strong kick. I bet my insides are black and blue.”
“I can’t wait to take my son to his first baseball game,” Hale said. “My father has already brought him a catcher’s mitt.”
Kolby had already brought his namesake a little red wagon. It was in the attic of their new house waiting for him to get old enough to play with it.
“You think Marissa is going to take care of him?” Aliya asked.
“Are you kidding?” Kolby asked. “She’s been blowing up my cell phone most of the night. She wants to babysit him. She better be asleep right about now.”
Marissa was spending the night at her friend’s house.
Their son finally got tired of sucking. Aliya gently leaned him across her arm and patted his back. He belched loudly. “Rude boy,” she said. She wiped the spit up milk off his mouth. “Do you want to hold your son?”
“Sure,” Kolby said. He put a white diaper over his shoulder.
Aliya placed the baby into his arms and Kolby sat down with him.
Little Hale finally belched. Genieva gave Hale his son.
Kolby unwrapped the baby’s blanket and began inspecting him.
“What are you looking for?” Aliya asked.
“His feet,” Kolby said. “Darn they’re big, and he’s long. He’s going to make some woman very happy.”
“Mine too,” Hale said. “They are going to be just like us.”
“Bragging is a sin,” Genieva said with a sleepy yawn.
Aliya felt tired too. Giving birth took a lot of energy out of her.
The nurses returned to get the babies.
Kolby kissed her.
“You get some sleep. I’ll see you when you wake up again.” He started to walk away, but Aliya grabbed on to his sleeve.
“Where are you going?”
“To the waiting room to talk with our parents. They’ve been here all night.”
“Another kiss before you go,” Aliya said.
Kolby leaned over and kissed her again.
“I love you,” Aliya said.
“I love you too, darling,” Kolby said. “Thank you for making my life complete.”
Sleep overtook Aliya.
“You too,” she said just before she drifted off.
The End
About the Author
Imari Jade hails from Marrero, Louisiana, where she works as a financial analyst. She collects anime and Asian drama and considers herself a multi-genre author. She is the mother of three sons and does the bulk of her writing riding on a bus to and from work five days a week. Currently she writes for Passion in Print, Sugar and Spice Press, Siren-Bookstrand, Melange Books, Phaze Books, Eternal Press, and Totally Bound.