She missed her place. She was ready to go back to her home. The locks were changed, better security and either Hook or Jared was always with her.
Hook's place was, small, unorganized...cheap. She knew he did not have money like her, but she was just used to nice things all her life. When she offered to redecorate he went on and on about her using her money for something dumb. Nice furniture and carpets with no stains weren't dumb.
So if he wanted to stay her bodyguard, it would be better if they were at her place.
"Can't," he simply said.
She waited for him to say something else. Hook was a simple man, but sometimes a response needed more than a simple word.
"Can't or won't? You can't just give me a one-word answer and think the discussion is over."
"I can't leave, my girls are coming this weekend."
Angel jumped out of the bed.
"What?" It was Thursday, when was he going to tell her he had his crumb snatchers? Now she knew it was time for her to go.
"I get them every other weekend, you know that."
"Uh..." She could not think of a thing to say. No, she did not need to meet them. No, she did not want to be in the same place as them. What the hell was he thinking?
"It's cool babe, they have the bedroom across the hall."
That little room was barely a bedroom. More like her walk-in closet. It barely fit the twin-sized bunk beds and a dresser. He had two girls. How the heck did they both sleep in there?
"Ok, I'll be at my place." She gathered her things around the room. She had gotten too comfortable being with him. This was getting real. She was developing feelings for this man and there was no way she could be with him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting up in the bed. "Angel, where do you think you're going? You can't be at your place all alone."
"Fine, if you're so afraid for me, I'll stay with Jared or Shay...or even get a hotel room."
"I told you to stay here as long as needed."
"And how long is that? Until the divorce is final? He's contesting it! It could drag on for who knows how long. I just want this to be over."
She began to cry. Hook got out of bed and held her in his arms.
"I want you to meet my girls, I mean, if you want, no pressure. I thought we made it past the just fuck buddies stage of this relationship," he stated, rubbing her back. "I just want to protect you. I know you're scared and don't want to talk about it. I got you."
This was so messed up. She really liked Hook. She liked being with him. She liked that he cared more about her than she cared about him did right now. She just wasn't ready to go all-in with this man.
The next day she was introduced to Ravyn and Symone. Ravyn was twelve but looked twenty-one. She had a grown woman body, a grown woman attitude, and grown woman issues with jealousy over her father soon as she saw Angel. Symone was nine and bubbly and playful and never shut up her face. She talked the moment she walked in and Angel was sure there would not be a quiet moment all weekend.
"Girls, this is Angel. She's gonna be here this weekend and I want you to get to know her. Angel, this is Ravyn, the monster, and Symone my little princess."
"Daddy has a girlfriend? Dad, she's pretty. Ooh, I like your hair. Is that all your hair or a weave? My mom wears a lace front, but she ain't got no hair for real. I mean, like a little I guess. Is that a wig? Can I wear it?" Symone went on, trying to jump up and pull on Angel's hair.
"Uh..."
"Mo, leave Ms. Angel alone, and her hair," Hook grabbed Symone's hands then tickled her. "Go put your things in your room."
"Okay, and then can she come in my room and play with me? I brought my dolls and all my Pokémon cards." Symone bounced off into her room like she was on speedballs.
Angel backed away and gave Hook a look. She knew she should have gone home. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
"Rave, you want to order a pizza or-"
Ravyn rolled her eyes at Angel, looked to her father. "Why is she here?"
"Girl if you don't go sit down, play on your phone or something and get out of my business."
"Dad, I hardly get to see you, and now this lil...chick here?"
"Okay, I'll leave," Angel said, quickly turning to the door. This was not for her.
No way, no how.
"Ravyn, girl, I am not playing with you. Sit down and get yo life." Hook stopped her at the door. "Babe, you gonna let that lil hellraiser scare you?"
"I mean, she has a point. You don't spend a lot of time with them it should just be their time. I can go. I'll come back when-"
"Man, I don't know why I'm asking for this, all these female hormones and shit, but don't let her punk you." He kissed her. "I'm ordering pizza."
What the fuck?
What the actual fuck?
What the actual fuck was she doing?
She went into Hook's room to be by herself. If he was going to let that little girl say whatever to her, she would just avoid them the whole weekend. She powered up her laptop and did some work. She was into her work and forgot for a moment she was in the house with two demon seeds when in bust Symone.
"What you doing? Ooo, you playing some games on the computer? Can I play?"
She jumped on the bed. She literally, jumped on the bed like she was doing hurdles, then crawled over to be nosy.
"Ooo, what's that? Clothes? Pretty. Can I see," she said, her face all into the screen.
"Uh..."
"Are you buying all this stuff? Are you rich? Ooo, I like that dress. Can you buy it for me?"
"Hmmm..."
"You're really pretty," she said, smiling at her. "I'm sorry I pulled your hair. I wish I had long hair like yours."
"Buy it. It's a weave," she told her.
"Oh!" She giggled. "It looks real."
"That's the point." She tried to scoot her away from her screen.
