Omar glanced at the seat next to him. Xiomara had her eyes close, her head leaning back against the headrest. He lifted his hand from the gearbox to squeeze her exposed knee. A small moan escaped her luscious lips, but she didn't wake.

For dinner tonight she had chosen to wear a short skirt that flared out at her hips and left the lower part of her legs bare. He really liked her taste in clothes, and now that he'd gotten a chance to think about it, he didn't want her wearing any of the things Natalya ordered.

Not that Natalya had horrible taste, but Xiomara deserved to have her own things. Her style was too beautiful for her not to show it off. Even with the pregnancy cramping her style, she'd managed to look absolutely beautiful tonight. And he'd told her so, but instead of accepting his compliment, she'd been worried about how tight her shirt was.

"I feel like my boobs are on full display," she said. "I need to get myself some new bras."

After her comment he'd been unable to keep his eyes off her cleavage. He loved how honest she was when talking to him. He never wanted her to think twice about speaking her mind, and yet at the same time he'd had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from offering to buy her new clothes. She would have rejected that offer, the same way she'd rejected his offer to have her move in with him.

Later that night she'd gone on to prove him right. If she wasn't ready to accept a simple meal from him, then a whole new wardrobe was out of the question.

"What are you having?" he asked so that he could gave their order to the waitress when the time came.

"The grilled chicken breast," she said.

He nodded, but couldn't stop himself from asking, "Did you choose that because it's the cheapest thing on the menu?"

She bit down on her lip. "Why I chose it doesn't matter."

"Choose something else, baby. Something you really want to eat. Money isn't a problem. I asked you out on a date. I will pay. It's that simple. Now choose something else."

For a moment she looked uncertain, contemplating whether to change her order or not. She glanced down at the menu and then back at him. "That's exactly what I meant when I said we come from different worlds. It isn't fair."

"To whom?" The waitress came up to their table then and he motioned for her to stay back.

"To you. I can't do nice things back to you. Not only that, I like taking care of myself. I work hard for what I have, and if the chicken breast is what I can afford, then that's what I'll have."

"Xiomara, no."

"No what?"

Irritation was written all over her face, but he didn't care. He reached for her hand from across the table and dropped an open mouthed kiss on the back of her knuckles. "It would make me really happy if you would just give me a chance to be your man. If I want to spend a thousand dollars on you tonight, it's my choice. Stop fighting me on the trivial stuff."

"Trivial? What does that even mean?"

"Unimportant stuff."

"Unimportant to you maybe." She tried to pull her hand out of his hold, but he tightened his grip and narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed, eventually conceding and changing her order.

Sometime later during desert, she opened up to him about her family. He was surprised to learn that she had six siblings, including Esmeralda. She tried her best to steer the conversation away from herself and her feelings. Unfortunately for her, he was a good listener, and he picked up on a few things she wouldn't have directly disclose to him.

Her disdain toward certain decisions her mother had made was evident. She somehow blamed her mother for the situation they were in, although it wasn't clear to him what it all entailed. When asked about her dad, she'd all but shut him down, mentioning only that she didn't know him. When it came to her brother Josh and her sister Gianna, she wished that they would stop making stupid decisions that could impact their lives in a negative way later on. She adored the triplets because they were smart, and she was strongly relying on them to make something of themselves. Her sister Esmeralda was the fragile one who could do no wrong.

In the back of his mind he had to wonder, where did she fit in the equation?

Omar took his eyes off the road for a moment to stare at her. The look of serenity on her face brought a smile to his lips. She was so strong, and he respected her courage. So far she'd handled their entire situation with class. Opting to keep the baby, and then refusing to move in with him too soon was a total boss move. He was proud to have her as his woman, and he couldn't wait for his parents to meet her.

He didn't want to admit it, but it hurt him to have her go back home so soon. She'd looked mighty fine sleeping in his bed. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night to find her round bottom pressed against his crotch. One whiff of her arousing scent, and he'd been as hard as a rock. Unable to help himself, he'd ground his hips behind her while his hand had gone around her to squeeze her breast. Even in her sleep her body responded to him, her nipples peaking against his palm, but common sense had told him not to wake her up.

Now he didn't have a choice but to wake her. He didn't know her address. Despite everything in him telling him to turn the car around and bring her back home with him, he managed to nudge her shoulder until her lashes fluttered and she woke up.

