AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“In the game room, as always.”
After locking up, I followed her into the game room. When AJ and Alisia laid eyes on her, they both shot up from their seats to hug her. Alisia expressed her excitement for her being here so we could play games together. Her presence had officially made this the perfect night.
Three
Amelia
Alisia and I ended up sleeping at Ru’s house. We spent the night playing all kinds of board games. AJ wanted cookies and Alisia wanted nachos, so we made both and pigged out. They crashed just after midnight, and Amaru carried her into the guest bedroom for me. I tried to stay up with him a little longer, but I was drained and fell asleep not too long after.
I woke up to Darron blowing my phone up. He was upset because I left after he promised to make me breakfast in bed. I told him I’d stop by after dropping Alisia off, but he said it was okay for me to bring her. They had a cute relationship, which I was grateful for. He almost always gave her some kind of gift, making her have a high level of expectancy when he came around. I appreciated him taking the time to not just date me but create a bond with my daughter as well since her father wasn’t around. Amaru had been a constant in her life since birth, though, and I was eternally grateful to God for that.
When we pulled into the driveway and Alisia realized where we were, she gasped and beamed. “I didn’t know we were coming to Mr. Darron’s house.”
“Yes, he’s making us breakfast. After that, we’re gonna head home so you can get ready for school tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I texted Amaru to let him know our plans since we left before he and AJ woke up. They both were deep sleepers, which was good because I would have hated for our early departure to disturb their sleep. Alisia and I walked to the front door, where Darron waited to greet us. He was soft and all smiles toward my daughter, but I felt his irritation when he spoke to me and gave me a kiss on the side of my mouth.
“Morning, baby,” I replied, taking in how handsome he looked in his black, silk sleep set.
“Can we talk once we get Alisia set up?”
“Sure.”
We went to the dining room, where several trays and dishes of food rested on the table. Though Alisia could fix her own plate, I still often did it for her to make sure she didn’t get too much or too little. She was in that stage where, though she wasn’t gaining weight or inches, her metabolism was crazy high, and she could eat more than me. Once I had her juice poured, I searched for Darron and found him in his bedroom.
He was pacing with a perplexed expression on his face, which concerned me.
“Is everything okay?”
“I didn’t want to address this last night while I was working, but I’m not comfortable with you leaving me to go be with another man.”
It took me a second to respond as I processed his words. My routines with Amaru and AJ were so second nature, I thought back to a time I left him to be with another man because I refused to believe he was talking about last night.
“What are you talking about, Darron?”
His fingers slid down the corners of his mouth before he placed his hands on his hips.
“Last night. You left me to be with Amaru. I don’t like that.”
With a chuckle, I took a few steps back. “I didn’t leave you to be with Amaru. I left you because you were working and I was bored, so I went to spend the evening with my people. It wasn’t just Amaru; our children were there too. I’m not sure why I’m even explaining this to you, because we do game nights all the time.”
“It’s not the game night that’s the problem.” He closed the space between us, hovering over me because of our height difference. “It’s the fact that you left me to be with another man.” My eyes rolled as I crossed my arms over my chest, but he lowered them. “You know I hate when you do that while I’m speaking to you.”
“Darron, I want to take your feelings seriously because they are valid, but I’m also confused about why you’re making this a big deal. You’ve never had a problem with me spending time with Amaru. He’s my best friend.”
“And that’s all he is to you?”
“Yes! If we were going to be more, it would have happened long before now.”
With a long sigh, Darron took my hands into his. “I just want to make sure I’m not investing my time and effort where it isn’t appreciated.”
“If I didn’t appreciate your time and effort, you wouldn’t be meeting my father tonight. I’m not sure where this is coming from, but I don’t like it.”
This wasn’t the first time a man questioned my friendship with Amaru, but it was the first time Darron had done so. The fact that it was happening the day he was supposed to meet my father didn’t sit well with me. This could have been a sign that I needed to cancel and let Daddy know we wouldn’t be able to come. I needed time alone to process it and meditate.
“I’m just going to grab Alisia and leave,” I continued, pulling my hands from his.
