Page 86 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

“Alright, bet. I’m ready.”

After eating, Ava went to finish getting Savannah dressed, as well as herself, while I made a few phone calls.

Zoie must’ve been waiting at the window because as soon as we pulled up, she ran out the front door. Excitedly, she jumped around at my door, anxiously waiting for me to step out.

“Daddy!” She hugged me as soon as my feet hit the ground.

“Hey, princess.”

In the backseat, Savannah bounced around, trying to get Zoie’s attention.

“Yayy! Savannah!” She ran to the other side of the car.

On the porch, Zenobia stood with her hand on her hip as if she had a problem.

“What’s up?” I nodded at her.

As expected, she walked over to my car with a smug grin on her face. I gave her a look, letting her know not to be on no bullshit.

“Hey, baby daddy.” She licked her lips. “Here I am, thinking we were going out as a family, and you’re riding around with your friend.” She glanced at Ava with a stank expression.

“Don’t start. I never gave you any indication that we were going out anywhere together. So, chill.”

“You could’ve come to get Zoie first, then went to pick her up. You think I want her to know where I stay?”

“Ze, ain’t nobody pressed over you. Chill the fuck out.”

With the look I gave her, she knew damn well she’d better pipe down. I wasn’t with any of that shit she was trying to pull.

“I’ll be back later to drop Zoie off. I’ll call you when we’re on the way back.”

“Have fun, baby!” Zenobia called out to Zoie, ignoring what I said.

At the aquarium, my girls had a great time. Both Zoie and Savannah were in awe of most of the attractions. I think their favorite part of the visit was playing with the stingrays. Thanks to Zoie, I had to interact with the creatures as well while Ava recorded us. After what happened to Steve Irwin, I wasn’t trying to fuck with no shit like that. But, of course, I’d do anything to see my princess smile.

For lunch, I made surprise arrangements that I knew would blow Zoie’s mind. I paid for us to have an underwater dining experience with some mermaids. It was nice, and the women in character did a phenomenal job.

It wasn’t until we sat down to eat that I noticed Ava was extremely quiet. She wasn’t really herself. My hand caressed her thigh underneath the table. She gave me a small smile and tapped the top of my hand. I wasn’t going to question her just yet. I’d hold off because I wanted us to continue enjoying our day. I could sense something was bothering her, though, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

CHAPTER 23

Ava Gray

After we left the aquarium and dropped Zoie off, Ethan came back to stay at the house. I had yet to say anything to him about what happened with Trenton. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. Although I was comfortable in his arms, I literally could not sleep. He even asked me if there was anything wrong, and I lied. I didn’t want to, but at the same time, I wasn’t ready to talk about it.

When I finally did close my eyes to rest, that shit played out in my sleep, causing me to jump up in a cold sweat.

“Aye, bae. You okay?” He sat up.

My heart raced as I took slow, deep breaths to get it to slow down a bit.

“Ava.” He hooked my chin. “What’s wrong?”

I wiped the tears that were about to fall.

“I’m resigning from my position and I’m going to move in with my sister.” I blurted.

I had Ethan’s full attention as he reached over to turn on the bedside lamp.