Page 86 of Steel

“Will I ever meet the other baby mamas?” she asked.

“Eventually. We’re really one big happy family over here. We’re together for some reason or another. My pops is actually Emmy’s godfather.”

“What?”

“I know. It’s ghetto as fuck. Like I said, it’s family. My siblings’ mothers are like second moms to me.”

“So they beat you with dish towels too?”

I laughed. “Especially Maceo and Smoke’s mama. Don’t let them all get together. They love to gang up on us.”

“I can see why.”

Just then, Grams rang the bell to let everyone know it was time to eat.

“What’s that?” Neha asked.

“Food’s ready. Come on.”

“Wait.”

She hesitated for a moment, then slipped into my arms for a hug. When I returned the gesture, she rested her head against my chest and gave a heavy sigh. I closed my eyes as I held her, basking in the familiar feeling. It was crazy that after all these years, . . . she still felt like home.

There was still something there.

I just didn’t know if I trusted her enough to even think about what it could be.

I feltlike a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

With Nayelli meeting her father’s side of the family, I felt like we were making progress. I walked into the house half expecting to fight or get jumped, but it was surprisingly okay. His sisters-in-law were so nice. I didn’t owe them an explanation, but they heard me out with no judgment. I felt like Romi was the person who understood me most.

She shared her story of an abusive ex and how he caused her to go into labor early. My heart went out to her. I couldn’t imagine not leaving the hospital with my baby. Seeing your child fighting for their life is a different kind of pain.

A week had passed since the big meeting, and Nayelli was still talking about it. She couldn’t believe that her uncles and grandfather had given her thousands of dollars in back birthday and Christmas money. Since she spent Sunday night with herfather, on Monday, they gathered all the kids and took them to the toy store.

She’d FaceTimed me to show me all her new things and tell me how much fun she had. Then she asked if she could spend the night again. Kerrion promised to get her to school in time, so I went to drop off her book bag. When I got there, Nayelli was at her grandfather’s with her cousins, leaving Kerrion and me alone.

It felt weird being alone with him after the embrace we shared in his grandmother’s house. I felt a spark between us, and I wasn’t sure if he felt it too. The only thing I could describe the feeling as was . . . home. Kerrion used to make me feel like I had everything I needed when I was in his arms.

I missed the man I was once in love with, but learning these new things about him made me feel like maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. I was sure I would learn this new version as we navigated parenthood together. This could be a dangerous game. What if I fell in love with him all over again? What if he never felt the same? Could we have something, or was I just wishfully thinking? Only time would tell.

It was Thursday, and Nayelli had a parent teacher conference to discuss her progress since starting the school year. We pulled up to the school around 5:45, since our timeslot was at six. Kerrion came rolling into the parking lot and parked right beside us. Hopping out of his truck, he stepped around back to grab KJ.

“Sup?” he asked, pulling me into a warm hug.

“Hey. Hey, cutie pie,” I said, pinching KJ’s cheek.

He gave me a smile and whispered his “Hey” in response.

Kerrion kissed Nayelli’s cheek. “Baby girl.”

“Hey, Daddy. Hey, KJ!”

She reached for her brother, and he happily went to her. I loved how good she was with him, and he seemed to love her just as much as she loved him. Whenever he saw her, his face lit up.

“I missed you, little brother.”

“Dang, Daddy can’t get no love?” Kerrion asked, pretending to be offended.