Welcome Home Baby

Chapter Seventeen: Stay |✔

"I don't, Raven does." He comments closing the refrigerator and turning my way.

"Well why didn't she fill it up? Isn't that what she gets paid for?"

"I guess that what she gets paid for."

"You don't know why you pay a maid?" I question.

"Raven only did shopping when I asked her to, I usually just went out to eat." He walks across the walkway and into the dining room, looking my way as if he were waiting for me to sit down also, "I'm a businessman I'm always at dinners and brunches."

I accompany him at the nicely set table, "You must be close to Logan and Raven to let them just stay here."

"Yeah, Logan has been my best friend for years and he actually co-owns a few of my businesses one is Lucille's Diner. I actually made the restaurant and didn't have a name for it, so I thought why not just name it after her for her birthday." He smiled slightly at the memory, and I frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Lucille actually took me there the first time I met Jaxon." I say remembering those small red booths, my eyes began to water just thinking about the motive behind even taking me there.

"Do you want to take me shopping?" He asked me changing the subject before even responding to what I had just said, "I mean grocery shopping not like clothes shopping,"

"I get what you mean Ricky." I respond, "Sure, let's write a list."

"A list? You write lists?" He asked, confusion written all over his face, his eyes squinting at me.

"Yeah, to save money."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Just come on." He says standing up and reaching for my hand. I grab ahold his hand, get out of my chair and walk to the car.

~•~

Walking down the aisles Ricardo examined every price with shock, he was surprised at how much items costs even if they were tiny, "This is really expensive for steak."

I laughed softly, "That's because steak is sort of expensive, but why do you care,  you're the rich one."

"So? I just didn't think that certain products were actually expensive, I'm not saying they're too expensive for me but for other people they may be." He explains as we continue on. We'd been here for over forty-five minutes and we only have four items in our basket. Turns out he's sort of indecisive.

"Can you please start picking things up it shouldn't take this long, that's why I have a list."

"You need to be more spontaneous, lists shouldn't control your life," he says jokingly, "I mean aren't you still a virgin? You need to spice up your life."

"Actually, I'm not."

"But I thought that was the big deal with you getting pregnant." He says, "The pregnant girl is a virgin, you know? I thought that was your thing."

"No, that's not my thing, I just never told anyone because the guy I lost it to did some bad things to hurt me. So I don't want to consider him my first time."

As we walk down the aisle he says, "But it counts doesn't it?"

"Not in my mind." I say as he grabs food off of the shelf.

"What does that even mean though? How could having sex with someone not count as losing your virginity?" He questioned going down another aisle.

"Uh, it was forced the first time." I said softly.

"Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No you're okay. After the first time I felt pressured for some reason, I don't like the feeling of only being able to stay with someone or keep them because you open your legs." I sighed as he picked up a bag of marshmallows, "And I did just that and I felt like I had no control anymore and I want that control. I don't know but I just never considered Lucas my first."

"With me you wouldn't have to worry about that." He says jokingly, "So what do you think about making dinner tonight?"

"Making dinner? I have to go home Ricky, I'm just helping you grocery shop." I reply going towards the canned food aisle.

He just shakes his head, "Your apartment is a crime scene, and I want you to stay. Now come on so we can make a delicious dinner." He says grabbing my hand and walking fast towards the cash registers.

~*~

"You sure you can cook?" Ricardo asked me as the grease in the pan sizzled under the pork chops on the stove.

"Why?" I questioned, "Of course I can." I say assuring myself, no one has ever complained before and that says enough.

"You over cooked mashed potatoes." He comments putting a spoon into the ruined mash potatoes, "So I am unsure that you can actually cook."

"Shut up when you taste these wonderful pork chops you will think otherwise now go sit down." I command him as I take the last pork chop out of the grease. He sits at the dining room table, napkin placed neatly into his shirt. I do as I usually do, placing the food neatly on the plate, and sitting it in front of him.

"You're not going to eat?" He questioned as he picked up his fork.

"I ate as I went along, but I wasn't even hungry. Just taste it." I tell him, sitting down across from him waiting for his reaction, his approval. As I was growing up my mother, Allison, did the same, tasting the food as she went along. Trying to make everything was tasteful for our family, making sure everyone got enough on a plate and no one went without. She never ate at the same time as the rest of my family either, and I have always done the same as her.

He crunches into the pork chop questioning, "Why aren't you in college?"

"That's random." I say shifting in my seat as he kept biting into the pork chop, "I'm in college, but I'm starting to think I didn't even need college."

"Why not? College helps you." He responds as he then picks up his fork again.

"That's a misconception. College may help some people, but if you can do a profession without going to college then why waste money on it? I'm going to a two year university at the moment but in high school I never even thought about going to college because I just wanted to work and write books hence why I graduated early."

"Books," He wipes his mouth as he finally looks at me, "Have you been writing?"

"Yes I have actually." I answer smiling at the thought.

"Do your parents know that you're pregnant?" He changes subject so fast every time we talk that I can't even grasp the first subject.

"My dad is dead and yes my mother does know, and she knows this is how I am able to pay her and my brothers surgeries off."

"I'm sorry to hear that, do you --"

This time I cut him off, " Ricky, stop interrogating me."

"Interrogating is such a strong word, I just wanted to get to know you since you are going to be staying in my home," he sighs, "ask me some questions then. After all we do have to deal with each other for eighteen years."

"What do you mean eighteen years? Wait you do know women are only pregnant for forty weeks right?" I question, he has to know that especially if he is having babies very soon.

He chuckles, "Of course I know that, but uh I kind of shredded the contract so that doesn't exist anymore."

"Why?" I ask as he gets up to put his dish away.

"I just think that you should stay." He states rinses off his dish and places it into the dishwasher.

"Stay?" For some reason I began to get confused, "Ricardo, that contract just means I am not in the kids life as a parental figure, I would always be there if you really needed me to be."

"I do need you." He says just as Raven comes into the kitchen, a man close behind.

"Sorry to interrupt but you got mail." Raven says as she hands Ricardo a manila envelope. We all watch as Ricardo opens the envelope, taking out the papers it contained. He sat the envelope down on the counter and began to read the papers, "Well what does it say."

"That was fast, she must have already had these ready," He says looking closer at the papers, "They're divorce papers."

"I hope you signed a prenup."

Ricardo shakes his head, "Shut up Logan."