It was now Friday and Aaliyah has decided that she and Damien would accompany the twins back to Florida to see their Father.
They were walking to the Black Rolls Royce that had been waiting at the airport for them when Damien pulled Aaliyah to the side.
"Are you sure you're ready to see Niko again??" He asked. Damien was concerned about her. For the past few days Aaliyah had been quiet and melancholy. He didn't like it at all, he was so used to her being the feisty woman he had come to know.
"I don't have a choice. It's not about me. It's about my children. I want them to have a relationship with their father."
"I understand but I think the twins know what's going on and they don't like it nor do they like their father. I mean they both threw a tantrum when you were packing their bags this morning."
"I'm not going to take them away from him. If they decide they don't wanna be bothered with him when their grown then so be it but as of right now I will make sure they spend time with him. What he did to me has nothing to do with them or how much he loves them."
Damien knew Aaliyah was slowly unraveling. She loved Niko way too deeply and he took that love for granted.
"We will get through this week together." Damien stated kissing her forehead.
She gave him a slight smile. She couldn't deny if felt nice having Damien here with her and it also felt nice to not to argue. It felt nice to have emotional support and comfort. Damien had been very attentive over the past few days and it didn't go unnoticed. The twins noticed and Aaliyah noticed. Her attraction to Damien only kept growing and if he kept showing his sweet side then he might even break down the wall she had built around her heart.
Little did Aaliyah know Damien had grown attached to her and her children. Even if her and Damien didn't get along most days, he still wanted her. He wanted her badly, so bad that it hurt.
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They arrived at Miss.Natalies around noon and she rushed out of the door to greet them.
"My babies!!!" She smiled kissing the twins as they ran over to her. Then she smiled at Aaliyah and pulled her in for a hug and a kiss too. While the twins ran back to Damien and began dragging him towards the house.
"Hi, Miss.Natalie." Aaliyah smiled.
"Now you know you can call me mama. Anyways who is that fine white man my babies are dragging into the house?" She asked with a smirk.
"Emotional support." Aaliyah shrugged.
Damien made his way back over to the two ladies with two giggling munchkins, one dangling on his left arm and one dangling on his right. Damien smiled at Miss.Natalie and introduced himself.
"Good Afternoon, Miss.Hampton. I'm Damien Arden, Aaliyah's friend." He held his hand out for her to shake.
"Nice to meet you, Dear." She smiled. Not a fake smile but a genuine smile. If her grand babies liked him then she liked him.
"We are only going to stay and hour or two, we have to get checked into the hotel" Aaliyah informed her.
"Non sense. You all can stay right here."
"We don't want to burden you." Damien interrupted.
"No burden. It would be my pleasure. Young man, get them bags and bring em on in the house. Isa and Kitai, leave the Damien alone and come visit with your Grandma."
Damien nodded and the twins let go of his arms rushing over to Natalie.
Once in the house, Natalie showed them to their rooms. The twins in one and Damien and Aaliyah in one.
Aaliyah know what Natalie was trying to do but it wasn't going to work.
Aaliyah got the twins settled into their room and the walked downstairs into the kitchen where Natalie and Damien were.
Aaliyah watched as their eyes darted over to her and their conversation stopped instantly
"What are you two talking about?" She asked.
"You." They said simultaneously.
"Me?!"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Just because." Natalie stated lifting the glass of sweet tea to her lips. Natalie knew Damien was not only here to be Aaliyah's rock but to show her son what he had missed out on. And honestly she wasn't mad at him, Aaliyah was one hell of a woman and mother. One mans trash is another mans treasure. But Natalie knew Aaliyah like she was her own daughter. Aaliyah had a tall thick cement wall built around her heart and she would only let Damien get so close before she shut him out. Which is one reason she was okay with them sharing a room, she knew Aaliyah wasn't going to let that man near her in a sexual way because she was too scared. But she's also put them in a room together hoping that Aaliyah would let down that wall and let Damien in. Natalie wanted to see Aaliyah happy. Natalie could tell that Damien cared for her daughter in law, the longing and adoration in his eyes were very evident. But she knew he kept his distance because Aaliyah was too fragile and she wasn't ready.
Later that day Natalie called her son over for dinner.
Aaliyah wore a black sweater dress that fell to her ankles that showed her curves. Her hair was in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and her face was bare.
Damien wore a pair of jeans, with a white button up, and black loafers. His hair was slicked back and he had trimmed his 5 o' clock shadow.
Damien, Aaliyah and the twins were all in the living room when they heard the door open and close.
"Ma, we're here."
As soon as Aaliyah heard his voice and what he said, her body went rigid. Damien grabbed her hand and kissed it. She slowly began to relax.
Miss.Natalie greeted her son, Tasha, and her other two grandchildren then she ushered them into the living room.
Niko took in the sight of Aaliyah sitting beside Damien and his children playing over their laps. The twins were completely oblivious to the fact that their father had just walked in. Little Trevor ran over to Aaliyah and hugged her.
"Hi, Miss.L."
"Hi, honey. How are you?" She asked hugging him back. She hadn't seen little Trevor in over a year, she loved that little boy like he was her own.
"I'm good. Can Isa and Kitai come play?"
"Yeah, sure, baby."
Isabella and Kitai hopped off of their mother and Damien's lap and hugged Trevor. They got caught up in their own conversation.
"This is Damien, Aaliyah's man." Miss.Natalie said with smirk.
Aaliyah almost choked on her spit. Damien only smiled.
