Chapter 10

Donnie sent me a text last night informing me that Tia spent the night at their place. I can"t shake the feeling that our little talk this morning triggered her emotions. She tends to wreak havoc like a raging tornado, leaving nothing untouched, even if it means hurting herself in the process. But hopefully, she took my advice and decided to talk things through with Ash.

After getting Sophia ready for the day, I locked the apartment and walked out to my car. Since I don't have any classes until later in the day, I decide to drop by Donnie"s place to bring Tia"s ass home.

I pull up at the house and send Donnie a text Donnie to let him know I have arrived.

Me: Hey, can you open your front door?

A few minutes later, he responds.

Donnie: Are you here??

Me: Yes. I came to bring Tia home.

Donnie: I'm on my way out.

I tuck my phone in my pocket before stepping out of the car. Just when I make my way around to the back passenger side, I notice that Sophia is still half asleep. I gently run my hands through her little curls and whisper, "Hey, sleepyhead, it"s time to go see your Titi Tia."

When I unbuckle her, she wraps her arms around me and nuzzles her head into my chest. The house"s front door opens, and I hear footsteps hitting the pavement as they come toward me.

"What are you doing, babe?" Donnie says in his deep, sleepy voice.

I turn around, and my jaw drops when I see him standing there shirtless, wearing unbuckled dark jeans. I can"t even speak, I"m so stunned. He chuckles and takes Sophia from me before pulling me into a warm hug. I can feel the heat emanating from his body from being under the covers. I inhale deeply, taking in his clean, refreshing scent that reminds me of freshly-laundered clothes.

He quirks an eyebrow at me, and I can feel my cheeks flush. "Are you sniffing me?" he asks with a grin.

I roll my eyes and playfully smack his chiseled abs. "Shut up," I mutter.

He pulls me close to him, and his lips softly touch my forehead. "Come on." He chuckles.

We walk up the steps and into the house, his hand lightly guiding me. As he shuts the door, he turns to me and flashes a smile. "Did you get a chance to eat?"

I shake my head. "No, I"m not really hungry," I say softly, too preoccupied to worry about food. Donnie"s sudden halt nearly makes me collide into him, but I manage to steady myself by placing my hands on his warm back.

"You have to eat, Shorty. You have two little boys to think about, too," he declares firmly and without leaving room for negotiation.

Is it just me, or is his assertiveness sexy as hell? Jesus. These damn pregnant hormones are making me loca.

I let out a deep sigh and walk around him, entering his kitchen like I live here. "Fine. What do you have?" I ask, turning back to look at him.

Donnie hands Sophia to me and starts working at the stove. After a few minutes of cooking, he places two fluffy pancakes, a slice of toast, and a glass of chilled cranberry juice in front of me.

Damn.My man can cook.

"This looks really good," I say, my stomach growling in anticipation.

Donnie looks down at my baby girl with a tender expression, rubbing her back. "Did Sophia eat?" he asks softly.

I smile reassuringly at him and say, "Yes, she did." As I get ready to sit down, I hear Donnie"s voice, which startles me a bit.

"No! Don"t sit there."

"What the hell, Donnie," I breathe out, clutching my chest. I think I peed a little.

"Sorry, but you really don"t want to know what was going on at that table." His face twists in disgust, and he gently rubs Sophia"s back to calm her since she was also startled.

Yeah, I really don"t need to know what the hell was going on in this house.

"Come on." He tips his chin at my food. "Grab it," he says, gesturing for me to follow him. With Sophia still sleeping in his arms, we make our way up the stairs. A door to my left suddenly swings open, revealing a towering, well-built man with a dark complexion and buzz cut. He runs his hand over his chest, his eyes zeroing in on me.

This must be Titan, the newest roommate. Donnie mentioned that Titan's parents insisted on him living independently to avoid the distractions that come with living in a fraternity. Still, Titan wanted to be with the team and developed a strong bond with Donnie and Ash. Eventually, their parents relented and he moved in.

"Well. Who do we have here?" he drawls with a lazy grin.

Donnie tenses up at his tone and snaps back, "Dude, if you want to keep your eyeballs, I suggest you stop looking at my girl like you want to eat her for breakfast."

Tyson Beckford"s look-alike's expression changes to surprise as he looks back at me. "That"s Shorty?" he says, his eyes wide.

