child before.”
She was surprised. She knew he’d had no children this time around, but she had never imagined that in all those ancient kingdoms and Harlem hideouts that were the settings of Blue’s past lives, no woman had presented him with a child of his own.
“Never?”
He shook his head as he guided her over to the kitchen table and pulled out two chairs. He sat down across from Regina and took her hands in his. The plain gold bands they had chosen gleamed.
“Never. This one is my very first.”
This pleased her so deeply, she thought she might cry again.
If this is what raging hormones feel like,
she thought,
it’s going to be a very damp nine months.
“Mine, too,” she said.
He nodded. “I know.”
They just sat there looking at each other for a few minutes and then she took another deep breath.
“Blue?”
“Yes?”
“What if I asked you to reconsider?”
“Reconsider what, baby?”
She shrugged helplessly, searching for the words that would convince him. “What you do. Who you are
this
time. In
this
place.” She was getting closer to her real feelings and she rushed on before she could censor herself. “I know you were an emperor before, but that was then and this is now,
southwest Atlanta,
not Carthage, and you don’t have to take responsibility for everybody. Can’t you just take responsibility for
us
?”
He looked at her. “Just us?”
She nodded, took his hand, and pressed it against her stomach. “Just us.”
He nodded, too, like he was considering the question. “And by
just us,
you mean you and me and our baby?”
She was practically holding her breath. “Yes.”
“And Miss Abbie?”
That went without saying. Her, Blue, the baby, and Abbie. How much trouble could the four of them get into?
“Of course.”
“And Aretha?”
He had taken Aretha under her wing when she had first arrived in Atlanta from her tiny Michigan hometown, on her own for the first time and green as grass. No way Blue was ever going to abandon his role as her godfather.
“And Aretha.”
He nodded again, slowly. “And Joyce Ann?”
Joyce Ann, at almost three, called him “Daddy Blue,” and brought a smile to his face that was hers alone.
“Yes. Joyce Ann comes with Aretha.”
This conversation was no longer going the way she hoped it would and Regina knew it. Blue was who he was,
kid on the way or no kid on the way.
He wasn’t going to change, not even for her.
She sighed and surrendered. “Sometimes I just wish we could live somewhere where somebody else could make it safe.”
“And who would that somebody be?”
“Anybody but you,” Regina said. “Why can’t General do it?”
“Some things are worth killing over. Some things aren’t. General can’t always tell the difference.”
“Are you going to tell the baby what you do?”
“I’ll tell our baby the truth in all things.”
Regina raised her eyebrows. “Past lives, too?”
“Of course.”
He said it so calmly. She wondered what a child would say if their father told the tales Blue had told her. There was no way to know and no one to ask.
“It’ll be easier if the baby has your eyes.”
“Easier for who?” Blue smiled.
“Easier for the kid to understand who you are,” she said.
“That won’t be hard to understand,” he said. “I’m just Daddy.”
She leaned in for a kiss and suddenly wasn’t as hungry for breakfast as she’d thought. “Let’s eat later.”
“All right.” His eyes were twinkling as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her back to bed.
“I don’t really want you to change,” she said as they started up the stairs.
“I know.”
At the top of the stairs she stopped. “Yes, I do.”
He kissed her again, laughing softly. “I know that, too.”
“Oh, you know everything!”
“Not everything,” he said. “But I know what I know.”
“Do you know me?” Regina untied her robe and let it fall to the bedroom floor in a jumble of pale pink satin.
“I’m
She was surprised. She knew he’d had no children this time around, but she had never imagined that in all those ancient kingdoms and Harlem hideouts that were the settings of Blue’s past lives, no woman had presented him with a child of his own.
“Never?”
He shook his head as he guided her over to the kitchen table and pulled out two chairs. He sat down across from Regina and took her hands in his. The plain gold bands they had chosen gleamed.
“Never. This one is my very first.”
This pleased her so deeply, she thought she might cry again.
If this is what raging hormones feel like,
she thought,
it’s going to be a very damp nine months.
“Mine, too,” she said.
He nodded. “I know.”
They just sat there looking at each other for a few minutes and then she took another deep breath.
“Blue?”
“Yes?”
“What if I asked you to reconsider?”
“Reconsider what, baby?”
She shrugged helplessly, searching for the words that would convince him. “What you do. Who you are
this
time. In
this
place.” She was getting closer to her real feelings and she rushed on before she could censor herself. “I know you were an emperor before, but that was then and this is now,
southwest Atlanta,
not Carthage, and you don’t have to take responsibility for everybody. Can’t you just take responsibility for
us
?”
He looked at her. “Just us?”
She nodded, took his hand, and pressed it against her stomach. “Just us.”
He nodded, too, like he was considering the question. “And by
just us,
you mean you and me and our baby?”
She was practically holding her breath. “Yes.”
“And Miss Abbie?”
That went without saying. Her, Blue, the baby, and Abbie. How much trouble could the four of them get into?
“Of course.”
“And Aretha?”
He had taken Aretha under her wing when she had first arrived in Atlanta from her tiny Michigan hometown, on her own for the first time and green as grass. No way Blue was ever going to abandon his role as her godfather.
“And Aretha.”
He nodded again, slowly. “And Joyce Ann?”
Joyce Ann, at almost three, called him “Daddy Blue,” and brought a smile to his face that was hers alone.
“Yes. Joyce Ann comes with Aretha.”
This conversation was no longer going the way she hoped it would and Regina knew it. Blue was who he was,
kid on the way or no kid on the way.
He wasn’t going to change, not even for her.
She sighed and surrendered. “Sometimes I just wish we could live somewhere where somebody else could make it safe.”
“And who would that somebody be?”
“Anybody but you,” Regina said. “Why can’t General do it?”
“Some things are worth killing over. Some things aren’t. General can’t always tell the difference.”
“Are you going to tell the baby what you do?”
“I’ll tell our baby the truth in all things.”
Regina raised her eyebrows. “Past lives, too?”
“Of course.”
He said it so calmly. She wondered what a child would say if their father told the tales Blue had told her. There was no way to know and no one to ask.
“It’ll be easier if the baby has your eyes.”
“Easier for who?” Blue smiled.
“Easier for the kid to understand who you are,” she said.
“That won’t be hard to understand,” he said. “I’m just Daddy.”
She leaned in for a kiss and suddenly wasn’t as hungry for breakfast as she’d thought. “Let’s eat later.”
“All right.” His eyes were twinkling as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her back to bed.
“I don’t really want you to change,” she said as they started up the stairs.
“I know.”
At the top of the stairs she stopped. “Yes, I do.”
He kissed her again, laughing softly. “I know that, too.”
“Oh, you know everything!”
“Not everything,” he said. “But I know what I know.”
“Do you know me?” Regina untied her robe and let it fall to the bedroom floor in a jumble of pale pink satin.
“I’m
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