👑👑

"Baby, hurry up. I'm hungry", I complained from the bedroom doorway to Naomi who was putting the final touches on her makeup.

She frowned, "Give me a few minutes. I just need to finish my lips then set my face", she responded glancing my way.

I scoffed because she said something very similar twenty got damn minutes ago when she had been contouring her face.

"Don't scoff at me, Niel", she sassed.

I rolled my eyes pausing mid roll to smirk at her next words.

"And don't be rolling your eyes at me", she sassed me again.

I stood upright from where I had been posted up leaning my back against the doorframe walking up behind her wrapping my arms around her mid section.

"You are beautiful without all of the crayons on your face so you don't really need much", I told her resting my head on top of hers, our eyes meeting in the full body mirror in the corner of my room that we stood in front of.

She chuckled patting my arms, "Crayons? I still blame you for Aiden calling makeup face crayons", she laughed remembering the day our son first began referring to it as such.

I admit that I am partially to blame, but how do you explain things to kids so young in a way that makes sense to them without it being way off topic? Exactly, you use references and association. So that is what I did and he drew his own conclusion of his mama coloring on her face.

I shrugged not caring. "He has his own thoughts, babe. Anyways, are you finally done? I'm seriously hungry right now", I retorted.

She huffed tapping my arms fore to release her. She tilted her head back while I leaned down meeting her in a chaste kiss over her head. She giggled brushing her hair out of her face with her hand as she looked in mirror one last time.

I noticed her lipstick on my lips. I puckered my lips making the duck face.

"I look cute as shit in this color", I complimented myself before stepping beside her, bumping her with my hips out of the way.

I started to vogue modeling the color like one of those women in the Cover Girl commercials. I saw Omi through the mirror shaking her head at me.

"Are you done, ma'am?", Omi asked with her hands on her hips.

I raised an eyebrow at her placing my hands on my hips and pulled my shoulders back.

"Sashay away, babe. Let's go", I said making my voice octaves higher before whirling around and strutting out of the room with her following after laughing and hyping me up.

•*•

"The King has arrived!", I shouted walking my childhood home without knocking.

"Shut yo' ass up wit' all dat damn hollerin' up in my house, boy!", my old man's voice bellow from further in the house.

"Poppa!", my baby cheered hip checking me as she rushed pass me down the hall towards the kitchen where my old man's voice came from.

Soon there was loud squealing heard, which means that the women of my family were definitely in the kitchen.

I walked down the hall jumping in fright nearly punching my mom in the face when her head suddenly popped around the corner from inside the doorway to the kitchen.

"Il mio bambino! Come stai mio figlio?", she greeted loudly, skipping around the corner pulling me into a bear hug.

"Ciao mamma. Sono fantastico ora che ti ho visto una faccia stupenda. Nanna è qui? Come te la passi?", I responded kissing her on the cheek as we separated.

Mom laughed heartily, "I am good, son. Nanna, is in the kitchen running her harem of cooks", she responded taking my hand leading me inside of the kitchen.

"Who you calling a ho, ho!?", Aunt Marian screeched whipping around with a big metal spoon in her hand.

Mom threw her hands up getting in a boxing stance. "You hoes. Be 'bout that life, Mari", she challenged.

Aunt Marian placed the spoon down onto the counter beside the stove placing her hands onto her hips.

"Puttana, ci sono. Fai una mossa, Ari", Aunt Marian accepted.

I groaned knowing already what was coming while Omi grabbed an apple taking seat at the bar on a stool to watch the scene unfold.

"Drop the beat, Bea!", mom bellowed signaling for Aunt Beatrice to turn on the boom box sitting on the counter that her phone was attached to.

The sound of Trap Beckham's 'Birthday Bitch' came blaring through the speakers of the boom box.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

We all watched as the two women stepped up to one another staring one another down sizing up the other. Then the extras began. My mom and aunt literally broke out in dance, routine dance.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Everyone was hyping them up while I leaned against the doorway watching two of the many women that raised me to be the man I am today show their asses.

But wait! It gets better! Nanna, my grandma joined in. Before I knew it the kitchen was filled with dancing women hyping one another up.

Hell, even I had joined in and was fucking it up too.

"What the hell is going on!?", Uncle Michelangelo's voice bellowed ceasing our fun.

"Who in the hell do you think you hollering at!?", Nanna called over the loud music with her hands on her hips that she jutted to the side.

"Ophelia", Papa called warningly, but Nanna ain't no pushover bitch, her words.

"James, i'm a bad bitch. You can't tame me. Mickey, come talk to mama right quick", Nanna responded clapping her hands and rolling her neck.

I snickered at the look of horror on my uncle's face. Fore, he had knew in that moment that he had fucked up.

"I'm fine over here, mamma", my uncle responded while taking a step back making the men snicker.

"I didn't ask you though, did I, figlio?", Nanna retorted.

"No, ma'am", Uncle Mickey responded.

"Then bring your narrow ass here, sir, and you better be standing before me before I finish blinking!", she shouted causing everyone to jump in fright except Papa, him being used to my Nanna's ways after many long years of marriage to the woman.

"Ophe, that's enough, bambino. Lascia stare il ragazzo, lo sai che è il bambino più stupido", Papa said sternly making Nanna groan and pout like a child while my aunts and uncles yelled 'Hey!?' in offense.

"Y'all are so over dramatic", I commented wistfully.

Everyone turned looking at me as if I had two heads.

"What?", I asked bluntly.

"You're one of the last people to be able to say that", my cousin Angelo commented.

I rolled my eyes. "But who asked you though, Goliath?", I retorted dismissively.

