It was hard getting out to Eureka to see Angel often. That drive out there and back was a killer, so he could not see her every day. He was fine with that. He had lots of work to keep him busy, working late most days. Then he had his girls. Shareefa and Symone's mother, Kendra, kept hounding him about more child support. What was he supposed to do? He was working hard as he could paying what he felt was decent.

And he only got to see them every other weekend? The system was so fucked up for the man trying to do the right thing.

"Hey daddy, we going back to Angel's place? I liked it there. My own room, privacy from the little brat," Ravyn said, getting in the passenger seat when he picked her up for the weekend.

"Me? I'm not a brat! You're just mean because of puberty!" Symone said to her from the back seat.

"What do you know about puberty, Mo," he asked her.

"I'on know, but she got it! That's what my momma said."

"Ugh! Tell yo momma mind her business, like you need to mind yo business!"

"Hey, I'm not having that all weekend," he said, driving off. "And no, we're not going to Angel's, so you better get along with your little sister."

"Dad, I'll just sleep in the living room," Ravyn said.

"Fine!" Symone said.

"So Angel dumped you again? See, she was too pretty for you daddy, you know she acts stuck up and everything."

"Now here you go in my business after telling your sister to get out your business."

"I'm just saying-"

"Me and Angel are cool."

"Oh, okay," Ravyn said and did not say any more the whole ride to his place.

He grabbed their things and they went inside. Symone ran and grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. Ravyn stormed out into the bedroom. Fridays when they were over typically was pizza night. He was too tired to make it himself so ordering delivery it was. He settled on Imo's because it was the girls' favorite. While he waited, he went to watch TV with Symone.

"Daddy, is Angel coming over?"

"Naa, she can't."

"Why?"

"She's not feeling well."

"What's wrong?"

"Mo, do you have to ask a hundred questions?"

"But if she isn't feeling well, you should try and make her feel better. Did you give her some medicine? Give her some soup? When I feel bad, I lay down and my mom lays with me and cuddles with me and I feel better."

"She's not that kind of sick."

"Who's sick?" Ravyn said, walking over to them and sitting on the couch.

"Angel!" Symone said. "That's why she's not here. Daddy needs to make her feel better."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Why are y'all both so concerned with my girl right now?" he said, grabbing them and tickling him. "Ravyn, you don't even like her."

"Daddy stop, I'm too old for tickles," Ravyn said, pushing away. "I didn't say I didn't like her."

"I'm pretty sure you said that."

"I might have, I'on know. She cool, I guess."

"She took us to Six Flags!" Symone said. "I like her. Daddy, we should go see her and make her feel better."

"Yeah!" Ravyn added.

"No girls, Angel is not that kind of sick."

He did not know how much he should tell the girls. They did not need to know Angel was shot and killed a man. No, no way would he tell them that. He did not want to lie to them either.

"Angel got hurt. She's not really sick, sick. She had to stay with her parents till she gets better. That's all."

"We can still make her feel better. Can you call her and we can talk to her?"

"You really want to talk to her?"

"Yes!" they both said.

"Okay, I'll call," he said, grabbing his phone. She picked up after a couple of rings. "Hey Ang, how are you?"

"All I do is sleep all day, I'm good."

"You sound tired."

"I'm bored. Hey, don't you have the girls this weekend?"

"Yeah, they wanted me to call you and they want to say hi." He put the phone on speaker.

"Hi Angel! Daddy said you weren't feeling well? What's wrong? You had an accident? What happened? You need Daddy to come over and make you all better?" Symone went on and on.

"Hey Symone, no, I'm fine. You can have your daddy all to yourself this weekend."

"Don't you want to see us?"

"Yeah, and dad over here all lonely missing you," Ravyn added in.

"What? No, I'm fine," he said, laughing at his girls. "Although, I do miss you, babe."

"I miss you too."

"Aaaa!" both the girls said.

"Wait, is that Ravyn being all sweet too?" Angel said with a chuckle. "Like, did I hit my head or something?"

"Rave said she misses you," Hook said.

"Daddy lying! Oooo!" Ravyn said.

"You guys want to come over to my parents' house tomorrow? I mean, it's not my house, it's bigger! We even have a pool. You can come swimming."

"Really? Daddy!" Symone was jumping up and down.

"Ang, you really need to be resting-"

"I've rested enough. Come on over. I will let my parents know. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Just what he needed, his bad little girls bothering Angel and probably wreaking havoc with Angel's parents. He had to lay down a lot of ground rules.

"No running around inside of their house. No touching things. Mo, no hundred questions. Rave, no attitude. No asking for anything you know you can't have. Do not break anything. Do not go to the bathroom and flush the whole roll of toilet paper...Mo. No going in the kitchen like you live there eating whatever...Rave. And act like you have some sense."

"Daddy, I'm twelve, almost thirteen...I don't act like that...anymore."

"And the toilet tissue thing only happened once...here. I think like three times at home. And that was last year, you bringing up old stuff."

