You were mine

Chapter 29

Staci was still feeling slightly dazed when Angel returned home. He leaned over and kissed her lips. She barely responded until one of the babies began to cry. She looked at her husband.

"She came by," Staci said.
"What did she want?" he asked.
"To see what we were doing about Mateo."
"I filed the papers."
"That's what I told her."

He nodded as she sat back down on the couch with Niko in her arms. He sighed.

"She said she had always planned on giving him to you. Said she couldn't be the mother to an infant," Staci said.
"Any word on Pablo?" he asked.
"She just said he was gone. No explanation, nothing."

He nodded. She was still worried that someone would try to come back after him when he got older. She stared at her husband for a moment.

"We won't let anything happen to him, babe," he said, reading her mind.

She chuckled.

"Always know right where my head is huh?" she asked.
"Usually," he replied.
"How is EZ doing having to work with Emily's husband?"
"It's a struggle for him most days but usually it's his mouth getting him into trouble."

She nodded. She had figured that would be an issue for him. EZ typically had no filter. He was trying to fit in with everything going on but it was hard. He had opened up about the abortion and hated that she had even done it. He wished he could go back and change it.

"I just wish I could fix it all for him. I mean life with kids isn't a walk in the park most days but they are rewarding at the end of the day. Looking at those little faces and knowing that I created that," Angel said.
"You are a good big brother, a great father, a good husband and an all around good man," she said.
"I am a shit husband. I just got lucky that you love me despite it all."

She made a face at him. He smiled.

"I do love you," he said.
"I love you too," she replied.

He kissed the end of her nose before getting up to get Mateo. Javi was still completely out. Staci sighed.

Two weeks later, Staci had Letty watching the younger kids so she could take Lily to kindergarten round up. She was excited for her daughter but sad at the same time. Her firstborn was growing so quickly.

Angel met them at the school. He left the Kutte in the saddlebag on his bike.

"Daddy," Lily smiled when she saw him.
"Hey princess," he scooped her up.

Majority of his tattoos were covered by his flannel shirt. There were a lot of people who knew who he was though.

"Hey," Staci smiled.
"Hey," he quickly kissed her cheek.

They walked thru the door together. He watched his daughter as she explored a classroom much like the one she would be in the following year. He sighed heavily as he thought about the first five years of her life. It was crazy how fast it had gone.

Flashback

Angel entered the house to find his wife in tears. He quickly went to her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.
"She hates me," Staci insisted.
"She doesn't hate you."

Lily was screaming in the pack n play in their living room. Staci looked over at their three month old.

"She has been screaming all day, no matter what I do. She hates me," Staci insisted again.
"Babe, how could she possibly hate the most beautiful woman on the planet?" he asked picking the baby up.

Lily calmed against his leather Kutte. It only led to more tears from his wife. He sighed heavily.

"Babe, relax. She just feeds off your anxiety. If you are stressed then so is she," he said.
"I can't help it. I swear Angel, I am not cut out for this," she sniffed.
"Look at me."

She slowly raised her red rimmed eyes.

"Baby, you are perfect. Lily couldn't have a better mother. I couldn't have a better wife. But you don't have to stress about being perfect. So what the laundry doesn't get done one day? So what there is dust somewhere? Who cares? She is only going to be little once. We need to enjoy it while it's here," he said.

End

Just thinking about that day made Angel feel a whole new wave of guilt over his namesake. He wasn't really around for AJ as a baby. He looked over at his wife. She smiled at him. He sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Just thinking how bad I screwed up with AJ," he said.
"Can't change the past Angel."

He nodded. He just needed to make the future a whole lot better for them all. It was chaos to realize that he now had five kids counting on him and his wife to raise them to the best of their ability.