"And then, he swung the bat and sent the ball flying into the air, far away!" Jay exclaimed and used his hands to demonstrate.

"Did you lose it and use another one?" Kevin asked.

"No we managed to get it back," Jay replied as he talked about when he played baseball with his nephew.

Micah chugged down his glass of beer as he chatted merrily with Kevin, Miguel and Mr Miller who was Jay. They were seated at a bar since Micah had discussed what he needed with his team today. However, he still some time before picking up the kids, so he met with Kevin and Miguel.

"So where did you find it?" Micah asked.

"Under a car in the parking lot. I was gonna get it but Robin beat to it." He smiled.

"Sounds like you had one heck of a day." Miguel chuckled.

"Yeah it was. We should do that one day, just get together and play baseball somewhere."

"Yeah we should." Micah nodded.

"So is that restaurant of yours nearly done?" Miguel asked, his husky voice sailed through the air as he scratched his mustache.

"Almost. We have been on a great schedule so far and if we keep at the same pace, then Micah will have his restaurant in no time."He patted Micah hard on the back and shook him a little.

"Is your dad still mad about it?" Kevin asked.

"Who cares what he thinks. I haven't seen that bastard for years." Micah hissed with anger. The grip around the handle tightened. "And if he finds it and tries to come in, I'm gonna put him on my ban-list." He thumped his drink down like his mind was made up.

"Wow man, that's wild. Imagine getting banned by your own son."Miguel shook his head in amusement.

"Good thing I ain't his son anymore." Micah smiled with satisfaction.

"So, are you going to start a new project after this one?" Kevin asked Jay.

"Yeah after Micah, I think I'm going to work with a house project."

"That's cool. Is it going to be big or not?"

Jay shrugged before taking a another swig. "Big I guess. Do you want to see pictures of my other projects finished?"

"Sure." Micah leaned in as Jay brought out his phone and started scrolling through.

"These look good. I'm glad I hired you."

"I know, I'm the best man for the job." He smirked.

Everyone chuckled and chugged down their drinks. Soon a young woman walked in, with flowing brown hair, sunglasses against her glossy temples, pink lipstick that highlighted her puckering lips and her hips swayed like the wind.

"Hey." Jay got their attention and his head tiled to towards the door. "See that girl that just walked in?"

"Yeah?" Their tones quieted down as their eyes all traveled towards her. She sat a bit far away and ordered something.

"You think she's hot?" Jay whispered as he brought his face closer to them.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Kevin nodded.

"Hey why don't you go over there and say something?" Miguel suggested, lifting up his glass to have another gulp.

"You think I have a chance?"

"You can use your 'Romanc-tantalizing' ways. I'm sure it would work," Micah said, making quotation marks and mocking him. He started laughing at the mere thought because it never went well and was always a disaster.

"Hm okay!" Jay stood up and puffed out his chest. They all saw him march over and were holding up their drinks, waiting for something to happen.

"I wonder if his success on hitting on chicks is like him doing his job,"Kevin said.

"Don't say that or I'm gonna fire him." Micah said.

"You have no faith in him, Micah," Miguel said, even though he had doubts himself.

"And? Just look and see what happens." Micah's fingers pointed and on cue, Mr Miller got his drink thrown on him so he dripped like a fountain, and a bag smacked across his face.

They all started laughing as he came back looking defeated.

"Told you," Micah said, his face unsurprised.

"Damn, what happened Jay?" Kevin started laughing. They all joined in except Jay who was mumbling.

"He reminds me of a brother I used to have," Micah said and finished his drink. He wiped his mouth and then stood up. "Well I'll see you later, I gotta go pick up Elisa and Axel from my mom."

"Alright, tell Mariana I said hi," Miguel said as he leaned on his arm.

"Me too," Kevin said.

Micah picked up his leather jacket and bid his friends one final goodbye before heading out.

****

When Mariana finished her shift, she went into a shop to buy some candy for her kids. She slowly entered the shop as all the nearby shops encroached into their ears.

She felt the rhythm of her heart beat wildly in her ears as she passed each stall. Heat of anxiety burned through her cheeks and made her feel slightly nauseous. Her pupils were like widening security cameras waiting for something bad to happen as she passed each person, not wanting to make eye contact.

When she got to the sweets aisle, she took some chocolate and quickly stuffed it into her shopping cart. She didn't like shopping on her own and would prefer if Micah was with her or at least waiting in the car outside. She wasn't even sure why she felt this nervous, why her palms felt sweaty, why her head rushed with a thousand thoughts just of being out.

She took deep breaths and told herself to calm down.

I'm fine, I'm fine, nobody is going to harm me... nobody is out to get me, and it's just all in my head.

She smiled and walked through the aisles, picking up anything else she may needed. But there was still constant concern that someone had their eyes on her at the back of her head.

When she got home, she found Micah and the kids playing in the living room. Elisa was prancing around in a pink tutu skirt, holding a wand like a fairy, and Micah held Axel in his arms as they drummed to a beat.

"Hey I'm home!" She said.

"Mama!" Elisa suddenly stopped and ran like a bull in her direction. She attacked Mariana's legs and squeezed them.

