Page 31 of Senior

I shook my head. “Not always.”

“No. Always, Stanley. Maybe you didn’t always do the right thing all the time, but you are good at your core. It’s attractive.” She snickered. “You see how you had me in that maze⁠—”

“Let me stop you right there. Don’t turn this shit around on me because you kissed me back. I can admit I’ve been avoiding you since then because I don’t want to cause any problems. I guess you’ve felt the same because you’ve been avoiding me this week too.”

She looked down at her drink and circled the rim with her finger.

“Kinda. We know what happens when we take things further. That kiss could have gotten us in a world of familiar trouble.”

I pulled the drink from her hand and place it on the table. Cupping her chin, I forced her gaze to mine.

“What’s wrong with familiar?”

“We’re too old for that shit, Stanley. I’m too old to be running back to a nigga and you’re too old to be trying to run game on me.”

I leaned in closer to her.

“Just so it’s abundantly clear, I’ve never run game on you. Never had to. Second, I do what I do for you because I care about you. That’s not me trying to fuck you, even though I miss sliding in your tight ass walls. I love you, Steph. As the love of my life, my son’s mother, and as a person. The person is who I’ve been concerned with. I respect you, your feelings and your grieving process. You’re my best friend before anything else. It’s my job to make sure you’re good.”

She grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I’m fine, Stanley. Yes, losing Aaron hurt, but I shared a beautiful life and love with that man. I don’t mourn him. I celebrate this life in all the ways he would have wanted. I promise, I’m good. I’ve got breath in my body. I’ve got my health, my son, my grandbabies, and your fifty eleven other kids and their kids. That’s enough to keep me going.”

I chuckled. “You know my kids love you.”

“I know. They all congregated at my house earlier this week with all those damn kids. I fed them and let their aggravating asses love on me without complaint.”

“Can you imagine if we’d had all six of them?”

“Who was pushing out six kids for you? They are literally almost back to back. Hell, Maceo and Smoke were born in the same year. You always liked doing ghetto shit.”

I laughed. “Not too much on me.”

“No, it’s never been enough on your ass.” She smirked as she fingered my beard. “You have your flaws, but you’re a good man, Stanley. More than that, you are a great father.”

“Thank you, love. I’ve been feeling even more like a father since I fully handed the operation over to the kids. Since they haven’t had me in no bullshit, I’ve been playing roulette with their houses. Just over there doing shit.”

“Like what?”

“Any and everything. Idle hands are a muthafucka. I like to keep busy. That’s why I get the kids so much. I had to send all them lil’ muthafuckas home early today, though. They were running me ragged.”

Stephanie laughed. “I mean you only have fourteen grandkids.”

“It feels like fifty. I don’t know who told me to get all their asses at one time. I called the boys to come get them and you know they were talking shit like I won’t drop them kids off at the door.”

“I don’t have a problem when they come to my house. They know I don’t play that shit. You are a sucker. You are so much softer on them than you were your kids.”

“I’m a grandpa. I get to be soft.”

She rolled her eyes. The smooth sounds of Luther Vandross’ “If Only For One Night” drifted through the speakers. Couples began to fill the dance floor. My eyes drifted over to Stephanie as she smiled while watching them.

“Dance with me,” I said standing to my feet and reached for her hand.

“Stanley.”

“You know this is our song. Dance with me, woman.”

“To let you tell it, every song is our song.”

“You gonna dance with me or not, lady?”