"Mom!"

It was her daughter using her key again, maybe going shopping in her kitchen. She was asleep in her room after a long week of work and no Nikko because she needed her rest and she never got enough with him.

"What's going on?" She slipped on her house slippers and a robe and left her room to see what was up with her daughter.

"Mom, there is no food in here. What's going on?"

"Oh my bad, I'm rarely here to even shop, so-"

"If you're rarely here then, where are you?" Her daughter looked her over then a big smile spread over her face. "You and daddy are back together?"

She rolled her eyes at that. "No. Not now or not ever. Morah, what do you need? I can take you shopping since you obviously never do it for yourself."

"Mom! Where have you been staying if not at home. Stop being weird."

"Well, if you must know...I have met someone."

Her daughter dropped the shopping bag she held. Then her daughter just stood there, looking at her.

"What Morah, you have something to say?"

"What do you mean you're seeing someone? As in, some guy? Some random guy and not dad?"

She moved past her daughter and looked in the cabinet, for any food she could give her daughter to take with her. She was not ready to have this conversation with her. Even though things went fine with Nikko's mother, everyone else would not be so open minded.

"Is this why you weren't at granddaddy's Easter dinner? Tell me something."

"I'm not sure when you became the mother and I became the child, so therefore, I do not have to tell you a thing about my personal life. Just know your father and I are divorced. I can see anyone I want, and so can he."

"But...but...dad wants you back."

There was no way in hell. What was her daughter talking about?

"Your father and I are on good terms. He did not contest the divorce. I did not take any of his money." Although that would have been nice. "He knew the marriage was over for years, so we're good."

"You wouldn't give him another chance?"

She looked at her child that suddenly grew two heads. "No! What can you not understand? I do not love that man. Sometimes I question if I ever did. I stayed with him because of you and your brother."

"So I was a mistake? You'd rather I have not been born and then you would have never been with dad."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I have said no such things. You and your brother are the best things that ever happened to me. I love you dearly. Whatever happened between me and your father had nothing to do with you two."

She rubbed her daughter's back. "I just want you to understand that. I've moved on."

"How can you date someone else so quickly?"

"It's been two years!"

"That's not enough. Dad is not seeing anyone."

"Okay?" What was she supposed to say to that. The last time she saw that man was after their last court date together. She did not hate him, but there was no need for them to ever hang out again.

"What's this new guy name?"

"Nikko."

"Nikko? Mom! What kind of name is that? Ugh, are you serious?" She stomped out of the kitchen into the living room. "And since you have no food here I guess you have been shacking up with him. Ugh! I don't want to know."

"Well, I was not planning on telling you."

She grabbed a box of mac n cheese, two cans of corn, a package of egg noodles and the one sleeve of saltine crackers left. That child would eat anything long as it was quick and fast. She looked in the fridge. There was half a jar of jelly and a few eggs in the carton. She needed to whip herself something up for breakfast but she needed to go shopping as well.

It was like she did not live there anymore. Although she loved spending time at Nikko's place, she did not like the idea that she seemed to have moved in with him. He did all the hard work, his place, his food...

It was like she was falling into her old ways of letting a man take care for her. She did not like that.

"Morah pop, let me get dressed and I will take you grocery shopping and buy you anything you need. I need to restock my place." She would have to put it on her credit card until her next paycheck but if her baby girl needed to eat, she would get her what she wanted.

"Ok mom, then tell me all about this man."

They headed to the closest Schnucks, her favorite store and both filled the cart with necessities. She only told Morah that Nikko was a nice guy and she really liked him. She did not tell him what he did or that he was younger. She knew eventually she would have to tell, but it was none of her business. How would her child handle it?

They loaded Morah's things in her car before she took off, then she brought all her food inside and put them away just as Roxanne called her.

"Let's hang out tonight?"

Roxanne never was the type to hang out on the weekend so something must have been up.

"Like where?"

"Girl, just out to eat or something. I have gossip."

"I'm in."

She showered and changed again and then met up with Roxanne at Zia's on The Hill because Roxanne did not live that far from the place and it was a nice little drive for her. They both loved Italian food and it was some of the best in St. Louis.

After they ordered wine to drink and toasted raviolis to share, they got right to it.

"Girl, so what's up?"

"Hold up." Roxanne took a nice gulp of her wine. "I think you're going to get the job."

"What?" This was the best news to her, but before she celebrated, she had to make sure. "How do you know? Who told you? Please, I need details."

"Well, I overheard Jim and Steve talking about it and they were saying it's better to have someone on the inside in the position that knows the agency well. That has to be you since no one else has applied internally."

"But did you overhear them say my name?"

"No, but you're the inside person and they agreed with that. So girl, you're about to get this big time promotion and raise. Let's celebrate."

It would be right on time. She needed the extra money and she was so over her current job where she seemed overworked with the title of administrative assistant slash receptionist. It was the fact that she did not have a degree that was holding her back. But over the last few years, she did more work in the field than those with a college degree. Her experience could be her degree.

"Let's not celebrate till I get the offer."

"Girl, your life is really coming together. New man, new job, what else? New baby?"

She laughed at her friend. "Now you know better."

"No I don't. Why not?"

"Rox, I had my tubes tied after Theo Jr. Theo and I agreed on no more kids and that was that."

"His ass should have gotten fixed, not you. We go through childbirth, they don't."

"It doesn't matter because I do not want more kids."

"Aw, you and Nikko would make great babies. Does he want kids? He's young and doesn't have any."

"He said he was good with whatever long as he has me."

"I mean..." Roxanne paused for a bit. "Maybe he is saying that now, but the man could change his mind. Having kids is a big thing for people and the want for them does not go away easy. Did he ever want kids?"

She shrugged. All she knew was that he said he was okay with her decision. What did that mean for a future with them? In five years, or ten years when he had not hit forty and wanted a mini him? Would he be okay with never having a bloodline out there. Guys thought about things like that.

And what of his mother, not having any grandkids? This was things she should have thought about. That comment at Easter from his mother, the way he brushed it off. What would Cassie think of her now, depriving her of grandchildren?

She loved being a mother, but she was done with raising them. Maybe she would have grandchildren, maybe not. She never pressured her kids about that because it was their life. Her children would always still need her. What would that look like for Nikko.

She knew what she had to do. She had to introduce him to her children. It was the next step in their relationship.