Despite my mood, my lips tugged upward into a smile. I was more than ready to take a trip with Uno just me and him, so we could be real nasty and freaky. However, the fact that he wanted to take the kids somewhere made me want to suck his dick. I didn’t want to jump the gun and move too fast, but maybe he could be that male figure that Kiwi needed aside from my father. That thought made my mood sour instantly. He wasn’t my father.
“That sounds like a plan.” I attempted to shake my feelings off and sound normal. “When would you like to go?”
“Shit, we can go in the next two weeks. Just give me you and Kiwi’s info, so I can book the flights. I’ll get us an Airbnb with four bedrooms, so you and I can have our own rooms. I’m sure the kids know we’re dating but you know. Trying to keep it casual in front of them.”
“I love that idea. I think I want to give you some head. So, if you want to come by once Kiwi is asleep, my mouth will be waiting.”
A boisterous laugh came through the phone. “You wild as shit, but you don’t have to tell me twice. Go ahead and drop some Melatonin in her bedtime snack or some shit.”
That made me laugh. I appreciated the distraction that Uno was providing me with. I still needed to have a conversation with my father, but the plan was to take my time. Too much information back to back was going to cause me to become overstimulated or some shit. While I wanted answers, I also wanted to protect my mental health. I didn’t appreciate being lied to, but it was admirable that Devin raised me as his own. One of the top questions I had for him, however, was why didn’t he raise his own son?
Questions that needed answers.
The next day, my father requested that me, Kiwi, and Uno meet him at a five-star Italian restaurant. The place was one of my favorites, but I was tempted to decline the offer. I still needed to have a private conversation with him and wasn’t in the mood to pretend that everything was okay. I decided to go, however because the fact of the matter was that my father was still facing prison time. I could be mad at him for lying to me, but he still raised me. That was something that he didn’t have to do. I knew my mother wouldn’t be there, so that made the decision to attend easier. I was definitely still upset with her, and I refused to rush into forgiving her. I would eventually, but it wouldn’t be any time soon.
They had almost given me PTSD. I was waiting for someone to come along and tell me that my mother wasn’t really my mother, and she kidnapped me from the hospital or some shit. Uno drove us to the restaurant and when we arrived, my father was already there with my grandmother. As I went to hug him, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew I knew.
“We’ll talk. I promise. Thank you for coming.”
“You’re welcome.”
I didn’t want Kiwi to be able to sense any tension, so I smiled as we followed the hostess to a private room in the back. Our drink orders were taken immediaitely.
“What’s the special occasion?” my grandmother asked.
“I have some good news,” my father smiled. His eyes flitted toward Kiwi. “Um, the charge that was on my credit card statement has been dropped. It seems that the evidence that was needed to charge my card somehow disappeared from the evidence room. Without any merchandise, they can’t push the purchase through.”
My brows hiked as far as they could go while my grandmother squealed. “That’s great news, Devin. Oh my God, I’m so happy to hear that.”
Kiwi looked from me to my grandmother, then my father with confusion etched on her face. “Wait, what’s everybody so happy about? A credit card?”
My father chuckled. “Someone tried to charge me a whole lot of money for something that I didn’t buy. I was able to get it fixed, and now I don’t have to pay.”
“Oh. Good for you, grandpa.” I could tell she was a little confused about the hype, but she just went with it.
“Thank you, baby.”
“Congratulations, dad. I’m happy for you.”
“For real.” Uno chimed in. “That’s a huge blessing.
“Indeed it is,” my father bobbed his head.
It was no secret that he had a few police officers on his payroll. It had been that way for years. My father paid them very well to keep him informed of certain things but taking evidence from the police station was bold as hell. I was sure that whoever had pulled it off had managed to be compensated very well. My father was always ten steps ahead. That was how he’d survived in the game and was able to stay on top for so long. He wassmart and very calculated. I planned to go back to his house after dinner, so I could finally hear his side of the story. I had so many questions, like was Asha his true love, and he just settled for my mother because he couldn’t have who he really wanted?
As we were leaving the restaurant everyone was all smiles. My head was down but when I lifted it and saw him, my smile instantly faded. I think we all saw him at the same time, and my father’s steps halted.
“DJ, what are you doing here?” The pissed off man was standing on the sidewalk grilling all of us as if he despised the ground that we walked on.
“Grandma, can you take Kiwi to the car?” I asked attempting to keep the urgency out of my tone. DJ was giving me bad vibes, and I didn’t want my daughter anywhere near.
“Yes. Come on, Kiwi, baby.”
DJ continued to glare at my father as my grandmother ushered Kiwi away. Uno stood protectively at my side.
“Son, this is not the time or place for theatrics.”
DJ snorted. “Son? You have some fucking nerve. You’ve never claimed me. Haven’t given my mother a dime since I graduated from high school, but you want to stand here and call me son? Fuck you.”
