I tossed my head back and laughed so loud it hurt my stomach. Evander grimaced at his daughter then shook his head. “Damn, am I that old and ugly?”
“I mean you dress nice, Daddy but…” Frankie’s face said it all. She had no idea what the appeal was between me and her father. That was fine by me though because kids didn’t need to understand everything.
I stood to my feet and walked over to Evander, linking our fingers together. “You’re not old or ugly, Evander.” I popped up on the balls of my feet and kissed his cheek.
“I have to actually see things like this regularly?” She gestured to me and Evander holding hands.
“Yeah. I’m afraid so, sweetheart.”
“No offense, Dad but you’re so old. How do you not see this, Xari?”
“I never thought about his age, honestly,” I told her. It was the truth too. It was the farthest thing from my mind.
“Okay,” Frankie pressed her hands to her cheeks and blinked a few times like she was committing something important to memory. “I guess I have to deal with this…right?” She asked.
“Yeah. There’s no way around it, kiddo,” Evander said.
“Well, then I owe you guys an apology for the way I’ve been acting this week and at the wedding.” She plucked at her cuticles then nibbled on her lip. “I was really mad. It felt like I was going to lose the only friend I have because of this.” She gestured to us.
“Oh, Frankie…” I moved to sit beside her. I had to hug her. I wrapped her in my arms and she laid her head on my shoulder. “I told you, we’re stuck together. You can’t get rid of me.”
“But now you’ll be all over Dad all the time.” Her pout was evident, and even though she was twelve, it was still very adorable.
“It won’t be like that, Frankie.” Evander sat on the other side of her and stretched his long arm around us both. “Things will still be the same. You might wanna knock on my bedroom door and get your mind wrapped around seeing us kiss sometimes or hold hands but the relationship you’ve built with Xari won’t change at all.”
Evander had a way with words on and off the page. Frankie’s uncertain eyes warmed when she heard her daddy talk. It made my heart skip a beat.
“Our relationship won’t change either.” He kissed her temple gently. “We just gained a new family member, that’s all.”
“You think you can live with that, Frank?” I nudged her with my elbow and she nodded.
“Good. Now, go put on your shoes. We’re doing movies at midnight and then IHOP,” Evander said before he stood to his feet.
“Are we celebrating your new girlfriend?” She asked a warm smile spread across her cute face. It wasn’t harsh or pointed. It was easy and happy. I loved seeing her happy.
“No...I’ll explain on the way,” he sighed.
…
TWENTY-FIVE
My knees bumped against the table in the family mediator’s office. They didn’t have many tall men come in and sit down. I pushed away from the table and rested my ankle on my knee. I looked at my watch then at the door. Where the hell was Alexis?
No sooner than the thought popped into my head did she walk through the door. She was decked out in Louis Vuitton from head to toe with Cartier diamonds sparkling in her ears, around her neck, and on her fingers. She got to keep all the jewelry I’d gifted her while we were married and it felt like she was throwing it right back in my face. I watched her touch the studs in her ear and check her watch before smiling at me.
“Hello, Evander.” I knew she had some bullshit up her sleeve because usually, she called me Van. Evander meant there was a world of drama waiting for me.
I knew I could expect theatrics from her but what I wasn’t expecting was for my father to walk through the door right behind her. I opened my mouth then closed it, unsure of what to say.
“Son,” Dad nodded at me before taking a seat at the head of the table like he owned the building.
“What the hell are you doing here with Alexis, Dad? This is a family mediator’s office. Not family counseling.”
“She is my daughter in law.”
“Ex,” I said swiftly, holding a stiff finger in the air.
“In any event, she is the mother of my grandchild and she has concerns about Frankie’s well-being with that…girl as her nanny and your new plaything.”
“You’re shitting me. Alexis, are you that fucking petty? You brought my dad into this just to agree with your warped point of view?” A headache bloomed between my eyes.
“He’s here for moral support and to agree with my concerns because let’s face it, nobody knows what poor Francesca sees when she’s holed up in that house with you and that bitch.”
“Her name is Xari and you’re lucky we’re in a public place and I can’t put either one of you out.”
“Whatever. She’s unfit to be around my daughter.” Alexis sat down and crossed her legs. A smug smirk curved her pink lips.
I kept my mouth shut because if I opened it, I knew a bunch of expletives would jump out. When the mediator, Mrs. Reyes, walked in, she glanced around the rectangular table and exhaled.
“And who do we have here with us today, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman?” I hated that Alexis refused to let my last name go. I didn’t want her to have any more ties to me once we split up. We had Frankie and she was enough.
Besides, one day…I wanted to give Xari my last name.
“Hello, my name is Warren Freeman, I’m Evander’s father and Francesca’s grandfather. I didn’t catch your name?” Dad flashed Mrs. Reyes a smile because no woman alive could resist his charm.
“I didn’t throw it,” the mediator said, taking a seat at the other end of the table. “Sir, if you wouldn’t mind stepping into the waiting area while I speak with Evander and Alexis.”
“I’m here for moral support and to also voice my concerns about…”
“Well, that’s lovely,” she said, cutting him off. “But we don’t need any extra conflict here.”
“Exactly,” I huffed.
“Oh, you didn’t call your father in here?” Mrs. Reyes turned to me and blinked in disbelief.
“Hell no.”
“I thought since he was your dad that you had him come in support of you.”
“No, Mrs. Reyes. I know better than to make your job harder than it already is,” I winked and laughed a little, and color rose to the apples of her cheeks.
“It’s okay.” Her stern gaze was now focused on Alexis. “Mrs. Freeman, can you refrain from having additional, unplanned guests join us? It’ll make our time together a lot smoother.”
“Sure. I just thought it would be helpful to hear Dad’s side of things too. We’re both concerned.”
“That may be true but Evander’s father does not have custody of Francesca. I will hear your concerns when Mr. Freeman, the older one, is out of the office.” The awkward silence that followed was laughable. Dad had to scoot that chair back and walk out because he didn’t run everything everywhere.
Once the door was closed, Mrs. Reyes looked between Alexis and me. “Okay, now tell me what brings us here today, Mrs. Freeman?”