Bleu’s eyes met his for a beat before rolling down to Yara. “Hi, precious.”

“This is Daddy’s friend Bleu,” Messiah signed.

Bleu picked Yara up, despite her protests, ignoring her dangling legs and her arms that were extended straight above her head. Bleu stood and pressed Yara’s head onto her shoulder as she bounced while walking the length of Messiah’s apartment.

“For one, Messiah, she’s soaking wet,” Bleu said. She pulled Yara’s leggings back, revealing a pull-up. “She’s wearing a pull-up. Do you have any here?”

“No,” Messiah answered.

“Where are their bags? I’m sure Mo packed some,” Bleu said.

“They don’t have bags, B. I just took ’em. She told me they were mine, and I just flipped. I snapped and just took ’em,” Messiah answered. “And now she won’t stop crying.”

“Messiah, you can’t just take them without permission,” Bleu said.

“They’re mine, B. She kept them from me for two years. Fuck Mo and her permission,” he barked. “Just get her to stop crying!”

“She’s scared, Messiah. She doesn’t know you. You have to take something like this slowly,” Bleu argued. “You’re breaking their routine. They’re in an unfamiliar place. You don’t have their clothes or pull-ups. Your house smells different, looks different. You’re new to them. Of course she’s crying.” Bleu was trying to get him to calm down. He was just as traumatized as the twins. Bleu’s mind was blown. The calmest person in the room was two-year-old Messari, who sat on the floor looking back and forth between the adults.

“I can’t do this shit, B. What am I supposed to do with this?” He motioned to the twins with open palms and shrugged. “How I’m supposed to love shorty after she pulled some shit like this?” Messiah was forlorn, and Bleu looked at him sympathetically.

“Shhh,” she whispered in Yara’s ear, trying to console her. Nothing was working, and Bleu sighed. “It’s okay, sweet girl,” Bleu whispered as she bounced Yara. She could tell the little girl was tired. Yara kept rubbing her eyes as she fussed. She was fighting sleep because she was uncomfortable with this sudden change.

“I don’t know, Messiah,” she answered. “You and Morgan exchange a lot of hurt back and forth. That’s not what these babies require. Somehow the two of you have to get all that pain out of the way. They’ll feel it.” Bleu paused to take it all in. “Wow. She gave you two babies.” Bleu couldn’t help the tear that slid down her face. She blew out a breath. “How did I miss this? How did we all miss this?” Bleu’s mind went to the child she had lost. Messiah’s son. He would have been close in age to his twins, and the thought of that was breaking her down.