Yep, something was going to go wrong, but the girls were super excited and talked his ear off all night. The next morning they both barged into his room while he was still sleeping jumping on his bed.

"Daddy, get up, let's go!" Symone said, pulling his arm.

He looked at that girl as if she was on something.

"Mo, let me sleep man, it's too early. Go!"

"But Dad!"

He grabbed Ravyn and tickled her. "Okay girl, I'm sorry I snapped, but let yo old man catch some more sleep."

"I told her," Symone said, sitting on the bed on the other side of him.

"But you came with her anyway," he said, giving her the side-eye.

"Dad, make us breakfast," Ravyn said.

Since they were not going to give him sleep, he went ahead and got out of the bed and made them French toast for breakfast. They ate more than they should have. Good, that meant they were not ready to go to Angel's and the pool any time soon. He made them clean their room and the living room before telling them to get dressed to go. He brushed Symone's hair in a single ponytail, tried to put it in a bun, but he knew nothing about doing hair.

He had to stop at the store and buy them swimsuits. And some water wings. Neither of them could swim and he was not that great himself. He wondered if Angel could swim, but with her wound, he was sure she could not get it wet.

Driving out to the Hamilton's, Symone got super excited because they lived across the highway from Six Flags. He had to take the same exit as if he was going to Six Flags, except take a left instead of a right.

"They can walk to Six Flags!" Symone said.

"Naw, they ain't walking nowhere, " he said to her.

"Can we go to Six Flags?" Symone asked.

"No, Mo," he said.

"Angel stays out here now? Man! She's rich daddy! Marry her," Symone said.

For real? This from the same child that said Angel was too stuck up and happy he thought they broke up. He was not going to pay her fickle self any mind. Marriage? Really? He was not even thinking about that.

"Now y'all gonna act right, remember?"

"Dad, you act like we ghetto and don't know how to act around rich people," Ravyn said, as they pulled into the driveway. "Ooo, daddy! This is a mansion."

"How many rooms they have in here? Can we spend the night?" Symone said.

"Don't embarrass me today," he said as they got out of the car. "Remember the rules."

They walked up to the door and Symone begged to ring the doorbell, and she did as if she had no sense at all. Pressing it hard several times in a row. He knew his little monster was going to be on her worse behavior, no setting the rules in advance mattered.

Angel's mother opened the door with a big smile.

"Hook! And these must be your little girls. Come on inside," she said.

"Mrs. Hamilton, these are my girls, Ravyn and Symone. Girls, say hello to Mrs. Hamilton."

"Hi!" they both said.

"You're Angel's mom? You look like her. Pretty," Symone said.

"Oh, I like this one," Clarissa said, putting her arm around her. "But child, who did your hair?"

"Daddy."

"Of course. Well, you're going swimming and so it's fine. Angel is in the back waiting for you. I'll have some cookie and juice for you later."

"Cool," Ravyn said and took off running to the back.

"Hey! Rave, what did I say about running?"

"Oh, my bad," she said and stopped running. "Come on Mo!"

"Sorry about them," he said to Clarissa.

"What? You think my bad little monsters didn't run up and through this house for years? The house is still intact."

Hook made it to the back where the girls were running around, still in their clothes. Angel was sitting in a lounger with a big floppy hat, sunglasses, and a white wrap covering on.

"Angel!" Symone rushed to her and gave her a big hug, but he saw the pain in her face from Symone squeezing her too hard.

"Aye! Mo Mo, get off Angel, I told you she's hurt," he yelled, coming to Angel's side. "Baby, you okay?"

She nodded, said to him softly. "It hurts like fuck."

"I'm sorry!" Symone said and started crying.

"No, Symone, I'll be fine, you just can't hug me so tight."

"You're such an idiot," Ravyn said, pushing her sister.

"Look, we can leave right now if you two don't act right," Hook said.

"I'm sorry Angel, I didn't mean to," Symone said, wiping at her tears.

"I know you didn't."

Mrs. Hamilton came out and over to them.

"Why don't I show the girls where they can change. Come on girls."

The girls walked off with Mrs. Hamilton. He sat on the edge of Angel's lounger.

"You really okay? Did it open the wound?"

"No, it's not going to reopen at this point, it's just sore," she said, rubbing her side.

He reached over and rubbed it for her. He just now noticed she did not have her weave in. He took off her hat so he could fully see her hair. It was thick and curly and long past her shoulders. He smiled.

"I love it."

"What?"

"Your hair. You don't need the weave."

"I know I don't need it, I like it."

"How am I so lucky?" he said, leaning over to kiss her. "Fine ass woman, just sexy."

"I want some dick."

He laughed. "Woman! My girls could walk out hearing you talk like that. Or your mom."

"I mean, she knows I'm getting dick from you."

"Stop, behave, the girls are coming back out."

A/N: As a mother, I am here for Hook's rules for the girls before they go to someone's house. You gotta. It's nice that the girls have warmed up to Angel and like her.

XOXO
Kimberly