Lady Luck

“When did I become a crusader for black justice?” he asked.

“You’re not. Sam is. It’s just that, this time, Mr. Humongo is his wing-man.”

Ella.

He felt her eyes in the dark and gave her his.

She was silent.

He was too.

Then she whispered, “Love you, Ty.”

It was the first time she’d said it even after years of her acting it and Jesus, God, it felt fucking good.

“Same,” he rumbled, his voice rough.

“Sam, I’m not sittin’ a game,” Ty said into his phone, his body moving through his house, familiar movements, the same every night, these movements to shut it down, lock his girls in, make sure they were safe.

Our daughter was growing inside of me, he was concerned and he kept his finger on the pulse.

So did Tate. So did Chace. So did Officer Frank. Jim-Billy. Deke. Wood. Pop. Krystal. Laurie, Maggie, Stella, Dominic… everybody.

From the time Chace left me to the time Ty got home, I was a nervous wreck. I thought he’d get pissed, thinking I’d gone behind his back, not liking that I shared that with another man. I was such a mess, I didn’t even phone him to attempt and detect his mood because, if he was going to lose it, I didn’t want it to come sooner rather than later.

More greetings which Irv returned but he came right to me, my daughters still riding his calves, ankles and feet. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, bent in and kissed my temple.

I closed my eyes.

“Hey, Irv,” I whispered.

“Beautiful,” he whispered back and squeezed my neck.

Lella was still on her Daddy’s back but now Vivie had her little arms wrapped around Tate’s neck, one of his arms was behind him supporting her booty, the other hand lifted and holding onto her forearm.

This was because both Lell and Vivie considered their father’s large frame their own personal jungle gym and treated it as such.

He didn’t complain. Not once.

“I need another dick in this house and soon before the whole fuckin’ place is painted pink and I slip on a glitter pen and break my neck.”

I swallowed laughter and promised him, “You won’t slip on a glitter pen.”

“I will, you don’t quit buyin’ that shit for Lell. How many does she have now, a thousand?”

“And Vivian’s two and a half and she was screamin’ just last night ‘cause she got hold of one of your hoops and was trying to shove that fucker through her earlobe. She was in pain but, fuck me, she didn’t quit. My baby girl was determined and she didn’t care if it ended in carnage.”