Chapter 11

11

“ H old her head, boy!” Luna fussed at Qamar, getting up to place her arms under his.

They were all in Jade City at Tiny and Maverick’s home, which they had purchased since the basketball team Maverick played for was based there. Tiny was the baby mother to Qamar’s deceased brother, Lunar. None of them knew she was pregnant until after Lunar’s death, when she showed up needing their help with a whole newborn baby on her hip. It took the whole family by surprise, but they welcomed her and their nephew in with open arms.

Maverick met Tiny when she and Luna visited Javen in college at a party. The two of them had been connected at the hip ever since. Now, with Little Lunar, who was twelve, and their youngest son, Monday, who was six going on sixty-six, with his old man soul, Tiny and Maverick felt complete.

Tiny plopped down on the couch. “Luna, you acting like it’s his first time. He almost got as much experience as you.” She laughed at her own lame joke.

“Come on now, Tiny, I thought you was on my side.” Qamar cut his eyes at his sister. Tiny didn’t share his blood, but nothing or no one could tell Qamar she wasn’t one of his sisters. She nurtured him, loved on him, and kept some of his secrets. He would love her forever.

Tiny grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’m always on your side, Qamar. But you know I gotta keep you on your toes.” She reached out and ruffled his hair, a gesture that was both affectionate and teasing.

Qamar chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget I’m the baby brother, and I need all the help I can get.”

Luna rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “You’re not a baby anymore, Qamar. But I guess we’ll always see you that way.” She glanced at Tiny, who nodded in agreement.

As the family settled into the cozy living room, the warmth and love between them were palpable. They had been through so much together, and their bond was unbreakable. Qamar looked around at the faces he cherished and felt a deep sense of gratitude. No matter what challenges lay ahead, he knew they would face them together, as a family. It made putting his own dreams and desires on the backburner doable.

Janay cleared her throat as if she needed to remind everyone that she was in the room. They knew she was there and had moved shit around for her to be there comfortably. The whole family even catered to her every want. Qamar glared at her before he put his eyes back on his daughter. Belinay Moony was only a week old and she was loved already. With each passing day, Qamar fell deeper in love with the tiny being with the darkest set of eyes. Born at barely six pounds, she was tiny and could be held easily in the palm of his hand. He wouldn’t dare do it while surrounded by all the women. They would choke on their own spit trying to cuss him out.

“Aww, my Belinay,” Luna cooed, still standing beside Qamar. “I remember when you was this little.”

“And I remember when you told this story the last time I had a baby.”

Luna glared at him while Tiny laughed her ass off. “I mean, he ain’t lying. Luna you be acting like an old ass lady with your I remember when stories.” She tried to sound like Luna who’s voice was soft with a ghetto, southern belle twang.

Luna’s talking voice had the type of tone that reminded you she was an award-winning singer. Just talking sounded like a song—warm and nostalgia inducing.

“Can I see pictures of him?” Janay asked with excitement in her voice. Anything to feel closer to Qamar. She wanted to know who he was and where he came from. When they first started messing around, he was tightlipped with his life’s experiences. He didn’t mention his daughter until Janay confessed to be pregnant herself.

Tiny gave Janay sad eyes.

Luna cleared her throat. “We don’t have that many,” was all she said. The sad truth was they were too damn young to think about capturing the moments and Stephanie was drowning in liquor.

Qamar sniffed. “Where y’all husbands at?” he asked, changing the subject.

Janay kissed her teeth and crossed her arms before slamming her back into the couch. She hated how Qamar treated her in front of his family. It had all the ladies giving her sad and pitiful glares while he did nothing to hide how he truly felt about her. Then to add injury to insult, he was buddy-buddy with Malaysia.

“Outside acting like they looking at the landscape when they really just trying to get away from us. French and Solar on their way too,” Tiny answered while scrolling through her phone.

“Yea, your daddy on his way,” Luna teased Qamar about him loving French and listening to everything he said.

Tiny shook her head. “Janay, you met French?”

“Um, I seen him but I won’t say we’ve met. He seems kind of mean,” Janay revealed, knowing she wasn’t well received by Qamar’s family. She’d tried so hard to at least get on French’s good side. Just from meeting him, she knew how influential the man was to her daughter’s father’s life.

“Mean?” Tiny was taken aback by the accusations. “That nigga is the friendliest nigga I know… sometimes he too damn friendly.”

“Right,” Luna agreed, cutting her eyes between Qamar and Janay. “Maybe it’s you.” She shrugged, digging Janay’s coffin even more.

Luna was usually a girl’s girl. She had no time for mess or drama but when it came to Qamar, she sometimes didn’t recognize herself. If she needed to be mean on his behalf, she was willing and ready. Qamar was her first baby, and she’d rather walk to the moon than to ever feel like someone was doing him wrong. From the moment she met Janay, she knew the pretty young woman wasn’t for him. The stars he had in his eyes at sixteen for Malaysia wasn’t even there and back then, Luna knew that was nothing but puppy love. Still, here they were, a family due to Janay birthing his second child.

