When Different Worlds Collide ✔️

Enough- Erik's POV

"Never gonna happen, Travis. Stay away from my son," my mom replied with a glare.

T just laughed then got back into his car. Ron peeled out quickly before my mom turned her glare to me.

"What was that?!"

"I don't know!" I answered her as I led her inside for privacy with Kat following us. I didn't want the whole nosy block in our business. "He told me to keep the fee this month for the holiday. I don't know why he just did all that!" I lied.

"You better not be getting involved with him, Erik. I've already lost Theo. I'll be dammed if he takes another one of my sons away from me," she yelled.

"Ma, it's okay. I'm here. Mom, I'm here," I told her and hugged her to me.

I knew that this was about her being afraid to lose me. I hated lying to her, but I also knew that someone had to pay off Theo's debts. It damn sure was not going to be my sister or my mother. And my mother would surely try to be the one to do it if she knew... So, that left me. I had to protect them.

"I know, son. I just- I can't lose you too. I can't bury a second baby," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I know, ma," I told her calmly and wiped the few tears away. "It's going to be okay. You'll see, mom. One day it will be."

She sighed and nodded before turning to Kat who was standing away from us awkwardly, trying to give us some privacy. "Thank you, Kat. We'll pay you back. He just-"

"Don't worry about that Ms. Trina," Kat dismissed. "That was emergency money, and I used it on an emergency. It's fine."

"It's not fine, but I'm not going to argue with you right now. I'm going to go out there and get Thanksgiving started. You two get out there soon, okay?" She knew that I had to talk to Kat about what she had just done.

"Yes mam," Kat replied simply before looking at me. She knew that she had pissed me off and was ready for the fight.

I waited a full two minutes before I spoke. "That was incredibly stupid, you know?" I told her with a tight jaw.

"I know..." she answered truthfully.

"You're not going to defend yourself?"

"You already know why I did what I did. You know my reasoning, so I don't feel like I really need to explain it. I did what I did, and I'd do it again and again. I'm not sorry."

Without thinking, I pulled her to me and crashed my lips against hers. I was angry, I was thankful, I was annoyed, and I was relieved. She was trying to protect me in the same way that I would have tried to do for her. I was annoyed that we were going have to go to his stupid party later, but right then... I was grateful that I had someone that I loved as much as loved Kat.

"I love you," I told her when I finally pulled away from her. "Don't get me wrong, that was stupid and now we have a whole shitshow of a party to attend tonight. But... Thank you for doing that for us. I'm angry, but I do understand. Just... Please don't do that again. He's trouble, Kat. That man is straight up trouble, and I don't want you involved."

"I didn't want to see you knock some dude's head off and then end up dead," she shrugged with a crooked smile. "I know that you don't want me to go to one of those parties, but I also know that you'll protect me. I have full faith in you, Erik."

That faith comforted me, but it also scared the shit out of me. What if I couldn't protect her as much as she thought I could? What if I'm not as good as she believed me to be?

"Come on, we need to get some food in you," I said, cutting off my line of thought effectively. I didn't want to go down that path of thinking again.