𝑻 𝑯 𝑬 𝑵 𝑨 𝑵 𝑵 𝒀 (18+)

twenty-five

                                   AMARA

I never really believed in fate or the right person, wrong time. I liked to think if someone was supposed to be in your life then there would be no reason for them to leave it. If they were really the person for you, why would they come at the wrong time? My mom and I went back and forth on that until the day that she died. She loved romance and she loved my dad but she never fully thought that she was the right person for him. If she was, she wouldn't have gotten sick. If she was, she wouldn't have left him with a daughter and debt he could hardly manage. If she was the right person for him, she'd still be here with us right now.

My father was never interested in finding love after my mother. On the contrary, he thought that no matter how short their time together was, she was the woman he was meant to find. She gave him years, not enough, but they filled him completely and devastated him all the same. I wouldn't have been mad at him if he had decided to move on. Everyone needed someone and while she may not have been her he could still learn to love another. My mother wouldn't hate him for it, I wouldn't hate him for it. I wanted my dad to be happy more than anything. Even if that meant finding someone new.

I guess he always thought I'd have a problem with it no matter how many times I encouraged him to start going on dates. I imagined that's what it was like for Dominic as well. Friends and family alike all encouraged him to get back out there and find love again. Part of him probably wants to but the other half is thinking about what it would do to the two little boys sitting across from him at the dinner table. It wasn't like they didn't already have another woman tucking them in at night or reading them bedtime stories and holding them when they cried. They had, but it was different. Josh and Jamie understood that I was employed by their father and while caring about them wasn't a part of the deal taking care of them was. This was my job and while I loved them, they knew I wasn't replacing their mother.

"No, no, still single. Don't think I'm ready to get back into that anytime soon," Dom laughed nervously. He'd been doing that a lot tonight, laughing. "I'm just the same, after Amara's mother died I decided that was it for me." My father sighed while taking a sip of his beer. "It's hard to find another when you've already found the one."

Dominic's face wound up in a slurry of emotions I couldn't place before he settled with one. Contentment. He dragged his hand along his chin like he always did while he was thinking before he looked at me, briefly and concentrated. "Yeah, I hear ya," he finally answered before digging into his plate. A nice way of disagreeing because he didn't want to have that kind of conversation with his nanny's father.

"Close your mouth while you're eating Josh," I lightly tapped his hand with a napkin and frowned. "Ow, Dad! Are you gonna yell at her for that?" He turned to his father pouting. Dominic with a mouthful of rice shook his head and covered his mouth, "She barely touched you kid but she's right. It's not polite to eat with your mouth open."

"Yeah, but you're eating with your mouthful!" He rolled his eyes at his father.

I swear it was like they'd completely forgotten my father was here at the table. Before all of the second chance at love talk, none of them bothered to act any differently or hold back on any conversation topics. Joshua was rowdier than usual but aside from that they treated my father just like they treated me. Honestly, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Jamie, are you all done? I'll take your plate." I wiped my mouth before standing from the table. Dominic watched me shaking his head, "You don't have to do that Amara I'll get it."

"Amara's putting the dishes away so she doesn't get in trouble with her dad," Josh teased me and I rolled my eyes. "I always put your plates in the sink, but you can do it yourself tonight if that's what you'd like." I smiled, ruffling his hair.