help,” I reassure her. I’m actually looking forward to watching baby Amari. She’s my brother’s baby, and they’ve kept her to themselves for the most part. Not because they don’t trust people, but because of all the shit that’s happened in the past. They are both extremely protective of her, with good reason.
“It’s going to be hard leaving her. Neither one of us has been away from her overnight yet,” Bailey says while biting her nail.
“Bailey, it’s going to be okay. You enjoy your alone time with Jaxon. You two both deserve it. Everything will be fine here. You’ll be back before you know it,” Chris says.
“I guess,” Bailey replies, but I can still see doubt in her eyes. She just needs to find out for herself that everything will be okay.
“Alright, ladies, let’s go grab a pair of shoes to go with this killer outfit and get back. I told Mama I would be at her house by six.” We gather our things and walk up to the register. Besides the dress and shoes, Bailey also chose a skimpy lingerie outfit.
After paying, we walk out of the shop and head towards the cars. I drove myself because I knew I needed to stop by my Mama’s before we left. We say our goodbyes, and I get in my little black Audi A4.
It takes me about thirty minutes to get to Mama’s house. I pull to a stop in the driveway and get out. It’s getting dark, and I only see one lamp lit inside. I don’t bother with knocking. None of us kids do. Mama says that this is still her children’s house; we’re just not living in it anymore.
Because of Jaxon’s insistence on keeping up the house, the door doesn’t make any sounds when I open and close it. The living room is dimly lit, but I can see the light in the kitchen on. I head that way while I call out, “Mama, I’m here!”
I hear a scuffle coming from over by the sofa. I pucker my eyebrows and head in that direction. When I’m just a few feet away, I hear a giggle and someone say quietly, “Shh.”
“Mom, is that you? What are you doing?” I ask.
I round the couch and freeze. There’s a man lying on the couch with my mom lying beneath him. If it wasn’t for the fact that I hear my mom giggling, I would think he was raping her. The man, whose face I can’t see because it’s buried in her throat, is naked from the waist up. His back is broad and tan. There’s a dream catcher tattoo on his right shoulder blade. On the opposite side, but down a bit, is another tattoo. This one is of a colorful dragon, and it looks like it wraps around to the front of his chest. The only thing I see of Mama is her head peeking over his shoulder and her legs that are tangled with his. The mysterious guy’s shoulders are shaking, and I can tell he’s silently laughing.
Mama looks to me with mirth in her eyes.
“What the hell, Mom?” I ask in a stunned voice.
“Levi, baby, get up so I can put my shirt on.” At that, I whip my body around and nearly gag. I cannot believe I just caught my mom making out on the couch. In all the years since my dad left, I never knew my mom to date anyone, let alone be intimate with them.
“This is not happening right now,” I mutter to myself.
I hear shuffling going on behind my back, and try to tune out the noise.
“It’s clear, Mia. You can turn around now,” I hear her say.
“Are you sure?” I ask her, hoping that she’s really really sure. The very last thing I need to see is a part of my mom I should never see or, God forbid, any part of the man that’s with her.
She laughs at my question and replies, “Yes, sweetie, I’m sure.”
I turn around slowly, just in case she’s not really really sure. When I’m facing them, I receive another shot to my system.
“Mr. Hatley,” I croak out.
He smiles at me and says, “You can call me Levi, Mia.”
Oh God! I just caught my mom making out with my old high school science teacher. This is so much worse than I thought.
“Mia, are you okay, sweetie?” My mom asks, laughter