Delusional Love

Chapter 26: Epilogue

"Papa, come quick! I wanna show you something!"

"Yea, yea, yea. One sec kid I'm helping your brother." DaKarie called but was distracted, looking over the entire wall of legos with an incredulous look.

Max was stifling his laughs behind him, arms draped in front of their 7 year old son who kept badgering on about the toy he wanted.

"Kid this is 80 fucki-

"Karie." Max interjected. DaKarie turned around, gesturing wildly. "80 bucks man, you believe that?! So you can build a motorcycle your probably gonna lose the pieces to in a week." He looked to his son who remained determined.

"How about I buy you a real motorcycle, bruh? Hell at this rate, it might be cheaper!"

Derek called again from down one of the toy aisles.
"On my way kid!" He turned around to Max and Braxton. The father whispered conspicuously to the boy who nodded in agreement, looking up with narrowed eyes.

"I earned this. I worked all summer in Grandma's yard and I worked hard." Max shook his shoulders, hyping him up.

DaKarie squared down to the lil bastards level. "Brax, son." He gave a gentle smile, brushing a hand over the kids fade. "You plucked weeds all summer. That's what you did."

"Yeah. That's what you payed me to do." Brax glared, reaching his hand out. "So pay up."

"This moth-.." Max burst into laugher behind their son, putting his head to the kids back who still didn't budge. He had that stubborn ass look on his face.

Karie scratched at his beard, looking to the bullshit toy then back to the kid. "I do this for you, your not getting a damn thing for your birthday."

"Worth it." Braxton smirked, no hesitation. Badass lil kid.

He rolled his eyes, rubbing at the boys head. Brax tsked, combing down his hair with a little hand as soon as DaKarie left. Like father like son.

"Alright chamaco, ready? 1, 2-

DaKarie watched form the corner of his eye as Max lifted him high in the air towards the shelf. The boy giggled mad. Karie shook his head, beginning his search.

"Yo lil man." He halted before the pink little girls section. Derek stood in the center of the aisle, his big brown curls covering his forhead and the little high tops he'd got him with its laces all over the place.

Derek never remembered to tie them no matter how many times he was reminded.

"What're you doing kid?" DaKarie stepped forward, glancing over the aisle absently. "Nothin papa." He didn't look at his dad as he spoke. His eyes remained glued on a pink plastic makeup kit in the shape of a little purse.

"What a-...what are you doing over here? You figure out what you wanna get yet?"

Derek's hands rubbed together in front of him whenever he got nervous and he began to do so now. He'd always had trouble getting his words out. It was fucking adorable but it was a little worrying sometimes.

Karie rubbed the his shoulder soothingly, helping him along. With what Derek took as encouragement, he glanced at his Pops briefly before lunging for the purse.

Even Dakarie could tell how crappy the 10 dollar pack of makeup and hair clips were but that wasn't exactly what concerned him.

"Derek, come on. We'll go get you something you really want. Something that'll..last longer or something."

"Papa."  The huge grin Derek had as soon as his finger tips had touched it had vanished in a split second. He gave his best puppy dog eyes.

"You said we could get what we wanted for helping Grandma Kathy. You said if we're responsible- I just want this. It's not that much money, really!" The boy gave a lopsided smile, holding up the plastic so the tag was now in his fathers face.