He chuckled running his fingers through his long blonde hair.

"Whatever, shorty. Goliath was mighty", he argued.

I tilted my head to the side with my eyebrow raised.

"Goliath got his ass whooped by a rock and a slingshot. Therefore, that ass ain't that mighty. Why didn't he just jump the hell out of the way or ducked? What? They didn't know how to bob and weave in ancient times or something?", I responded offhandedly.

"You are so annoying, Nathaniel. You just have to always be right", Angelo retorted making me smirk.

"Please, flattery will get you nowhere with me unless you are my baby", I said sarcastically causing him to roll his eyes.

"Daddy!", an all too familiar voice screeched coming running into the kitchen running right into my legs.

I smiled looking down at my daughter, my little princess, Aryan (Air•ee•an).

I pried her little arms from around my legs lifting her up placing her on my hip. Aryan is the oldest between her and her twin brother, Aiden. They are three minutes apart and she often tries to use that as an excuse to boss her brother around.

A minute later Aiden entered the kitchen holding on to his grandma's hand, Omi's mom as she had finally arrived with the twins to drop them off with us.

The twins live at home with Omi at her mom's house. We thought that it was best for them, being in a stable home, a house instead of an apartment in a building full of college kids. I did not want to give up my space so I stayed in my apartment, but I spend time with our kids as much as I can when my career and school will allow. Even when neither really permits me much wiggle room I still make room because those are our children and I will be damned if I never have time for them.

I watched Aiden walk up to his mama hugging her waist tightly. Omi leaned down hugging him tightly while planting kisses all over his face before releasing him.

"Hi, poppa", he greeted walking over to me hugging my legs.

I ran my fingers through his hair leaning down planting kiss to his head.

"Hi, figlio", I greeted smiling down at him.

"Bro-bro!", Aryan cheered wiggling to be put down.

"You just saw me, sissy", he responded nonchalantly, a small smile on his face.

I sat her down on her feet and she immediately jumped on her brother nearly knocking them both down onto the floor, embracing him in a bear hug.

She giggled, "I know", she said kissing his cheek.

I cooed slipping my phone out of my pocket snapping a couple of pictures of my kids. They are too adorable and have such an admirable relationship with one another. I can only hope that they remain just as close the older they get and new people comes into their lives. I am hella proud to call myself their dad.

I smiled watching as they went around the kitchen greeting everyone with hugs and kisses.

I felt a presence beside me. I turned my head seeing Omi standing beside me. My baby is looking good in her off-white dress that stops just above her knees.

"What's got you all smiley looking like Clark no Kent?", she teased hip checking me.

I smirked draping my arm around her shoulders pulling her into my side.

"Look at our kids, babe. Although they are not ours biologically, those are our babies and we're fuckin' it up as parents", I said lowly eyeing Aryan and Aiden who were talking animatedly with Papa and Nanna.

Omi laughed kissing me on the cheek. "We are. We're damn good parents, baby", she agreed grinning as she watched too.

We are all sitting outback in the backyard spread about the yard. Some of us are swimming in the pool and while some are either chilling on the back patio or playing soccer, the guys mainly. I am lounging by the pool with Aryan while Omi is in the pool with Aiden and some other family members.

They were having a relay type thing in the pool and Aryan and I cheered for our other half to our family for a while. That is until Aryan grew bored of it and she began telling me about what had happened at preschool yesterday.

Apparently, some little snot nosed little girl, her words not mine, called my wife fat and said that her mommy said that i'm going to be her new daddy. That I was going to send her and her brother away making her my only princess. I had to stop drinking my Lemonade just to give my baby all of attention as she reiterated what happened next.

She said that Muffy from Arthur lookin' little girl pushed her down when she told her that that would never happen.

"The-then she tol' me I ugly, daddy an' you don' love me or twin bro-bro. I remember mama said don' hit others, so I use my words like you taught me daddy. I told her dat I beautiful cuz my mama an' daddy said so. Dey don' lie to me and dey show me. God makes no mess, but I think he fell asleep while making you. Dats why yo' mama always so late pickin' you up an' don' spend no time wit' you cuz you look a mess and she always ask God why when she see you", she said in her cute little voice sassily and I was roaring with laughter.

I could feel the eyes of our family members on me but I could not give the slightest of a fuck.

"Wha-what happened n-next?", I laughed trying to catch my breath.

Aryan huffed flipping her hair over her shoulder much like my baby does. "She started cryin' an' tried to tell the teacher on me. I told ha dat she was bein' mean to me an' I showed ha my knee, see daddy", she said pausing the story to show me a scab on her little knee that made my nostrils flare.

If I see that little gremlin i'm gone throw a rock at her little ass because I can't physically hit her without going to jail. I'll wear rubber gloves so I wouldn't leave any prints behind on the rock or any type of evidence. Nobody hurts my babies and gets away with it.

I hummed, "And what happened after that, princess?", I asked giving her an encouraging smile.

She placed her little hands on her hips with a huff. "Miss put her in time out an' made me apologize for what I said to ha. I said 'no', but she said that she would call mama so I said 'sowwy dat God made you look a mess' den I pat her on the head an' asked miss if I could go play wit' Josie. We had fun daddy. She my best friend after bro-bro", she finished making little hand gestures.

I smiled hugging my little girl. I placed a kiss to her head before telling her I was proud of herself for defending herself and her family.

After that the conversation became about Josie and her friendship.

"It has been a while since we all have been together like this", Aunt Marian said as we all dig into dinner.

She was right. It had been months, eight to be exact, since we all have gotten together at the same time.