Loose Lips

(18)- What's Next

Chapter Eighteen

After the drama at the shop, Wood instantly felt stressed once leaving and heading back to home as he locked himself in his office working on the next move. Even while Xiomara made dinner, he became a no show, declining the traditional night of them both cooking dinner together, along with countless glasses of wine.

Tonight, Xiomara sat alone in the kitchen sitting at the island as she picked at the oxtail, rice and peas as she eyed the glass of wine that was nearing empty.

As much as she knew that the whole situation about Zela bothered Wood, it haunted her. A whole child, who came from her, carried for nine beautiful months and enjoyed four wonderful years with her instantly changed.

"Ma?" The voice said instantly, making her look up puzzled at Sade instantly making her cry.

Sade was older than Zela by four years, their first. The one who witnessed both of their sins first hand and the one they decided to keep. Xiomara begged Wood to have them both in foster care together, at least, but to Wood, Sade was already old enough to speak of all the things going around and wouldn't dare take the risk.

"Hey, how was work?" She sniffled through her tears, grabbing tissue as she gently dabbed the corner of her eye.

"It was fine ma, are you okay?" Sade answered as she placed her Coach purse on the counter, and instantly felt her mother's somber mood, which made her feel uneasy as well.

"I'm fine baby, just waiting for our special time," she replied lowly as she took the second filled glass of wine and drove it towards Sade.

Sade sighed, already annoyed from observing her mother nearly lose her mind from trying to get Zela back. She didn't understand the significance about Zela, except for the fact that she was younger than her and sent to foster care for protection. It was shocking how they completely erased Zela from their lips all these years, barely saying a single word about her, but with the details about their youngest daughter now, their emotions were at an all time high.

It frustrated Sade that she had to deal with this ever since her father decided to finally pick up the pieces to his troubled past and get his family back together. In all honesty, she truly felt he wasn't doing it right enough.

She reached into her phone already, seeing the text message on her phone on the details from her best friend on the blind date she didn't even want to go to. She looked up at her mother, who deeply sighed as she gazed into the full glass of wine.

"Ma I..." She started.

"It's fine Sade, go ahead and go out. I'll be fine. Your father is downstairs with Marshall anyways, and I have some papers to finalize on a few properties. Go ahead, go," she crept a smile, making Sade groan and pull her into the tightest hug ever.

"Everything is going to be fine mom, I promise."

Wood scrolled through his phone as he passed every name, huffing in frustration as moments from hours earlier at the shop clouded his mind. He was mad about Hondo quitting on him in the last possible moments, and the way he ranted at him about his role as a father. He trusted in Hondo to get this task done for him ever since taking him under his wing, and now that this happened, he didn't even know what would possibly happen next.

"So what's so important about this race that you need Hondo so bad?" Marshall asked as they both sat in the specially made man cave he spent most of his time in, other than in his office.

"I conditioned Hondo for this moment, sad to say." He answered as he wrote down names and numbers on the blue sticky paper as he tapped his pen against his wrist in frustration.