“You think you’re surprised?” He snickered.
“Yeah.” She smiled.
“You’re leaving, Daddy?” Rocket looked devastated.
“Just for about a week. I need you to be the man of the house and take care of Harley and Ardy.”
His round face grew stern. Thin brown eyebrows drew together, and he gave a small nod. Pride filled D’s chest and he rubbed the top of Rocket’s head. “That’s my boy. You going to come with me?”
“Yeah.” Rocket perked up, trailing behind D as he made his way toward the bedroom he practically shared with Ardy. The smell of something clean and fresh greeted him as he stepped inside the room. The bedspread was folded down, the sheets smooth, and the usually messy space had been tamed into order. He lifted his son and placed him on the bed.
“You keep track of what I put on the bed. Deal?”
“Deal.” Rocked nodded. His determined expression reminded him of his own. “You’re a chip of the old block, you know that?”
“Yep. I’m going to grow up to be just like you, Daddy.”
“Naw. You’re going to be better.” D turned away and began to pull out shirts, jeans, and socks from his dresser. There was nothing worse than being on the road, reeking from the long hauls, and having nothing clean to slip into. He’d learned the hard way to overestimate what he’d need. These days, laundromats were few and far between, and scraping up the time to do it on this run would be next to impossible. He didn’t mind running guns, but it set him on edge. One slip up and the law would have you. Jail time was hell. He’d been locked up before, three years for trafficking, and that’d been due to some string pulling. To say he had no desire to go back would be an understatement. He had kids to look after, and no one to watch over them permanently.
His mind returned to Natasha. She’d swept in all full hips, bomb pussy, and easy-going style. Then she’d ended up pregnant and everything had spiraled out of control. He’d moved out of the club, got a place of his own, and
wifed her in everything but name. Giving her his last name was the one thing he hadn’t been able to do. When he’d found her strung out on the couch after a long trip on the road, his kids had been the first concern. How long had she been doing this shit? Would they be affected? The club had thrown down a shit ton of cash sending them to specialists and running tests. In the end, they figured she’d kicked the smack habit for her pregnancies. The blow out they’d had in her stupor had led to the truth about where her loyalties.
The lackadaisical response she’d given made him snatch her up by her throat. Lefty and his crying children had been the only thing that kept him from doing her serious harm. The stunted growth of his children came from neglect. She’d left them to fend for themselves while she became a nonfunctioning adult, passed out on the couch. D thought it might run deeper than that, but Rocket hadn’t wanted to talk about it, and the shrinks encouraged him not to force it. His sole job was to repair the damage by making his children feel loved, stable, and protected. For the first time, he felt he’d made leeway there. No more being shuffled from place to place when he got called away or feeling like they didn’t have a place to fully belong. It’d taken a shit ton of work to get them comfortable in the place meant to be their safe haven. They’d thrown out all the shit that belonged to Natasha, and redecorated their room with paint colors of their choosing.
“All right, Rock, we’re good here. Let’s move into the bathroom so I can get the essentials.”
“What’s sentials, Dad?”
“Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, things most people called toiletries.”
“Letris. What are they for?”
“For when you go on the road and aren’t at home, kiddo.”
“Oh, cool.”
D chuckled yep. He’d never seen himself as a father. Not after his father chose to procreate with a self-centered bitch who’d been terrified of growing old. But he found he liked it. Children were truly innocent. They spoke their minds, told the truth, and reminded him of the simple shit in life people forgot once things got complex and adults gained responsibilities.
His son watched as he packed a tiny black bag. Finished, he glanced down at Rocket. “You okay staying here with Ardy?”
“Yeah, I like her, Dad. She’s real nice and teaches us all kinds of neat stuff.” He beamed. “Can we keep her forever?”
The words made him tense. “You know she’s only here for a little while, right, buddy?”
“Can’t we convince her not to go?” Rocket ducked his head.
“She has her own family to get back to. I’m sure they miss her.”
“Yeah.” Rocket’s voice was muffled. “But we’ll miss her too.”
“Hey, we don’t have to think about it for awhile, okay?”
“Okay.” Rocket pouted.
“Come on, I need to put everything in my saddle bags.” He ruffled Rocket’s hair, happy to dodge the bullet. The thought of her leaving bothered him too.
“So that’s everything,” D said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he peered at the three people with sad eyes lined up in front of the couch.