Page 7 of Royal

We both laugh, but it’s true. To think of my daughter dating someone is more than I can bear because she is my baby—she will always be my baby.

We go to find our girls playing in the living room, and my other brother, Terror, is playing dolls with them.

We are all fucked when it comes to these little girls. They have unmanned us since they were old enough to ask for shit.

I sit back and let Penny play until it’s time to take her home for dinner, then prepare for bed.

I think of Naomi and how beautiful she is, how great of a mother she is, and how much I fucking respect her for doing it all by herself…

It’s hard.

I had help, and I still fucking find it hard.

I’m lonely, though it’s a loneliness I have accepted because my daughter is my priority, and I want to give her my full attention, not just because she has been through some hard shit.

My ex, her mother, is someone who did drugs and didn’t care if Penny was ever affected.

A few years ago, she kidnapped her while she was with a babysitter. The fear I felt gives me nightmares to this day.

But we got her back.

Her mother is a piece of shit, and I hope to God she continues to stay away from us.

Naomi.

Her name sets me on fire because of how beautiful she is.

The second she walked into the diner with her son, I almost fell out of my seat because I never dreamed she’d be so perfect when Meghan mentioned her to me.

She’s an angel.

Naomi has this intoxicating light around her. I wanted to pull her to my side and protect her from the world.

I can see the hurt in her eyes, but the lightness is so much more. Her son is a spitting image of her, right down to the freckles on his nose.

Shit, my heart is beating so fast, and in this very second, I know what my brothers felt when they met their women.

Fuck.

I know shit is going to change, and it’s going to start when I pick her up on Friday night for our date.

When was the last time I went on a date? Fucking never. But this is one I’m looking forward to.

Chapter 3

Naomi

FRIDAY

The week has flown by, and at the same time, it’s been so slow because the closer to Friday it gets, the more I fear the date with Royal.

I’m not scared of him. One thing is for sure, I don’t fear him.

I’m scared of how I know he can make me feel, and those feelings are terrifying. I have been alone for so long and the idea of dating, the possibility of someone coming into my son’s life and mine, is scary. It’s a scary thing to put yourself out there, and on top of that, I’m not alone in this. My son is involved.

I clench my eyes closed and breathe in and out deeply.

Royal did text me and tell me to wear jeans for our date, so I found my best pair that conforms to every part of my ass, which has doubled in size since I had Donovan, but it’s worked in my favor.

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