Auto

22

Grim answered the door. Since when did Auto knock? His rude ass always—

"Hi," Tonya said breathlessly.

A flash of another woman in his arms hit him, but briefly. What was she doing here? Disbelief filled him.

"Are you crazy, little tiger?"

She pushed past him, muttering a maybe.

"How have you—what the hell?"

With surprising strength, she pulled his sleeves up. "Grim!"

"Tommy," He corrected her absently, jerking away from her. "Why the d**k are you here, anyway?"

"Why the d**k? Who the f**k says why the d**k?"

"Watch ya mouth woulda? Whaddya doing here anyway?"

Tonya shrugged sheepishly. "I missed you. I haven't seen you in...like forever. I wanted make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," was his gruff response. "Now go home."

"No!" She protested,

Grim growled. “I wasn't asking.”

Tonya studied the tall man in front of her. He seemed so sad. So lonely. Each crease on his forehead, each s***h on his wrists felt like arrows to her heart.

Was it wrong to care about him? After...what happened?

“I wasn't listening,” she retorted, going deeper into his house.

Grim gaped at her back. How could she just act like nothing happened? Why was she here?

Was she crazy?

Then Grim answered his own question with a nod. Yeah, she's outta her f*****g mind.

“I wanted a do-over.”

That snapped Grim from his thoughts to her. She nervously bit her lip, her eyes darting between his and the floor as she nervously shuffled in her place.

Did she know she was absolutely adorable?

“What the hell are you talking about?” Grin asked.

Tonya just shrugged, letting her eyes drop to the carpet, messing with her fingers.

“I want a do-over.”

Grim didn't even want to consider that she meant what he thought she meant.

“I'm calling Frankie on you," He threatened.

That made Tonya glare at him. “You better not you jerk. She'll kill me.”

Grim crossed his arms. “Maybe you should take that as a sign.”

Tonya huffed. “I'm grown. Much as I love her, Frankie isn't my Mama.”

She's my big sister who will absolutely kill me for being here alone, she added on her mind.

“Well then, I'll call your Mama.”

“Don't you dare!”

The fear in her eyes made him laugh. Well now he knew what to say when he wanted her to leave him alone.

Which was never.

“Tommy,” She rolled his name off her tongue softly, tenderly.

It made him sick. Did she forget that quickly? What he did to her?

“What?”

“I want you to make love to me,” She said strongly, but quietly. “I want you to erase what happened. And—”

Grim flushed in fury. “Erase?” He repeated incredulously. “You want me to erase the fact that I raped you?”

Tonya stood her ground, staving off a flinch.

“I want you, and I know that wasn't you. Honestly, it would help me alot. And I think it would help you too.”

Grim clenched his jaw.

Would it? Did it matter? It was wrong.

“Go home, little tiger,” he commanded tiredly, walking past her.

“I want you.”

Grim stopped in his tracks.

Tonya continued.

“I want to move forward. I need you to show me who you are. Not what you could be. Please.”

Grim closed his eyes, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“You want me? Need me? After everything I've done?”

They both know that was a rhetorical question. They both knew the answer.

***

Auto sighed. “I'm gonna take the boys to Grim's. I need to talk to him, and you need a break.”

Frankie was emotionally, and mentally exhausted so she conceded.

“Alright. Be back soon.”

Auto stared at his woman sadly. “I will, baby. Get some sleep.”

“Let me fix the diaper bag for you,” Frankie got up.

Auto knew she needed a bit of a break. They had a long road ahead.

“Actually, how about this: I'll take the boys to Grim's, and then tomorrow I'll take them out, go to Marble's or something. And then I'll be home by lunch?”

Frankie had never been away from her boys for a whole day.

Noticing her frown, Auto reassured her. “If anything seems remotely off, I will call you. And if you don't answer I'll come home.”

Frankie was so stressed out, she couldn't think. They had some big decisions to make. Maybe she just needed a minute to relax.

“Okay.”

Frankie went to pack an overnight bag.

