My plan was to serve my wife her favorite breakfast in bed. She loved my homemade waffles, topped with fresh strawberries, bananas, and caramel drizzle. I was fucking with the electric stove, cooking me some turkey bacon and eggs. While I was messing with the waffle iron, the turkey bacon started smoking and the fire detector went off. Angel came rushing down the stairs, yelling, “Aisha and Kaeerah! I told y’all not to cook anything! Why must you insist on being hard-headed?”

“Why the fuck don’t y’all have a gas stove?” I was fanning the smoke, hoping the smoke detector would quit that shrill refusing-to-stop noise.

Angel stood frozen in place, speechless, holding her chest. I’ll never forget the look on her face when she realized that it was me who was trying not to burn the house down. I had to open the window to air out some of the smoke and to get rid of that loud irritating noise.

“My baby’s home!” she finally spoke and kept saying it over and over. “My baby’s home!”

“I was trying to serve you breakfast in bed.” I was mad because I was burning shit up.

It was clear she didn’t give a fuck about eating. Her only concern was me, her man. She rushed and jumped into my arms and I didn’t deny her embrace as we held onto each other for what felt like an eternity.

* * *

All eight of us were seated around the dinner table. The kids were seated at the smaller table next to us. Jaz and Kyra had cooked a big pot of gumbo with lobster, crab, chicken and sausage. That’s what our lives had become. One big pot of gumbo. Our friendship and our love had been tried and tested but we had survived through it. These last couple months had tightened us all up.

Most of all, it felt so good for all of us to be together. Faheem, Rick, Trae, me and our wives and kids. Kyra even seemed at peace with Rick. How long that would last remained to be seen, but he was really into Kyra, and I saw the love. His new baby stayed on his lap, and Kyra’s eyes were filled with bliss.

We, the men, still needed to have a sit down and figure out what the next move would be. Up for discussion was our new bitcoin business and getting new houses for our families; but for right now, it was just time to enjoy everyone being around each other. We hadn’t had this much fun since Tasha and Kyra’s baby shower. This was how life was supposed to be.

Angel and Tasha never stopped grinning the whole time we ate. Their eyes just glistened every time they looked at us take a bite of food. They watched us closely; they were so happy to see us eating.