Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
22
ROSALEIGH
“Are you guys sure you don’t mind going to Ya-Ya’s and Baboosh’s for the night?” I ask the girls for probably the eighteenth time. They’ve been Team Nix and Mom all week long, making sure to be their normal selves, leaving us alone instead of barging in on our conversation at times.
“Yes, Mother. Real food, dessert, and shopping tomorrow. How could we ever mind?” Rory replies. Phoenix made the plans, wanting to take me out on a real date, asking his parents if they minded keeping the girls. He even offered to drop them off at their place. Ya-Ya was not having that. She said it was time she and Baboosh took them out to dinner and a movie. Which is why the girls are currently in the living room, bags packed, filled to the brim like they’re going to be away for a week instead of a night and half the day tomorrow. My girls are a trip, and if they think I didn’t notice Nix slipping them a few gift cards last night, they’re sorely mistaken. A talk that will be happening tonight when it’s just the two of us. If he’s going to give them extras, my girls need to pull their weight and help him in some kind of way.
“Yeah, like, how could we not go? It’s been soooo long since we’ve stayed with them.” Emmy throws her body onto the couch, landing on my lap. This dramatic child of mine, and she’s only ten. By the time she’s Rory’s age, I’m going to need to have the patience of a saint knowing that the theatrics will become next level.
“Good, now here’s the hard talk. I know Nix gave you gift cards, and I know you have the cash you’ve earned. We all know Ya-Ya is going to spoil you. I only ask that you don’t take advantage. Anything extra you want, you pay for. And be prepared; you’ll be figuring out how to help Nix out around his house for him keeping you flush with funds.” I play with the ends of Emmy’s hair while looking at Rory, silently asking her to keep her eye on Emmy.
“We will, promise, Mom.” This comes from my oldest daughter, who’s sitting in the oversized chair, wearing clothes that came out of my closet, courtesy of Ophelia. There were a lot of clothes that there was no way I’d get the chance to wear, so it became this communal closet the girls could use when they felt the need. Especially Rory when she wasn’t wearing sweats. Emmy couldn’t be bothered. What I did notice is that she’s been wearing the shirt Nix gave her to bed, the one that has his shop name emblazoned on the front, oversized in its style, which doesn’t deter Emmy in the least.
“Fine, I won’t ask for two new pairs of Chucks. I’ll only ask for one.” I lay my head back, closing my eyes. Lord, give me strength for my second child, the one who gives zero fucks about what people think about her, the carefree one, the one with an independent streak a mile wide, the one where it’s a slippery slope on how not to staunch the spreading of her wings.
“That’d be much appreciated. It’s nice for them to take you out and to offer to buy you things. It’s rude for you to take advantage of them, right?” Emmy lifts her body off my lap. Unsure of what she’s up to next, I brace for whatever comes my way.
“I know, Madre. Have fun with Nix. Don’t worry about us. You two go have a night out. Rory will tattle if I do something wrong.” Our week has been jam-packed with work, school, home, to either me cooking or Nix cooking, him staying until I’m yawning so much that it sucks when he has to say goodbye. What it did give us was time to connect as a couple instead of friends, not to mention the way the man kisses. Oh my God, he is freaking incredible. His lips and mouth take any worry away that I could possibly have, not to mention the quiet orgasms he’s given me. It sucked because he has yet to let me reciprocate, an action that I won’t be denied tonight. That’s another thing—my hours at the nursery this week have literally been a dream. I’m not sure if it’s all the overtime I worked while everyone was sick or what. All I know is that when I got my schedule on Tuesday, it gave me hours that worked with the girls’ schedule—nine o’clock in the morning was clock-in time, and five o’clock in the evening was quitting time. And get this, I have Saturday and Sunday off this weekend. I am not rocking that boat because as soon as I ask, the following week will be an absolute shit show.