Beatrix

FIFTEEN

Zane patted his pockets, looking for a lighter but couldn't find one. "O'Shea give me a lighter."

•••

"It's nice to meet you, Tremaine," Faith smiled and batted her eyelashes.

He nodded and shook her hand. "Same here, Mrs. Delaney."

"This is Ziggy," Beatrix smiled while waving his hand. "You can say he's the mean twin."

"High five," Tremaine smirked. Ziggy gave him a half smile as well as a high five. "He's not mean at all."

"I guess not," she chuckled. They were sitting on Beatrix's sectional couch getting to know Tremaine. He had his arm rested behind her as he played with Nixie who was sitting on his lap giggling.

"Hey, Trey," Ziyanna said. "Are you and my momma gonna get married?"

Beatrix looked at her sideways but Tremaine just laughed. "Only time will tell. But as of right now, no. She might have the cooties. You gotta fill me in on her."

"Ooo," she smiled while pulling his arm to get up. She dragged him all the way into the kitchen and sat him down. "First off, momma don't have cooties. When I met my momma she wasn't my momma. She was this little girl that got abused and she didn't have any of the clothes she rock now. I hated her because my old momma hated her and told me not associate with her."

"One day my old momma had abandoned me," she mumbled while looking down at her feet. "My new momma was the only one really there for me and that's when I found out she was pregnant."

Tremaine listened to Ziyanna talk about how they were kidnapped to how Beatrix went M. I. A. for months since Zane put his hands on her and had a miscarriage. "Wait she gotta tattoo of his name? Where?"

Beatrix came in and looked at them with a smile. "What y'all talking about?"

Tremaine only looked at her with sadness and that's when she frowned. "Oh lord, what she say to you?"

"Can you excuse us, Ziyanna?" Tremaine asked. She nodded and skipped out the kitchen.

Beatrix was still frowning while she sat beside him. He grabbed her hands and eyed her. "Just tell me, is it true?"

"Is what true?" She asked cocking her head to the side.

"I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about if I told Ziyanna to fill me in about you."

Her eyes started to water so she looked up. "I wish it wasn't."

"Come here," he said holding his arms out. She stood up with her hands covering her face and walked over to him. He pulled her waist closer and removed her hands from her face. "Stop crying."

She hiccuped and wiped her face. Tremaine now knew that looks could be deceiving. He thought Beatrix had it all since birth like he did but she didn't. She actually been through pain most of her life.

"I'm sorry about the messed up things that happened to you over the years," he said hugging around her waist. "If there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

"Just...hold me," she said wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tighter."

•••