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Once I looked through the peephole and saw my mama and sister standing there, I smiled and quickly unlocked the door.

“Damn,” my mama said before she could even get all the way inside.

I laughed as I stepped aside to let them in. “Hey, Mama.”

“Hey, baby.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek before turning her attention right back to the house. “This where you been living?”

“Yeah.” I closed the door behind Kayla, watching my Mama take everything in.

She stood there for a second, looking around like she was trying to figure out what part of the house she wanted to see first.

“Shit, I think I’m with the wrong nigga.” She shook her head. “He got some uncles or something?”

“Mama!” I busted out laughing while Kayla doubled over beside her.

“What?” She looked at us like she hadn’t said a damn thing wrong. “I’m being honest. Shit, anybody better than yo’ stupid ass daddy.”

“Woman, you are not about to come over here looking for a man,” Kayla told her.

“Who said I was looking? I’m just asking questions. Ain’t nothing wrong with knowing what’s available.”

That made me laugh even harder because my mama was dead serious. She didn’t give a damn how something sounded coming out of her mouth, and that’s where me and my sister had gotten our smart mouths and lack of a filter.

“Come on, Mama.” I took her things and put them away before leading them toward the kitchen. “Let me show you something.”

The second we walked inside, my Mama stopped in her tracks. Her eyes moved from the cabinets to the appliances before settling on the countertops. I already knew what was coming when that little smirk appeared on her face.

“Oh, shit,” Kayla said, catching the same look I did.

“Nah, for real,” I agreed laughing.

If there was one thing my mama loved, it was a nice kitchen. That lady could spend all damn day cooking and wouldn’t complain about a thing, especially if she had enough room to move around without somebody being in her way.

“Oooh, this shit is nice.” My mama walked farther inside, running her hand along the countertop. “Baby, you cook in this kitchen?”

“Yeah, and Cassian always wants me cooking something.”

“Shit, I don’t blame him. Look at all this space.” She opened one of the cabinets, took a peek inside, and closed it. “Girl, I wouldn’t mind cooking in here every damn day.”

“See, I told you,” Kayla said, looking at me.

My mama turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “Speaking of cooking, what y’all standing around looking at me for? Go get the stuff out the car so I can get started.”

I shook my head, laughing as I headed toward the door with Kayla following behind me. Leave it to my mama to come to somebody else’s house and start giving orders like she was the one paying the damn bills.

“Girl, don’t be surprised if Mama start popping up over here every day trying to cook in that kitchen,” Kayla said once we reached the car.

“You know I don’t mind, sis. Shit, I need the company.”

And I meant that. As much as I appreciated everything Cassian had done for me, this big ass house could get lonely sometimes. I had my job to keep me busy during the day, but coming home was a different story. There were times when I’d walk through the door, kick my shoes off, and have absolutely nobody to talk to. Cassian stayed busy running his security company, and even though he made sure I was good, I understood he had a business to handle. He had men depending on him, clients who expected shit to get done, and contracts that weren’t going to take care of themselves.

“Yeah, I feel you,” Kayla said as she grabbed another bag from the back seat. “At least with mama over here you won’t have to worry about being bored.”

“Girl, please. You know she gone find something for us to do.”

“Probably have us cleaning up behind her ass after she finish cooking.”

“Exactly.”