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I fixed our plates, and we sat down at the kitchen table to eat before I put up the leftovers while Vick went to his room to set up the game.

“It’s ready, Dad!” he yelled from his room.

“I’m coming. Play one while I take a shower.”

One of my proudest moments as a father was probably praying with my son for his mother’s recovery from drugs. I didn’t give a damn what anyone had to say. Listening to my boy ask to apologize for hurting someone and wanting to right his wrongs was the sign that I had done something right. Neither of us was perfect by a long shot, but as long as we were willing to work on things and correct our mistakes, there wasn’t much more I could ask for.

After playing Victor’s game with him for a while, I headed to my room to stretch out for the night. It was about 9:45, but my old ass was tired. Between working, sitting at that hot baseball field, and managing the situation with Victor and Shiloh, I was exhausted. Even though I’d called her already, I wanted to reach out to Shiloh again. With Victor expressing that he wanted to apologize to her, I felt like I wanted to check in on her again.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t about me. It was about protecting my son and making my woman happy. Prayerfully, I could do those things simultaneously. I was tired, so there was no telling how Shiloh felt after being on her feet half the day then going home and getting her sons situated. Instead of calling her, I sent her a text.

Me: I’m sorry if the things that happened today hurt you. Victor and I had a long talk, and I think we reached an understanding. Still, I know you might need some time to process everything. Just know that I’m here and nothing has changed.

After sending the message, I tossed my phone on the bed and closed my eyes. Listening to the world news playing in the background, I drifted off to sleep.

15

Shiloh

After making sure Theo was off to school, I crashed back in bed, ready to enjoy sleeping in on a Monday morning. It felt so good to not have to rush out of the house every single day. Most of that was due to Quinton paying my rent. As good as I’d been feeling about us, I wasn’t sure where we stood now.

I knew how important it was for us to get along with each other’s children. I felt bad for making Victor think that I was trying to take his mom’s place. Of course, I wanted to be there for him and treat him just like he was one of my own, but I never wanted to get in the way of his relationship with his mother. Quinton had tried to make me feel better about the situation, but I wasn’t sure where we were with that yet.

As soon as I got good and comfortable, there was a knock at the door. I kept my eyes closed for another few seconds wondering what Theo had left behind. The second knock made me realize that their hands were too heavy for it to be Theo. I climbed out of bed, grabbing my robe from the foot of it as I padded out of my room.

Thankfully, the knocking didn’t wake Trey up. If I let him, he would sleep for another couple of hours. When I made it to the door, I looked out and smiled when I saw Quinton on the other side. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and dark jeans, but he looked just as good as he did when he dressed up for dinner or a date. I opened the door to greet him.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Good morning, baby. You’re pushing it, aren’t you? You’re going to be late for work.”

“I’m not going in today. I dropped the boys off and came straight here. I’m sick.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, knitting my brows.

“I needed to see you.”

“So, you playing hooky?” I teased.

“Nah, I’m just tired really. I haven’t been sleeping too good.”

My smile fell when I saw how tired his eyes actually looked.

“Did you want to come in?” I asked, opening the door wider so he could come inside.

He didn’t speak as he crossed the threshold. I closed and locked the door and turned to see him taking his boots off with the heels of his feet while pulling his shirt over his head. I walked over and picked his boots up and put them next to the couch while he continued down the hall to my bedroom.

I walked over and sat on the side of my bed, and he stepped between my legs and cupped my face. As I looked up into the sincerest eyes in the world, I wanted to cry. It was sickening how much I missed Quinton in just a couple of days.

“I missed you, Shiloh. Please don’t shut me out, baby. Just give me some time.”

My throat tightened, hearing the distress in his voice. “That’s what I’m trying to do, Quinton.”

“You’ve been so short with me on the phone. I had to see your face to make sure we were good.”

“I can’t pretend that I’m not concerned. Victor’s words might have stung a little, but more than anything, I understand how he must feel with us coming out of nowhere and being in your space all the time. I can’t even imagine how he must feel growing up without a mother.”

“I understand that too. That’s why I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to him. At the same time, I need to know that you’re OK too.”