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“What did he do?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Toi. I’m dealing with it.”
“It’s my father, don’t you think I have the right to know?”
“No.”
“No?!”
“That’s what I said, Toi.”
“How can you say no?” she huffs. She pushes against my chest to get up, but I hold her tighter, not letting her. I flip us, so that now she’s lying on the bed and I’m over her, I’ve pulled out of her, and I should be limp as a fucking ragdoll, but I don’t think that’s possible when I’m near Toi.
“I can say no because it’s my job to protect you,” I tell her, capturing her wrists with my hands and pinning them to the mattress.
“I don’t need protecting!”
“Dragonfly, you have nightmares almost every night.”
“You know about that?” she asks. She goes completely still with shock. I could almost smile.
“Honey, I sleep beside you every night. Of course I know.”
“I could be having a nightmare about anything,” she hedges.
“You also talk in your sleep.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t know what’s going on. Your need to constantly protect me is unnerving me.”
“Then think of it as me protecting my family.”
“What?”
I pull myself off the bed, sitting beside her and putting my hand on her, gently. I splay my fingers out and hold her stomach.
“You could be carrying my child, Toi,” I tell her, holding her gaze with mine.
“But…we don’t know that, Marcum.”
“Sweetheart, you’re going to have my son or daughter. You need to get that in your head. And it’s my job to protect you both.”
“Marcum…”
“I promise to tell you about it all—”
“Finally.”
“After I make sure you and our child are protected.”
“Will you please—”
“Toi,” I respond with a sigh. I hook my hand along the side of her neck and pull her close to me. “You’ve changed my life sweetheart. I need you and our child to be safe. Without you, I couldn’t make it.”
“Marcum…”
“I’m serious, Dragonfly. If something happened to you, I’d lose it.”
“You can be really romantic sometimes, Marcum Kincaid.”
“Don’t spread that shit around, it will ruin my cred,” I smirk.
“Kiss me before I find another reason to get pissed at you,” she whispers, and I kiss her.
And I do it smiling…61HarleyI miss Toi. Dad says she cares about me, even though I’ve been mean. She’s been nice. She fixed homemade chocolate chip cookies the other day and brought them to us. I told her I wasn’t hungry, but I did eat one after she left. No one ever made me cookies before. Maybe Dad’s right and if I was nice to her… she wouldn’t leave.
She seems happy here. She likes Desi and she likes Daddy. Maybe if I tried, she will like me again.
Desi was still asleep when I snuck out of my room.
I’m nervous. My tummy feels like it has butterflies. Daddy always says a man has to own up to his ree-spons-bill-tees. I do want him to be proud of me again.
I get to the door and I start to knock, but I hear Daddy.
“What honey?”
I start to walk away. Daddy is always calling her honey. He really, really likes her. Cherry said if she doesn’t like me, she’ll convince Daddy to send me and Desi away. What if she’s telling Daddy to send us away now?
I walk back to the door and put my ear against it. Toi speaks really quiet sometimes. Her voice is broken, but if I try really hard maybe I can hear.
“Let’s just say your father left a mess and I’m trying to clean it up.”
That’s not good. Cherry said the reason we have to stay in the basement was ‘cause someone wanted to kill Daddy. Is that Toi’s fault? I’m almost afraid to listen more. If Toi is the reason Daddy is in trouble, I don’t want her to stay.
I finally decide to listen, maybe it’s not Toi’s fault.
“Then think of it as me protecting my family,” Daddy says. I think Toi says something, but I can’t hear it, but I do hear Daddy’s next words. “You could be carrying my child, Toi.”
Daddy’s going to have another baby? He’s going to have a baby with Toi? Will he still want me and Desi if there’s another baby? Cherry said Daddy will want a new family with Toi and won’t need us anymore. Is she right? I press my head to the door, hoping I heard wrong.
“After I make sure you and our child are protected.”
I hear Daddy and I take off running. He didn’t say Desi and I needed protecting. Just Toi and his new baby.
Cherry was right. Daddy has Toi now. He doesn’t need me and Desi. He doesn’t even worry about us anymore.62CherryI watch as Harley runs to his room and slams the door. He’s coming from where Toi and Marcum are staying. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who has upset him. That kid is starting to get annoying. I don’t remember him being so needy when I was here last time. Desi is easy. She’s a tad too needy, but usually I can put her in front of the television and ignore her. No such luck with Harley. I’ve been working extra hard with him though. I need a way to make Toi feel insecure and I’m pretty sure the key to that is Harley. Plus, I know it’s making that bitch miserable to see me and Harley together. That’s been enjoyable.
