My eyes were puffy and my head was hurting, Keith was next to me on the bed with red eyes holding the box in his hands plainly we were next to each other leaning on the headboard.
'Mommy.' I heard Kaare say and I looked at him when he saw my crying face he got angry and lunged towards Keith throwing hands.
'Kaare I'm fine!' I said holding him but he was squirming out of my grip.
'Why did you hit my momma!' He screamed Kaidence shot up and started crying.
'I'm gonna kill you!' He yelled at Keith hitting and prying my hands to open.
I restrained him holding his head to the mattress lying on top of him. Kaidence still screaming, when I felt Kaare's body relax he stopped screaming and started crying I let go of him I hugged them both as they cried into my shoulders.
'He didn't do anything guys.' I said trying to reassure.
'Shhhhh stop crying it's ok I'm ok.' I said getting up and bouncing them each on my hips.
'Pass the tissues please.' I asked Keith who was watching Kaare warily he got them and I went back on the bed blowing their noses. I put nickelodeon on and laid them down kissing their foreheads they had stopped crying as I left, Keith behind me.
He followed me into the kitchen as I sighed, turning around to face him. He stood there looking at me before opening his mouth.
'Have People put their hands on you?' He questioned looking down at me.
'No.' I said nonchalantly as I walked passed him but he grabbed my arm.
Keith
'Who been hitting you?'
She looked at me with dark eyes and snatched her hand back.
'Nobody!' She barked.
'But-'
'Look, we all have things that have happened to us aight. Sometimes you just don't need to bring it up.' She said lowly. I screwed up my face. What does that mean?
'Just tell m-.'
'Where were you for the past two years?' I kept my head down staying silent because I found it was a sensitive subject for me.
'Exactly stay out my business and I'll stay out Of yours.' She said getting in my face. I was taken back but kept my cool because she never used to lash out at me like that unless something really bothered her.
'Imma ask you one more time.' I said through gritted teeth.
"Drop it!"She yelled, then sighed walking around me and leaving me in the kitchen by myself. I heard her slam the bathroom door.
I walked to the bathroom and heard her soft cries as I i got closer.
"Nash?" I said knocking softly.
She didn't reply.
"Nash I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across like that."
"Please let me in." I pleaded.
"It's not locked." She mumbled.
I felt silly realising I hadn't even tried to open the door.
I opened it and I saw her in the bath with a bottle of Chardonnay in her hand, eyes closed leaning back as tears silently streamed down her face. She pulled her legs up to her chest, making space for me and I got in putting my legs on either side whilst she laid hers in between.
"Wanna answer the question?" She was hesitant but slowly opened her mouth to speak.
"Well, my mom kicked me out way before I started showing. And I needed to get quick money somehow."
I stayed silent.
"So that same night I went to the strip club and started dancing." She sighed before carrying on.
"I worked my ass off for that and had made 5k that same night. When I was walking to a hotel to stay at. Some black dude had pulled up next to me in a car.
"The window rolled down and he sweet talked me into a free drink at the bar, me being naive. I agreed and he was really nice to me. I thought we was cool, he even paid for a higher upper class hotel for me to stay in.
"He took me to this hotel room and there was this black guy just standing there eye raping me. I knew something wasn't right, so I tried to dip but he grabbed me and said, 'See that dude over there?'
I nodded as if she was talking to me.
"I want you to fuck him.' I didn't want to so I tried to dip again but he caught me in his arms and we wrestled he then punched me in my face and shit went black."
"So what happened next?"
" I don't know, but I woke up in this mansion. I remember there were white sheets that I was wrapped up in. The bedroom looked so lovely and I was in a queen size bed all by myself. And then the same sweet talking guy that hit me came in and told me basically I was a slave and like all the other girls I had to do what he wanted. I'd be forced to rub up on other girls. Have sex with them. When I started showing he thought the child was his, so he treated me better. We would go to the hospital appointments together and next thing I know out came the twins."
"All four of us were living together happily in his words." She said sarcastically.
"Because I supposedly had his kids now, I was now back to being a sex slave, he basically told me that he's keeping them and I still have to stick to the rules. As far as the twins were convinced, he was their father. One time I was getting raped and because I was screaming so loud Kaare must've bust into the room and caught us in the act, that's why I'm assuming he has anger problems and always feels to be my guardian angel, because when he saw that, he cried for days. One time when he went out, I took my kids and ran away I stole 50k From his safe and hadn't seen him since."
She took a few gulps from the bottle and I grabbed the bottle chugging it down too, Shit was too much for my ears.
Damn I had no idea, I didn't mean to leave. I thought. It was just that I wasn't ready for kids. I bit my lip shamefully
"I wasn't either, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. This was my first time being a parent too. They're only 2 years old and been through more shit than the average person. All I really want is just a better life for us." I bit the inside of my check realising I thought aloud.
She looked at me and her eyelids hung low.
"Do you want to be in their lives?"
"What? Of course I do, that's why I came back babygirl." I grabbed her hands putting the Chardonnay on the floor.
"I want all of us to just be, one happy family." She looked up at me, a spark that wasn't there before.
"Really?" She questioned warily as if she's been longing for it too.
"Yes." I said truthfully.
She broke down in some tears, happy ones I assume. I went over to her and put her on my chest as she wiped her eyes I engulfed her in a embrace and she quietened down.
"I want to be in your life too." I said quietly to myself.
"Let's take things slow then." She said. I stroked her hair kissing her forehead as we layed in the bath.
