Nothing to Lose (BWWM)

Fourteen

The door clicked as it was gently shut. As two pairs of feet entered the house, the sound of crutches could be heard. 

Luke was too busy gaping at the size of the house to notice the figure that had joined them in the hallway. His wide and innocent eyes roamed the wide space that surrounded him.

"LJ, this is-." Imani began after acknowledging her boss' presence.

"Hey, you're the guy that got me that Happy Meal!" He squealed and Vincent nodded, a small smile gracing his features.

He approached LJ and extended an arm out to him. "I didn't get a chance to give you my name - I'm Vincent."

LJ grabbed his hand and shook it, grinning. "I'm LJ. Luke Junior Forde. I'm named after my dad - he's called Luke too." Vincent chuckled in amusement and nodded his head, releasing the little boy's hand. "Have you got a TV?" 

"Luke!" 

Vincent continued to laugh. "Yes I do. Quite a few actually. Do you want me to show you where they are?" Luke nodded enthusiastically. "Actually, I can also show you where all the best places in this house are." The little boy followed him as he limped away. 

"It's fine, I'll just be... here." Imani said mostly to herself. 

She decided to busy herself with unpacking her and her son's items. A weight had been lifted off her shoulder knowing that LJ was getting along with Vincent. Her boss wasn't the most likeable person but her son got along with everyone. He was just a ball of sunshine that lit up a room with just his presence. He was also extremely intelligent for his age.

Imani had never hidden the fact that Luke Senior had left from her son. Although she hadn't told him the exact truth, she had expressed that he wasn't in their life for a good reason but that he did love LJ... in his own way.

She peered around the room that she was in and sighed. 

Jumping from place to place seemed to be all that she was doing lately. 

From a spacious house to a dingy studio apartment to her mother's house and now her boss' place - even though it was temporary.

She was sick of moving and putting LJ through that stress. Although he didn't show any signs of being bothered by it, Imani knew that the excitement of moving had completely worn off. 

As she closed the wardrobe door that now housed a few of her son's belongings, she moved on and into her room. 

On her way in, she cast a look towards the room that Vincent had forbade her from entering. Whatever was in there must have been something of great importance for him to be so passionate about her not going in.

She packed away all of her things and decided to take the nap that she had finally wanted. 

As soon as her body hit the memory foam mattress, she was knocked out.

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door. As she rubbed her eyes sleepily, she saw Vincent leaning on her door frame. 

She frowned at him, still angry at his outburst and how he grabbed her. Imani pushed herself up and ran a hand over her tired face. "Dinner is ready." He stated. 

She looked up at him in surprise. How long had she been asleep for? It was already in her mind that dinner would be cooked by her. "Who cooked it?" She asked.

"LJ and I decided to take it upon ourselves seeing as you were sleeping."

When Imani stood and stretched, Vincent tried his hardest not to notice how smooth the curves of her body were.