Amari POV

It was nice playing family with Calvin.

Amari had not moved in with Calvin, officially, but she might as well have put in a change of address. She rarely spent the night at her place anymore. The times she was at her place were to do some work and make her videos, and then she was back at Calvin's place for the night.

They had a routine by now.

"You don't have to keep going back and forth to your place at all, babe," Calvin said when she was going back to her place. "I want you to stay."

There was one problem with that.

"What about Ashley?"

That was the only reason she would not move in fully. It was not a good look for his young daughter to see her over there all the time, sleeping over and being there every morning. She would not stay over when Ashley was over.

"Ashley likes you...in fact, she loves you. As much as I do." They were sitting in the living room, she was trying to do work but Calvin wanted to make out because Ashley was on her way over. He nibbled on her neck with sweet kisses and she wanted to be naked with him in bed doing the wild thing. "Just think about it. Us here together. My house will be your house."

The only problem with that...Ashley's mother, Yolanda.

She should have hidden in the bedroom and played ghost, but soon there was a knock on the door and she knew it was Yolanda dropping Ashley off. Her car was parked in the driveway, so she had to know she was there, no need to hide. Yolanda pushed past Calvin as soon as he opened the door and started to go off.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Yolanda was too pretty to always be so salty. It took away from her beauty to be bitter and angry all the time, but she was not going to let the girl get to her. Hair and nails were done, but poor Ashley's clothes were dirty, and her hair was in fuzzy ponytails.

"Yody, don't start," was all Calvin said as Ashley ran over to Amari and nearly jumped on her lap.

"Hey, Amari!" The little girl gave her a big hug, which of course did not sit right with Yolanda.

"Hey, pretty girl." Amari was glad Ashley did not have any of evil Yolanda in her.

"Un-unh, no! That bitch is not going to be around my daughter! Are you crazy Calvin? I don't have guys around Ash like that and you should do the same."

As much as Amari wanted to say something to her, grab her by her long, pretty hair, and drag her right out of the house before she beat her down, she would not beat her down in front of her child. This was not her fight to jump into, Calvin needed to deal with her.

"Yody, I'm not going to keep telling you about how you talk around my daughter. Do you talk like this with her?"

"Don't worry about what the hell I do!" She stomped over to Amari and Ashley. "Ashley, get away from that woman."

"But I like Amari. We're going to play dollhouse and have a tea party."

"Yes, and I'm going to read her a bedtime story." Amari smiled at Yolanda. "You know, after I..." Amari stuck a finger in her mouth and licked it.

"Nasty ass!" Yolanda pulled Ashley away from Amari. "You're not staying here if she is here."

"Whoa! Wait a minute Yody, you can't do that." Calvin was quick to get up in Yolanda's face. "This is my house, my daughter and Amari is more than just some woman. She's a part of my life and so she will be a part of Ashley's life."

"Over my dead body!" Yolanda dragged Ashley away as she started to cry.

"Daddy!" The little screams from Ashley made her stomach turn. The poor little girl did not deserve to be in the middle of all their bickering.

"Yolanda, I swear to God if you leave with my daughter, I'm taking you to court and fighting you for more custody."

"Fuck you!"

"Daddy! I want to stay!" Amari cried tears wet her whole sweet face as she turned red.

"Yolanda, you see what you're doing to her? Do you see what you're doing? This is my daughter. Our child. Now we don't have to get along but she needs me."

"You should have thought about that before you got with that tramp. When I want to see a guy, they are never around our daughter. My daughter! You have two whole weeks to fuck with that bitch, then two weeks only for your daughter. There is no negotiating on this."

Yolanda was at the door with Ashley, still crying in hysterics. Calvin stooped down to hug Ashley and try to calm her, but she was having a crying fit by now.

"Princess, it's okay. Daddy's here. I'm not letting you go." Calvin hugged his daughter so tight and she realized she never had that with a father.

A man to love her the way Calvin loved his daughter. It was sad to see a vindictive ex keeping them apart. Calvin was a man who stepped up to his responsibilities when others did not. Or half-assed did it. Calvin wanted to be in there a hundred and ten percent.

And she was in the way of that.

She jumped up. "Okay, I will leave!"

"And will!" Yolanda said with attitude.

"No!" Calvin rushed over to her. "Babe, you don't have to leave. This isn't about you. I want you here, and Ashley."

"No, she's right, it's you and your daughter's time." She gathered up her laptop from the table and the notepad she was jotting notes in. "I have work to do anyway and...I can do it at my place."

"Mari, stay," he whispered in her ear.

"Come on Cal, it's fine." She would not even glance at that evil witch who was getting her way. "I'll see you and Ashley later."

"Oh no!" Yolanda was quick to say. "You will not come back over once I leave. If I find out you're over here, with my daughter, it will be a beat down."

"I highly doubt that." She stepped in front of Ashley who only had a few inches over her frame. "You already know I'm more than a pretty face. Remember."

Yolanda did not say anything. She was not a fighter, she already knew that about Yolanda because once back in Truman, when some jealous girls were picking on both of them, Amari had to fight them while Yolanda ran away. Amari knew she was not a good fighter, but she did not back down from a fight. It was two girls against her, and she got beat down, but everyone was on Amari's side for standing up to them.

They were Yolanda's ex-friends, jealous that she was hanging around Amari. Yolanda never could make friends because she used her looks to impress girls the same way she used them to catch men.

All she had was her looks.

"Girl, nobody wants to fight you."

"But you just said...oh, never mind." She stooped down to Ashley. "Be good for your daddy for me."

Amari grabbed her in a hug and she wanted to stay so bad, but she was not going to make things harder for Calvin.

When she released Ashley, she opened the door and walked out of the house. Calvin was right behind her.

"Amari, for real, you don't have to leave. I can deal with Yolanda. You can't let her win this."

"No, it's not about that. You should just be with your daughter without me."

He pulled her in his arms and stared into her soul with those gray eyes. "I don't want to be without you. I love you, Amari. You can't run away from this situation with her because it will only get worse. Yolanda needs to see that you are a part of my life now, not a fling."

"Maybe we just give it more time." She kissed him and then gave him a smile. "You can call me later and have phone sex."

"I'd rather have the real thing in person."

"Bye Calvin."

She went to her car got in and drove away without looking back. She hated leaving. That meant she had to go home and be all alone, and she did not like that.

It did not help that when she walked to her apartment, who was standing there at her door? Julius.