single dad: v.h

chapter twenty-seven

"So what you're telling me is that you watched a video of the two of you together and came to it?" Aaliyah asked, rubbing her temples.

"Yes." Vinnie answered.

"I was afraid it would come to this." Aaliyah said more to herself than him.

"What do you mean?" Vinnie asked, his head shooting up to look at her.

Aaliyah didn't answer right away. She only looked at her hands trying to formulate a way to answer his question. No matter how she put it, it would still destroy him.

"I appreciate you always being honest with me and the man you've been over the past 6 months. You offering your home to me as a place to stay and you being my boyfriend has meant the world to me but I can't do this anymore." Aaliyah said softly.

"No baby I-"

"We're done Vinnie." Aaliyah cut him off.

His mouth opened slightly, staying that way while she continued speaking, none of what she was saying were things he wanted to hear.

"I'll pack my things and have my brother pick it up tomorrow. It'll be gone before you get home from work." Aaliyah answered.

——

Vinnie ended up taking the kids and going to his moms that night so she could get her things together and so he wouldn't have to see it.

"Daddy everything is gonna be okay right?" Bear asked quietly as she lay in his arms.

"Yes. It's just gonna go back to the way it used to be okay? It'll be you, Kaiser, and me. Miss Aaliyah won't be there anymore. You'll still get to see her at school okay?" Vinnie said, trying his best not to cry.

"Okay daddy." She answered, standing up and kissing his cheek and going upstairs to go to sleep for school tomorrow.

Vinnie sat on the couch, finally letting his tears fall. He sat alone until his mom sat next to him and pulled him down to lay in her lap.

"Talk to me." Maria spoke quietly.

"I'm such a fuck up." Vinnie whispered, sniffling harshly as the tears kept pouring.

"Don't say that son. You're not a fuck up." Nate said as he sat in the floor in front of the two. Vinnie couldn't be anymore thankful that he had his parents right now.

"Why is it so hard to stop loving her? If I could just forget about her then I would be able to be happy." Vinnie whimpered.

"Because she was the first girl to ever love you romantically and vice versa." Nate answered.

"I wish it could of been Aaliyah. She tr-treated me so g-good and I broke her." Vinnie cried harder, clutching his moms hand tightly.

"Everything will be okay Vinnie and it's okay if it takes a long time, but you're a strong man and we all know you'll get through this." Maria said, running a hand through his knotted hair.

"How am I gonna sleep alone? I can't be in that house without her." Vinnie whispered through his sobbing.

"So come back home." Nate said.

"You mean here?" Vinnie asked.

"Yes. Until you get things figured out. We can put your things in the second garage okay? Don't worry about rent, we're your parents and we're always gonna be here for you." Nate said, running a hand through Vinnie's hair to express his love.

"You're sure that you're okay with that?" Vinnie asked.

"Yes baby." Maria answered, leaning down and kissing his forehead softly.