Hurricane

H urricane walked into the kitchen to find Chasity sitting at the table, staring into space, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "I made coffee, but it's strong," she warned.

"Just the way that I like it," said. He poured himself a mug and sat down across from her. "Should you be drinking that?" he asked her, nodding to her coffee mug.

"Should you be drinking that?" she asked, notating his mug. She was such a smart ass, she reminded him of himself when he was a teen. He had learned to use sarcasm as his ally.

"I'm a grown-ass man, kid," he reminded.

"Yeah, well, I'm an old soul, so I guess we're both good to drink coffee," she sassed. He sighed, not having the energy to keep going back and forth with her. "We need to talk," he said.

"Does this have anything to do with me finding my aunt naked in your room a few weeks ago?" she asked. They hadn't really talked about that, so it was a good guess on her part.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I think that it's time to talk about the elephant in the room," he said.

"I saw no elephant," Chasity insisted. "Just two naked, old, gross people." She made a face, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks for that," he said. "Listen, I haven't heard from Tina, and I was hoping that she had reached out to you."

"I've heard from her," Chasity admitted. "I mean, she's been calling me since finding you two knocking boots in your room," she said.

"Can we stop with the sex euphemisms?" he asked. "We were two consenting adults, and besides that, I like your aunt—a lot," he admitted. Chasity was the first person that he had ever admitted that to besides Tina.

"Okay, fine," she grumbled, "she's been calling me to check-in. It took me a while to want to talk to her, but honestly, she's okay to talk to on the phone. It's kind of like old times, you know, when my parents were alive, and she'd call just to talk to me and see how I was doing."

"So, she's doing all right then?" he asked.

"She was," Chasity said, "yesterday when she called me, she sounded a bit weird, though."

"Weird how?" asked. He worried that he had pushed Tina too much, too quickly and he hated that he hurt her. If she was acting weird, it was probably because he was an ass. He needed to fix things with Tina, but he had no idea how to do it.

"Weird as in something happened recently and she's pretty freaked out. I asked her what was going on, but she told me that it wasn't anything for me to worry about, so your guess is as good as mine," Chasity said. Sometimes, when he talked to the teen, he forgot that she was just a kid. She seemed wise beyond her years, and she was right—she had an old soul.

"Do you think that she'll talk to me?" he asked, worried that he wouldn't be able to help her if she kept shutting him out.

"No clue, but I do have a surefire way to at least give you a fighting chance," she whispered as though telling him a secret.

"And what's that?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Stop by her work," Chasity said. "She's always there, and I used to stop by when I needed her attention. Heck, if I waited until she finally got home every night, I would have never been able to talk to her."

"Smart kid," he admitted. "Do you have the address?" She pulled out her cell phone and his own notified him that a text had come through.

"There, you have her work address now. Do you need me to help pull up your text messages on your phone?" she teased.

"I'm not that old, smart ass," he grumbled. "I'll run by to see her this morning on my way to the club."

"If you find out what's going on with her, will you text me?" she asked. It was good to know that Chasity actually cared what happened to her aunt, but he knew not to make a big deal out of it. If she knew that he was happy about something that she was doing, she'd stop doing it.

"Sure," he agreed, going for casual. "I'll text you either way." He stood and dumped his coffee into the sink and washed it down.

Chasity giggled, "Too strong for you?" she asked.

"Next time, don't make mud. That stuff was fucking awful," he griped on his way out of the kitchen. Chasity's laughter followed him down the hallway, to the front entrance, where he grabbed his keys from the table by the front door. He didn't bother to tell her to cut it out. It was nice to hear the kid laughing again. They were making progress—slowly, but still, progress.

pulled into the parking lot of the small business where Tina worked. There weren't a lot of cars in the lot, and he didn't see Tina's. He worried that he might be too early to catch her, but checked his watch and noted that it was just after nine.

He got out of his truck and walked into the building, smiling at the receptionist who sat behind a big desk. "Hello," she said, looking him over.

"Hi, I'm wondering if you can help me," he said.

"Well, I can try," she drawled. She was just the type of woman that he tried to steer clear of. Women like her only wanted one thing from a guy like him—a one-night stand and Tina had made him realize that he wanted more—so much more.

"I'm looking for Tina Hillen," he said.

"Oh, I'm afraid that Tina is no longer with us," the woman said. She tried to sound upset, but the smirk on her face gave her away.

