Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Highland
“Daddy, did you get Ms. Liv breakfast too?” Neela asked as I placed their orders at Morningside.
Today was boys’ day so they were hanging with Olive while Jo-Jo would be with me.
For the last couple weeks since Olive and I separated, I made it my mission to make sure Jo-Jo got solo time with me.
Yes, he had a father, but he wasn’t here and I would never make him feel left out since the girls got time with his mom.
So since I was dropping the girls off early, I made a stop to cover breakfast for the whole family, Olive included.
You a sucka, Lando. First you offer her the beach house and now you buying breakfast.
I had to stop doing stuff before I blurred the lines between Olive and me. We weren’t together anymore and I needed to stand on that shit.
It’s just food. And the house is more for the kids.
That’s what I was telling myself even if I knew it sounded like bullshit.
I was still moving on the accord of plans and commands for us.
I was hoping that the more time we spent around each other, not together, would make her miss me enough to at least consider letting the job go or hiring other people to do the heavy lifting…
laying. I missed my damn woman but I couldn’t be with her knowing she was sharing a part of her that only belonged to me.
“Yes, Neela,” I said as I picked her up and maneuvered Cece on the other side of me so the next person could order their food.
“And you got my brother food too?” I frowned at her word choice until it hit me that she was talking about Jo-Jo. I had a feeling that the kids’ bond was growing stronger each day, but damn, when did he become brother?
“Yes. I got Jo-Jo food too.” Neela shot me a quizzical side eye as if she was trying to read me to see if I was lying. Once satisfied, she laid her head down on my chest while I glanced down at Cece who was on her phone texting.
My eyes scanned her screen to see it said Mommy as the contact name, sparking my interest even more. I paid close attention to the conversation, trying to figure out who she was talking to. When I couldn’t make it out, I just asked.
“Who are you talking to, Cece?”
“Mommy. I’m telling her that we’re on the way.” I looked again to see it said “on the way”. This was the second bomb of the new titles I wasn’t aware the kids were using now.
“When did Ms. Liv become Mommy in your phone?” I asked curiously as my eyebrows dipped in and I pressed my lips together.
Cece didn’t even look up to acknowledge me while she kept typing.
I looked at Olive’s response to Cece. All it said was okay and that she couldn’t wait to see her pretty girls with a bunch of hearts and smiley faces, like she hadn’t seen them yesterday.
She was too good to our kids.
“During camp, Daddy, duh. Jo-Jo said Neela and I could share Ms. Liv as our mommy since we don’t have one anymore.”
Why hadn’t Olive told me that the girls are calling her mom? Wait, Neela didn’t call her that just now.
“Do you call her Mommy?”
Cece looked up at me, giving me a horrific expression with her eyes bugged out as she frantically shook her head. “No, Daddy.”
I nodded as I tucked my bottom lip into my mouth to hide my amusement.
“Why not? Did Ms. Liv tell you that you couldn’t?” Even though I didn’t think we were ready for those titles, I was curious about why Cece felt comfortable labeling Olive as Mommy in her phone but not calling her by it.
“No. Ms. Liv doesn’t know that Jo-Jo told me we can share her. I’m scared to ask her if I can call her that. What if Ms. Liv says no because y’all aren’t married? Can you marry her so Neela and I can have Ms. Liv as our mommy forever?”
That was the plan.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. We didn’t tell the kids anything because we decided to keep them together and help each other out with our work schedules. So they never missed a beat of time apart. The only people affected by this fucked up situation were me and my damn woman.
There you go again with that damn title.
“Marrying someone is more than just getting you two a mom. Of course, that’s my plan for when it happens, but I can’t say that’ll be Ms. Liv.”
“Why not, Daddy? Don’t you like Ms. Liv too and want to keep her forever and ever?”
I snorted out a humorless laugh as I nodded.
“Of course, I like her and hope we can be friends forever.”
“Jo-Jo said that’s your girlfriend and that’s why y’all be kissing and stuff,” Cece added as she put her attention back on the screen.
These damn kids talk too fucking much about us.
“Yeah, my good friend. And since she’s a girl, that makes her my girlfriend. Now enough about this. How about you go grab us extra napkins from over there; the food is almost ready.”
I knew I had to let Olive know about the latest conversation about us among the kids so we could come up with a solid plan to handle this. If the girls saw her as a mom, I was sure Jo-Jo put me in the dad category.
