Today was the day she faced Matthew. Her father was not her lawyer, but he insisted on being there for the dissolution of marriage. It should be an easy process, except Matthew was putting up a fuss. She wanted to have a "no-fault divorce" but of course, Matthew was claiming her infidelity as the reason the marriage should be dissolved.

He had proof of what she had done, she did not.

Matthew found out she was having an affair with her ex-professor and he had a private investigator follow her and take pictures. He went through her phone, text messages that he captured, and emails. He brought all of her indiscretions to court.

She did not have proof, other than he flaunted the women in her face.

The main issues they had were the distribution of property and alimony. Matthew had lots of money before she even met him. His parents were real estate giants in St. Louis. He had a trust fund at twenty-one. He made close to a million a year working for her father. She did not need alimony from him so that was easily thrown out. The issue was the property. The house and her business.

"You're not getting a dime out of my business!" she yelled at him in the small conference room of his lawyer's office. "I started it on my own, without your money."

"Are you kidding me? You quit your job and sat on your ass for two years taking pics of yourself and posting them on IG. That wasn't making you any money. Who do you think was supporting you while you did that? Who helped you to branch out when you were selling clothes from the basement? Bitch!"

"Matthew, don't make me knock the hell out of you," her father said.

"Sorry, sir, but your daughter is a lying, conniving b... And I'm suing you for wrongful termination. I was your top lawyer, you had no grounds to terminate me except that bitch ass daughter of yours."

Her father jumped up from his seat. She grabbed her father's arm.

"Dad, sit, stop."

She looked across the table at Matthew. She remembered when she thought he was so handsome and charming. Maybe she did not give him a fair chance because of her entanglement with Dr. Russell Hart. She thought she loved Matthew enough to make it work. She did not want to disappoint her parents. They had a happy, loving marriage, she wanted the same. She could not get that from Russell, so...she tried.

"Matthew, you know very well I cashed in my savings and 401K. I did not take a dime from you. Not a penny! My business is off the table. As far the house-"

"You're not getting my house! That was my house before you even came into my life and now you have some thug living in my house? You didn't put a dime into that house."

"You don't want that house you just really want to hurt me."

"Why the hell should I give you my house when you're the whore? Get you and that bum ass thug outta my house, take that shit or leave it," Matthew said and stood with his lawyer. "Eddie, I'll see you in court next week."

"That's Mr. Hamilton to you...ass!"

After they left, she looked to her lawyer.

"Angel, if all he is asking for is the house, let's just give him that and this could be all over."

She turned to her father.

"Daddy?"

"You keep that house he will always think he has some control over you."

She loved her house, but was it worth the battle she was going through with Matthew?

At home after the court date, she poured herself a glass of wine and walked around her home relishing it. Did she have to give up the home she lived in for ten years? Sure, Matthew owned the home before they were married, but once she moved in she made it her home. All the furniture, she bought. All the decorating was her. All the love and care put into that house was all her.

Hook was not home yet, he usually got in late from the shop. She was cleaning and straightening things when she found a box she never remembered seeing in the hall closet. She got it out and opened it, then closed it very quickly.

She told Hook she did not want a gun in the house.

She sat it on the living room table and waited for him to come home.

"Hey Ang, how did the hearing go-" Hook was saying, but stopped when he saw her sitting there with the box on the table. "Angel, you already know how I feel. We're not going to argue about this."

"So, you just don't tell me, after I specifically said no damn guns in my house? Why would you even do that?"

"Actually your father insisted I needed something for protection, and he ain't wrong." Hook said, going into the kitchen.

She got up and followed him.

"Get it out of here!"

"No," he said grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator.

"Hook, your girls are coming over this weekend. You'd have a gun around them?"

"Because they are coming this weekend I have the gun. I will protect mine," he said, walking up to her. "Baby, I'm not going to let that asshole touch you. That's my word."

"He just wants the house."

"Give him the damn house!"

Angel chewed on her bottom lip. It would be over if she just gave Matthew whatever he wanted. She would not feel so helpless. Maybe she and Hook could move on to other things in their relationship.

"Okay."

"So that's it? He gets the house, he leaves you alone?"

"He wants part of my business, but Hook, there's no way. I can prove I started it on my own. So yes, hopefully, this will all be over soon."

Hook put his arms around her. "You good?"

She nodded and cuddled under his neck.

"I'll put the gun somewhere safer. Your dad said he taught you about guns, why are you so against having one?"

"Daddy didn't have a son, he thought taking me hunting would make me like handling guns. I don't. Nothing to like about them."

He planted soft kisses on her mouth. "My girls know not to touch guns, I'm not worried about them. You ready for them to give you hell again?"

She smiled. "Where do they get their...personalities from? Def, not you. You don't talk as much as Symone does, and mannnn, Ravyn's eye roll can cut you."

"Naa, I was worse than Rave at that age, so I can't blame that on her mom."

The next day, Hook went to pick up his girls after work and brought them to her place. She had never had kids over her place. Not even her niece or nephew spent the night over. The extra bedrooms were not kid-friendly, but at least they had their own rooms with lots of space and their own television.

"Oh wow! This house is dope!" Symone said as she walked in and looked around. "You live here now daddy?"

