single dad: the sequel (v.h)

chapter five

"Babe I found a listing for a 4 bedroom 2 and a half bath." Aaliyah called out from her seat at the kitchen counter.

"How much is rent?" Vinnie called back as he changed Nelly's diaper from the living room.

"$650 a month. They allow pets too." Aaliyah said, making Vinnie's head shoot up to look to her?

"That cheap?" Vinnie asked.

Aaliyah nodded. It truly was amazing on the price. They were currently paying $800 for a two bedroom 1 bath.

"Yeah. I can book an appointment for us to go look at it." Aaliyah offered.

"Yeah, go ahead." Vinnie said, rocking Nelly in his arms.

He really hated that they had to move out of this house after moving into it just 8 months ago. But the safety of his children and girlfriend was more important to him.

"They have a spot open to view it at 3PM today. It's in the same neighborhood as your parents, meaning it'd take an hour to get there." Aaliyah said.

Vinnie glanced at the clock, seeing the time displaying as 1:15 PM.

"We need to leave now then. That way we can feed the kids. I'll see if my parents can watch them." Vinnie said, picking Janelle up from her changing table and handing her to Aaliyah.

——

"I don't wanna live in another house." Bear whined, yelling the sentence at Vinnie.

"Don't yell Bear. Your sister is asleep." Vinnie said.

"I don't care!" Bear yelled again, kicking her feet only to have one kick Vinnie in the jaw.

He froze completely, using every ounce of control in his body not to beat the shit out of his 7 year old daughter. Lifting his hands in surrender, he moved away from her and got in the drivers seat of the car.

"Baby, please buckle her in. I'm gonna lose my shit and I couldn't live with myself if I hurt my daughter." Vinnie said, holding the steering wheel and calming himself down.

——

"Aaliyah, please calm down." Vinnie said.

Another argument had started. Bear got sleepy when they were viewing the house. She got a bit teary eyed and asked Vinnie to hold her while they walked around.

Vinnie didn't see it as too big of a deal, but Aaliyah on the other hand was overreacting about Bear getting sleepy and wanting her daddy to hold her.

"No, that was completely embarrassing Vincent. Now we're probably not going to get approved." Aaliyah answered.

"Why wouldn't we get approved?" Vinnie asked in a tone that made Aaliyah feel like a complete moron.

"Because your kid is whiny and fucking spoiled and I'm tired of it." Aaliyah announced confidently.

Vinnie pulled into a parking lot, slamming on the breaks which sent everyone in the car lurching forward.

"Get the fuck out of my car." Vinnie said, unlocking the door.

"Absolutely not." Aaliyah responded.

"You either get the fuck out of my car or you shut your mouth until we're home. I don't know what your issue has been since you gave birth, but I'm not dealing with it anymore. I have put up with a lot from you and gave you freedom with Bear and Kaiser that I didn't even give my own parents. You can talk about me all you want, but you will never speak on my children that way again." Vinnie yelled, which wasn't typical for him so everyone knew he was serious and shouldn't be messed with.

Aaliyah nodded, complying with what he said and not speaking the entire way home. Once they arrived, he let Aaliyah out and let her gather Janelle's carrier and diaper bag. He would've taken Janelle with him if she weren't a newborn but he knew she would get fussy and would want her mom.

Unexpectedly to Aaliyah, he pulled out of the driveway and left. Neither of the kids spoke. Kaiser was busy with his toy trucks and Bear knew her father had no wishes to speak with anyone right now.