(Brooklyn)
(Cleo)
Los Angeles, CA
Present Day
Brooklyn looked down at her ten month old son who was holding onto her leg as she cooked dinner. She picked him up and kissed his cheek.
"Nicole!" Brooklyn yelled.
The seven year old girl walked into the kitchen. "Yes mama?"
"Can you take Nigel for me?"
Nicole held out her arms for Nigel. He smiled and shook his head at his big sister. "Mommy, he's not coming." Nicole said.
"Nigel, go to your sissy." Brooklyn said. Nigel reached his arms out to his sister and she took him. "Put on Sesame Street for him." Nicole nodded and walked into the living room with her little brother on her hip.
Cleo walked into the house with one of his basketball players behind him. Cleo was a Crenshaw High School basketball and football coach and a business owner. He also owned his own little league football team for kids in Compton. Brooklyn was an eleventh grade math teacher at Crenshaw and a counselor at a local women's shelter.
"Hey, babe." Cleo said as he approached his wife.
Brooklyn smiled and kissed his lips. "Hey, baby." She looked at the fifteen year old boy who sat down at her kitchen table. "Can't speak, Teddy?"
Theodore sighed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. James. How are you?"
"I'm good." Brooklyn replied. "Your step father is giving you trouble again?"
Theodore just nodded. "My mom asked Coach if I could stay here for a little bit until things cool off."
"If that's okay with you, baby." Cleo said quickly.
Brooklyn chuckled. "It's fine. I love Teddy."
Theodore smiled. Brooklyn and Cleo treated him like he was their own and most of the time, he wished they were his parents. The James family were his family. He looked at Nicole and Nigel as if they were his younger siblings.
"I love you too, Mrs. James." Theodore replied.
Cleo walked into the living room where his kids were watching tv. Nigel looked at his dad and smiled, making Nicole look at him too.
"Hey, daddy." Nicole said.
"Hey, baby girl." Cleo kissed her forehead before picking up Nigel. "How was school?"
Nicole shrugged. "School was school."
"Dinner is ready!" Brooklyn yelled from the kitchen.
Nicole ran into the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Theodore. He gave her some hand sanitizer and she rubbed it into her hands. Cleo sat Nigel down into his high chair before he grabbed a wipe to sanitize the infant's hands. After he was done, he sanitized his own hands and helped Brooklyn serve the kids their food.
"Daddy." Nicole said.
"Yes?" Cleo replied.
"The father-daughter dance is coming up." She said with a smile.
"I know, baby. We'll go shopping this weekend, aight?" He said. Nicole smiled and nodded.
They continued to eat dinner in a comfortable silence. Afterwards, Brooklyn took the kids upstairs to get ready for bed as Cleo and Theodore stayed behind to clean up the kitchen.
"I've always admired you, Coach." Theodore said as he loaded the dishwasher.
"Oh yeah?" Cleo said.
Theodore nodded. "You have a beautiful family, a nice house, and a good career. I've always wanted to be like you."
"I appreciate that, son. I don't want you to be like me though. I want you to be better than me." Cleo told him.
"Yes sir." Theodore replied.
Someone began to ring the doorbell numerous amounts of times. Cleo furrowed his eyebrows as he dried his hands with a paper towel. "Who the fuck is beating on my door?" He made his way towards his front door and grabbed his gun, which was stored in the hall closet, in the process. He opened the door and sucked his teeth when he noticed it was Messiah standing on his porch with a bruised face and teary eyes and her two year old son in tow. "Brook! Yo friend got her ass beat again!"
"CJ." Brooklyn scolded as she walked down the stairs.
"What?" Cleo replied. "I don't know why her ass keeps running away and shit knowing she's just going to go back to that abusive ass nigga. We been told her to leave Goldy's ass alone since high school. Now her stupid ass has a child by him and feels trapped."
"Why are you talking about me like I'm not standing right here?" Messiah asked.
Cleo mugged her and sucked her teeth. "This is my house. I do what I want."
"What do you need, Messiah?" Brooklyn asked.
"A place to stay. You know I usually go to a hotel, but I don't have any money for that right now and you know I don't really fuck with my parents like that." Messiah explained.
"And what's wrong with Joey's place?" Cleo chimed, making Brooklyn hit his arm.
"You know he be doing illegal shit inside his apartment and I'm not trying to take my son around that shit." Messiah said.
"Didn't Goldy get arrested inside ya'll house for having drugs and weapons inside ya'll house?" Cleo said.
Messiah began to cry again. "CJ, please. I promise to stay out of the way and I won't be here long. I just need somewhere to stay until I get my own place."
"Your own place?" Brooklyn questioned.
Messiah nodded. "I'm leaving Goldy for good."
"You're not, but okay. You can stay here, but don't be eating my babies' snacks." Cleo gave in.
Messiah smiled. "Thank you, CJ."
"Mhmm, yeah. You hungry? We got some left overs."
"No, I'm fine. I'm just going to clean myself up and go to bed."
Cleo nodded his head towards Brooklyn and she took her best friend upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms.
-
Cleo entered the master bedroom he shared with Brooklyn. He had just checked on his kids, Theodore, Messiah, and her son and they were all asleep. He took off his shirt, showing off his muscular and tatted body, before joining Brooklyn in their California King bed.