"What happened? Why did she leave?" he asked. He had a feeling that he had just figured out why Tina seemed upset the last time she talked to Chasity, but he needed more information before he texted the kid.

The woman leaned forward in her seat, as though she was about to tell a secret, and he played along. "Between you and me, she was fired for taking too much personal time off. She only started this job a few months ago, and apparently, she's raising her troubled niece. Poor thing couldn't keep up with the girl and her job here, so the upper ups had to let her go." The way that the woman called Tina a "Poor thing" pissed him the hell off.

"I'm sure that she'll land on her feet," insisted. "Thanks for the information." He started for the front door and turned back around to find the receptionist watching him leave. "Oh, and for the record—her niece is not a troubled teen. She's a good kid who just lost both of her parents and had to go live with her aunt. And your bosses are assholes for not trying to help Tina out rather than let her go for something that has been out of her control." He looked up to the second floor to find a few guys in suits watching him and he hoped like hell that one of them was the ass who fired Tina.

"Shame on all of you," he shouted up at them. He turned to leave again, and this time, he didn't bother to look back. Nothing was there for him, and he had a feeling that he'd be able to find what—or in this case, who, he needed to find over at Tina's place. She had to be home, and that was going to be his next stop, but first, he needed to call Chasity and have a talk with her, because he was about to do something that she might not approve of, not that it would stop him from doing it.

He dialed Chasity's number and waited for her to answer the phone. Instead, it went to voice mail, and he groaned out loud. "Come on kid, answer your phone," he begged, knowing that it wouldn't do him any good. He hit re-dial and waited her out again.

"I thought that we agreed that you were going to text me, . I'm in math class and my teacher let me step out, but not all of them are that nice."

"Sorry, kid, but I need to talk to you and I'm not the fastest texter," he admitted.

"No kidding, I've watched you text and it's not pretty," she teased. "So, did you find out anything about my aunt?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I have and it's not good." knew that she was mature enough to hear the truth, but a part of him worried that telling her that Tina had lost her job because she had spent too much time worrying about and looking for Chasity, the kid might run again.

"So, what's up?" she asked.

"Your aunt was fired," he said.

"What?" Chasity asked. "She just got that job." had a suspicion that Tina had taken that awful job to pay the rent at her place and take care of the kid. He had been to her place to help pack up Chasity, and from the look of her rental, she was just barely scraping by.

"It's a long story that maybe your aunt should tell you, but I have an idea and you're probably not going to like it," he admitted.

Chasity groaned into the other end of the call, making him smile. "Just say it and get it over with," she ordered, "and please don't tell me that you're going to ask her to have sex again. I know that I won't like that."

"I think that your aunt should move in with us," he admitted. "I'm pretty sure that she needed that job to get by. You know where she lives and I'm betting that things are tight for her now that she's out of work."

"And why do I have to suffer for her? I wasn't the one who got her fired," Chasity insisted. He didn't say a word, trying not to let his anger win out with the kid. Some of the guys at the club who have kids told him to count to ten if he was pissed off at the kid. What they didn't tell him was that he might actually have to get to twenty or thirty with Chasity because she knew how to push his buttons.

"Wait," she breathed into the phone, "did she lose her job because of me, ?" she asked. Shit—the kid was too smart for her own good. The question was, did he go with the truth, or lie to her? He decided to go with the truth because he'd expect the same from her.

"Yes, but don't go freaking out, Chasity. Tina's boss said that she was taking off too many personal days to take care of you," he admitted. "But I'm betting that your aunt didn't regret taking that time off. You're her top priority. Hell, that's why she won't see me again. She said that she couldn't hurt you by showing up here to see me, so she cut me out of her life." He hated saying that last part because it still hurt like a bitch.

"Really?" Chasity asked. "She did that for me?"

"She did, and she wouldn't want you feeling guilty over it either, kid," he insisted.

"So, what can I do about it?" she asked.

"I think that the first thing you need to answer is, do you want to do anything about it?" he said. There was a long pause on the other end of the call, and he worried that she was going to tell him that she didn't want to do anything about helping her aunt out. He planned on going over to Tina's either way, but he wouldn't tell Chasity that.

She sighed, "I do want to help her," she breathed.

"Good," said. Her admission was going to make his life simpler, and right about now, he could use simple. "I'd like to ask Tina to move in with us," he repeated.

"I got that from the first time that you said that, and I'm not sure how it's going to work out, but I'm sure that we can find a way until Aunt Tina can get back on her feet." He wasn't going to rush Tina to find another job any time soon because frankly, he hoped that she'd end up staying forever.

