A broken marriage.
A new job.
She works as a Personal Assistant on the ForNoah Youtube channel.
Noah is on the autistic spectrum and she fixes things for him.
He's a shipwright and creates beautiful works of art.
She's a woman starting over who meet...
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It was Little Man and Space Girl's birthday party. Theo's expensive house filled to the brim with colorful balloons and gifts. The festivities had mostly grown ups and teens. Not a single kid their own age to play with. Did he forget to invite kids from their class to the party? It didn't occur to me to remind him. I smiled as he took Sim's hand for the birthday dance. The lighting dimmed, and birthday decorations glimmered in the open space. When we were younger every single family birthday party had a father daughter dance. Even at the last birthday they had Theo remember to dance with Sim.
Her face was strained as she tried to dance perfectly without standing on his feet like a little kid. Theo is so big in his nice suit compared to Sim. He spins her and it's like all the memories piled up high. Space Girl in diapers dancing that first year, Theo holding her tight with her in his arms. She was standing on his feet because she didn't know the steps.
But with those memories more came to me and I braced for the good and the bad.
The night he came home he would smell like her? I debated on acting like he didn't cheat on me. The butt dial that destroyed my marriage didn't happen. That I would destroy myself to keep the wheels on our life going. He got into bed with me and didn't smell of her. Kissed me on the cheek after working his double shift at the prison. His lying lips, sweet with poison, rubbed against my ear to whisper "I love you." With those words I was destroyed I felt chips of myself falling. Night after night of late work that wasn't true or maybe it was. What's worse is I was willing to destroy myself for him even if it was only a second of thought. I was willing to make it like it never happened and somehow get our marriage on track.
"Theo is so handsome with his daughter," the woman from his work said next to me. The words knocked me out of the memory.
He hasn't changed. Not one bit, still in great shape. If you were to do one of the dad hottie things that happen when dad's pickup day comes at school. He'd win hands down as soon as he smiled. The way Teo smiles it's like the music you can't hear but you hear. A completely different personality.
It was the end of the dance, and the room clapped. Sim was so proud of herself for getting it right, I clapped with the crowd.
Theo takes the hand of his new wife and baby boy in his wife's arms. My kids come and join him for their birthday. After the dance Sim makes a little face as she looks around at the room. I knew that small hidden expression of discontent. They don't want joint birthdays anymore even though they were born in the same month. Sim is two years older than the little man and it's beginning to show. Although she does love the hell out of Little Man, she is also at that girl age. Where things start to change and wants and wishes shift. So, she wanted something of her own something. When she brought it up to me I passed it along to her father because it was his year. But her father wanted another joint birthday. Next year is my turn to do the birthday and they will each get their own. It's beyond time for it, I'm as ready for change as the kids probably are.
The dress they have her in is one of those bows everywhere dress. The multiple shades of pink bows nearly drown her out in the dress but her dark skin pulls it off. She isn't anti-bows, but she's not that much into it. Little Man is in a suit with short pants and he hates suits. But he's willing to wear one if he gets one of those fly suit capes. But Little Man without his cape when he wants it is a butterfly without wings.
"Thanks, we are so happy to have you at Sim, and Ade's birthday." Theo says his smile is huge. The new family is picture perfect. "Please, the drinks are by the bar and have a wonderful time." The room burst into conversation again after his small speech.
When I saw Sim take Ade's hand and lead him away, I followed the kids. Then I got ready to give them their gifts. Ade got the box of Legos from Noah and from me he got a Lando T-shirt he could wear while he was at his dad's. Not as good as a cape but close. He really liked it and tried to put it on right away over his suit.
"How about you take that up the stairs later instead," I said? He nodded, but he wanted it now. The amount of shit he'd get for putting on that shirt over his nice clothes, wasn't be worth it. Plus, it would probably end in tears and ruin the party.
Then it was time for Sim, I held my breath as I passed the small box of stars to Sim. Space Girl opens the box and inside is the stars that Noah made her. As well as the wooden jewelry he made her. On top of the box filled with stars is the plane tickets to space camp. My daughter looked at me, then looked at the tickets. Then back to me again and her blessed expression of disbelief was priceless.
"I'm going to space camp?" She asks, her voice cracking on the words.
"You're going to space camp baby," I said. The words finally sunk in, and she jumped up and down squealing. I gave her the tickets in private off to the side but all the eyes at the party watched her. She kept jumping up and down and the reserved girl who smiled nicely while dancing with her father was gone. She launched herself at me and Little Man jumped with her. Absolute joy on his face, and the team talk really worked.
"Thank you mommy," She said.
"Your welcome baby," I said to her.
"I helped too!" Ade shouted in our group hug.
"Thank you," she said to him. I was tempted to fan my watery eyes holding back tears. We really did do it. The over time the extra work, getting the job, new work. It all paid off. I did it, we did it.
"I love you," I told them both. "Have fun at the party." I put the tickets away, saving them for later. My kids hold Noah's birthday gift to their chests. Every step I took away from them on the big day hurt but they watched me go as I blend into the crowd.
"You ok?" Eve says to me. She came up from behind me without my notice.
"I'm ok, you need to leave early right?" My mind was so busy with things and it's like our old life is overlaid with this new one.
"Earth to T, you on planet Neptune again?" She says it with a smile. I wasn't, I wish I was on planet Neptune. But I've got to stop zoning out while she's speaking to me.
"No, I just had a lot on my mind."
"Ok," she replies with suspicion in her gaze, "I can stay?"
"No, you had plans to do the color shots for Carly months before the date on the party was planned. It also can't wait for the press packages." My mind went into organization mode which was a much better place for me to be emotionally. Then in my ex-husband new house with his lovely wife and young baby.
"Ok T, love you." She leaned in for the kiss on the cheek. Must be super worried about me. Thankfully, Jo-Lee wasn't here because she fucking hates Theo. If Carly wasn't busy with interviews at a YouTube event, she would have been the choice for the party.
I did the only thing I could to blend into the room. And the party went on around me.
A/n: So, here we are posting on the wrong day lol. I'm so annoyed with myself but I've changed my sleep around for a doctor appt. I'm getting 20-year-old filings finally replaced. It's pretty much what I've been doing for the last 3 or so months. I want to thank y'all, your support has been insane. I spent so much time writing Noah and other books alone and posting away with just a few people reading. Mostly people I knew reading. So it was an audience of 3 or 4 types of stuff lol. Then y'all came and I'm so damn thankful for my audience of 3 and you guys as well.
I am so beyond thankful, as always you are dear to me. Knowing you want to read more than one of my books with a black female lead. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Remember to share my book, so we can meet new people. Star and leave a comment if you haven't already. I want to hear from you :).
