𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐍 & 𝐄𝐁𝐄𝐋

| 0011| 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐓 ⁘ ฺ ⸝⸝⸝⸝

𝙂𝙞𝙯𝙖

Big Rod, which was an abbreviation for Roderick, drove almost a little over an hour away from Ebel's residence. He explained to me that there was a park hidden away from the public eye. It was designated for the elite residents of Dallas, the ones out of my tax bracket. They were able to amble around freely without worrying about paparazzi and fans hounding them. The location was so exclusive that Rod prepped me on how to mingle with the rich. He wanted me to fit in so I wouldn't look suspicious.

Once the black SUV came to a halt, my eyes peered out of the window. The sun's rays shined directly down on the park. The grass was greener on this side of town and the childrens' play area looked like a mini amusement park. Aeko's eyes was vibrant and full of wonder. They were a blend of excitement and curiosity of what all the park entailed. It was massive, expanding across six acres of land. "Can I go play, G?"

"Yes, but wait for Big Rod. He's going to play with you" The guard gave me a knowing smile and parked the car, not too far from the entrance. He opened my passenger's door first then worked on removing the kids from their car seats. I held onto Lovely's hand. He was holding onto Aeko. Big Rod's nickname stemmed from his stature. He was 6'5, burly with a little pudge around his stomach, but his arms were solid muscle. All that didn't matter to the three year old with youth and energy working on his side. He pulled Rod towards the playset like he was light as a feather.

Chuckling at the sight, Lovely observed the park in silence. She always looked like she was judging other people's life decisions. I swear that baby was fifty years old inside of her head. "Do you want to go play with Aeko?" She shook her head no, clutching her Cece doll. She was her favorite character from Cocomelon. I saw that Ebel even bought her a tutu like the character already. He spoiled both of his kids.

"How about we walk around then and look at the flowers?" She took one hand off Cece, keeping her secured in the other arm. She placed her palm in mine and we walked around the small garden they had stationed away from the playground. There were mainly yellow, pink, and purple flowers inside of it. I grabbed a dandelion and broke it off the stem. A one year old couldn't say dandelion, but she was learning how to say colors. "Yellow. Can you say yellow?"

"Ello" Her little voice made my heart melt. She was too cute. "Good job" She smiled widely, proud of herself. "How about...." My eyes scanned the small selection of flowers, stopping on a pink hydrangea. I broke one off as well. "P-"

"You know you're not supposed to do that, right?" I froze in my tracks. The voice startled me initially, but then resonated with me. I didn't know where I heard it before, but I definitely had heard it. My natural instinct was to hold on to Lovely with both arms and drop the flower, standing back up to my full height. I spun towards the sound of the voice and it all became so clear to me why I recognized the voice. I'm pretty sure everyone in America did. "I-I did-" I was tongue tied and star struck by her presence. Never in a million years did I expect to see thee Duvessa by herself without security around her.