All Grown Up

The Chase Is On

"My baby had a date last night!" Erica gushed at the table we were all at. Apryl looked at me with a look questioning the truth behind Erica's words. I nodded as a response to her un-asked question.

"Whattttt? You went against big brother Shad's no boys rule?"

"What big brother Shad doesn't know won't hurt him." I spoke truthfully. I know Erica won't tell because she thinks Shad is too protective of me, and the kids won't say anything becaus they were asleep when he picked me up.

Mr. Game: Don't you look cute sitting with your girls and that high ponytail.

I felt myself blushing at the text, wait how does he know my hair is in a ponytail. My phone sounded again, another text.

Mr. Game: Look to your left Pretty Girl.

I did as he instructed, he was out with his daughter. He smiled seeing that I was looking at him. He gestured for me to come to their table, he was having a moment with his daughter I didn't want to get in the middle of that.

Me: I don't want to interrupt your time together.

Apryl seemed to have caught where my eyes wandered to, her eyes widened at seeing who it was.

"Uh, ma'am," She started as she looked at me.

"Is that The Game over there giving you the eye?"

"No." I squeaked out. Damn it, I hate that about my voice it gets really small and squeaky when I lie.

"Lie again." She swatted my thigh.

"Okay, okay, he was the one who took me out on a date." I confessed. I felt a small tug at my hand. When I looked to the side of me it was Jayceon's daughter.

"Will you come sit with my Daddy and me?" She asked staring at me with her hazel eyes. I didn't want to say no to her, but I also didn't want to leave the girls hanging like that.

Erica and Apryl were gesturing that I go with her. I slid my chair back before getting up. I held my hand out for her to take.

"Sure cutie, I'd love to sit with you and your daddy." She clasped my hand with her smaller one lightly pulling me to their table. Jayceon sat there still smiling when we sat down.

"Cali meet daddy's friend Aila." She waved shyly.

"Hi cutie, it's nice to meet you." She shook my hand before going back to her seat. I directed my attention to Jayceon.

"Don't use this child as chick bait ever again." I scolded. He held his hands up in surrender.

"I won't I promise." After they were done eating Jayceon decided we should go somewhere fun so he took us to the indoor jump park. I was currently putting my shoes up in the shoe cubby along with Cali's.

"You're not jumping with us?" I asked as Cali held my hand. She looked back at her dad wondering the same thing.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna watch you two." I shrugged my shoulders, not much I can do.

"Come on cutie, more fun for us." Cali and I went from doing air tricks on the trampolines to pretending sharks were attacking us in the block pit. An hour later we were leaving with him carrying a now sleeping Cali. He carried her like she was the most precious thing.

"You're so good with her."

"She's my only girl, but I'm like this with all of my kids. They could ask me for the world, I would literally wrap a bow around the earth, and give it to them."

His face never faltered as he spoke of the lengths he would go for his children. I love hearing him speak this way. He slid the sleeping six year old in the back seat, and strapped her in. I was about to open my door until a tap on my hand stopped me.

"Long as you with me you never open a door. You understand?"

I'm not going to argue with that, he wants to be a gentlemen I'll let him be one. He turned the radio on, but he left it very low so it wouldn't disturb Cali. My hand lay limply in my lap, as I nod my head to Erykah Badu's On & On I didn't know he was into music like this.

"You seem a little shocked at my music choice, why is that?"

"Because you're this hard ass rappers who's all, I'm known for makin bitches take they clothes off. Long as I'm from Compton, California I could never go soft. I'm hard as a motherfuckin' ounce of raw. But you over here listening to Neo Soul just vibing."

He looked at me with a smirk.

"Nah, let's not talk about my music choice, let's talk about how you just spit some lines from my '07 album. You couldn't have been more than ten when that dropped. What's a innocent little one like you doing listening to that?" Now it's my turn to laugh.

"Maybe I'm not as innocent as you think I am." I side eyed him. He was looking at me intensely. Before I could ask why he was looking at me like that he had already grasped my face in his large hand, and molded his lips to mine. The kiss was demanding, and rough. He licked, and bit my bottom lip before pulling away.

"What was that?" I asked breathlessly.

"Something I've been wanting to do for a while. Look I'm not gonna lie, I want you. But I can see you like to take things slow, so I'm gonna do something I haven't done in a while. I'm going to court you."

Is he serious, he's only known me for a little while, is he sure he wants this? Am I sure I want this?

"There's no pressure for you to decide now, I'm just letting you know that I'm going to pursue you like a man should pursue a woman." He grabbed me again giving me another soul searing kiss. Jesus, let me be ready for whatever this man is going to do.