"Wait a minute! Is that you?" Symone touched all over the screen at pictures of her. "Are you a model? That's you!"
"Yes, I model, for my store."
"For real, for real? Are you famous? Like Instagram famous or really famous?"
"Uh..."
This girl was working her nerve. Even if she wanted to answer her, she just kept rambling on not allowing her to say anything. She did not have a motherly bone in her body so she did not know where to start with this girl.
"Umm, I think your dad called you. Why don't you go see what he wants," she said, closing her laptop.
"Okay." Symone hopped out of the bed and ran off.
Angel got up and locked the door. She could not do this. She called her sister.
"Hey sis, you still shacking up with that bum?"
"Shay, he has little BeBe kids over here. Like, what the hell?"
Shay laughed and she wanted to hang up on her.
"That's what you get shacking up with some loser with all them damn kids."
"It's only two but I swear there is something wrong with them. How do you deal with yours? This is too much. Can you come and save me? Better yet, I'll come over-"
"Hell no! I warned you but you wouldn't listen to me," her sister began. "And you know I don't drive into the city. Just go home, Matthew will behave...long as you keep that thug away from his home."
And there it was. Why she could never call on her sister for anything. Yes, they grew up with everything, but that didn't mean because Hook had less than them they should look down at him. Sure, he needed a bigger place, better furniture, and dress better than scruffy work clothes and jeans and wife-beaters, but he was a good guy.
Who took care of his kids.
She had to be a good girlfriend and try and get along with the brats. She hung up with her sister and let out a big sigh. She got out of the bed and walked to the door and opened it. Hook was sitting on the couch with both his girls playing some video game and they were all into it. She walked over to them, sat in the nearby chair.
"Can I watch?"
"Hi, Ms. Angel! You want to play too? Four people can play," Symone said, handing her a controller.
Ravyn threw her controller down and jumped up. "Then I'm out!"
Ravyn stormed off to her room and slammed the door.
"Imma beat her lil ass," Hook said, going after her and going into the room.
For the next hour, the two yelled and screamed at each other. The pizza came, it was Imo's, her favorite. Hook always knew the way to her stomach. She got plates and put one square on Symone's plate and two for her.
"Uh...one piece? My daddy lets me eat at least four sometimes six! It's thin crust...and it's square...so two squares are like one slice and that ain't enough!"
"Pretty girls don't eat like pigs," she said to her.
"You think I'm pretty?" Symone asked, smiling at her.
She looked the girl over. She looked nothing like Hook, and that was a good thing because he was a guy. She wondered what baby mother number two looked like. She was light-skinned because Symone was "high yellow" with slight freckles on her face. Could pass for bi-racial if it wasn't for the kinky texture of her mess of light brown hair. Then again, maybe white momma didn't know how to do this little girl's hair. She had light brown eyes and dimples like Hook. She was pretty.
"How about you eat two squares and then we'll see," she said to her, giving her another piece.
"Dad and Rave always fuss about sumthin, so it's not you," Symone said, munching away on her pizza.
"Oh really?"
"Rave wants daddy to get back with her momma, but her momma is a bitch...I mean...witch...and so that's why my daddy stop liking her. My mommy hates my daddy so she said buh-bye to him when he went to jail. I have a brother and a baby sister when my momma married my stepdaddy. He's cool but he doesn't like my daddy either."
This girl was telling everybody's business and she was here for it.
"So you meet all your daddy's girlfriends?"
"I don't know, some. There's been so many! Ms. Keisha, Ms. Jada, Pumpkin...that's not her real name, but daddy didn't even like her, and then Ms. Lashonda and-"
"Okay, I get it."
"They weren't pretty as you. Even with their fake hair, it wasn't as pretty as yours."
Hook finally came into the kitchen and grabbed a plate.
"Sorry babe, she's gonna act right from now on," he said, putting pizza on a plate.
"Is she going to come out for pizza?"
"She wants to eat she will."
They all ate their pizza and talked and Ravyn never came out of the room. Hook and Symone went back to play the video game. She grabbed a pizza box and headed to Ravyn's room. The door was open and she laid in the bottom bunk, with headphones on and playing on her phone.
"I brought you some pizza."
Ravyn looked over at her and rolled her eyes and went back to her phone. Kids really did suck, especially the teenaged ones. She walked over, sat on the bed, still holding the pizza box.
"You know, I like your dad. He's a really good guy and because I like your dad, I'm trying to get to know him, and that includes his bratty little kids if I have to-"
"Who you calling bratty!" She jumped out of the bed, pulling off her headphones.
"Oh, I was wondering if you were listening. Here, eat the pizza, no need to starve because of me." She pushed the pizza toward the girl then got up and walked out.
"I need some ranch!" Ravyn yelled at her.
Girl, bye! She tried, her patience level just was not there with kids.
A/N: These girls! Kids say whatever they want sometimes. Ravyn with the attitude and Symone with the telling too much grown people business.
XOXO
Kimberly