"Shit, I'm tired." He said as he cuddled up against his wife who was watching last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy on Hulu.
"Tomorrow I need you to apologize to Messiah for being so harsh." Brooklyn said.
Cleo sucked his teeth. "I'm not apologizing for shit."
"Really, CJ?" Brooklyn questioned. "It's obvious that she was scared out of her mind and there is no telling what Goldy did to her this time. You can't show a little be of sympathy and remorse?"
"No because we been told her--"
"You don't know what it is like being in her shoes. I see this shit all the time at the shelter. Women run away from their abusers and they back to them because that is the only place they know. Their abusers fuck up their heads and make them believe that the only person they have is them." Brooklyn explained. "Messiah doesn't need all of that tough love shit right now. She needs to feel protected and safe because we both know that Goldy is going to be out looking for her and this may be the first place he comes to."
Cleo nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll apologize."
"Mhmm." Cleo licked his lips and tugged on the oversized t-shirt she was wearing. "No, not tonight. I'm watching my show."
"Come on, baby." Cleo began to kiss Brooklyn's neck. He reached down between her legs and smirked when he realized she didn't have any panties on. "You ready for daddy?"
"No, I was letting it air out. Now move. Let me watch my show." Brooklyn said.
Cleo sighed and left her alone. He looked at the tv and watched as Jackson and Katherine performed surgery on a patient. "Sick of this damn show." He mumbled.
Brooklyn sucked her teeth. "I don't say anything when you're watching sports and shit. Don't start the pettiness."
There was a knock on their bedroom door. "Come in." Cleo said.
Theodore walked in with a whining Nigel in his arms. "He was crying."
"I'm sorry. I forgot to turn the baby monitor on. Thank you." Brooklyn said as Theodore handed Nigel over to her.
"No problem." Theodore walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Cleo took his son from his wife. He kissed his forehead and rested him on his chest. "Let's go to sleep on mommy because she's too interested in a dumb ass doctor show."
Brooklyn smacked Cleo's forehead. "Don't disrespect Meredith, Maggie, Amelia, and the rest of them ever again."
"Fuck them people." Cleo replied.
-
"Good morning." Messiah said as she entered the kitchen with her son behind her.
"Good morning." Brooklyn said. She looked down and smiled at the toddler. "Good morning Hassan."
The boy smiled back. "Morning, BB."
"What's for breakfast?" Messiah asked.
"The kids requested chicken wings and waffles." Brooklyn said with a chuckle.
Messiah shook her head. "Where's CJ and Nigel?"
"Sleep. They don't wake up until noon on weekends. They are just alike."
On cue, Cleo walked into the kitchen with Nigel in his arms. They both had sleep in their eyes. Cleo had his durag on and Nigel's curly hair was all over the place.
"Looks like they woke up a little early." Messiah said.
"We smelled chicken." Cleo said as he stole a chicken wing.
"Teddy! Nicole! Come on babies!" Brooklyn called out. Everyone sat at the table and Brooklyn served their food.
"Hey, Messiah. I apologize for being so rude last night. You know I love you like a sister." Cleo said into her ear.
Messiah nodded. "It's okay. You were just giving me the benefit of the doubt. I love you too."
All of a sudden, someone began to beat on the front door. "What the fuck? Kids, stay in here." Cleo said as he got up. He went towards the door with Brooklyn and Messiah behind him. Cleo looked through the peep hole to see who it was. "Stand back. It's that nigga Goldy. Brook, get my gun just in case this fool wants to get crazy."
The women obeyed Cleo's commands. Brooklyn got Cleo's gun and made sure it was loaded. Cleo opened the door and Gerald tried to barge in, but he wasn't able to get pass Cleo.
"Where the fuck is Messiah?!" Gerald yelled.
"She ain't here." Cleo lied.
"Nigga, her car is right there in your fucking driveway."
"Huh, I'll be damned." Cleo said, playing dumb.
"Get the hell out my way, man." Gerald said as he tried to push Cleo.
Cleo jacked him up. "Who the fuck you putting your hands on, nigga. I'll murder yo ass, cuz.
"Fuck you, nigga."
Brooklyn cocked the gun and aimed it at Gerald. "Keep talking shit and watch me light yo ass up." She said.
"Daddy!" Hassan exclaimed.
Brooklyn held the gun down and Cleo let go of Gerald. "Hey baby boy. Where's your mama?" Gerald asked as he picked the toddler up.
"Here." Hassan said as he pointed towards the wall.
"Come here, Messiah." Gerald said.
Messiah began to cry as she came into Gerald's view. Brooklyn became furious as she looked at the fear in Messiah's face. "She's not going with you."
"She will if I take Hassan with me." Gerald began to walk away with Hassan in his arms.
Messiah wiped her tears and sighed. "I'm sorry. He has my baby." She walked out of the house, not caring that she was barefoot and in her pajamas.
"I should've killed him." Brooklyn said as she put the gun away.
Cleo shook his head. "I'm gonna get his ass. I swear I am."
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I will publish more chapters next month. This is just a sneak peak. Plus I am starting to do more of my writing on my laptop so I may make mistakes often and chapters may be longer. I am going to update my other stories soon.