Jorja and Dinah were cozy on the couch as Mani and I watched the rest of our family return from their hunt. Coco came in the house first, makin' a beeline for her only nephew as he cooed her way in Mani's embrace.
"Hey, auntie's baby!" she beamed, carefully bringin' him into her arms.
"Where does he sleep?" Mani smiled.
"In my arms. Or mama's. Or ma's. D's tried to get him to sleep a few times, but it seems like only the women in the family have that magic touch."
I chuckled as I watched little man grow excited as he played with his auntie. Vic walked up to us not too long after, nothin' but smiles as John joined her with a much calmer smile of his own.
"Happy birthday!" she exclaimed.
"Sis," I chuckled, "I stopped aging a few days ago."
"And? We're celebrating anyway. So deal with it!"
I chuckled as John dropped a pair of keys in my hand.
"Still hate surprises, bro," I told him. "That hasn't changed."
"You'll love this one," he smiled. "Welcome home."
"We thought ya'll might like a place of your own," Vic clarified.
Mani and I smiled before we were eagerly ushered out the house, encouraged to venture a little deeper into the forest to our new home. Mani and I walked up the path hand in hand, a beautiful forest-green house meeting us at the end of the path. It had a gothic theme to it.
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"What do you think?" Mani asked, her smile matchin' mine.
"It's perfect," I chuckled.
Her and I made our way inside, and it was like walking into another world. Practically every inch of the interior was made of limestone, except for the ash-wooden floors. We marveled at every detail before heading upstairs and locating Jaden's room. It had everything he'd need since he's already growin' up – a bassinet, a crib, a regular bed, even a little teepee with teddy bears placed in the center.
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