Page 88 of Senior

The color drained from his face. “W-what?”

Senior rubbed my stomach as he fell right into his role. “Which one do you want, son? I think I need another girl. That’ll make it even amongst the six of y’all plus Emmy. What do you think?”

Deuce stared blankly at us. His eye started twitching and his fists clenched. The vein in his forehead was practically pulsating.

“You got my mama pregnant?” he asked his father.

Senior shrugged. “Shit just happened.”

“You’re having a baby too, Granny?” Darlyn exclaimed.

Deuce shot up from his chair. “I need to smoke and take a walk. Don’t nobody follow me.”

“Baby, come back!” I called, fighting back a laugh as he walked out of the dining room. “Don’t you wanna hear the names we picked out?”

“Hell no!”

Across the table, Salima and her mother were in literal tears.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter.

“Stanely, we’re joking!” I said. “There is no baby. I’m going through menopause, so you don’t have to worry about getting another sibling the natural way.”

Deuce stopped and turned around. “So y’all got jokes?” he asked. “Y’all play too damn much, man!”

I waved my hands as I tried to catch my breath. “You should— you should have seen your face.”

He stood in the entry way glaring at us before reclaiming his seat and folding his arms.

“I can’t stand y’all,” he mumbled. He looked at his wife, who was doubled over. “And you think this shit is funny, baby?”

“Awwww, Deucy!” she tried to touch his face, but he moved his head. “You don’t want another sibling?”

“I had to help raise five and a half⁠—”

“Boy you ain’t raised nothing,” Senior said. “You just think you’re my kids’ daddy.”

“They act like my kids, old man. They all stress me out except for Jaeda. I take that back. She stressed me out when she started dating Q. Now I have to go through that with Emmy. You think I need another sibling?”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, Stanley, you better prepare to be a big brother again for real. I told up, I’m considering fostering or adopting.”

“You were serious about that?”

“I was.”

He looked at his father. “And you on board with that?”

“Whatever my wife wants, I’m okay with.”

Deuce kissed his teeth. “She ain’t your wife. I don’t see a ring on her finger?”

Senior chuckled. “It’s not like she ain’t got six to choose from.”

“You better not propose to my mama with a used ring, Senior. I don’t care if it was meant for her.”

Senior picked up his wine glass and took a sip. “I’m just gonna take that as your blessing when I propose and I will propose. Your mama will have the finest ring money can buy. Me and Kobi are gonna have a long talk about it.” He picked up my hand and kissed it. “I want the rock glistening so everybody will know who you belong to, baby.”

I blushed. “Stanley.”