"Hey, baby" he said. "I need some directions."

She yawned and looked outside and then back at him. "Keep driving."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good." She smiled at him.

"Donut too?"

"Yes, I think he's sleeping. He does that a lot."

"I didn't know babies kicked that hard," he said, referring to earlier. "When is your next checkup?"

"In a week or so. I'll be just over six months then."

"Can I join you?" He slowed down and came to a halt at a stoplight.

She looked surprised by his request, but she recovered quickly. "Yes, sure."

Her tone was flat, indifferent even, and that bothered him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

Omar glanced at her, but couldn't quite read her. She stared ahead blankly and held her chin up while her hands rested with an impassive air on her lap. He shifted gear and accelerated.

"Take a left," she said.

He took the left and they ended up in a neighborhood he'd never been in before. It was out of the way, somewhere behind God's eye. He turned on his bright lights because of how dark it was all of a sudden. Street lamps were few and far between, and the one's that were there flickered on and off. The street itself was wet, muddy brown water running over the asphalt.

More than once he was force to slow down or swerve to the side to avoid ditch landing in a pothole. So far they'd ridden pass a horse stable, a laundry, a small supermarket, and a Chinese restaurant. To his surprise he saw some decent apartments strewn in between the rubbish and overgrown lawns. Those landlords must have gotten the land at the fraction of the price of what the land for his condo probably cost, but they could have at least done something about the road. It was a driver's nightmare.

Beside him, Xiomara sat as stiff as one of  his mother's wooden spoon, the ones she used to smack him with when he was a kid. Reaching over the storage compartment between their seats, he squeezed her lap. He wanted to reassure her that the neighborhood she lived in wouldn't make him like her less, but decided against it. He just might make things even more awkward than they already were.

He focused back on the road just in time to push down hard on the brakes.

"What the hell," he muttered.

A stray dog with wide eyes and patches of fur missing stared back at him. Behind her, two hungry looking puppies ran circles between her legs. Omar took a deep breath and waited for them to walk off the road.

"It's okay," Xiomara said. "You didn't hit them."

"Do they always cross the road like that?"

"They aren't used to cars coming and going on these streets. Most of the people who live here don't own cars." Her tone was matter a fact. No emotion.

Omar took off again, but this time at a much slower pace. "So you walk this entire stretch every time you go and come from work?"

"I'm used to it," she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Besides, the exercise is good for me."

He shook his head in disbelief. "What about Esme? Does she walk this too?"

"Yes, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. People with CF need to exercise on a regular, and since we can't afford to send her to the gym, this will have to do."

What the fuck? These streets weren't safe to walk on. He couldn't see anything that remotely resembled a sidewalk. When he drove upon a group of young guys sitting on a wall with West Side graffiti scribbled on it, he automatically activated the locks. The scent of their weed smoking creeped into his car causing his nose to twitch with bad memories. A few of the men sat on bicycles. Others stood around. Omar didn't like the way they stopped to stare at the Dodge Ram as he drove pass them.

"What about those guys?" he asked. "Do they harass you?"

"No. They're like brothers, really. They look out for the neighborhood and the people who live here."

"How?"

"Gang stuff. Just a few weeks ago they shot a guy from another gang for raping a girl who grew up here."

"Wait, hold up. This is insane."

"I know."

She stared down at her lap and he wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright, but he knew that wasn't true. There were thoughts swirling around in his mind that he wasn't comfortable with. But if push came to shove, he would have no choice but to put her safety and the safety of his child first.

"You can turn around here," she said. "The car won't make it up the rest of the way. The road is even worse up there. It's all dirt and really narrow." She released her seatbelt and got ready to step out of the car.

He grabbed her arm, maybe with a little too much force. "How far is your house from here?"

She snatched her hand away from him and opened the door before climbing out.

Cursing under his breath, he followed her. They were in a parking lot outside of what looked like a utilities company. Dark exhausts permeated the air and the loud hum of several engines almost deafened him.

"Unlock the door, Omar, I need my suitcase." Xiomara tugged on the backseat's door handle with such force he was afraid the thing might just fall apart.

"Baby, talk to me. You've been in a mood this entire car ride. What's going on?"

"Open the damn door! Please." Her voice sounded loud and clear above the continuous drone of the engines in the background, but then to his utter surprise, she started to cry.

"Whoa. Where's this coming from, little one? What did I say to make you upset?" He drew her into his embrace, wrapping his muscular arms around her smaller, and much more delicate curves.

