When Hate Turns to Love

Ch. 23

MENTIONS ABUSE!!!!
_____________________________

Nini woke up with a start at her alarm. She couldn't think of how she had gotten to bed.

"Mommy! Ricky left a note!" Charlotte cried out.

Oh yeah. Nini smiled as memories of the night before flooded her mind. She glanced at the clock again and groaned. She had to get the twins ready for school and get herself ready for the mediation. She was picking up Ricky and Kourt and then heading to the mediation.

"Mommy! Connor is opening the milk."

"No! No! No!" Nini rushed out into the kitchen, but it was too late, a half-gallon of milk was on the floor.

"Oh, Connor." Nini sighed, hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry mommy."

"I know you are. You know where the towels are." Nini said, pointing down the hall, "Charlotte, you help him."

"But-"

"Now Charlotte!" she snapped.

Charlotte looked at her in surprise. Charlotte hardly ever got yelled at. Nini sighed again.

"Please Char?" she asked in a softer tone.

As soon as they got the mess cleaned up, Nini opened the other half-gallon and gave the twins cereal. It didn't matter how stressed she was, she scolded herself; she was NOT going to take it out on the two people she loved the most.

"I love you both so much." she said.

"We love you too mommy." Connor said.

"We love you lots." Charlotte added.

Nini blinked back tears. She was ready to fight.

LINE BREAK

She pulled in front of the large, modern house and honked her horn. It was loud and sounded like someone was stepping on a duck, so it quickly brought out her boyfriend, dressed in a suit.

"Don't you look snazzy." she said.

"You look quite lovely yourself." Ricky said before kissing her.

"Did you get my note?" Ricky asked, grabbing her hand as they started their drive to Kourtney's.

"Yes, well, part of it." Nini responded.

"Part of it?"

"Well, Connor spilled milk on the rest of it." Nini said.

Ricky laughed.

"Thank you." she said.

LINE BREAK

When they pulled up to the courthouse, Ricky, Nini and Kourtney saw David sitting outside. Nini never told Ricky about the falling out with her surrogate father and she was praying that David made it look like everything was normal. Kourtney had other plans though.

"Mr. D." Kourt greeted coldly.

"Kourt." Nini said warningly, "Don't. I need you to keep your temper in there."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Promise me Kourt." Nini said sternly.

"I promise Nins." Kourt held up a hand, "I would never do anything to jeopardize this."

"Should we go in?" Ricky said, confused by all the tension. He knew that David didn't like him but he figured there was more to this story that he'd have to ask Nini about later.

Just then Mr. Matzzara opened the door.

"Good, you're all here, this way."

They walked down a long hallway into an empty room. A long table went down the middle of it.