By the time we made it to Olive’s house, Jo-Jo was waiting on the porch with his basketball in his lap, making me wonder if this was due to mine and Olive’s heated discussion yesterday.
Damn, now I can’t even come in?
A fire rose in the pit of my stomach that had me curling my lip at the thought of Olive trying to keep me away from her.
This whole temporary separation was starting to piss me off more and more; because that’s exactly what it was—temporary.
No matter how fucked up it was that Olive didn’t initially choose me, I had faith that my woman would come back to me.
I just prayed it was on her own terms because I missed my damn woman.
These past few weeks of not having her in my bed were doing something to me and I didn’t like it.
It’s only been a few weeks, Highland, and you’re already threatening to blur the line you put in place.
I hated my own thoughts right now, but they were for the best.
I parked and got out so I could help Neela out then grabbed the bags.
“Mr. Lando!” Jo-Jo yelled and ran off the porch with Olive stepping out in a sunset colored dress that wrapped around her neck and had her back out. Her curls were up in a ponytail again and I swear the only thing I could think about was pulling it while I bent her ass over with my dick deep in—
Stay focused and calm your dick down.
This was half of the battle whenever I was around her. No matter how mad I was at her, I still wanted her. Still wanted to kiss and hold her. But her decision to keep cuddling other muthafuckas kept me from acting on my emotions.
“Oh you brought food. I just started cooking. I hoped that you…y’all had time to eat before y’all left. Jo-Jo requested blueberry pancakes this morning.” She waved us in with the girls running onto the porch with Jo-Jo and me following her and all that ass.
I walked in, instantly smelled the food, and smiled.
Of course Olive is up cooking for these kids.
“I’ll take whatever you don’t want with me and give it to Tunk and Kelvin since you’re cooking.”
“Oh, you’re not staying to eat?” She knew I wasn’t.
I shook my head and watched her smile drop from her face and disappointment take over as her mouth hung slightly open and her shoulders fell.
“Naw, I won’t eat, but I’ll wait for Jo-Jo to finish. I’m sure the girls will want pancakes now too. If you want, you can make those and add the other stuff from the bags to make it easier for you.”
“Okay.”
It got quiet while I began to go through the bags, pulling out my steak and eggs meal. I took a seat at the table and started eating while I enjoyed the view of watching Olive get breakfast ready. I wanted to hear her voice so I said the most random thing that came to mind.
“So, did y’all decide on a date that y’all are coming down to the house?” She turned to face me before she walked over to the refrigerator, grabbing a little bottle of pineapple orange juice then placing it in front of me.
“Oh yes. Thank you for reminding me to tell you. We’re coming down this weekend. I apologize for the tight notice. Byrdie’s schedule was a little bit chaotic, so this is the only availability she has. If it’s—”
I cut her off through my chewing. “Naw, it’s cool. I’ll make sure you and Jo-Jo have clean sheets on y’all’s beds.”
She should be in mine.
It was like we both had a reaction to my words as I watched Olive’s whole demeanor change as her shoulders fell slightly and the somber expression took over her face. She caught it quickly though as she nodded, giving me her back again.
Silence seemed to be our new favorite thing because the air grew thick again as it filled the space between us. I hated it, so I spoke again.
“Did you know Jo-Jo told Cece that the girls could share you and be their mom? I noticed that she has you stored under the same title in her phone this morning.” I asked as my eyes paid close attention to the shake of her ass as she whisked the pancake batter in the mixing bowl.
“No. Well…I knew about the whole ‘sharing me’ thing but not the name change in her phone. I’m sorry about that.
It was during camp. A couple of the girls were trying to bully her about not having a mom.
I overheard Jo-Jo sticking up for her and that’s how that got started.
I assumed it was over and done since camp’s finished.
Again, I apologize. I should’ve told you. ”
“No need to apologize. I think it just caught me off guard when I saw it. She wants to ask if she can call you the title.” Olive’s body stilled as she tensed before turning to face me with her pretty browns now stretched widely and her brows high.
“Oh um… I’ll leave that up to you. I don’t care if she does, but you might since…
well, ya know.” She stuck her neck out, adding emphasis to the statement.
Honestly, I didn’t care either. Mostly because in my mind I had made plans for her to be just that to my girls.
I took a bite out of my steak as I shrugged.