“Well, you can get down and walk then.” Chaz laughed, placing him on the ground. “You are getting to be one heavy little dude. Look at this little tummy,” Chaz said, tickling him.

Jordan giggled joyfully while panting, “Stop okay stop.”

Chaz gave in to his pleas. “Aight, stand still, let me tie your sneakers.

“Chaz,”

“Yeah,” he answered.

“I’m glad you’re my dad,” Jordan said with the sincerity of an adult, and then he wrapped his small arms around Chaz’s neck and squeezed tightly.

Chaz was rendered speechless for a moment by the huge lump in his throat. He swallowed hard as his heart melted and a tear snuck out the corner of his eye. “Jordan, I’m very glad to be your dad,” he managed to get out while warding off the tears that wanted to come flooding out.

“Jordan!” Shorty’s six-year-old son yelled as he came running out the front door, followed by Tiki and Chastity.

“What’s up, Marquis?” Jordan asked, pulling out of his embrace with Chaz and running over to Marquis. The two little boys dapped each other up as if they were grown men while Chaz kept his back to them in an attempt to compose himself.

“I got the new NBA live,” Marquis told him, smiling hard.

“Yeah!”

Tiki and Chastity hugged their stepbrother at the same time. “Hey, J,” they both sang out, grinning ear to ear.

Marquis pulled Jordan out of their grasp. “Come on, let’s go play.” They ran off with the girls tagging along behind.

Tiki stopped, then turned around. “Hi, Daddy.”

Chaz spun around. “Hey, Tiki baby.”

She waved at him, smiling, before catching up with the rest of the kids.

“Slow down,” Shorty told them as they ran past her. “What up, lil’ bruh.” She held her arms open to hug him as he walked through the door.

He squeezed her tight and pecked her on the cheek, “Hey, sis.”

“Come on, I was back in the kitchen cooking.” Chaz followed Shorty and took a seat at the center island. “So, how are you doing?” Shorty asked, stirring a pot of marinara sauce.

“I’m good,” he replied quickly. “You’re talking to me, Chaz. You don’t have to front.”

“I’m not fronting at all.”

“Have you at least talked to Kennedy?”

“No. I saw her when I was picking up Jordan, but I didn’t say shit to her.”

“And why not?”

“Fuck Kennedy! She shouldn’t have did what she did.”

“No, you shouldn’t have did what you did, nigga,” Shorty rolled her eyes. “You hurt her bad.”

“She hurt me too; she killed our baby.”

“Get over it, Chaz, ’cause honestly, I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing if I were in her situation.”

“Why, though? Tell me what does aborting a baby resolve.”