Kadence was our firstborn by two minutes and our firecracker.

She came out, guns blazing, and hadn’t slowed down since.

Her sister, Sky, on the other hand, was calm, cool, and collected.

She was quiet and reserved and didn’t mind entertaining herself, which was what she was currently doing as she sat on the blanket in the family room, playing with giant building blocks.

“I tell you what! This one here is all you. Until she came along, I’d never seen a child besides you who was such a daredevil. She can’t even walk and got the nerve to be trying to climb over the gate,” Ma fussed.

“What’s worse is, she can’t talk, but I’d bet money she be cussing me out in baby language.”

“Oh, I’m sure she is, and you were the same way. Sky is more like Breeze. Don’t nothing rile her up except for her daddy.”

“Speaking of, . . . here he comes,” I said when I heard the garage door.

Aside from my parents’ move, a lot had changed in the past year. We moved into the house we’d chosen about a month before the girls were born. I was excited to be close to Raine again, and the support we were able to give each other was everything.

Raine’s and my daily roles at the shop had diminished significantly. We only worked three days a week, one of them we spent teaching, and the other two we spent styling. The four days I spent at home with the girls were full and exhausting, but I loved being their mother.

We still managed the other areas of Black Reign as a team but hired a payroll company to handle payroll and gave our accountant more financial responsibilities.

“Hey, baby,” Breeze greeted when he entered the kitchen from the garage. He wrapped his arms around my waist, buried his nose in my neck, and inhaled before leaving a kiss.

“How was work?”

“It was cool. Busy day. Wassup, Mama Lyric? You good?”

“I’m good, Breeze.”

“Da-Da!” Sky shouted from the other side of the gate with her arms in the air, waiting to be picked up.

One of the only times Sky got excited was when she saw her father. They both showed him love, but Sky was definitely the daddy’s girl between the two of them.

He went to the gate, reached over, and picked her up. “Hey, Baby Sky!”

After kissing her cheek, he blew a raspberry, which sent her into a fit of giggles, before putting her down.

“Baby Kay, you don’t see Daddy over here?” he asked.

Kadence had the nerve to look surprised when she heard the nickname only her father called her, knowing damn well she’d heard him come in.

“Da-Da!” She crawled back to where we’d just removed her, used the gate to help her up, and waited for Breeze to pick her up.

“That’s more like it, Baby Kay.” He did the same thing he’d done with Sky, throwing her into a fit of giggles before putting her down.

“Those two are a mess,” I commented, shaking my head.

“Mama Lyric, can you keep an eye on them for a minute? I need to talk to Mel right quick.”

“Take your time, but don’t be all night. I do have a man at home.”

I laughed, but Breeze paid her no mind and pulled me down the hall and into our bedroom. It wasn’t until then that I noticed he was holding a plastic bag from the pharmacy down the street. He closed the door behind us and pulled a white box from the bag.

“What’s that?” I asked. He showed me the front of the box. “Why do you have that?”

“Why else?”

“Breeze, I can’t be pregnant again already.”

“My pull-out game is damn near nonexistent because I hate doing that shit. Just take the test so we can be sure.”

“What makes you think I’m pregnant?”

“Your period been weird?—”

“Because I’m nursing two babies. Plus, we’ve been using other stuff for birth control.”

“That don’t mean shit. My super sperm can’t be stopped.”

Since my husband refused to wear condoms, I had to resort to using vaginal contraceptives. If we got caught up in the moment, he tried to pull out but failed many times. I was still breastfeeding and pumping, so my period was somewhat irregular and light, but I didn’t think I was pregnant.

“Why do you think I’m pregnant?” I asked again.

“For the past few weeks, I’ve been tired, and?—”

“Shit!”

For some reason, when I was pregnant with the girls, Breeze had more pregnancy symptoms than I did.

“Exactly. Take the test.”

I snatched it from him and marched to the bathroom inside our bedroom. His nosy ass was right behind me, and I didn’t bother telling him to leave because it would’ve been a waste of time.

Begrudgingly, I pushed my leggings down and sat on the toilet. After ripping the box open and taking the wrapping off the test, I slipped it between my legs and relieved my bladder. Breeze’s nasty ass took the test from me, not giving me the chance to put it on the counter.

By the time I cleaned myself up and washed my hands, we had our answer.

I couldn’t even be mad because I was married to the most amazing husband and father a woman could ask for.

He could plant as many seeds in me as he wanted, although I wouldn’t say that out loud because he’d take me up on the offer. I was crazy in love but not crazy.