"Good, because while we've been on the phone I've driven over to her house and I'm about to knock on the door," he admitted.

"You didn't waste any time, did you?" she asked.

"No, and I planned on asking her whether you were in or out, kid," he admitted. "Now, get back to class and learn something."

"About math?" she asked, "I seriously doubt it." She ended the call, leaving him standing by his pickup truck, in front of Tina's house, smiling like a fucking loon. He was going to ask Tina to move in with him, but he had to be delicate. If she thought that he was doing it out of pity, she'd never accept. He was going to have to come up with a better plan—and fast, because Tina was standing in front of her apartment building with her hands on her hips, staring him down. And from the scowl on her beautiful face, she wasn't very happy to see him.

"Hey," he said, waving at her. She didn't wave back or respond, so started in her direction, trying to think about his next move.

"Why are you here?" she asked, not exchanging any pleasantries.

"I'm here because I miss you, Tina," he said. That part was the truest statement that he had ever made. He missed her so damn much that his body ached when he went to bed every night. Holding her during their one night together had him longing for more.

"You can't just show up at my place just because you miss me," she insisted. "How is Chasity?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

"She's fine—just worried about you," he admitted.

"Why would she be worried about me?" Tina asked. She wasn't going to make any of this easy on him—not that he had expected it.

He shrugged, "I'm not sure, but she said that she spoke with you a couple of days ago and that you seemed off. I promised her that I'd stop by to check on you. Plus—I missed you." Yeah, looping back to that was a good idea. She seemed to lose some of her fight, and he knew that she might break down and tell him what he already knew—that she had lost her job. But he wanted her to admit that to him on her own instead of forcing the truth out of her.

"That's really sweet," she admitted.

"The part about me showing up here to check in on you or the part about Chasity worrying about you?" he asked.

"I guess both," she admitted. He crossed the distance between the two of them, taking the chance that his instincts were right and that she wasn't as angry with him anymore.

"Why were you so upset that other day when you spoke with Chasity, honey?" he asked. She was standing so close to him that all he'd have to do was reach out and just touch her, but that might be something that Tina wasn't ready for.

"It's a long story, so you better come in," she insisted. She led the way up two flights of steps and into her apartment. Her place was tiny but homey and it reminded him of Tina. He wondered if she'd feel at home at his place, but there was only one way to find out.

"I lost my job," she said before he even got the front door closed. "And I know it looks like I'm living in the lap of luxury, but I'm not. I need that job to pay my rent and to take care of Chasity. She might be living with you, but I pay for all her needs out of pocket—including healthcare which is almost more than my rent."

"Shit, Tina, I'm sorry," he said.

"Thanks, and you can stop pretending that you didn't know about me being fired before I told you. Chasity texted me to give me a heads-up that you stopped by my office and were on your way here. That's how I knew to meet you outside," she admitted.

"Are you mad?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Not really. I'm angrier with my boss than anyone. How could he fire me for taking care of my niece?" she asked. He didn't have an answer to her question, but he did have a solution to her problem.

"Move in with me and Chasity," he said. It sounded more like an order, but she didn't seem to flinch when he asked the question.

"Don't be ridiculous," she insisted. "I can't move in with the two of you. Things are just now getting better between Chasity and me, and I don't want to blow that."

"What about me, Tina?" he asked, stepping closer to her. She backed up against the kitchen counter and he caged her between it and him.

"Wh—what about you?" she stuttered.

"What if I meant what I said about missing you? I miss everything about you—the way that you felt under my body when we made love and the way you felt curled up against me all night long while we slept. I can't get you out of my mind, Tina. Tell me that you feel the same way about me, honey," he ordered. She held all the power right now, and if he didn't get the answer that he wanted from her, he didn't know what he'd do. Probably walk out of her apartment with his tail between his legs.

"I've missed you too, ," she admitted. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her like a starving man. It had felt like an eternity since he last kissed her.

"Will you move in with me?" he asked, pressing his forehead against hers, not willing to give up the same air that they were both sharing.

"What about Chasity?" she asked.

"She and I had a little chat, and we are both in agreement that you should move in with us," he said.

"Oh, I see," Tina whispered, "and where will I sleep?" she asked. "The last time that I spent the night at your place, things didn't end so well the next morning."

"Chasity and I talked about that too. I explained that we are two consenting adults and that what we do in the bedroom doesn't concern her," he admitted.

