Page 110 of All For Me
“Look at this.” Essex came up behind me as my brothers and I ended our hug. He wrapped his arms around me as he showed me what was in his phone. I smiled when I laid eyes on our little boy, Easton. He was only seven months old, but his little ass was chunky as hell.
“Look at my baby. I miss him so much.” I pouted. We decided to leave him home while we traveled because he was still young. Plus, we were going to be going from one party to the next all weekend.
“Fat ass. Granny sent another picture of him chewing on a turkey wing. Bro is gonna be a hundred pounds before he turns two,” Essex joked.
“Aye, you leave my baby alone. Hell, I’ve tasted Granny’s food, and I don’t blame him.”
Instead of hiring a nanny, we asked Granny Nessa to stay at our house and watch the kids. Aunt Pam and Joy were there to help her, and we made sure there was plenty of food and everything else they needed. We offered to pay them, but they cussed us out. Essex recently purchased his aunt her dream car and finally convinced Granny to move into a nicer neighborhood closer to us.
She and East made up after I buried Shaylyn. Her death rocked me to my core, but it also put things in perspective for the two of us. Life was too short to leave things unsaid and hold grudges toward the people you loved. The two of them had a heart-to-heart, and Granny apologized for the way she dropped the ball in his life. She ended up cutting Enoka off after she paid someone to break into her house and attempt to rob her own mother.
Granny didn’t want to tell East at first, because she felt like it was karma, but I wasn’t having it. As soon as I told him, he jumped right into action and caught the people responsible. My man loved his granny, and regardless of what kind of terms theywere on, he would never allow anyone to harm her. I could tell how much her presence made a difference because he was much happier with her around, and our babies loved her to pieces.
“My granny’s food is good and all, but I’ve got something else I’m tryna taste. What do you say we skip these after parties and have our own little post award celebration,” he proposed.
“I like the sound of that, Mr. Norris.”
“I’m glad because a nigga is dehydrated, and I need you to climb on top of my face and ride my tongue, Mrs. Norris. Damn, I love the sound of your name on my tongue.”
I giggled because he had been saying that since we got married. We decided to keep things small and private, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. Essex gave me my dream wedding and made me feel like a princess. Every day, I found myself falling more and more in love with the man God had blessed me with, and I was grateful he never gave up on me.
“I love you so much, Essex. I’m sure you probably get tired of me saying it, but I’m thankful for you. Not only have you given me an irreplaceable and indescribable love, but you also gave me something I always wanted in life: a family. You saw my worth before I even knew I possessed any, and for that, I’ll always be indebted to you. I’m honored to be the woman who gets to carry your children and your last name. I love you so much.”
“You already know my love for you is deep and never-ending. You saved my life in ways you’ll never truly understand. You give my life purpose, and you elevate me just by being in your presence. I’m proud to call you mine, and our children are blessed to have such a beautiful, strong, and resilient momma. You are the backbone that holds us together, and I’m thankful each day I get to wake up to my little piece of Heaven. I love you forever and always, Lola B. Don’t ever forget that shit.”
As I looked around the room, I was reminded that family wasn’t limited to the people you shared DNA with. We may nothave had the traditional family, but we were solid, and our crew was filled with love, loyalty, and safety. I finally had everything I wished for in life, and it wasall for me.