"Hi my baby girl!" Mariana bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Me and daddy have fiesta!" She chirped.

"Really? Your having fun with daddy?" Mariana said as she allowed herself to be led in the middle.

"Yeah!" Elisa went and then picked up a slice of mango from the plate on the floor. She slurped as it slid around her fingers like a slug.

"Want one?" She asked, her words got squished together as she picked another one up.

"Aw, thanks my baby." Mariana took it and then slipped it into her mouth. It was very sweet, and she savored the juices before swallowing it.

"Welcome back honey, how was your day?" Micah asked.

"Oh it was alright, work was so-and-so and then I went to buy something." Mariana sat down on the floor next to him as Elisa began chasing Rio. Axel was still busy slapping the pots and pans that Micah had set up.

"He looks like a little drummer." Mariana smiled and tickled his cheek.

"Yeah, imagine him playing in a band one day."

Mariana chuckled and looked up at Micah's face, smiled. She felt the ends of his beard, twirling them slightly around her fingers.

"Elisa come here, I brought something for you," Mariana said.

Elisa stopped chasing Rio and came racing towards her. "Yes Mama?"

"Here's some chocolate." Mariana got out the KitKat and placed it inside her hands.

"Thanks Mommy!" Elisa came closer and pressed her pink lips together, giving Mariana a wet kiss on the cheek before happily skipping away.

Mariana chucked and then got out a packet of cookies. "And here's one for my little star drummer."

Axel's smiled brightened up and he ran over to claim his snacks. Mariana ripped it open and handed it over to him and kissed his little face.

"Tanks mama," he said and started to drool. He stumbled away and sat on the rug, delving his tiny fingers into it.

Mariana watched him as the cookies were trying to escape from his grip. But he stuffed them into his mouth while his big, brown eyes wandered around. His bottom lip puffed out like he was looking for something but couldn't find it.

"Aw, my sweet little bambino." Mariana hugged him closer. His head nested into her chest. He sucked his thumb while a cookie was being crunched in his mouth. She then brought up her knees while he slid down her lap. She bounced him slightly while singing 'Humpty Dumpty.

"He's getting so big," Micah said.

"I know," Mariana said and turned to face him. "And how was your day?" Her hand snaked behind Micah's ear and tickled it affectionately.

"Oh the same. I'm just happy to be home." He rubbed down her back which made her giggle like a cat purring. She was happy to be safe at home too, where she can relax from the troubles of the world.

Mariana,had Axel hung onto her as she stirred the spaghetti in the boiling water, letting it cook, as she started to prepare the chicken for their dinner.

"Mama, wha—tha?" Axel sucked on his thumb and pointed towards the pot.

"It's spaghetti darling. I'm cooking it for your little tum tum," Mariana said and patted his belly.

"Oh, I wanna—" He reached out and wanted to touch it but Mariana held him back.

"No baby, no touching the hot pot so you won't burn."

"Aw." He pouted.

"It's okay, you can help me with something else." Mariana then got a bowl out. She dumped in some chicken breasts and then got out seasonings and gave some to Axel.

"Here, sprinkle some onto the chicken."

"Yay!" She and Axel rained down salt, black pepper, garlic, oregano and paprika. He sneezed a little, and Mariana wiped his wet, tiny nose with her sleeve.

"Thanks you for helping." She settled him down and then mixed the chicken all up with Axel hugging her legs.

Suddenly, Rio came walking in like he owned the kitchen. He set himself next to her legs, lifted his head up with his green eyes glinting in the light and started meowing for food.

"Do you want some chicken?" Mariana asked and was answered with another meow.

"Well okay, you can have a little bit." She broke a bit off and rinsed it. Then gave it to Rio. He ate it and licked his lips in satisfaction. Mariana smiled down as he started purring around him as she continued on with her work.

She filled a baking tray with the tomato and pesto sauce and laid each chicken before being abruptly interrupted.

"Hey Mariana, do you need some help?" Micah came in with Elisa sat on his shoulders.

"No thanks." She kept her eyes on the food and with the growing number of people, she felt she was being enclosed in a tight space.

"You sure? Let me help you with something." He stood next to her and smiled while she frowned. She didn't like someone being in the same room as her while she was cooking, she preferred to have the whole kitchen to herself.

But since he was so eager to help, it wouldn't hurt to give him a little job.

"Um okay, can you cut the mozzarella for me?" She gave him the packet and a knife.

"Alright!" He got out the chopping board and begun cutting out slices. Meanwhile, Mariana picked up a little bit of the sauce and tasted it. She also gave some to Axel, and they shared the same heavenly smile.

Micah started nudging her playfully, and Elisa picked up a strand of her hair and nibbled on it like noodles.

Mariana turned back to them in confusion. She gently slipped her hair away from Elisa and nudged Micah back. They kept nudging each other and started laughing like idiots. Sometimes she liked when they were all huddled together like this. She loved the strong bond they had, and she wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

Once Micah was done, she laid the chunks on the chicken and chucked it into the oven. Once it was cooked, they carried the pot of spaghetti with the tray to the dining room.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Not my man Micah completely disowning his dad and his brother🤣🤣🤣and poor Mariana so traumatised that she's now imagining danger that ain't even there.😭😭