Janay held her arms out. “Q, give her back to me.” The bite in her tone didn’t go unnoticed.

To keep his own attitude at bay, Qamar swiped his tongue across his teeth, swallowing his words while passing Belinay to her stank attitude ass mama.

When he bent down, he spoke through gritted teeth. “Don’t get beside yourself, Janay. She mine too, right?”

His light eyes flickered dark sending a chill down her spine. “Ye—yea,” she stuttered, patting her daughter on the butt as a habit.

“Family!” French called out, his loud voice saving Janay from the grilling Qamar was ready to give her. “Where my grandbaby slash niece?” he asked, rounding the corner to the family room that was large and open with a sweet scent filling the air.

“Which one are you? The granddaddy or the uncle?” Solar asked with Adrian Jr on her hip. If he could live in his mama’s skin, he would. While Aku and Apollo preferred their father when they were younger, now they preferred their space.

“Uncle Q!” Apollo barreled into Qamar like the linebacker he was destined to be. He was tall and thick, almost knocking Qamar down.

“Apollo.” Qamar hugged his nephew. “Why you ain’t in school, boy?”

“Cause you had a baby and we don’t live in Jade City so we had to drive and clearly, we can’t be at school and in the car at the same time.” Aku rolled her neck.

“Aye, chill out!” French fussed. His baby wasn’t a baby anymore. She had just gotten her period and everyone could kiss her ass.

Qamar cocked his head back. “Oh, I see what’s up with you. Come here, Aku.”

Like the little girl she used to be, she melted in her uncle’s arms. Qamar had always been her favorite and now that he was having kids of his own, she didn’t know how to accept his time and love being spread thin. To show her love for him, she loved on Esmeray all the time. She was the only child she let come in her room.

“You know I’ll always love you, right? You my first baby… made me feel like I could be the best girl dad ever.”

“I did give you confidence, huh?” Aku blushed cockily.

“Come get your kid, Solar.” French rolled his head towards the ceiling.

Solar laughed. “Oh, she mine now? She been yours since she was born.”

“He be cappin’, ma,” Aku called her dad out.

Once again, Janay cleared her throat.

“Girl, we see you.” Solar laughed before flopping beside her to get a good look at her new niece.

“You don’t see us?” Luna crossed her arms, feigning hurt.

Apollo walked up to her to give her a hug. They were almost the same height from how short Luna was. “Hey, my sweet boy.”

“Where, Jaci and the twins?” he asked about Luna and Javen’s kids.

Over the last eight years, they added fraternal twins to their family. Jaci was six like Apollo since they were all born in the same year which included Tiny and Maverick’s son, Monday. The twins, Halo and Javen Jr. were a year younger at five.

“They upstairs with Little Lunar. Gone up there,” Tiny told him before he ran off.

“Let me go get on their nerves too.” Aku snickered while grabbing Adrian Jr, whom they’d nicknamed Frenchy for short, from her mama so they could have adult time.

“Thank you, baby.” Solar kissed her on the forehead. “Bring him back if he starts doing too much.”

“He know I’ll pop them legs.” Aku took off, seeing her mama about to swing on her.

“You better not hit my baby.”

“Leave her alone,” French came to her defense. “Let me see that baby.” He held his hands out to Janay.

“Damn, at least speak to the girl.” Solar grilled him.

Janay smiled. Solar and Ms. Stephanie were her favorite because they made everyone show respect to her and be nice.

French looked Solar upside her head. “Mind your business.”

“So you ain’t my business?”

His bright skin blushed. “I am,” he said before kissing her.

“Eww.” Luna fake gaged.

“Where your ugly ass husband at anyway?” Solar inquired, looking around the house.

“French your business, not Javen.”

“Shit, he been my brother.”

As if he heard his name, Javen walked in with Maverick following. “I thought I heard your loud ass.” He dapped French up.

Maverick grabbed Tiny to sit her on his lap as he sat on the huge sectional that was big enough for the whole family to sit on. Kissing all over her face, he whispered, “I love you,” in her ear.

“Get a room.” Qamar twisted his face.

“I think it’s cute. I can’t wait to experience that kind of love,” Janay swooned at them.

“I’m trying to see who she look like,” French examined Belinay.

“Do it matter?” Qamar asked with a blank expression on his face.

The room grew quiet with everyone looking between Qamar and Janay, who started to chew on her thumb. There was something they weren’t saying but like most things, it wasn’t their business until Qamar filled them in. No matter how tough it was to allow him to make his own decisions, they had to let him do it. Instead of addressing it, they all just sat around talking about nothing in particular and passing the baby around until she and her mama got tired and retreated to one of the guest rooms on the main floor. After a week at home with her family, she decided to stay at Tiny’s for Qamar to be close to their daughter. He had been so hands-on and attentive. When she was tired, he let Janay sleep. His teachers had agreed to allow him to turn in work from home until Janay’s six weeks were up. Being the school’s star player came with many perks that he wouldn’t take for granted.

