Stuck On You.

15.

Making his way towards us, when he got in Mila's eye sight she slightly jumped in my lap growing excited to see her dad.
"Daddy baby!" He exclaimed taking her from my arms as she smiled hard. Holding her above his head he brought her down for a kiss. I smiled small seeing them interact and suddenly felt very guilty for uprooting her so far from him.  Until his gaze rested on me.
"What's up cheré?" He said lowly sitting on the bench in front of mine turning to face me.
"Hi." I said.
"I missed yall."
"Yeah I figured you'd wanna see her, and I'm done with classes for the day." I said playing with my hands.
"How you been? Where you staying?" He asked getting straight to the point.
"With a friend." I chuckled lightly. "I've been good honestly."
"I hate this shit man. I want y'all back home. I'll go stay with Blue but I don't want you out here like that." He said looking down at Mila whose focus was on the field.
"Nah it's okay, I've been looking at places, just trying to see what's a good fit for me you know?" I lied straight through my teeth. As a matter of fact the only place I've been looking is our security camera at home to see if he's had that bitch over there.

"Nah Baybeh, it ain't going like that. I fucked up, but I promise I'm trying to make things right." He said with furrowed eyebrows.
"Oh yeah and how you doing that?"
He seemed hesitant at first.
"Can you come by the house so we can talk? I have a lot to tell you and I want to lay it all out for you." He said. I swallowed hard.
"Yeah sure when?" I asked.
"Honestly, tonight if you can." He said.
I nodded. "What time?"
"Anytime baybeh, it's your house too." He said. And I just shrugged.
"Okay well I'll still call first." I said. And he nodded.
"We should really get going, it's time for a nap." I said.
"For you or her?" He chuckled.
"Both." I said honestly.
He smiled and nodded kissing Mila.

"You need help getting her to the car?" He asked.
I shook my head no.
"I got it, thanks." I said as he passed her back to me. Kissing her cheek I stood from the bench.
"I'll see you later." I told him heading towards the parking lot.

***

"I'll keep her but remember y'all are suppose to be talking." Taelyn said patting Mila after I just fed her a bottle.
"Now look at what she got on, you and I both know she ain't going to do no talking." Her husband Keyon said.
I chuckled.
"Shut up Key. They need to get to the bottom of things, for her sake." She said pointing at Mila. She was right. I really needed my brother right now but I couldn't tell him I had this going on plus he's getting ready for a new baby himself.
"I'm going to talk to him seriously." I said.
"Mmm hmm now let me see you walk walk walk walk." Key said snapping his fingers like Santana, as I strutted and giggled.
"Y'all play all day." Tae said rolling her eyes.
"Nah real shit if you need to handle business, we got her. You know that." Key said shaking Mila's hand with his finger and I nodded.

I really did appreciate them. It was like being home with T'ziah and Teya. They took care of me and Mila. They just weren't as hard on me.
Going into the bedroom I was staying in gave myself a once over in the mirror.

Snapping some pictures I headed back in the living room. Kissing Mila, I left out the door.

***

He laid on the floor holding his phone above his head. He looked so uncomfortable and if I didn't know any better I'd think he was trying to avoid looking at me.

"Can you sit up so we can talk?" I asked. Sighing he sat up looking at me with low eyes.
"Why you come over like that?"
"Like what?" I chuckled.
"Like you tryna get fucked." He said looking me in the eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I came so we could talk." I said.
"But I can't focus and we really need to talk." He said closing his eyes.

I don't know what came over me but I got off the couch and straddled him.
"So let's talk." I said.
Sighing deeply he palmed my ass with his hands causing me to wince.
"I love you." He said looking me in the eyes.
"Then what have you been doing?"
"Cheating."
"A few weeks ago you didn't know if what you had done was considered cheating or not. Now it's a definite?" I asked ready to get off of him but he stopped me.
"She kissed me a few times, she sucked my dick in my sleep once, and I fingered her once." He said looking sadly and my heart dropped. Shaking me head at him.
"That's definitely cheating." I said lowly. "You've been in a whole other relationship while coming home to me and my daughter." I said.
"It wasn't like that, at least it wasn't suppose to be."
"What the fuck was it suppose to be!?" I yelled.
"I was selling drugs for her brother, and the only way I could stay protected is if he thought me and her were still together."
"Drugs?" I asked in disbelief. Standing to my feet he stood too.
"Yeah and I'm sorry."
"That's how you've been paying our bills? Paying for our daughter to go to daycare? With dirty money?" I asked in absolute disbelief. I didn't know the man standing in front of me right now. He was a complete stranger to me.
"Yeah Tiana, it wasn't right but I didn't want you to want for anything."
"Oh so you did this for me? Put me and my daughter in harms way!? Could have gotten yourself killed or jailed for me!?" I yelled.
"I could have went to the league. But I made the decision not to because I didn't want to leave y'all behind." He said.
"All up until this very moment Milo I would have followed you anywhere. But now I don't even know you anymore."
"Maybe you never knew me Tiana! Maybe you are right!? We rushed into a relationship, our daughter is a mistake, our marriage is a mistake, we are complete stangers! Everything you think is right!" He yelled at me. And I jumped.
"I never said any of those things!"
"Yeah well it was implied!" He yelled back. Shaking my head I grabbed my purse and head for the door.

Just as I opened it he reached over me and pushed it closed.

"I'm sorry." He said from behind me. "I never did this to hurt you. I kept it from you so that I wouldn't hurt you. Doesn't make any of it right." He said. Turning to face him I looked over his face searching for answers.
"You should have told me." I said lowly.
"And then what? Risk you leaving me sooner? Hell no." He said shaking his head.
"I'm not leaving you." I said and he looked surprised hell I had surprised myself.
"You're not?" He asked.
"No, I just need space."
"I understand, how much space?"
"As much as I need." I said.
"And in the mean time?" He asked.
"I'll be at my friends." I said leaving out the front door.