Page 70 of Laws of Love
“For the past few days, I feel you’ve been doing a lot for Yasmine, and I didn’t ask you to come with us to babysit or have to take care of my daughter. I don’t mind that you handled it, but I don’t want you to feel you had to, that you have to do anything, for that matter.”
“I don’t mind,” Aiva responded. “Honestly, I’m relieved that she likes me enough, trusts me enough to ask me to do things with her, and wants to spend time with me. Yas is a part of you, and if I’m going to be with you, I want her to be comfortable with me, and her wanting things from me specifically shows me that. I also enjoy spending time with her.” She paused and playfully smirked at him. “But if you’re feeling neglected, just say that.”
Knox chuckled and poked her in the side before giving her another kiss. He was glad they got along, happy that Yasmine was taking to Aiva so well, and his girlfriend seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with his daughter. They’d only been dating a few months, but Knox didn’t see them going their separate ways anytime soon.
When their food arrived, he answered the door while Aiva volunteered to wake Yasmine up. Five minutes later, they returned, and the three sat down to have breakfast. Knox asked Yasmine about her dream, but she didn’t remember it. He wasn’t surprised. That was usually how it went with most people.
After breakfast, they still had a little time to kill before getting ready to leave. So, they played one of the Disney trivia games on the television. Yasmine got the high score all three times they played.
When it was apparent that his daughter was becoming restless, they got dressed and headed out early. Yasmine was excited to return to the park to get on the rides they hadn't the day before and to meet more characters.
Afan had dragged him into another sports conversation, but he didn’t mind too much. The couple’s son seemed to get along with Yasmine as they played with their lightsabers, and the man’s wife and Aiva had struck up a conversation about law. Knox hadn’t been paying too much attention, but she was a real estate lawyer.
Their conversation had migrated from when he played to who they thought should be watched for in the league. Knox had tuned out the other two conversations, but kept his eye on Yasmine. Mostly, the two children played and laughed but didn’t talk. The little boy, however, soon asked a question that had Knox’s head snapping in their direction.
“Is that your mom?”
Yasmine shook her head. “No, not yet, but maybe soon. She and my daddy go on adult playdates, and I like being with her. She’s fun.”
“Oh, okay. Angel’s my step-mom too. She’s fun when she isn’t making me eat vegetables,” the little boy responded with a face that looked pained at the thought.
“You don’t like vegetables?” Yasmine gasped at the thought of someone not enjoying some of her favorite foods.
Knox tuned back into his own conversation, unsure if anyone else had heard the two children. He glanced at Aiva, but she was still conversing with Angel.
Knox thought about Yasmine’s words when they left the other couple to continue through the park. It wasn’t that he was dating Aiva just for something to do or to pass the time, and wasn’t marriage typically the end goal of any serious relationship? Even if it was, it was far too early in their relationship to even think about it.
He was glad Yasmine liked Aiva, but he’d just gotten out of one marriage, and his daughter was already trying to throw him into the next. Kids really said the darndest things.
31
Knox was scrolling through the pictures they’d taken on vacation. The week had been filled with taking in the park, shows, and anything else they could think of. He’d had fun spending the week with Yasmine and Aiva and watching them get along and bond. At one point, he was surprised that he hadn’t felt like a third wheel.
They’d been back for a couple of days, and his mother had been excited to visit and ask how it went and how Yasmine and Aiva got on. He hadn’t had time to answer her because Yasmine had been too excited to do so herself.
Once she’d finished telling her grandmother everything they did and all the fun she had, his mother asked if Yasmine wanted to go with her to shop for new plants for her garden.
They’d left half an hour ago, and Knox folded and put up laundry. He’d washed and dried it the day after they returned, but he’d put off folding and putting it up. He knew his mother well enough to know that she would have Yasmine for at least a few hours. So, he’d go to the grocery store once he finished with the laundry. He’d thrown out everything that would go bad while they were away before they left.
Knox had just finished folding the clothes when there was a knock on his door. He furrowed his brow because he knew it couldn’t be his mother and Yasmine, and he wasn’t expecting anyone else.
He looked through the peephole and fought back a groan, seeing the person on the other side. He had no idea what Mia could want, but whatever it was, Knox knew he wasn’t in the mood to put up with it. He’d been fine not seeing her outside of dropping Yasmine off for scheduled visits.
There was a momentary debate about whether he would answer the door. However, he figured she’d popped by to see Yasmine since they’d recently returned from vacation. There would be no harm in opening the door and telling her that their daughter wasn’t there, but he would make sure she called her before bed.
That had been the plan, at least, until he opened the door and realized seeing Yasmine was not the reason she’d come by.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Knox?” Mia asked through gritted teeth as she held her phone up in his face.
He looked at the picture on the screen before turning his attention back to her. He regretted opening the door, giving her the benefit of thinking she was there to be a parent. When in reality, she was there to meddle in his personal life. One that no longer concerned her and hadn’t for over a year.
“Is that all you came by for, Mia?” he inquired, tone bored.
“What the fuck do you mean? Is that all? We’ve only been divorced for a few months, and you’re running off taking vacations with another woman and your lawyer, no less.”
“The key word in that sentence is divorced.”
“Do you know how this makes me look?!” she screeched, and Knox tilted his head. “My friends, and anyone else who sees this, will think I was being cheated on. That I wasn’t good enough for you.”
