“You good, mama?” I asked standing over her in the bed.
“Not feeling too hot. I have a migraine. I’m good baby, you can go back down there and hang out.”
“You know me better than that.” I was already kicking my shoes off to join her in the bed. The only time I ever left her side when she was in pain was when she forced me to go to my mother’s funeral without her. Other than that I was there every step of the way with my eyes pouring into her. If I didn’t know any better I acted like she was going to up and disappear into thin air. Even during each one of her surgeries I made sure I was seated in the gallery areas overseeing surgeons. When it came to this woman right here nothing was too much and presence meant everything.
Chapter Fourteen
Luna
Why was everything so complicated? Shit, why did every situation have to be so damn complicated? Oh… I know. Maybe because humans were flawed as fuck and no matter what we did nothing was ever right. When I said nothing I literally meant nothing. I hated that I thought I had gotten my life together and attained the comfort necessary to live in peace and then just that fucking fast it was gone. Just that fucking fast I was thrust back into the life of holding more than one. Pushed back into the very space that had me looking over my shoulder at every move. My child didn’t deserve this life and I had done everything necessary to shield her from it until it wasn’t enough. Now look at me, back where I started standing in the very place I said I’d never be in. I was here. I didn’t tell Knoxx that I was leaving because it wasn’t necessary. I bought too many complications to his life and he had enough on his plate.
“Mom, pace.” My baby caught my attention.
When I looked down at her she was pointing to the massive house before us. Not much had changed, shit the code was the same.
“Cassle.”
“No, not castle. House, Mommy.” I leaned down and picked her up.
My baby laughed while I carried her toward the front door. He asked me to come here and I needed to protect my daughter. That was the only reason I was here. The familial ties that I left here were nothing to me at this point, but her safety was everything. She was everything.
Before I could reach the first set of stairs the door was opening. I was almost afraid to look up and see who stepped from behind it. I know it was her, because what else did she have to do besides say here like the old guard while her children ran the streets like savages with and for her husband? She, being my mother and her husband being my father.
“Luna. You’re home. ” The voice I heard was not my mothers, but my sister’s.
I locked eyes with Rue, before nodding my head. I didn’t have many words for them. None of them. “Where is he?”
“In his office waiting for you. He knew you’d come. I missed you.”
I didn’t return the gesture. Instead, I continued up the stairs and into the house. Nothing about this place had changed. If anything, it was probably left the same to haunt my dreams like I knew it would tonight.
“Though I know you didn’t want to come here I knew you’d be here. I knew you’d come home.”
My brother’s voice trespassed into my eardrums making me stop in my tracks. I turned around and looked at him. He hasn’t aged at all, somehow all of these people that I used to know still looked the same.
“This isn’t my home. I’m only here because your father blew up my life.”
“Luna can we plea?—“
“Nothing has changed. I am still no longer welcome here, remember?” I reiterated his words to him. I felt just as raw saying them now as I did when he said them to me.
He looked ashamed, and that did nothing for me.
He was about to speak again, but my father’s words encapsulated his.
“I am so happy that you have come home. Our family is now full again.”
By now I was shaking my head. This was that shit I hated. They wanted to brush over everything and act like it didn’t happen. When in fact it all happened. How dare they? I had to laugh to keep from losing my shit in here.
“And my beautiful granddaughter.” His eyes left me and went to my daughter. “You both must be tired, let Anthony take your bags. Take them to her quarters.”
As soon as he said that the henchman to my left was lifting both of my duffle bags from my shoulder.
I allowed him to while using the extra freedom to grip my now sleeping daughter. This child fell asleep almost as fast as she blinked.
“Come, you can lay her down while we discuss.” My father ushered us into his office. Of course, my kiss ass brother followed. He was papa’s lap dog. I didn’t see that then, but it was clearer now.
Once in the office I put my baby on the sofa and looked toward my father before I spoke. “When this is over, I’ll be gone. Nothing chang?—"
