Page 30 of A Toxic Redemption

Khalil turned on his heels and left us all standing there watching him. Going into the kitchen where KJ was located, we watched as he returned to the sitting area with his son in his arms. The tears streaming down his little face broke my heart.

"Debin, you coming?" he asked in his sad little voice. "Dada, say yes."

"I'm coming, Bubba." I chuckled and grabbed my jacket. "Let me grab my coat, and I'll be out there. Let your daddy buckle you in."

"You're riding with us, Luck."

"Wait a minute." My father held his hand up. "Who is Luck, baby, and are you sure you want to ride with this young man?"

"Sir, I assure you that I won't hurt your daughter. I'd never treat her the way I do these hoes... I mean other ladies." He looked my way and chuckled. "She's kicked my butt once, sir, and I know for a fact she doesn't deal with disrespect."

"Kicked your... Suga?"

"Dad, I promise I'm good," I assured him as I put my jacket back on. "I hate to leave you guys like this, but I really want to make sure they're okay." I looked in the direction Khalil and KJ just walked in. "Stay here and enjoy yourself. Please."

"Baby girl, are you sure?"

"David, let her go, sweetheart." Sasha came over and placed her hand on his chest. "You raised a very smart and headstrong daughter. I'm sure she would never put herself in a situation she couldn't handle."

"Thank you, Sasha." I kissed her cheek along with my father's. "I will see you guys tomorrow. Plus, Ms. Khalise and Kira are about to get y'all wasted, so you won't have to worry for too long."

"And that's a fact," Ms. Khalise chimed in with a smile. "Plus, my boy likes her, and he wouldn't hurt her."

"What?" I giggled as I got my purse and phone. "It's nothing like that."

"Yeah, it's nothing like that," Persia chimed in. The look on her and her tribe's faces was comical because they were clearly pissed. "Loon has been ours for years, and that's how it's going to be. He is mad right now, but it's a cycle with us. There is nothing you can do that the three of us can't. We have everything he wants."

"But do you have what he needs?" I asked and shocked myself. "You may be the type of girls that fit the bill for Loon, but Khalil needs a woman who will check him when he's wrong and not give in to the bullshit that he spews. Look, I don't want him like that, so you're barking up the wrong tree. Be thankful that you're going home to your families for the holidays because I promise if you ever cause a scene again in front of that little boy of his while I'm around, Loon will be the least of your worries. You can take that however you want," I warned.

I shoulder-bumped Persia and Alicia as I said my goodbyes and made my way outside. It was still early in the evening, so I'm sure we could find several places open to take KJ. If I weren't careful, I would open doors to Khalil that not even I knew existed. I needed to steer clear of this man because I didn't want to be involved in the bullshit that he had going on. The thing is, I don't think that he's going to make it easy for me.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

KHALIL

"Thankyou for coming out with me." I looked across the table at Luck as she placed a slice of pizza on KJ's plate. "You didn't have to do any of this, but I appreciate it."

"It's nothing." Her cute ass smiled as she continued to help my son. I swear, when she is around, he acts as if he can't do anything on his own. "You know it's whatever for my Bubba."

I nodded as I sat and watched the two of them engage. Spending Christmas Eve at a pizza parlor with my son and a girl I was interested in was not how I envisioned my year ending. Yeah, I'm interested in Luck, but I don't know what to do about it. I'm not in the running for a woman, but it was something about her that intrigued me.

"What's on your mind, Khalil?" Luck asked as she looked over at me. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not right now." I nodded toward KJ. He wasn't paying us any attention as he looked around the arcade and hummed as he ate. Still, I knew at any moment now, he would take off and want to play everything in here. "Maybe later, before bed." I winked and smirked.

"Boy, please." She giggled and waved me off. "When we leave here, you are going to drop me off and home, and we are going to go our separate ways."

"Dang, you're not going to let us spend the night?" I frowned as I bit into my own slice. "KJ, do you hear that? She doesn't love us like I thought."

"She do love me, Da."

We looked at each other and bellowed in laughter. KJ was a fuckin' character, but that's my lil' nigga, and I will do anything to make sure he lives the happiest and carefree life.

"So, are you off during the holidays?" I asked Luck as we stood back and watched KJ play basketball. Just like I knew he would, he didn't sit and eat long after seeing all the games in reach. "How long is your dad in town?"

"So you listened when I said I wasn't from here, huh?" She bumped me with her shoulders. "And here I was thinking all you wanted was my honey, but to answer your question, I'll be open for a few days."

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