𝑻 𝑯 𝑬 𝑵 𝑨 𝑵 𝑵 𝒀 (18+)

sixteen.

AMARA

Josh and Jamie played amongst themselves in the back seat of the car while Dominic went to go talk to his lawyers. The car was off, windows rolled down and the chill in the night air sent shivers down my back. I stared at the glass building, had been staring at the glass building for the entire twenty minutes we'd been at his lawyer's firm. He hadn't told anyone why he was called in at eight in the evening but I knew it had to do with Stephanie. The divorce. After her appearance at Tiffany's baby shower, I knew things would escalate but I hadn't anticipated this being the outcome. I knew I shouldn't have come tonight. I repeated the thought over and over again in my head, shaming myself for not putting up more of a fight. I didn't know what he would be like when he walked out of that office but if it was anything like he was when he drove over here, I wanted no parts in it.

"When is daddy coming back?" Jamie asked. His voice carried over the music so this time I couldn't ignore him. "I don't know Jame, soon maybe."

"I'm hungry. I thought we had a registration?" Josh smacked his leg and shifted in his seat. Laughing, I shook my head and glanced at him through the mirrors, "reservation Josh and we do. We'll get there in time and then you can eat whatever you want."

"No, dad makes me get food off the kid's menu," he pouted.

"Does he call ahead and tell the restaurant you have a dairy allergy too?" I joked but he only nodded in response. That was a good thing. Attentive, considerate, and unbelievably cute. I nodded my head and turned away from Josh and to the radio. I flipped through the stations a few times trying to find an appropriate song but came up empty shortly after. Blowing air out of my mouth I pulled my phone from my purse, swiped Luis' messages away, and plugged my phone into Dominic's aux. My playlist wasn't any better but I at least had a few songs that were safe for the kid's ears. I wouldn't be held responsible for expanding their vocabulary in the worst way possible. Dominic was doing a good job at that all on his own.

Resting my head against the window, I closed my eyes for what felt like two seconds. It must've been longer because when I woke up, Dominic was tapping me on the arm gently while his son kicked the back of my seat. I wiped under my eye and yawned as I looked around the car trying to place my surroundings. Dominic laughed and pointed to the restaurant with a smile before getting out of the car to unbuckle the boys from their seats.

I groaned and grabbed my purse and anything else Josh and Jamie left in the car that they would've wanted to bring inside with them. Jamie had been especially attached to a small stuffed bear for the past few days so I knew he'd want it near while he ate. I grabbed Jamie's hand and Dom grabbed Josh as we crossed the street and walked towards the restaurant. Jamie's little legs could barely keep up so instead of doing an awkward jog while a car waited to pass us, I scooped him up and carried him until we got to the waiter's station.

It was a restaurant I'd seen before but had never visited for a multitude of reasons. I couldn't afford it, it was too far away, and I couldn't fucking afford it. Jose took Zaria here for their anniversary once and she raved about the food for weeks. She had me tasting it in my sleep and I couldn't hide the smile on my face from finally being able to physically try it out for myself.

"Table for four?" The hostess smiled and grabbed a few menus before leading us to a table in the middle of the restaurant. I was a booth girl myself but I hated asking to be reseated, so I took a seat facing the door. Dominic and Josh sat across from me while Jamie sat beside me wiggling in his seat while he colored on his placemat.

"Can I get you started on anything to drink?"

I scanned the menu briefly knowing I ordered the same drink every time I went out to eat, "can I have a strawberry lemonade please?" The waitress nodded as she wrote and took everyone else's drink order before scurrying off to the kitchen. Part of me missed how busy working food service was. There was less time to think and while the patrons were almost always insufferable the quiet in my head made it all worth it.