Choosing Jada [Book 2]

Delivery Man

The kitchen was filled with the smells of fish frying in the pan, seasoned with lemon and butter. There was not much food here; a shopping trip would do me loads of favors, but fish and rice was a decent meal. The rest of this place was filled with uncooked pasta, so this was the fastest option. I looked over at Matteo, lying on his back with a cooking spoon in his mouth. He loudly sucked on the utensil in peace and allowed me to cook with him within my sight. I was happy he was not able to crawl yet; any crawling would be a huge issue in a place this large.

However, the sudden knock at the door caused me to jump in place. I stopped and looked down the hall to the door. The handle didn't move; it was pretty calm, and no one knew what occurred. I took a deep breath before going to the door. I expected to find one of the bodyguards, but instead there was a huge dozen or two of red and pink roses on the ground in a large vase. I picked up the vase and sniffed at the roses; a musty smell hit my nose, followed by a sweet one. I inhaled again, enjoying the faintly sweet smell. I had never been given roses before, and I couldn't help but smile. I brought the roses inside, closing the door behind me with my foot.

The sound of crackling fish knocked me out of my daze. I placed the roses Alessio bought me on the table next to the door before taking off into the kitchen. I took the slightly overcooked fish off the heat and then transferred that to the plate. With a content child I could see, I was left to think.

I couldn't go back to Alessio. Every time we were alone, we were fighting or he was drooling over me. Yet, I still found myself kissing him; I was still attracted to him. Something in my mind always brought me back. I attracted trouble like him; I had to have a big sign advertising my stupidity. I hated how I wished he would just hug me again; I wanted that familiar comfort. I knew better, but the more time I spent with him, the closer I got to just jumping him. I was stuck, and his flowers had me tripping over myself again. I loved it; I felt cared for. I sighted as I continued to eat the meal I made.

I stared aimlessly at my baby boy, eating his fingers and wiggling the spoon around. I knew nothing in this world meant more to me than that little boy's safety. All I wanted was to find something normal in my life; my son deserves the entire world for his life to be filled with peace. I would stop at nothing to do what was best for him. I wasn't sure if it was Alessio. Was having his father around what is best for Matteo? Or was it better to stay far away from him? And I could still imagine how happy we could have been—how happy we would have been if I wasn't shot. I was head over heels; I truly thought I could have been happy with him. I can't pretend to forget about everything he has done. And it's so hard to trust him. Yet, I still almost want to try. I needed to be sure what I wanted; every choice I made affected my son.

After finishing my plate, I placed my plate in the sink. I turned back around to see Matteo had managed to tire himself out and fell asleep. I gently scooped him up and brought him back into the room to lay in the crib. By the time I went back toward the kitchen to clean, there was another knock at the door. I went straight to the door and opened it.

I opened the door. My eyes made eye contact with an all too familiar face. I had not seen him in months, yet he looked so tired. Bags under his eyes, he had an overgrown beard and wore a generic delivery man's outfit. He flashed me a smile. I stood frozen and shocked.

"Long time no see." He said it in a low voice. I couldn't utter his name.

"And you got my flowers too. It's such a funny coincidence. You were a little hard to track down. I got in so much shit due to you. Had such a soft spot for you; that was my problem. I have so many plans for you."

He reached out his hand toward me, but I flinched. The shock had worn off, and panic had set in. I immediately went to slam the door shut. It didn't close, but the sudden pressure and force against the door I was trying to close.

"LORENZO! STOP!" I yelled at him. He chuckled; he sounded unhinged as he laughed and pushed hard.

"HEEELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The cries of Matteo went off, and my head shot back. The door swung open, pushing me back. Lorenzo walked right past me, and I scrambled up off the floor and jumped on his back. I swung at his head and began scratching and punching him.

"Bitch!" He grunted.

I felt myself being ripped from his back and thrown on the floor. I flew in the air and hit the ground, back first as the pain shot and I slid to an object. The wind was knocked out of me, and the pain in my back felt like it was burning and radiating out. It took me a moment to catch my breath, and a cry of pain came out. I heard some grunting of two men and opened my eyes. I saw Lorenzo fighting with another man. He wore an oversized hoodie, and the two men soon ended up on the ground. I watched for one more moment before getting up and rushing past them into my room and swooping up Matteo. I could hear more grunts and fighting from outside the room. I felt quite unsure before I heard the man's voice yell something I didn't catch and more shuffling before the man in the hoodie came into the room.

"Are you okay?" He asked; there was blood spilling from his busted lip.

"Yeah," I said, trying to catch my breath. I held my boy closer, trying to ease him.

A/N

It has been awhile. I just want to thank you all for over 3K views on Choosing Jada and over 25k views on Beautiful in Jada. I appreciate you all sticking around! Its been a tough few weeks. I had some writers block, I have a new story I have been working on [unrelated to this series], and I am working almost double the hours to support the family. So bare with me. I am posting this after writing a few chapters ahead of time so you all can have content.  Please keep liking and comment your favorite characters! 

I read all your comments and appreciate all encouragement!

What do you think will happen next?