"Grape mommy!" Joseph excitedly shrieked. Toni huffed as she opened the bag of grapes for the thousandth time that day. She handed it to him and watched in amusement as he slobbered over it and stuffed it into his mouth. "You're too old to have your slobber all over your food."
"I'm home," Toni heard after the front door closed.
She winced at the sound of his voice, hating that he was home so early.
"Hey honey," she so sweetly said but oh so fakely meant it.
"Whatever," he groaned.
"Grape!" Joseph said once again. Toni lightly giggled, handing him another one.
"Why does he fucking talk?" Kyle hissed, sitting down in front of his dinner plate.
"He's a developing baby."
"I just got home from hearing Aurora cry her eyes out."
"Rory is a lovely baby," she argued. The one time she met the baby was like an eye opener. Her crazy mother and abusive father could actually make something sweet and that's just what she was. At only four months old at the time, Rory gave Toni her biggest toothless smile as she patted her own cheeks. Now that she was nearly one year old and very active, the baby was seeking attention and was willing to cry to get it.
"Not when she's always crying and so needy."
"You shouldn't have gotten Raquel pregnant," She snapped, throwing the dishrag into the sink.
Toni's wrist was gripped and her body yanked around. "What did you say?" Kyle lowly growled.
"You're hurting me," Toni whimpered, cowering away from Kyle's harsh grip.
"What. Did. You. Say?"
"I-I said you shouldn't have gotten Raquel pregnant." Kyle released her wrist to use that hateful hand to strike her across the face. Toni fell at the force of the blow and let out a low sob at the sting.
"No one asked for your smart mouth."
***
"Say grandma," Kelsey cooed. "Mama" Joseph giggled back. "Not mama, grandma."
"He is saying grandma...well his best way of saying it," Toni smiled.
"He's such a beautiful little boy" Kelsey awed.
"Yeah," Toni whispered, looking away from the scene. She sniffled a bit and wiped a tear away.
"Nica?" her mother said, her voice filled with concern.
"You used to call me that when I was a baby," Toni sadly smiled.
"You're still my baby."
She let out a sob and crumpled into her seat on the couch. "I think I'm pregnant."
Kelsey left Joseph to play with his mini ball and took a seat next to Toni. "That's great, Antonia."
"No it's not!" Toni cried out, startling Joseph and making him cry. She got out of her seat and picked him up, bouncing him up and down in her arms to silence him.
"You might be bringing another life into this world. What's so bad about that?"
"Because Kyle's a...a monster" Toni whispered, trying to gulp down her fears.
"Antonia..."
"I don't love him, mom," she pleaded, looking into her mother's eyes for some kind of sympathy.
That's what she found.
"I know," Kelsey mumbled, looking down at her fingers on her lap.
Toni sat in her seat again with Joseph on her lap facing her. He was playing with Toni's necklace, making an 'O' of wonder with his mouth.
YOU ARE READING
On the Court #Wattys2015
RomanceThe color of his skin didn't matter. With his heart on his sleeve and panty-melting smile, she fell for him. * "I appreciate the effort but you're still not getting any." "We'll see." * A few hook ups and maybe some love along the way, Toni and Dar...
