Book #4 of the Love & Trauma series || 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗙𝗙 to "Threes Company"
Toby is fresh out of prison and ready to relive his second chance out in modern day.
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𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 ❷ ⓿ ❷ ❷
Her heart rate slowed and breathing steadies as she stared into the eyes of Toby. He nodded insinuating she was doing it correctly. She stood up straight and Toby started to leave, but she hopped in front of him and the door.
"You straight now. Move."
"No." She replied quickly, "I listened to you yell, call me 'worthless', call me 'selfish' and I took it. I took it because I understand your anger and where it's coming from but now you are going to fucking listen to me." She demanded.
Toby stepped backward away from her and gave her the floor to talk. Anicia released a heavy breath from her nose. "I am sorry for not telling you that day I found out, Toby. I really am. But I'm not sorry for giving her up for adoption."
He scoffed, averting his gaze from her and she only followed. "No, no. You don't get to do that either. I'm being honest with you here so please listen to me." he set his eyes on her, "I will not apologize for giving her up to a lovely couple that could give her love and attention every moment of the day. I was eighteen—hurt and emotionally fucked up, Toby. I couldn't be the mother to a baby. A daughter, nonetheless."
"Me," he finally spoke after moments of silence. "I'm her father. You didn't give me the opportunity."
"And I wasn't. ." Anicia confessed. He scoffed about to try to walk away, but she stepped in his way. "I had no intentions of giving you the opportunity, Toby. It wasn't about me doubting you being a great father because I know you are seeing the way your son's are so respectful. But back then, you were in the streets tough. It was no way I was going to send my daughter to you just to not know if she was going to be raised by your mother because you were dead or in jail. And it was no way I was letting my family that doesn't love me raise somebody I gave birth to."
She let out a breath, with tears forming in her waterline. "You always felt that because I come from money I just had this picture perfect life. If 'picture perfect' is getting bullied by your mother and grandmother, kneeling on grits when I made one mistake that kids are supposed to make, feeling ugly and unloved, hating your skin, hating your hair, hating everything about yourself then we should've switched lives. I was not allowing her to be scarred by neither one of them or never be defended by anyone. So. . I'm sorry for not telling you. But I'll never apologize for putting our daughter in the best situation."
Toby stared at her for a long moment, remaining wordless.
