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“Please don’t freak out,” she whispered, closing in on him. “Just come back here with me so I can explain it all to you.” “What the fuck is back there in the damn baby section?” “Daun…” “Bro,” his hands clutched the top of his head. “B, stop fuckin’ playin’ wit me.” Grabbing him by the waist Benz tried to calm him down. He was already high, so this was probably blowing his mind. “Daun,” she spoke softly. “I…we…we have a baby, she’s—” “She?”
By one in the morning, they were still sitting in mostly silence with their daughter until something finally hit Daun. “Yo, what’s her name?” Tiredly Benz yawned, replying, “I haven’t officiated her birth certificate yet because I was waiting for you, but I know what I’d like to name her.” “You’on think I should get a say?” “That’s why I said what I’d like to name her.” “What is it?” “Dawn, with a w. Dawn Arli Mae Mescudi-Allen.” The smile. That smile, he couldn’t hide it if he tried. Benz was really trying to break him down.
Getting up from the chair Daun walked over pulling Benz to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist as they swayed from side to side. Nothing else mattered anymore. It was a new day. A new Dawn.
Daun told his mother about his new daughter right away and it turned into a whole thing. Within two weeks, Sunny planned them a baby shower and everybody came through. The theme was sunshine and sunflowers. Everything was light and beautiful for his baby girl.
Moments later… “I was mad, B,” Daun said out of nowhere. “But I ain’t mean to put that burden on you. You didn’t deserve that shit.” Benz stayed silent not knowing what to say. “You hear me?” “I…I hear you.” “Can you forgive me?”
“I already did. I was never mad at you for what you said, honestly, I just felt more guilty. I…I doubted you and thought that you…but all along it was me, my—” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Warmth blossomed in Benz’s chest down to her ankles; sparks ignited as Daun delivered the most passionate kiss they’d ever shared. It was soft yet forceful. Tentatively, feeling like the first time all over again. “B,” Daun grabbed her neck and she released a satisfying sigh. “B.” “Hmmm…” she moaned against his lips that she refused to detach from. “Dawn is stayin’ wit me,” he squeezed harder, turning Benz on more. “You hear me?” “Yes…” “That mean you…” Daun pecked her lips. “And…” peck. “Busy…” peck. “Are staying too.” “But—” “No buts,” he shushed her, pressing hard against her mouth.
“Y’all nasty asses infecting my baby’s room with pussy and nut juice!” Sunny banged on the door. “Get out! Nasty asses! I gotta disinfect every fuckin’ thing now! I expected better from you, Benz! Grow a backbone! Lettin’ dick control you like that! Ain’t no way! Ooh wait till y’all come out here!”
After their goodbyes, Benz sat with the phone in her lap cheesing. “You dad is so…smooth.” “Oh really?” Daun side eyed her. “I ain’t like how you was smilin’ at that nigga.” “Well, I mean,” Benz shrugged taking her baby. “I see where you get it from but, he definitely does it better.”
Benz folded her legs Indian style to get comfortable as their daughter fed. “You told him you love me?” “Man…” Daun picked at his hair. “That’s okay…you don’t have to say it.” “Why not?” “Because I heard you loud and clear when I was asleep…or so you thought.” Daun remembered the exact night she was talking about. “So if you heard me, why you ain’t say that shit back?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “But…I love you too.”
“Wassup bro,” he fist bumped the large tombstone. “I brought two special people to meet you.” Daun would’ve sat right on the grass because he didn’t care but of course, women…Benz brought a blanket for them. He eased on the ground with their baby and she sat next to him. “This your niece, bro, Dawn, with a w. I know, I wasn’t expecting her either, her mom, oh…” he turned. “I finally brought Benz here, say hi baby.”
“We was talkin’ last night and came to the conclusion that this shit was fate. I’m not sayin’ you and Arli died for us to be together but somethin’ amazing came from it all. Y’all kids get to be raised together. I found B and she found me. So I hope y’all up there watchin’ how good of a job we doin’ and we comin’ after back child support when—” “Daun…” Benz laughed at his pettiness. “What? I’m just sayin’, Tyler and Busy expensive as fuck. They up there chillin’ while we down here doin’ everything, shit…” he joked. He had to have a sense of humor in this situation. “But naw forreal, tell Arli
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Bro, and Oak…he damn near runnin’ B bakery like a pro. He got a girl now and shit. He said they ain’t kissed or nothin’, gon ask can he practice on Benz, I almost whooped his ass.”
“You didn’t tell me he said that,” Benz cracked up. “Oak is something else.” “The messed up part is I considered it for a second.” “See, you ain’t shit.”
“That was strange,” Benz noted. Daun kissed her over and over and over again. “Nah, that was our blessing.” Through grief, they found love. Through grief, they created love.
