Chapter 17

Azalea’s POV.

Five Years Later...

I removed the crust from the sandwiches and began to pack them up. I added some fruits and a few snacks, then closed off the lunchbox. I had prepared breakfast, got lunch ready, and even tidied the house a little. Now for the hardest part of the day: waking up my daughter.

She wasn’t exactly the friendly type in the morning. I’ve made someone grumpier than myself in the mornings. I knocked softly on the door before entering the bedroom. Lynn’s nursery had changed completely. She liked butterflies, pink, blue, clouds, and teddy bears with cowboy hats. I tried to keep her away from that countryside life, I didn’t want her to know about my past for as long as I could keep it a secret. But lately, she had been picking those types of books from the bookstores, and I couldn’t deny her books. What kind of mother would I be?

Lynn was a strong-headed, gentle, loving little girl, but God forbid you do something to upset her. She has no problem putting people back in their places, and I was hoping to raise a strong woman, but I had to make sure she was a respectful one too. She was a little over four, and she had flipped my life upside down. She was my tiny best friend, and it was almost as if I had known her my entire life. Motherhood is one crazy thing. A beautiful, deep, crazy thing.

I couldn’t have been more honored that it was Lynn who got me on this journey.

I turned on the lights that were in the shape of clouds and walked over to open up her curtains to allow some light into the room. When the sun rays entered the room, Lynn groaned and turned around, facing her teddy bear with her other hand clutching onto her blanket.

I smiled and walked over to her. I laid down next to her as best as I could in a toddler’s bed. I began to gently rub her arm and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“Lynn, baby girl, you’ve got to wake up now,” I whispered to her and cuddled her close into my chest. She smelled of the fruity kids' body wash she used, she refused to use anything but that one because of the pretty packaging.

“Nooooo, I don’t wanna,” Lynn whined and tried to move around, but there wasn’t much to move around on.

“Lynn, I’m serious, we’re gonna be late,” I reminded her, running my fingers through her hair gently now. I gently massaged her head to get her to wake up. There was a whole routine to waking this girl up.

“Mama, Lynn is tired,” she sassed and closed her eyes on me. So much damn sass in one tiny body.

“Lynn, if you don’t get up now, we’ll miss Grandma Ada on the way down,” I reminded her. From the day she was born, she was introduced to Ada. Ada accepted her just as her own grandchild. Clara had a baby girl too, Nerissa. Ada always referred to Lynn and Nerissa as her granddaughters in public, and many assumed she was indeed her biological granddaughter. You wouldn’t even know she wasn’t based on how well Ada took care of her.

It was safe to say that Lynn loved that woman.

“She’s going out of town, remember? If she doesn’t see you, how will she remember to give you money for the ice cream truck?” I reminded Lynn, knowing exactly what the outcome of this would be.

That got Lynn to listen. She instantly got up and began to tug at her blanket in an attempt to make her bed. I smirked to myself and began to help her make the bed.

“Come on, Mama, we’ll be late,” Lynn grabbed my hand with her tiny one and tugged me to the bathroom. Suddenly I was the one who had to make haste; it was no longer Mama waiting on Lynn but Lynn waiting on Mama. Silly girl.

“Coming, sweetheart,” I laughed and followed right behind her. I knew exactly what time Ada would leave, and we still had enough time to get ready.

Once we were both ready, I helped her with her bag and led the way outside. Just as I locked the door behind me, the one ahead of us opened up and Ada gasped at the sight of Lynn.

“There’s my precious angel,” Ada smiled and walked over instantly. She lowered herself to Lynn’s level and smiled at the little girl. “Your bows look so lovely,” Ada complimented, carefully touching them. She was the one who had gotten her those bows, of course.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Lynn smiled and reached for Ada’s hands. She looked up at the woman with the cutest look ever, but her lips were pouty as she asked, “Do you have to go?”

