Page 23

Chapter Twenty-One

Mel

The morning of my baby shower was straight-up chaos. I woke up to a house full of noise. Nic cussing under her breath, and Kasha arguing with Sophi over which color dress she should wear. I hadn’t even made it to the bathroom before I was being yanked in three different directions.

“Mel, sit yo’ ass down so I can do your face,” Nic ordered, brush in hand, like she was about to perform surgery.

“I just woke up,” I mumbled, clutching my robe.

Kasha popped in with a bowl of fruit. “Eat this. You ain’t passing out on us today.”

Sophi leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You sure you good? You look… stressed.”

“I am stressed,” I said, flopping into the chair. “It’s like a wedding in here and I’m the damn bride.”

“Well, you are the main event,” Nic smirked, already dusting powder over my face.

I sighed. “I didn’t even get to brush my teeth yet.”

“Brush ’em later,” she said without pause. “You can’t have puffy eyes in pictures.”

Kasha was behind me fixing my hair, and Sophi was scrolling through a checklist like a damn wedding planner.

“Y’all are insane,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” Nic said, “but we love you.”

That made me smile.

As the girls moved around, chattering about last-minute details, Sophi suddenly got quiet. Nic glanced at her, then at me.

“You good?” Nic asked her cousin.

Sophi hesitated. “Yeah, just… been thinking. My ex gets out soon.”

The room quieted.

I turned in the chair to look at her. “Damn. I forgot about that.”

“I try to forget too,” Sophi muttered.

Kasha stepped closer. “You worried he might try something?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I ain’t heard from him since he went in, but I just… I don’t trust him. And I don’t want him popping up when I least expect it.”

Nic’s face tightened. “You know we got you, right? Ain’t nobody touching you with us around.”

I nodded. “You’re family, Soph. If something goes down, you need to tell us. Don’t try to handle that shit by yourself.”

She gave a soft smile. “I know. Just didn’t want to bring drama to y’all, not with everything else going on.”

“Well, now it’s our business,” Kasha said. “You must’ve forgotten who your cousins are, so let him try if he wants to.”

We all shared a moment of silence, the kind that didn’t need words to feel strong.

“Alright,” Nic clapped her hands. “Back to it. Our girl’s about to show out.”

***

The house quieted for a split second, just enough for me to hear the sound of the front door opening.

Heavy footsteps. Then smaller, excited ones running through the hallway.

“Mama Mel!” Liberty’s voice rang out.

I barely had time to react before her little arms were wrapped around my waist, her face lit up like sunshine.

“Hey, baby!” I laughed, crouching slightly to hug her. “You look so pretty!”

She twirled in her blue dress, her curly hair bouncing. “Daddy, let me pick out my own dress! And I got on lip gloss like Auntie Nic!”

Nic came around the corner, raising an eyebrow. “I know that’s right, baby. Lemme see?”

Liberty giggled and grabbed her hand like they’d been besties for years.

Kilo walked in behind her, tall, calm, and all-black as usual. Even though things were still healing between us, the look he gave me was soft. The kind of look that said everything he hadn’t had the words for lately.

Right behind him came Buck and Stacks. Buck went straight to Nic, smacked her ass, and gave her a kiss like he hadn’t just seen her this morning. Stacks pulled Kasha into a hug from behind and whispered something in her ear that made her smirk.

“Y’all act like you ain’t seen us in a year,” Kasha said.

“I missed you,” Stacks replied with no shame.

Sophi rolled her eyes. “Y’all need help.”

But even she was smiling.

I turned back to Liberty. “You ready for the party?”

She nodded quickly. “I’m gone help you open gifts! Daddy said I could.”

Kilo stepped in. “I told her only if she behaves.”

“I always behave,” Liberty argued, hands on her hips.

We all laughed. That little girl was definitely a part of this family, and was stealing my heart every time I saw her.

***

The ride to Kilo’s parents’ house was loud and full of energy. I sat in the backseat with Liberty while Kilo drove. She asked a million questions—how many people would there be, if her baby brother would cry a lot, and if she could help change diapers?

“Let’s hold off on the diapers, baby,” I said with a laugh.

Kilo caught my eyes through the rearview mirror, and it was in that moment I saw the love that had never left.

Mrs. Shaunie had the house decorated beautifully. Baby blue balloons, white linen, and custom signs that read ‘Welcome Baby Teddy’ were everywhere. The smell of baked mac and cheese and lemon cake filled the air.

As soon as we walked in, Liberty’s eyes widened.

“This all for him?”

I nodded. “It is.”

“Wow,” she whispered.

The whole family was already there, and his mama was front and center, arms wide open.

“There’s my babies,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “Look at my grandbaby. You look so pretty,” she complimented.

“Thank you, Gigi.”

“You look just like your daddy,” she smiled.

Buck swooped in after. “Wassup, shorty.”

Liberty ran into his arms like she’d known him forever, when he was just at the house. He spun her around, making her laugh.

***

The shower went better than I expected. My mom was there, fussing over everything. My cousin Harlow came in place of Saint and Eve. Eve had just given birth a few weeks ago and was still recovering. Harlow made sure I stayed hydrated and had plenty of pictures.

We played games, opened gifts, and took a hundred photos. Liberty sat next to me the whole time, announcing who the gifts were from, like she was hosting a game show.

Then, right as I was opening a box of baby clothes, I felt a sharp pain that caused me to freeze in place.

“Mel?” Kilo said, leaning forward.

I looked at him, then at Nic, who was already standing.

“My water just broke.”

“Oh, shit,” he uttered. “Shit. Uhm, Ma!”

Everyone sprang into action. Kasha grabbed my purse. While Buck was yelling for the keys, Sophi was ushering the kids into the back room. Harlow jumped into action, helping with the kids. Kilo didn’t even panic. He just scooped me up and told me to breathe.

“Let’s go,” he said calmly, carrying me toward the truck.

I clutched his arm, heart pounding.

Sophi volunteered to stay behind with the kids, and Harlow stayed with her. Nic rode with Buck. Stacks and Kasha followed in his car.

The hospital wasn’t far, but the contractions were coming quick. Kilo held my hand the entire time, never letting go.

Hours later… after screaming, pushing, and a lot of pain—I gave birth to our son… Theodore Ky’Shaun DeLuca. He was healthy and looked just like his damn daddy. The moment they laid him on my chest, I cried like a baby.

Kilo kissed my forehead. “You did it, baby. You did good.”

But before the moment could settle, two police officers stepped into the room.

“Franklin DeLuca?”

Kilo’s body went tense.

“The fuck you want?” he questioned, standing tall.

“We need to bring you in for questioning.”

He didn’t flinch. Just looked at me.

“I’ll be back,” he mumbled. “Don’t worry.”

He kissed our son, kissed me, then walked out without a single fight.

Buck and Stacks were right behind him.

I was left there holding our baby… who wasn’t even an hour old, while his father got escorted out by policemen.