Frustratedly, Qamar huffed when Siasia didn’t answer his fifth call of the day. Ever since the night at the park, he hadn’t heard from her—fourteen days since he’d heard from her. If it wasn’t for Noodle calling Esmeray, he wouldn’t know if she was dead or alive. He missed her though, and just wanted to hear her voice. After getting Belinay and Esmeray situated for the night, he decided to sit out in the backyard and try her once last time before he called it a night himself but like earlier, his call went unanswered. Exhausted, he played with his beard.

“Baby boy,” French announced himself as he took a seat beside Qamar. “You look stressed. Talk to me.”

“I’m good.”

“Two kids different from one, huh?”

“Man.” Qamar laughed. “I should’ve thought this shit through. Two kids with two different mamas… I’m a walking statistic.”

“I’m with you when you right. How you been doing though? Janay giving you hell?” French pulled a blunt form behind his ear to spark up. After puffing a few times, he passed it to Qamar who accepted it without hesitation.

He allowed the smoke to fill his lungs before he exhaled it. “She want something I can’t give her and that fucks with my head.”

“Let you tell it, everything be fuckin’ with your head. Maybe you the problem.”

“Can’t be. Like, it’s so much on me that I hate she’s putting even more on me.”

“You talking about the baby because she ain’t ask to be here and I’ll beat yo’ ass before I allow you to be a deadbeat.” French’s nose flared just thinking about Qamar running out on his responsibilities.

“I’ll never do that. I know what it feels like to be abandoned. I would never do that to anyone’s kids.” Qamar passed the blunt back. “Between the family, school, and trying to be the best daddy, a nigga feels unworthy.” There it was. He’d finally admitted to what was holding his mind down. A small weight lifted off him.

“You need therapy or some shit?” French asked, concerned.

Qamar snorted. “Nigga what?”

“I’m serious.” French cleared his throat. “I’ve been seeing this chick that’s been helping me work through some of my own shit.”

“Your life is perfect, French. What you need to work through?”

“My daddy is my mama’s daddy,” he blurted. No one but Solar knew the true dynamics in his family. It was all kinds of fucked-up—more than people thought. Yes, his granny damn near pimped him out when it came to her old druggie friends but the truth was, she did the same to her own daughter. Sucking in hard, he needed the weed to work faster.

“Damn,” Qamar whispered. “I didn’t know.”

“No one did but Solar. It fucks me up because now I got my own kids and couldn’t imagine them going through some shit like that. Now, your sister wants to get married but I feel unworthy. That girl has been in my corner since we were kids. She’s loved me even when I’ve pushed her away. Its only right, I give her the world and my last name but I gotta make sure I’m the best version of myself. You know?”

“Solar gone rock with you regardless, though.”

“That’s the problem. She’ll accept my flaws and that ain’t fair to her. She’s fuckin’ perfect and deserves the same from me.” He choked on his words just thinking about letting down the only woman he’d ever love.

Qamar’s words were stopped at the ringing of his phone. Hoping it was Siasia he hurried to answer. “Noodle?” he said, seeing her name pop up on the screen.

“Um, Qamar, my mama and daddy are fighting really bad and I’m scared.” Noodle’s voice shook.

“Where Siasia at?”

“I think she went to work but she ain’t answering. I’m scared this time. I mean, they fight all the time but it’s really bad this time.”

“Fuck.” He shut his eyes, thinking of what to do. “I’m on my way. Just—you got someone house you can go to?”

“No. Siasia don’t let me go to people’s houses.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll try to call your sister and you keep calling her too. Stay in the room.” Qamar made sure Noodle understood before he hung up the phone.

“Another kid?” French asked with laughter in his voice.

Standing up, he wiped the back of his jeans off. “This girl gone make me wring her fuckin’ neck.” He grunted, thinking about Siasia being back in the club after he told her not to. “Aye, tell the pilot to get ready. I’ll be back. Can you help Janay until I get back? I know Malaysia would but they ain’t really fuckin’ with each other.”

“You know I got you. You good though?” French looked Qamar in the eyes, trying to read him.

“Yea,” he said before walking towards the house.

He turned to French, his face lighting at the sight of him. “French, you are perfect. You taught me so much—been the best brother, daddy a nigga could ever ask for. I remember you taking me to school, telling me to pray, kissing me on the forehead… you was a kid doing all that. In my eyes, ain’t no other nigga walking this earth more perfect than you. Shit, you up there with God, if you ask me. Solar feels the same way. Don’t punish her by sabotaging yourself.” Qamar pulled him into a hug with tears in his eyes. “You one of fuckin’ one, nigga.”