“Yes, honey, I have more grandbabies too, and they live out of state,” Ada explained gently and caressed her face. Nerissa had two cousins in a different state, they visited once. They were a bit older but sweet kids regardless. “You got to see me so many days, it’s only fair they get a bit of me too, right?” Ada asked, speaking so clearly and understanding to Lynn.

“You’ll come back?” Lynn asked, looking down at her feet.

“Of course, I will,” Ada promised, tipping her chin up. “Who else will hunt Mr. Whiskers with me?” she asked with a mischievous smile. Mr. Whiskers was the cat that Ada looked after, but he was a stray cat that just stopped by for food, and treats, and occasionally cuddled with them before going back outside.

“Okay,” Lynn smiled, seemingly convinced that Ada wouldn’t forget her.

“Here’s some money for the ice cream truck, there’s enough for all the three Sundays I’ll be gone,” Ada handed her some cash, which Lynn accepted eagerly.

“Thank you, Grandma,” Lynn grinned and looked down at the money, then hugged Ada once more.

“Be good to Mama and keep an eye on the apartment and Mr. Whiskers for me, okay?” Ada asked as she squeezed her, then got up.

“Aye aye!” Lynn grinned and looked over at me. She gave me her money to bestow safely, which I did. This was enough to buy at least five popsicles.

“Be careful, and here’s a gift for your daughter-in-law,” I said as I handed a nice-smelling candle to Ada. Clara had helped me out with this one, and I was sure it would be loved because Josie, the daughter-in-law, loved these types of things.

“Oh, she’ll love it!” Ada gushed.

We said our goodbyes, then I headed out to drop Lynn at daycare. These few weeks Ada is staying away are going to be rough. I always take Lynn to work with me, but for the first three hours after daycare, she and Nerissa both get picked up by their grandma to spend some time with her. Now I had to enroll Lynn into the evening program as well. My lunch break was spent driving to pick her up.

“Be good, I love you,” I kissed her face, then let go as she ran off to go play with the other kids.

****

I arrived at work and parked out back from the strip club. It was my designated spot, and I’ve been working at this strip club since the moment I was ready to work. With the courses I had finished, I was able to do some administration work, but there wasn’t much to do. This was a high-end strip club where the owner already had enough people filling that role. The owner, Dante, was kind enough to help me out. He had me take some mixology classes and turned me into one of his best bartenders.

I knew this wasn’t an ideal place to work, but it fit my schedule perfectly, and I was allowed to take Lynn out the back and into the staff-only room where she got to play and study because Dante’s own child was there as well. He knew this place was not fit for a child, but he didn’t want his child too far away, so this arrangement worked for both of us because Lynn happened to be a great friend.

I clocked in and began to manage the storage. There were definitely some deliveries pending, and I made sure we got everything we needed. Next weekend we had a special event, which meant more clients, and I needed to be sure I could give each and every one of them the drink their heart desired.

“Andrew, can you make sure the ice gets refilled, and where are the limes?” I asked, looking around for them. I had to start chopping some up because soon enough there would be more people, and I thrived on serving quick and great drinks.

“Uhm, I forgot them in the back. I’ll grab them right away,” he promised, and I just smiled and picked up the next task to do.

“Can I have a scotch?” An older man asked. He came in on a daily basis, even when it was a slow day, he was to be found. He surprisingly wasn’t a creep despite being in a strip club. He was always respectful and only drank his heart out before tipping and leaving. I didn’t know his story, but something told me that it wasn’t a pleasant one, given how he drank his sorrows away.

“Of course,” I smiled and grabbed his favorite bottle to pour him some.

He paid, tipped, smiled, and took his drink to sit elsewhere. I wish I had more clients like him; he never asked anything personal and was always respectful. Over half of my clients would demand an answer and a dance from me as if they didn’t understand the difference in jobs. If I wanted to give lap dances, I wouldn’t be behind this counter.

My eyes drifted to the door as it opened up, and I froze in place. No, no, no.

What is he doing here? He’s supposed to be on the Belt.