Donnie nods, seemingly unaware that he"s been absentmindedly kissing the top of Sophia"s head.

Okay, yeah, I"m not playing this game. I"m pregnant, cranky, and struggling to balance a heavy plate and a glass of juice. My patience is wearing thin. I turn to the sexy specimen and introduce myself with a polite smile. "Hi, I"m Sadie. It"s nice to meet you. And you are?" I wait for his response.

His grin widens as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Titan. And I already like you. You"re Latina, aren"t you?" he asks.

I nod. "What gave me away?" I ask.

"You"re feisty, and fucking ho—" Titan"s sentence is cut off by Donnie"s growl, making him chuckle.

"Finish that sentence and see what happens, Ty," Donnie warns.

"Dude, I meant no disrespect," he quickly says, saying to me, "It"s nice to finally meet you, Sadie," he says with a mischievous wink. He then jogs down the stairs and disappears out of sight.

I turn to Donnie. "Really?" I raise my eyebrows in disbelief.

"What? I told you I"m territorial over you." He shrugs nonchalantly as he opens the door to his room.

His room is similar to his bedroom back home, but there"s an air of maturity. The king-size bed is the centerpiece, taking up almost half the space. The blue and gray bedding is in disarray, as if he didn"t have time to make the bed. He quickly clears the desk and pulls out a chair for me. "Sit," he orders while gently laying Sophia on the bed.

"Your bossiness is starting to piss me off," I mutter, taking a bite of my toast that has already gone cold.

He flashes me a stupid grin. "You"re cute when you're hangry. I"m going to hop in the shower," he whispers as he kisses my lips while I'm chewing my food, and he walks toward the bathroom.

I consume my food and place the plate aside before settling down next to Sophia, my body slowly giving in to exhaustion. Ever since I found out I'm having twins, I"ve been feeling more exhausted than usual. As I"m about to drift off, Donnie exits the bathroom with a towel firmly wrapped around his waist, water droplets cascading down his toned abdomen and chest. He dries his hair and throws the towel in the hamper beside the door.

He flirtatiously winks at me and says, "If you keep your pretty little mouth open, I"ll remind you what I could do with it."

I shut my mouth, rolling my eyes. He throws his head back and laughs, then heads back to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he emerges wearing a fitted black Henley shirt and dark jeans. I try to distract myself from my dirty thoughts of what I want him to do to me and ask him, "So, how bad was she?" I rub small circles on Sophia"s back, and she stirs.

He sits on the chair and leans back, resting his leg on his opposite knee. "I don't know." He grabs his ankle and sighs. "I knew she was here, but I didn"t even see her come in."

"What do you mean you didn't see her come in?" I ask.

He sighs. "I...was dealing with an issue."

"What issue?" Another frustrated sigh. "Payton literally threw herself at me. But I pushed her away," he quickly adds.

"Does the bitch have a death wish?" My voice is laced with a fiery anger that burns hotter than the sun. Who the hell does she think she is?

He leans forward with his hands interlaced between his legs. "Shorty, forget Payton's bullshit. I don't want to talk about her. I want to talk about Tia," he sighs heavily and closes his eyes briefly as if steeling himself for what comes next. When he opens them, the pain is evident in his torn expression. "Ash thinks she was...um...that she was..." He trails off uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I know. She was raped, Donnie," I say quietly, a lump forming in my throat.

Tears cloud my vision, and he utters the words that mirror the pain in my heart. "Fuck, I"m so sorry," he says, his voice breaking.

Drained and exhausted, I place my head on my arm like it's a pillow and rub my stomach, trying to quell the nausea that"s been plaguing me all day. He notices and asks, his voice laced with concern, "Are you feeling okay?"

I take a deep breath and try to compose myself. "Just tired. I didn"t get much sleep last night," I confess, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I can imagine," he replies softly, standing up and sliding into the bed behind me. "Sleep for a little while," he urges gently. "And don't worry about Payton. I can handle her bullshit."

I hesitate for a moment, but the exhaustion is too much to bear, and for once, I obey. I close my eyes, and Donnie"s steady breathing lulls me into a peaceful slumber.

I slowly open my eyes, and I am jolted fully awake by something plastic smacking me in the head and the pungent smell of milk fanning my face. I turn my head to the side and see my little rugrat sitting beside me, babbling away as if she is having the time of her life.

