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“At their expense?”
“That’s not on you, bae. You’ve done everything you could to make this work. That’s on him. I know you want to protect them, but you also have to trust that you’re doing what’s best for them. Even if they are sad or upset in the beginning, trust me, this is what’s best for them.”
Denali sighed and lit her CBD joint. “You’re right. Hurting them is going to hurt me like hell, but I have to remember it’s for the best. They deserve better than his sometimey ass. I won’t deny that he gave them whatever they wanted, but it takes more than that to be a great father. I took care of literally everything else. All I would ask him to do was watch them while I worked, and he could barely do that until he got shot. So, you’re right. This is for the best. I just have to keep telling myself that.”
Elite nodded, watching her as she took a long pull.
“When are you telling them?”
“He will after church. And to be honest, my kids might not even care a lot. They haven’t seen him since early April, and he hasn’t been calling. At this point, they are used to not having him.”
“Kids are smarter than we think. And they pick up on energies. They trust you, and they know him. Don’t overthink it or even take responsibility for this. Let that man take responsibility for his shit.”
“That’s what my dad said. Does this change anything for us?”
Elite’s face twisted as he shook his head. “Why would it?”
“Well… I know you have a thing about kids.”
“Not your kids.” He chuckled. “I’m actually surprised by how well I get along with them. They don’t remind me of my past or make me feel like I’m not good enough to be a father figure in their lives. They do make me want to get better so I can be better for them, but nah. You having full custody won’t be an issue for us. If anything, it’ll make shit better. You won’t have to worry about his ass interfering with anything that we do with and for them.”
Denali scooted closer to him. “I’m glad you said that. I’m meeting with Kinzy’s friend’s mom on Monday and we’re going to plan a mom’s club with at least two other women. Basically, the goal is for us to always be available to take everyone’s kids two nights a week and one night on the weekend so we can make sure we take time for ourselves, and we will also get together at least twice a month so we can hang out and discuss mom life shit.”
Elite chuckled. “Mom life shit, huh? That’s what’s up. I think that’s a great idea. And you know they can always chill here with me when you need a break. Hell, between the pool and the game, they won’t even need me.”
“As long as you know,” Denali agreed with a chuckle. “My kids are either clingy as hell, or they will completely ignore you for hours. They have no in between.”
She took his hand in hers. “Thank you, babe. I don’t know how I would have been able to process this without you.”
“That’s what I’m here for. We’re partners, right?”
Cupping his cheek, Denali gave him a sweet kiss before agreeing with, “Right.”
??????
School would be over soon, so Denali had been helping Tarriana prepare for her next round of ACT and first try at the SAT tests. When she returned to school that fall, it would be for her senior year, and Tarriana wanted to take as many AP classes as she could to prepare for college. Elite loved how Cassie and Greg were raising his sisters to be limitless women. They would be well educated and know how to work to provide for themselves, but they also understood the value of being with a man who could provide for his family. Cassie wanted them to be able to marry for love and true partnership, not dependence on a man’s income.
So that Denali and Tarriana could focus, Elite took Avalon, Amir, and Kinsley to Paint a Piece before grabbing something to eat. Instead of taking them all straight home, he asked, “Y’all wanna ride with me for a li’l minute?”
“Yasss,” Kinsley and Avalon replied in unison while Amir said…
“Fa sho.”
Elite couldn’t help but chuckle. Already, Amir had picked up his lingo. That day, they were unintentionally dressed alike, and Elite sent a picture to all his boys because he got a kick out of the shit.
For the past few days, reopening his jewelry shop had been heavy on his heart. Aside from his sisters’ interest lighting a new fire under him, what Denali said about his healing leading to the passion and beauty that he once had for certain things to return was ringing true. He’d turned one of his spare rooms into a space for him to draw and create but wanted more.
The real estate agent he’d been talking to had sent him a few options, and one in particular had caught his eye. The space had two buildings side by side that the owner wanted to sell as a pair. If he got it, Elite planned to give the other building to Denali for her boutique. At the moment, her focus was on her kids and Elite’s was too… but he also wanted to take care of her.
Blaze came through to let them know they wouldn’t be seeing him anymore, and as Denali expected, he tried to make it her fault. He told them she was making him choose between them and himself and that he would return to their lives when they were eighteen and able to make their own decisions. At first, they were upset, but Denali told them the complete truth. Once they learned their father chose money over them and had been married to someone else, they no longer held anger toward her.
She’d been trying to protect his image in their eyes, but at that point, Denali decided not to. They wanted what was best for her because of how good she had been to them. Kinsley had already been over her father’s shit and was glad he removed himself from their life. It was a little more difficult for Amir, but Elite had been spending extra time with him to make sure he didn’t feel too big of a lack.
As he cruised down the interstate, Elite let Avalon choose the music first since she was the oldest, but their music had to temporarily come from the radio when he received a call from his brother.
“What’s up, Preme?” Elite answered.
“I fucked up.”
