Sophia comes into the kitchen. “Cruiz!”
“Hey, baby girl. Brought you and your mom some dinner. Got you a salad. I remembered you having me get you one the other day. Ranch dressing and extra croutons too.”
“Thanks.” She smiles at me and it sets my heart on fire.
This little girl has been through hell and I will do any damn thing I can to give her the best and show her that not all men are evil bastards and that I want to be a father figure in her life. After I lost Nikki, I never thought I would have kids or a family life but now things have changed. I have my woman back in my life and I will fight tooth and nail for what’s always been mine. There’s never been any woman but her in my heart. Sure, I have fucked around and dated a few bitches, but I always made sure I kept my shit wrapped up tight. None of them were women I wanted to chance getting tied down to.
We all get our plates and Nikki herds us into the living room to watch some show she likes about the zombie apocalypse. It’s not my kind of program but I’ll watch anything if it means spending time with her.
“How are you liking your new school, Soph?”
“It’s good. None of the kids know who I am. They don’t know my dad was a monster. Everyone wants to be my friend and I am trying out for their cheerleading squad next week.”
“Good. If you ever need anything you can call on me.”
“Thanks.”
Nikki gives me a back off look, but I just smile and keep making conversation winning Sophia over. “I brought you a new game over for your game system. I thought if your mom doesn’t mind, we can play it together.”
“She has homework,” Nikki snaps.
“No. I don’t. I finished it in study hall,” Sophia says.
“Cool. I’ll go get it unless you want to go with me to get ice cream first.”
“Yes! Please, Mom. I really want a double fudge cone.”
I look at Nikki wearing a smug expression on my face. “You can come too, that is if you still like sea salt caramel waffle cones.”
She groans. “Ugh. Why do you have to know me so well?”
“It’s what I do.”
We all get into my cage and head out to the ice cream shop. Nikki complains the whole time, but I can tell she is warming up to having me around, especially when I tell her Sophia and I will do the dishes before we play our game.
“Don’t think I don’t see what you are doing,” Nikki seethes.
“What? Spending time with my girls.”
“We are not your girls,” she warns.
“We’ll see, ball breaker. We’ll see.”
Chapter 28
Nikki
After I drop Sophia off to school, I notice my cell vibrating, letting me know I have new texts. Sighing, I pull it out of my pocket and see that Happy wants me at the clubhouse to talk. He does realize I don’t have a car yet, right? How does he think I’m gonna get there?
That’s something I need to sort out. After Tricky’s death the police took everything, and even though it was finally ruled self-defense just last week, I apparently still wasn’t getting anything. That bastard had an airtight Will, that left me out completely. Though the asshole had the decency at least to name Sophia in it, so there is that. Can’t touch a dime of the money until Sophia finishes high school.
When Tricky’s lawyer called me last week to let me know everything was to be sold off and put in an account for her, I was shocked. I thought Tricky hated our baby. Although when the paperwork came in and I looked it over, I noticed a large chunk of the money had gone to someone else. I didn’t even want to think about who it could have gone to, not with finding out Tricky had bids for Sophia’s virginity. The thought alone makes me sick.
I go to text my Uncle Happy back about not being able to go there so he’ll have to come here when I hear a bike pull up.
Looking over my shoulder I see Grady, and my jaw clenches. Why the hell does he have to look so good on that damn bike. “Get on,” he orders.
I square my shoulders and glare at him. “No.”