Page 10 of Out of Bounds (Atlanta Demon Series #4)

“Thank y’all.” I smiled. “Genuinely, thank you guys for showing up.”

Grabbing my hand, Jream gave it a light squeeze. “We’re your family, Masai. We will always show up for you.”

Koya and Jream coming over was the distraction I needed, even if it was only temporary.

I needed this because the silence in the house was depressing, and at some point, I had to stop crying.

I needed to pick up the pieces and figure out my next move.

This interruption of my slope into depression was necessary.

My girls had given me a moment to breathe in the sphere I’d created with no air since discovering what Kreed had done.

That moment of solace came to an end when it was time for me to pick up my kids.

I’d promised Maddie Claire that I was coming to get them this morning, and I didn’t want to let them down.

It had been four days since my husband’s infidelity was brought into the light, and I was still in my feelings.

My night with Jream and Koya gave me a little reprieve, but the minute they left, the silence was back, and so was the ache and airless bubble.

I’d allowed myself to suffer long enough. It was time for me to put my ill feelings aside and bring my kids home. Using my old key, I unlocked the door to my mom’s home and pushed it opened. Charleigh Anne was coming down the hallway, and once she spotted me, she took off running in my direction.

“Mommy!” she yelled.

When she was within arm’s reach, I picked her up and spun her around. “Boo boo… I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you more. Nana said you wasn’t coming until later.”

“I know, but I missed you guys so much, I decided to cut my day short.” Placing her on the ground, I peppered kisses on her cheeks. “Where’s your sisters?”

“Outside. Nana sent me inside for Kree’s iPad.”

“Go ahead and grab it. I’m gonna go see everybody.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Smoothing out my shirt, I sighed before going out back with the rest of the gang.

One by one, my girls ran up to me. The first ten minutes of my arrival were filled with them telling me how much they’d missed me.

They were asking for Kreed and wondering if I was taking them home.

The innocence of their longing to be with their parents tugged at my heart, but I kept a brave face and said what was needed to keep the energy high.

After answering all of their questions, I grabbed my baby boy off the ground and held him in my arms. Sitting in the chair next to my mother, I watched the girls turning flips in the grass.

“What was it?” my mom asked from beside me. “You caught him cheating?”

“I didn’t catch him. She came to me.”

“Umph.” She huffed. “How bad is it?”

“A little boy named Kreed Jr. Six months old.”

“That bad, huh?” she speculated.

“That bad.” I nodded.

“How you feeling ’bout all of it?”

“I’m numb, for starters.”

“That’s to be expected. You just found out your husband cheated and produced an outside child. The bigger question is, are you staying?”

“God, no.” I snorted. “I’m not crazy enough to stay. I would never have any peace. Every time he left the house, I would be questioning if he was going to see her or his son. That shit would drive me fucking crazy.”

“I understand. I would also understand if you chose to forgive him and stay.”

“What?” I groused.

“I would. He’s the father of your children, Masai. He’s the only man that you’ve been with.”

“He is not the only man I’ve been with,” I responded.

He might’ve been the only one I’d been in a relationship with, but he wasn’t the only one.

He’s just the one that I chose. Had I been able to look into the future, I would’ve chosen somebody else to save myself from the last four days.

I fell for the dream he sold me, and it’s come back to bite me in the ass tenfold.

“Either way… your life didn’t begin when you got with Kreed, and it doesn’t end with you leaving him, if that’s what you decide to do.”

“I know it doesn’t. I’ve gotta figure out what my next move is, though.”

“I think you should go back to work. Kreed and the kids were the only reason you stopped to begin with. You’ve done a great job being a supportive wife and a loving mother.

It’s time for Masai to do something for herself.

You wanted to start your own practice, and I say there is no time like the present. ”

“That’s a good idea, and I would love to go back to work. But Mom… I’m so out of practice. I haven’t been an attorney in, what… like eight or nine years?” I sighed.

Getting my Juris Doctor was one of my greatest moments.

As my mom said, the goal had always been to start my own practice.

When Kreed and I had Charleigh Anne, we agreed that my being home would be more beneficial for the family.

I walked away from my dream job to be his backbone and the girls’ mom.

Initially, I was thinking I would stop practicing for a few years, and once the girls got older, I would go back.

It seemed like after Charleigh Anne was born, the kids just kept coming, and when I looked up, I was a mother of five.

There was no way I could step back into the workforce and leave my kids in the care of a nanny.

The money wasn’t an issue, but my sanity was.

I know most women in my position did what was necessary, but I wasn’t a fan of letting another person raise my children.

Therefore, my career, goals, and dreams eventually fell to the side.

“Law was your life at one point. I really think you should go back. Find a firm that will let you practice under them and start out small.”

“The kids, Mom… Who’s gonna watch the kids?”

“School is getting ready to start back, and three of them will be there. Put Aurora in Pre-K, even if it’s only for a few hours. I’ll watch Kree. We can make it work, Masai,” she responded, sounding like she had already been thinking about it before the blow-up of Kreed’s actions.

“Okay… so say we do that, I don’t even know if I could find a firm that will hire me. I spent less than three years practicing law. Mom, when I say I’m rusty, I am.” I laughed.

Of course, I would love to go back to work.

That would help me develop some individuality.

Hell, I could show my girls that there is more to life than letting a man take care of you.

I want my girls to be able to stand on their own with or without a man.

After all, men lie, including their father.

They fuck up and leave you exactly where I was—contemplating your life from plans you’d made almost fifteen years ago.

“All I hear are a bunch of excuses, Masai. I think you’re scared—scared to put yourself out there because you’ve had Kreed as a crutch for so many years. You’re on your way to being a single mom.”

“I’ll never be a single mom ,” I clarified. “I’ll be single, for sure, but my kids have an active father. Kreed might’ve fucked up, but he’s an excellent provider. I don’t have to work because he’s going to continue to pay the bills at the house. But the idea of working sounds refreshing.”

“How do you know Kreed’s going to keep it normal?” she asked and cocked her head to the side, awaiting my answer.

“I just do, Mom.”

“Regardless!” she huffed. “I raised you to have your own. You owe it to yourself and to them.” She tipped her head towards my girls. “Do something for Masai, baby. Even if you practice part-time, I still think you should look into it.”

Looking out into the yard at my girls, I understood everything my mom was telling me. She’d made some valid points, and I think the fear of not succeeding was the reason I was hesitant. After a bout of silence, I finally uttered, “I’ll start fresh on Monday and see what firms are hiring.”

My mom smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”

My decision to go back to work would pose an issue with Kreed.

He was dead set on my staying home with the kids.

I’m sure I would get some pushback when he finds out, but his opinions are no longer valid since he’s the reason for all of this.

As my mom said, it’s time for me to do something for myself for once, in spite of how anyone feels.

I didn’t ruin my marriage or the plans we had for our life—Kreed did.