"Ugh, her again?" Ravyn said with an eye roll once she saw Angel.

"Hi Angel!" Symone said, running over to hug her. "You live wa-ay out were like Six Flags at. We're going to Six Flags?"

"Mo, get off Angel, and no, we're not going-"

"Actually, that would be kind of fun," Angel said, prying Symone off her. "I mean, it's June, nice weather. We're not going to just sit in the house all weekend."

"Oh, that would be dope, can we dad?" Ravyn said.

"Okay, sure, long as neither of you bug Angel this weekend."

Ravyn looked Angel up and down and let out a loud sigh. "I guess. So, what room is mine?"

Angel took the girls on a tour of the house and showed them around before taking them to their bedrooms. Ravyn jumped on her bed, sat and pulled out her phone, and proceeded to ignore Angel. When Symone got to her room, she started jumping on the bed.

"My own room! And this big bed!"

"No, no, hey...don't jump...on the bed," she said, but Symone was not listening.

"I never had my own room. I might be scared. Is there a night light? I wanta' stay in Ravyn's room. She has a big bed too."

"I think your sister likes being alone."

"Aw, man! Daddy!" Symone hopped off the bed and ran out of the room.

She was getting a splitting headache already and they had only been here five minutes. How was she going to survive? And Six Flags tomorrow? She was trying to get on the girls' good side, but maybe she just should have taken them out for ice cream.

She went to straighten the bed that Ravyn messed up in seconds. She hated messy things. One of the reasons she did not want kids.

She went to find Hook and he was in the kitchen doing what he did best. And damnit, the man was sexy in the kitchen. She wanted to hop on him and give him some head while he cooked...but Symone sat there running her mouth a mile a minute.

"Daddy this house is too big! It's scary! I don't want to sleep all by myself. There's like ax killers out here that come out at night and sneak in the house...with axes. What if one comes in? Daddy, can you sleep in the big room with me?"

"No Mo."

"But daddy! Then I don't wanna stay here!" she whined "Can we go to your place?"

"No Mo."

Symone turned to look at Angel, and for once, she wasn't that pretty girl that always smiled at her.

"I want my momma!"

"Symone, do you know how many little girls want their own room? And Angel is letting you have a room for the weekend and you act like it's the end of the world. I will stay with you till you fall asleep, but you're a big girl, act like it."

Angel kneeled before her while she sat.

"Tell you what, we can keep the lights on. I'll read you a bedtime story or..."

"Can you do my hair?"

"Uh...sure-"

"And play with my dolls with me, and do their hair? And can we model like you and take pictures and post them on Instagram?"

Hook just chuckled while he busied himself cooking. Was this little girl really scared to be alone, or did she get suckered?

"Sure, Symone, whatever you want."

"Okay, I'll go get my dolls," Symone said, running out the room.

"Did that little girl play me for a fool?"

"Yep. I think she and your mother would make a good team."

She went over to Hook and put her arms around him, stealing a kiss before they were interrupted.

"I'm making pizza, anything special you want?"

She frowned. "Why couldn't you just order pizza? That's what it's there for. And since when did I have the stuff to make a pizza?"

"Since I went shopping for you," he said, kissing her again.

Hook made two big pans of homemade pizza. From scratch! She threw etiquette out the way and stuffed herself on so much pizza with the girls. They ate more than her and she did not mention it wasn't lady-like, because she was not being lady-like. Then they went downstairs and the girls picked out a movie to watch.

"I can have a whole party down in here and invite all my friends!" Symone said. "Daddy, can I?"

"Mo this is not your house, you're just visiting."

"But daddy-"

"So y'all living together now?" Ravyn asked. "Daddy, she just dumped you last week, and you said-"

"Girl, stay out of grown peoples' business!" Hook grabbed Ravyn and tickled her sides.

"Daddy, stop!" Ravyn laughed and screamed trying to push him away. Symone jumped on top of them.

"I wanna play!"

"My little brats want to double team me!" Hook pinned both his girls down and started tickling them as they laughed.

She smiled. That reminded her of her father when she was little. Her father always rough-housed with her and Shay. She was truly a daddy's girl and saw that both Hook's girls were. She grabbed her phone and took some pictures of them.

"Angel! Help us! Girls against the boys!" Symone said.

"Uh, no," she said, backing up.

"What is she going to do?" Hook said. "She's no match for me!"

Hook got up and grabbed her and pulled her down on the couch and started tickling her.

"Stooooppp!" she shrieked out with a fit of giggles.

"Daddy!" Symone jumped on his back. Ravyn grabbed him in a headlock.

"I...give...up!" Hook croaked out.

"Girls win!" Symone shouted.

That was enough fun and games for her. They all sat back up on the couch. Symone jumped on Hook's lap and Ravyn grabbed the remote to start the movie.

"Can we have popcorn?" Symone asked.

"You just ate all that pizza, you're good," he said, kissing her cheek.

"I'm stuffed," Ravyn said, laying back on her sister's lap, phone in hand texting while watching the movie.

"Come here," Hook said to her, motioning for her to move closer to him.

She scooted over and he put his arms around her shoulder.

"I have my girls with me."

A/N: Oh my heart! Hook and his little girls just warms my heart. And Angel getting along with them? What's next for them?

XOXO
Kimberly