"Nice to meet you." Niko said.
"Likewise."
"Munsters, go love on your father."
Kitai and Isabella looked at their mother then their father but they didn't budge. Niko knew they didn't like him much and that hurt him.
"If y'all don't get up." Aaliyah warned about to stand up. They scurried over to Niko and have him fake hugs and kisses.
"Alright, lets go eat."
Damien helped Aaliyah up then put his hand on the small of her back and they walked into the kitchen.
Niko watched the two closely.
Aaliyah fixed the twins plates first, then Damien's, and then her own. Tasha fixed her plate and sat while Niko fixed Nate's and Trevor's plate and then his own.
Once they were all seated they said grace and dug in.
"So how did you two meet?" Tasha asked.
"Business." They started at the same time.
"Mr.A, tell my brother about your theatre and Game room." Kitai bounced in his seat.
"Well it's — MASSIVE!" Isabella cut him off.
Damien chuckled. The fact they were having their own little conversation made him laugh. These children were too smart.
"Aaliyah, may I speak with you in the hallway?" Niko asked.
She nodded and stood, making her way to the hallway. Niko followed eyeing her figure.
"Why do you have my children around some random?!" He growled.
"He's not a random, he is my business partner and the twins love him."
"Are you fucking him?" His nostrils flared.
"Maybe, Maybe not. If I am it's none of your fucking business. You lost the right a year ago."
"I have a right to know who my children are around and I also have a right to not want them around certain people. And I don't like him."
"Why don't you like him? You don't know him."
"I don't need to know a person to know they're no good."
"Just like you're no good."
"See, this is exactly why I fell out of love with your ass. You want to be in control. And just like you drove me away, you'll drive that man away, and you'll drive our children away."
Before Aaliyah could argue back, that ache in her chest came with vengeance. She grabbed her chest as her breathing became labored.
"Aaliyah, Aaliyah what's wrong?" Niko began to panic. He reached out for her only for her to try and jerk out of his grasp.
"Don't. Touch. Me." She heaved. Then everything went black. And Niko caught her.
"Ma! Call an ambulance!" Niko yelled.
Damien came rushing out of the kitchen only to see an unconscious Aaliyah in Niko's arms.
"What he fuck did you do?" Damien yelled. He picked her up out of his arms and ran outside to the car. He laid her in it then slid in next to her.
"To the hospital." Damien shouted to the driver.
As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Damien shot out of the car and grabbed the unconscious woman. He rushed inside and yelled for help.
"Help! Someone help! Please!"
A nurse rushed over to him. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." He said honestly.
The nurse waved over 2 over the EMT staff and they brought a stretcher. They loaded Aaliyah on it then wheeled her back.
"Everything will be okay sir. We will figure out what's wrong with you wife."
"She's not my...." the nurse cut him off by patting him on his shoulder and walked away.
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"What did you say to her, Niko?" Natalie fumed.
"Nothing. We were having a simple conversation and she grabbed her chest then fell over unconscious."
"You're lying! The one week I get with my grandbabies and you fuck it up within 20 minutes. And I know you said something to her."
"How was I supposed to know she was sick?"
"She's had heart problems ever since you cheated on her."
Niko fell silent and just stared at his mother.
"Kitai and Isa, lets go. We're going to the hospital to see your mom."
Natalie grabbed her keys and her purse as the twins came rushing into the living room.
She ushered them out and into her car. Once buckled in, Natalie got in the car and drove to the nearest hospital.
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"How is she?" Natalie asked Damien.
"She's alright. She had a heart attack. Um, I don't mean any harm Miss.Hampton but I'm taking Aaliyah and the twins back to New York. I don't want her around Niko at all. The next time the twins come down I will have a nanny or bodyguard accompany them. Niko could have killed her tonight and honestly had she died, I would've murdered your son."
"I understand. I want to see her." Natalie stated softly.
Damien nodded and led her towards Aaliyah's room while the Twins clang to Damien.
When Natalie walked in Aaliyah shifted her gaze to the older woman. Natalie walked over and hugged her. Aaliyah began to sob. She didn't wanna be this way. She didn't want to hurt, she didn't want to cry, she didn't want to care. Those words Niko said hurt her. No matter how much she thought she was over what happened, she wasn't and she was starting to believe that she never would get over it.
Eventually she cried herself to sleep in Natalie's arms. Natalie eventually fell asleep too.
Damien looked in and slowly backed out realizing the two had fallen asleep. Damien turned making his way back over to the twins to see Niko and Tasha sitting by them.
"You have a lot of Fucking nerve." Damien growled.
"Aye, man, I didn't know." Niko held his hands up.
"You didn't know? You didn't fucking know?! You think that makes it okay?! To talk down to her like she wasn't worthy of you?! You're a fucking piece of work." Damien spat.
"I know I was wrong."
"No the fuck you don't. If you knew it was wrong you wouldn't have done it. But no worries because she won't be around you anymore. If you wanna see those two, you'll be coming through me."
"Fair enough."
Damien rolled his eyes and grabbed the twins taking them back in the room with Aaliyah and Natalie. Damien was fuming. He had never been this protective over a woman before. He sat down on the couch and sighed.
"Mr.A?" Isa called Damien.
He looked down at her and smiled. "Yes, Isabella."
"Everything's going to be okay. My mommy is strong."
Damien kissed her forehead and sat her down next to her brother as the two babies cuddled up next to him and fell asleep.
As soon as Aaliyah was released from the hospital they were catching a flight back to Manhattan.