Page 219 of The Ninth

“Well my sons wouldn’t bother they lil nephew if they didn’t trust him. How much your uncles love and respect him says a lot about him as a man, beautiful.”

She smiled, spinning in a circle, “Let me go look at pictures of me and my baby!”

Cassie and I both cackled as she left out of the kitchen. Something dawned on me that I didn’t think of before.

“Does she know that you adopted her dad and Duke?” I asked K2 quietly.

“Nope. Poor thing running around thinking she a quarter afro-Dominican like K3. Never questioned why I made my third son a third and not the first.”

“She even speaks fluent Dominican Spanish!” Mama J cracked up laughing. “We didn’t have the heart to tell her. She loves her grandfather and as far as she knows, they are blood.”

“I’ve been knowing that girl since she was in her father’s balls! She’s just as much as mine whether she blood or not.”

Cassie and K2 spoke about Kenzo and how he’s been since getting out. He seemed like a worried father, genuinely wanting to know if his baby was okay. Cassie had to admit he has been perfectly fine outside of the stress she’s been causing him. She then cussed his ass out because he let it slip that he knew all about it. Mama J then said he needed to stay in nigga business and not worry about what they got going on.

Cassie took several pauses while speaking. I could see her shoulders falling up and down quicker by the minute.

Suddenly she popped up, running to the trash can and puking. Mama J popped K2 on the back of the neck before rushing to Cassandra, holding her braids.

“YOU GAVE MY BABY THAT STREET FOOD AND NOW SHE GOT FOOD POISIONING!”

“Aye! If anything she need to build her immune system. Clearly she stopped growing in the third grade, that’s why she’s so short now!”

Cassie held up her middle finger as K2 cackled. Once finished, Mama J helped her get cleaned up and even gave her water and a plate of fruit to feel better. It felt cruel knowing she was sick because she was pregnant when even she didn’t know. It was still a joy watching her mother-in-law care for her without a second thought.

“It’s not food poisoning,” Cassie sighed. “I’m sure Kenzo wanted to tell you guys together but he’s MIA and I don’t want you to think I’m sickly. I’m actually, pregnant? Maybe? I’ve only taken a few tests but haven’t went to any doc—”

“OH MY GOODNESS!” Mama J yelled to the top of her lungs. This caused Piper to rush into the kitchen. “CASSANDRA IS PREGNANT!”

Both of them fled to Cassie, embracing her tightly as Cassie smiled with tears coming down her cheeks. K2 walked to them while smiling and laughing. I saw him make a fist with his hand, shaking it victoriously. He was obviously rooting for the two of them and couldn’t be more happy. I myself felt even better knowing that Cassie knew. Everything is out in the open.

Mama J pulled away, flying to me while drying her face, “CONGRATULATIONS!”

“I’m not pregnant!” I giggled.

“You’re going to be an aunt!” we hugged tightly. “It’ll be so good for the family to have a baby around!”

“Well, Cassandra and I are cousins....so I guess that would make the baby my second cousin?”

“Oh, pshhhh! You two are sisters if I’ve ever seen them. Cassandra is your sister and this baby is your niece or nephew. Period. None of that cousin mess! Plus, when you and Duke get married, you’ll be sisters-in-law anyways! OH, K2! WE GET TO PLAN THREE WEDDINGS!”

“That’s my queue. Congratulations, beautiful. I couldn’t be more happy!” K2 smiled, kissing Cassie on her hand.

“This is just so amazing,” Mama J danced around the kitchen. “Two daughters, more babies, the holidays! Do you understand how good a baby’s milk breath smells?! We have to plan the baby shower! I’m thinking In Bloom with pastels and butterflies plus flowers.”

Cassie cracked up laughing as Piper rolled her eyes. After Mama J’s rant, she kicked us out of the kitchen. Her reasoning was because she didn’t want the smells to bother Cassie. When really I believe she wanted silence so she could call her florist back in the states. It was obvious the boys were still gone, so Cassie and I went out back to the beach.

The sand was nice and warm as we made our way. There was a little section close to the villa that was roped off for us specifically. We stripped down to our bikinis, laid towels on the chairs, and finally reclined back, relaxing.

The birds and the waves crashing sounded like a soundtrack I would play to fall asleep. Even the occasional laugh or holler from kids down the way was relaxing. I had a passport but never left the country. My parents just made me get it as an extra layer of security. Moving to Chicago has opened me up to so many things I didn’t know existed.

“How are you feeling?” Casandra asked with her eyes closed. Despite being sick just twenty minutes ago, she looked phenomenal.

“I feel amazing. I also just feel so glad that although our family let you down, you had family with Kelisha and K3’s parents.”

“Everything aside, I still love them. They’ve never caused me harm and talk is cheap. I don’t like how your father treated you, but I doubt he’ll do it again after Kenzo’s threat—”

“HECKY NAW!” we both yelled before laughing.