"And what did she say to that?" Tina asked.

"Since you're asking, I can guess that you know what she said. But the end result was that I agreed to keep our door shut while we are in there, and she promised not to just walk in without knocking," he said.

"You really worked all of that out with Chasity?" she asked.

"I did, but don't be too impressed. She likes to rag me about my age, and my ability to use technology," he grumbled.

Tina giggled and nodded, "Same," she said.

"So, how about it?" he asked.

"I guess," she breathed.

"Well, don't be so excited about it, honey," he teased.

"I can't let myself get excited about moving in with you, . I'm worried that things will get bad between Chasity and me, and I won't stay with you if that happens. Do we have an agreement?" she asked, holding her hand out to him.

He gently shook her hand, "We do," he agreed. "But don't be too quick to run out on us. I think you might be surprised how much Chasity has changed. I'm not promising that things will be easy, but we'll find a way." She nodded, and just hoped that he'd be able to keep that promise to her because once he got Tina back to his place, there would be no way that he'd want to let her go again.

Tina moved completely in with him and Chasity, even giving up the lease on her apartment. To him, that was a good sign, or at least that was what he told himself. Tina would have nowhere to go if things went south and that worked for him because he didn't want to have to watch her leave again.

had gotten pretty good at learning to split his time between his day job, the club, and being at home with Tina and Chasity. He was beginning to feel as though he had finally gotten everything that he ever wanted, but the problem was, he didn't know how Tina felt about it all. He was thinking of them as a little family, but was she? He'd spent the better part of two months trying to figure out how to ask her how she felt about them being a family. He had promised to play things cool when she moved into his house, but he felt anything but cool around Tina anymore. He wanted to tell her that he'd fallen in love with her, but was she ready to hear that? He had so many questions and no one to help him navigate this new phase of his life. was used to being alone, but in this case, he wished that he had someone to bounce questions off and hopefully get some answers.

He knew that some of the guys at the club were happily married and maybe they might have some answers for him, but getting out of the house without Chasity or Tina tagging along was going to be difficult. They both liked coming to the club with him, not that he let Chasity hang around with the guys. No, she was banished to the kitchen or his office when they were all there. But during the days that he had to take inventory and do odd jobs around the place, she tagged along, and he paid her to help him. He had to admit, it was nice having her around.

He found them both in the family room, playing a board game, and second-guessed having to go to the club. "Hey, I'm running down to the club," he said. He hoped that they would be completely enthralled in their game, but when they both looked up, excitement in their eyes, he knew that he wasn't going to get out of the house alone.

"Hold on," Chasity said. "I need to grab my phone and my book." She usually sat in his office and read while the guys were doing their thing. Sometimes, Wren and Tina would sit back there with her, to keep her company. liked that the guys and their women seemed to accept Tina and Chasity being a part of his life.

"You guys don't have to stop playing your game," he insisted.

"It's not a big deal," Tina said, "I'd like to tag along too. Wren said that she's going to go into the club tonight with Yonkers and I want to hear everything about the baby," she gushed. rolled his eyes, making her giggle.

"Fine, you two can tag along, but you know the drill," he said.

"Right, I'm to hide away in your office, pretending as though I don't exist while you two get to drink beer and have fun with all of your friends," Chasity grumbled.

"It's not my fault that you're too young to hang out in a bar," insisted. "Besides, if you gave kids your age half a chance, you might actually find a few friends of your own, kid."

"Kids my age are overrated," she grumbled.

"Tell me about it," teased. "Grab your shit and let's go," he ordered. He watched as Chasity ran upstairs and Tina turned to smile at him.

"You know, you are really good with her," she said.

"Well, she's a good kid and I love giving her a hard time," he admitted.

Tina giggled, "I think that the feeling is mutual," she said. "Are you sure that you don't mind us tagging along tonight?" she asked. "You've seemed a bit pensive all day. Do you need a night off from us?" she asked. He hated that she was even asking him that question.

pulled Tina into his arms, "Of course not," he insisted. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately," he admitted, leaving out the part of it being her that he couldn't stop thinking about.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I'll let you know," he promised.

Chasity ran back down to them, holding up her bag. "Ready," she said.

"Then, let's hit the road," ordered. He watched the two of them walk out of the garage, to his truck, and he couldn't remember what he had been worried about earlier. None of that mattered because seeing his girls so excited to be a part of his life gave him hope that what he dreamed about for the future would come true. He just needed to believe.