Chapter 29

                                    

                                          
Zade 
"You think she likes being here?" I ask Natasha as we looked at Evelyn and Valentina play together on the carpet. "Ive never seen so much toys. My house is a freaking daycare." I say as I pick up Valentina's toy.
"She likes it." Natasha says as she sat on the sofa holding a glass of wine. Its been a long week.. Amira's birthday was my tipping point. Natasha and I just kind of ignored the nonsense with Veronica and Hannah... I was back focused on us. 
"She said yesterday. Where is Zade? Can we go see him?"
"When the sunmer comes they could play by the pool." I say and Natasha looks at me. "You thinking that far ahead?" She asks and I chuckle pulling her closer to me. "What? Few months?" I ask as she laughs. 
"Its been nice this week spending time together with the kids." She says. "I love it. So peaceful."
"Yeah, its a nice routine we have. Next week youre back on 7 days in a row." I sigh. I liked when she was here. Not just because Natasha was pretty and all we did was have sex but also because she provided this warmth and filled my desire for my own family... 
"Last week was crazy." She says. "I do feel like I am not certain on us because you clearly still have feelings for your exes." She says softly as her fingers ran through my hair. 
"I do not have feelings for them. Im not inlove with them." I say. "You literally nearly passed out at the news of Veronica's hospitalisation?" She says. Valentina used to look up when she heard her mother's name. Now it means nothing to her. Her memory has just lost it which is sad. "I will always care for her. We have been friends since 14 and together since 16." I tell her. "We have a kid together. As much as I also absolutely despise her for what she did... I still care as a human being?"
"What did she do exactly?" She asks.
"Which time?" I joke and she looks at me rolling her eyes after. "Zade... stop joking." She says. "You will not like me if I tell you." I tell her and she cocks her head. "I know about the drugs and shit?" 
"When we got together we were kids. 18 hits and suddenly adulting started where I had a lawyer for my sisters custody." I tell her and she nods. "Things just got out of hand, I was making money someway somehow and Veronica and I were making money just not legitimate money." 
"Okay.." She says. "The lifestyle just got out of hand. We were wrapped up in the wrong company. We started partying too much. We made some fucked up choices. My relationship with Zara was fucked when I came out of prison... Vee and I started up again with the same bullshit. Just enabled each other. It got toxic and she stabbed me in the chest. She got locked up and I nearly died... was in a coma for about two weeks. After I came out, I changed everything about myself. Sober."
"Jesus..." Natasha whispers. 
"Yeah. She got out after nearly a year. I was dating Hannah at the time and after Hannah broke up with me, I got back with Veronica. Valentina happened. We were doing really well... it wasnt an issue. Then a few months after Valentina was born I started noticing she was using again... I tried to help and get her help. But she ran off... I got a lawyer and got myself full custody and she signed it." 
"Thats a lot Zade." Natasha says. "I wanted to keep this family together because my family was so fucked up and destroyed." 
"I get that Zade." She sighs. "But fuck..." 
"Its triggering because my parents choose drugs instead of us. She did the same thing to my kid."  I say. 
"Thats so fucked up." She says. She wraps her arms around me. I guess it was hard for me to be seen as vulnerable but it felt good to have her support.