While she did that, Auto took the baby monitor and snuck into their bathroom.

He'd went and Bath and Body Works to get a whole bunch of spa essentials. Though it was awkward, he felt good.

He started a nice hot bath, put in a bath bomb, vanilla. The he set up the new sss Echo he'd bought so she could play music. He even lit some candles.

The he got a bottle of wine, a cup and last but not least Frankie. By the time he'd come to get her, she was just finishing getting everything she thought the boys might need.

“Frankie,” he called.

The boys were sleep. Even though Auto made two cribs, the boys didn't like to sleep apart. They didn't like to be apart period. They both slept far more soundly when they were together.

The two babies hugged, as their mother stood over their crib, smiling softly, rubbing their cheeks.

Auto stood behind her, his hands around her waist as they admired their children.

Frankie leaned back on the strong chest behind her. She reveled in his arms.

He was her rock.

“I've got a surprise for you,” he whispered.

Reluctantly, she tore away from her boys. Could she handle a day without them?

They left the room, turning up the baby monitors.

Auto held her hand, leading her to the bathroom. Frankie was confused.

“What is—” Frankie gaped.

“Surprise!”

Then she was crying again.

“Oh my God, Jason!”

“Do you like?”

“I love!”

Auto grinned, helping her undress.

“Come, get in the water.” he helped her ease into the tub. She sighed in relaxation right away.

Why didn't she think of this?

“I got you Alexa, that way you can you listen to music, without dropping your phone in water,” He explained.

It was times like this, Frankie really didn't know why she was so opposed to marriage. They were even married and her Jason was husband goals.

“Oh, and you can call me if you need. Or anyone. I hooked it up to your phone, so just say Alexa, Call Jason. Try it.”

“Alexa, Call Jason.”

Auto's phone rang. Frankie's grin widened. Alexa was her new best friend.

Auto poured some wine in a glass and handed it to her. Then he got on his knees, and helped her out her hair up.

“I want you to relax. If you need me to come home, just call or text. Alexa does that too, by the way. Okay?”

Frankie nodded, sipping her wine. She began to mellow out, her cares fading away for a time.

“Oh, one more thing: I downloaded Dexter. The whole show just in case you wanted to binge it.”

She'd been trying to watch Dexter forever! Everyone always talked about it, and she wanted to know if it was as good as people said.

As it turned out, Auto was much better with technology than she was.

“Thank you!” She sighed contentedly with a smile.

“Anything for you. I'm gonna go get the boys and bring them in for a kiss goodnight.”

Frankie nodded, sliding down in the water.

Then it hit her. Damn, she loved that man. She smiled. She loved him. She really did. And he loved her. He showed it in everything he did.

“I'm gonna tell him,” she said to the empty bathroom.

When Auto came back, he held Tommy tightly, getting on his knees, so that Frankie could give him a kiss.

She kissed his head. “Mommy loves you, Tommy.” His eyes fluttered only briefly, making Frankie worry again.

“Have fun with Daddy and Uncle Tommy okay?”

Tommy smiled. Frankie felt relieved.

Auto put him in the car seat at the door, and brought J.R in. Doing the same thing, Frankie said her goodbyes.

Auto put his sleeping body in his car seat.

Lastly, he came in to say goodnight.

“Alright babe. Is there anything you need before I go? Anythin—”

“I love you.”

Auto blanked. “Who me?”

Frankie grinned rolling her eyes. “Yes, you.”

“Couldn't be.”

“Then who?”

Auto burst out laughing at their antics, Frankie following.

“I love you,” Auto smiled softly.

“And I love you,” Frankie said.

Auto bent down and gave her kiss.

“Send me a picture.”

Frankie kissed him, and then smooshed his face. “Get outta here you perv.”

“Only for you,” He said standing.

“Alexa,” he called as he walked out. “Dim the lights.”

The last thing he said?

“Alexa, remind Frankie I love her every hour.”

Alexa confirmed that reminder.

Frankie melted.