Forever Yours [Series Two of Bittersweet Disasters]

[10] "I Know We're Young And I Know How Stressful This Can Be."

♜♖♜ KAIDEN PARKER ♖♜♖

"WAIT, SO YOU'RE TELLING ME that both my birth parents were also addicts? That's crazy," Aiden replies to me as we wash the 2016 Ford Escape.

"Yeah, I know," I whisper. "I'm really not upset that Karman texted me this morning saying he's clean, but I need proof, you know. Like him to send me pictures of said proof. The only reason I believed Mom is because she posted her proof herself on her Facebook."

"I can't believe that I'll probably be able to meet both my birth parents," Aiden replies, not meeting my gaze.

I give him a small smile.

~ ~ ~

"So what'd you mean when you said Karman was the one who got you started on the drugs?" Aiden asks me as we sit in my car, eating our food.

Sighing, I drag my hand down my face before I glimpse at him. "Well, you remember when Dezerae and I told about everything that happened to us since 2013?" I release a faint sigh as I turn my attention to stare out the window.

"Yeah," I hear him whisper. I think he nodded too, but I couldn't tell since I wasn't looking at him.

"Well, the guy who's name I didn't want to mention that got me in drugs was Karman," I acknowledge softly, still staring out the car window.

"Holy crap," he whispers.

Glimpsing at him for a brief second, I nod stiffly before I turn my attention to stare out the window again.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you," Aiden assures as I feel him place his hand on my shoulder.

Glimpsing back at him, I blink away the tears as I give him a small smile. "Thanks, bro," I mutter.

♥︎♡♥︎ DEZERAE ALLOCCO ♡♥︎♡

"You're kidding, right?" Destiny replies as she sits beside me at the booth.

"Nope, not kidding," I respond quietly. "He texted Kaiden this morning."

"What are y'all going to do?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow and giving me a curious look.

I shrug. "See, Kaycie has proof that she was clean," I reply still using my quiet tone. (I don't need everyone in the restaurant to listen to my personal business.) "With Kaycie, the picture she posted was her holding the papers and her standing in front of the rehabilitation building. With Karman, he just sent Kaiden a text message telling him he was clean, like no picture of proof or anything. It's so stressful." Moving my elbows up on the table, I groan as I drop my face into my palms. After a few seconds, I sit back up straight and continue, "I will not whatsoever put either of my son's through any of this shit! I just won't. Devin's been through enough and KJ's only seen a smidge of it, you know. I'm not making KJ experience the same things Devin experienced when he was a baby."

Destiny gives me a sad face as she rubs my back gently. "I'm here for you if you need anything," she whispers.

I smile at her.

"Destiny, what are you doing?" I hear a guy in black suit pants and a yellow checkered button up shirt practically bark as he storms up. "I've already had two of your tables complain to me about the slow service they've been receiving."

"I'm sorry, sir," Destiny whispers as she stands up. "It's just my sister-in-law is having family problems and I'm try—"

He holds his hand up, silencing her. "I don't want to know why you're sitting around," he answers, pinching the bridge of his nose which causes his glasses to slide down some. "Just stop sitting around and serve your tables or I will write you up."