Page 158 of Certified To Handle You 2

We went through three children’s stores before Toni finally looked at me and said, “Baby, she do not need another jacket.”

I held up the pink one My’Love had been reachin’ for and looked at Toni “She picked it.”

“She pointed at the hanger,” Toni replied while foldin’ her arms. “She point at everything.”

“That mean she got options,” I told her before handin’ the jacket to the woman workin’ there.

Toni shook her head and looked down at My’Love in the stroller. “You know yo’ daddy slow behind you, right?”

My’Love looked up at Toni and started clappin’ like she understood every word. I laughed and leaned down to kiss her cheek ‘cause my baby knew exactly what she was doin’. She was one, but she already had both of us figured out. She knew which face to make when Toni told her no, and she knew all she had to do was look at me long enough for me to fix whatever problem her mama created.

By the time we left the last store, I had bags in both hands, more bags hangin’ from the stroller and a toy kitchen Toni was pushin’ in the basket. Toni kept mumblin’ under her breath about me creatin’ a monster, but I reminded her she was the one who picked up a tiny pair of sneakers and put ‘em in the cart when My’Love ain’t even ask for ‘em.

After shoppin’, we took her to eat at this lil’ family spot Toni liked ‘cause they had enough space for My’Love to make a mess without everybody starin’ at us.

We ordered her chicken, fruit and some vegetables she ain’t touch after the first bite. My daughter spent most of the meal reachin’ for whatever was on my plate even though hers had the same damn food.

I cut a piece of chicken into smaller bites and held one toward her mouth. “Eat yo’ food, Mama,” I told her while she stared at my fork.

My’Love turned her head and reached for the piece sittin’ on my plate instead.

Toni laughed from across the table. “She don’t want hers. She want yours.”

“It’s the same shit,” I said while lookin’ between my plate and hers.

“She don’t care,” Toni replied. “It came from Daddy’s plate, so it taste better.”

I shook my head and let My’Love take the piece she wanted. Soon as she got it, she smiled at me with food all over her mouth. Toni wiped her face, but My’Love turned away and laid her head against my arm ‘cause she ain’t want her mama botherin’ her while she ate.

“See how she do me?” Toni asked while pointin’ toward our daughter. “She act like I’m the problem.”

“You be doin’ too much,” I told her. “Let my baby eat.”

“She got sauce on her eyebrow, Kay’Lo.”

“She’ll be a’ight.”

Toni stared at me for a second before laughin’ and shakin’ her head. “Both of y’all get on my damn nerves.”

After we ate, we took My’Love to the park ‘cause Toni swore she needed to burn some energy. That only meant I was gon’ be the one runnin’ behind her while Toni stood off to the side recordin’ everything and tellin’ me to be careful. My’Love wanted to go down every slide, sit on every swing and walk across the same piece of grass twenty times ‘cause somethin’ about it had caught her attention.

I pushed her on the baby swing while she kicked her legs and squealed every time she came back toward me. Toni stood beside me smilin’ with her phone in her hand, and every time I slowed down, My’Love started fussin’.

“Push her higher,” Toni told me while lookin’ at the screen.

“She one,” I said. “I’m not sendin’ her over the damn bar.”

“I ain’t say launch her. Just push her a lil’ higher.”

I looked at Toni, then at My’Love, who had already started makin’ that face ‘cause the swing wasn’t movin’ fast enough.

I gave My’Love another push, and she laughed so hard her eyes nearly closed. I stood here smilin’ at her like I ain’t have no sense ‘cause there wasn’t much in this world I liked better than hearin’ my daughter happy.

Watchin’ her had me thinkin’ about how bad I wanted another baby. Me and Toni had been tryin’ for months, and I ain’t realize how much work went into makin’ a baby when you was actually payin’ attention to it.

With My’Love, shit happened when it happened. Now we was watchin’ calendars, countin’ days and makin’ sure we caught every lil’ window Toni said her body gave us. She had apps sendin’ alerts to her phone, and I knew more about ovulation than I ever thought a nigga needed to know.

Some nights, Toni would look at the time and tell me we needed to handle business before the day ended. Other times, she would be tired from everything she did around the house, but she still ain’t wanna miss a chance. I never complained ‘cause I wanted our baby just as bad as she did.