Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

62. Sticky

Grace poked her bottom lip out as she put away Cataleyas clothes— folding her tiny onesies no bigger than the length of Graces forearm and hanging up dresses that looked as if they could fit a doll on equally small hangers. They only had about three weeks left until it was no longer just be Grace and Joseph. The anxiety of it all was finally beginning to settle in now that Grace was getting closer to the finish line and the anxiety wasn't stemming from having to give birth, but wondering if she would be a good mother.

They'd arrived back home to Miami a few days after the baby shower and since the baby shower, she'd been having constant urges to organize and clean the whole house and get everything ready for Cataleyas arrival. Her and Joseph were still opening gifts upon gifts from the baby shower and trying to put everything away.

"Babe,"

Grace perked up, a tiny onesie in her hand as she looked over her shoulder at Joseph who stood in the door way of their daughters nursery with a baby carrier strapped to his bare tattooed chest. He had his durag tied tightly around his head with a pair of grey sweats hanging loosely around his waist showing the waistband of the black Calvin Klein briefs underneath.

"I got this shit on right?" He asked, looking down at it and back at her.

Grace couldn't help but to let out a small laugh. "You're supposed to be helping me put stuff away,"

"I am— I had to make sure this was safe though first,"

"No you just wanted to put it on," Grace giggled making Joseph smile smuggly.

All Joseph had been talking about was wearing their daughter like a backpack in that "thing" as he called it, and was excited when they'd been gifted one— a Gucci one at that.

Grace slowly stood up from the ground letting out a small groan holding the lower part of her belly. She could feel Cataleya dropping lower and lower and it felt like she had a sack of potatoes hanging from her waist. Grace grabbed a pink stuffed bunny from her crib and put it into the carrier.

"I can't wait to go outside like this,"

Grace smiled small as she stared up at her husband, her hands resting on her belly. "Baby I think you're getting a little soft,"

Joseph kissed his teeth taking the bunny out of the carrier and tossing it back into Cataleyas crib making Grace laugh. "No I ain't,"

"I think you areeee," Grace teased in a singsong voice. "Look at you, walking around with a stuffed animal strapped to your chest," She said as she raised onto the balls of her feet, draping her arms around his neck.

Joseph placed his hands on the small of her lower back, pecking her lips sweetly as each of their orbs consumed one another staring in silence— a comfortable silence, getting lost in translation within one another as their eyes communicated all that needed to be said. They'd somehow began swaying back and forth to the music Grace had turned on to keep her entertained as she put stuff away that played lightly.

It was sweet moments like this that reminded Grace of the sweet special moments from the humble beginnings of their relationship— dancing in the living room of Graces small one bedroom apartment in the city where they'd shared their first kiss so many years before to now dancing in their daughters nursery in their multi-million dollar mansion that sat right on the ocean in Miami.

"You remember our first kiss— and then you broke my heart," Grace asked with a sarcastic smile.

Joseph let out a small chuckle. "Ain't nobody break yo damn heart,"

"Yes you did," Grace said. "ThAt WaS a MiStaKe," She mocked what he'd said to her that night in a deep voice making Joseph mug her.