When she notices me stirring, she grins, showing her little teeth, and scrambles to her feet before tumbling onto my chest. I can't help but chuckle at her antics and gently stroke her chubby cheeks.

Suddenly, Ash"s voice makes me yelp, startling Sophia. "Oh, good, you"re awake," he says, sauntering into the room.

I snap at him. "Jesus, Ash. What the hell is wrong with you and Donnie always scaring the hell out of me? You do realize that pisses me off more than anything, right?" I sit up and place Sophia in my lap.

He laughs.

Asshole.

"I"m sorry, I forgot that you startle easily," he says with a sympathetic tone.

"Yeah, well, when you're beaten half your life, kidnapped, and tortured, you tend to be on edge." As soon as the words come out, I regret them. His complexion turns pale, and he nervously gulps down while his throat muscles contract.

"Oh, Ash, I"m sorry," I say.

"I"m sorry, Shorty," he murmurs hoarsely.

"Don"t be. I was being a bitch. I"m just feeling a bit irritable," I say, flashing him a lopsided grin.

He returns the smile and sits on the edge of the bed. "Donnie mentioned you were here, so I thought I"d come by and say hello," he says as he leans in to gently kiss Sophia. I look down at her as she happily gnaws on her toy keys with her little feet kicking on top of the covers.

"Where is he?" I ask.

"He had to get to class but asked me to check in on you. He left you a note." As he points to the table, I notice a blueberry muffin and a water bottle beside it. I reach for it, and a smile spreads across my face.

Eat. Drink. Rest. Ash will watch over you. I'll stop by your place after practice. I love you.

Donnie

I unscrew the cap on the bottle and take a long, satisfying gulp, relishing the cool liquid as it cascades down my throat. Sophia tilts her head back and reaches for the bottle with both hands.

"Easy there, sweetie." I chuckle, taking another swig before passing it to her. She fusses and squirms impatiently as she waits for her turn.

"How"s Tia doing?" I ask, concern etching my voice.

"She"s still asleep," Ash replies with a sigh.

Nodding thoughtfully, I ask, "Did she tell you what happened?"

He shakes his head, his eyes darkening. "No, but I already knew," he says, his voice thick with pain. "She thinks she"s dirty, Shorty. I mean, what the fuck?" He runs his hands through his hair, anger and sadness etched on his face.

"Ash, the one thing you have to understand is that when people like us live in a world of violence, our entire existence, our self-worth, is obliterated, as if it never existed in the first place. It takes time and healing to force ourselves to believe that we matter. She won"t change overnight. Her feelings won"t disappear just because you love her."

He rears back. "I don"t...we're not there yet," he stammers, shaking his head.

I chuckle and roll my eyes. "Whatever. All I"m saying is that you have to let her deal with it the only way she knows how."

"And how is that?" he asks cautiously.

The sound of Sophia"s loud babbling fills the room, eliciting a warm smile from Ash. It"s almost as if Sophia has an innate sense of when we need a boost of energy.

"Time and space," I say simply.

He adamantly shakes his head. "No, I can"t do that."

"Ash," I say sternly, and his gaze shifts toward me. "Tia is not one to be pushed or forced. In time, I promise you, she will come around. But you have to be patient and wait until she comes to you."

"How can you be so sure?"

I climb off the bed and pull Sophia into my arms and speak softly. "She trusts you so much. She looks at you like you would walk through fire for her." I kiss his cheek, my fingers brushing against it. "She cares about you," I add.

His breathing quickens, and I can sense his heart is racing as he shudders slightly. "Okay, Shorty. I'll do it your way," he replies. "For now."

I give him a warm smile, and he stands up to hug me.

"I"m going to get Tia and go home." I begin walking toward the door but suddenly stop. "Oh, wait! I almost forgot my muffin and water," I say, looking back at Ash. He chuckles and grabs them for me. "Go." He shoos me out of the room.

As we step out of Donnie"s room, I notice Tia emerging from Ash"s, looking disheveled with her hair wild and makeup smudged. She seems surprised to see me, and her gaze shifts back and forth between Ash and me. "Hey, what are you—what are you doing here?" she asks, clearly confused.

"I came to take you home. We don"t have to talk," I reply gently, hoping to ease her worries. Tia smiles at me and nods. "I'll be in the car." Then I turn to Ash. "I"ll see you later."

I make my way down the stairs and leave Ash and Tia alone.