At first she didn't lean into him, but he continued to hold her, running his hand over her hair as he murmured softly into her ears. The hoarse sound of her crying and the sight of her misty eyes nearly weakened his resolve about putting her safety first, but now, more than ever, he would not stop until she moved in with him.

She sniffed and he felt her body eventually relax in his arms. He tipped her chin up and kissed her nose, and then her mouth. Using this thumb, he wiped the streaks of tears off her cheeks.

"Damn, woman, I knew you had a fire inside of you, but this came way out of left field."

A small, hesitant smile formed on her face. "I think it's the hormones."

"I think it's more than that. What aren't you telling me?"

"It's hard," she said.

"What is?"

"Having to take care of everyone. I can't make a single decision without thinking about them. I've been meaning to get myself some new clothes, but I need that money to keep us from going hungry. I hate to admit this to you, but we're poor." She bowed her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "I'm not the kind of girl you bring home to your parents."

"I would like to think it was up to me to decide who I bring home to my parents. Like I've said, money isn't a problem. I can take care of you and Donut."

"You see? That's exactly the problem."

He frowned. "I don't see how."

"Can't you see? I'm not good enough. Just like my mother wasn't good enough. Five men, seven children, and none of the father's are around to help out. Nothing says not good enough better than that."

"Xiomara, baby, you're not your mother. I'm pretty sure your mother is a good woman, so I don't even blame her. She did what she thought was best at the time to help you and your siblings. It's the lowlife men you should be angry at. They're the ones who took advantage of a desperate mother."

"She could have survived without them. She's doing it now."

"I think your mother's stronger than you give her credit for. It takes a lot of strength to open yourself up, time after time, hoping to find the guy who actually stays after he said he would."

"No, that's insanity." Xiomara swallowed hard and pointed at the car for him to unlock it.

He disengaged the locks and lifted her suitcase out of the car. "You know what I think? I think you're afraid that something good might actually come out of this. That I might be here to stay."

Xiomara paused with her hand above the handle of the suitcase. "I'm more afraid of what will happen to me if you ever leave and stop caring."

"I will always care. That's one thing you don't have to worry about." And wasn't that the truth? In fact, he was way past caring. He was floating somewhere between oceans, somewhere beyond bare responsibility and a need to keep her and the baby safe. He was crazy about her and he desired her like no other. She wasn't just sexy, she was sweet and attentive, and so selfless.

Xiomara gazed up at him with squinted eyes, as if she wasn't sure if he was real or not. She questioned everything he said, and he had no fucking clue how he was going to get rid of the lingering doubts in her mind. For now, he could only hold her near. He was here now, and maybe that counted for something.

"Let's get you home, sweetheart."  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, his fingers trailing over her neck and collarbone. "It's getting late. Your family must be worried."

"I can walk it from here. It won't take me two minutes."

He shook his head. "I'm coming with you, and that's final."

"Ugh. You don't get it do you? I don't want you to see where I live. It's no three star hotel."

"I don't care. Come on," he said, urging her forward.

She pouted, grabbed her suitcase and walked away. He fell in line next to her, and already the dust from off the street coated his expensive shoes.

Xiomara led him up a narrow passage bordered by trees and ferns on both sides. In the distance a dog barked. Overhead, fireflies lit up the sky. It was oddly peaceful. He reached for her hand and held it, needing that contact with her.

A few minutes later, they came across a small clearing with more stray dogs and a tied up goat. Up ahead, a shanty little town stared back at him, almost literally. Unknown faces peeped out through their curtains and a table of men playing dominos stop to look at them as they walked on by. Xiomara greeted them and they all answered in unison.

"Who's the stranger?" an old guy dressed in a floral shirt asked.

"None of your business, Carlos," Xiomara said.

"You know your business is our business, Mamita." Carlos grinned, showing off a row of tobacco stained teeth.

Omar nodded at the men. "Interesting fellows," he murmured.

"Yes, but they're awesome though." Xiomara stopped in front a dilapidated wire fence. "We're here."

Behind her, one of the doors belonging to a wooden apartment with peeling blue paint opened. A slender woman with a bony face and rollers in her hair stepped outside.

"Mi amor!" She ran down a trio of rickety steps, her arms wide open. Her sharp nails nearly gauged out his eyes as she dragged Xiomara into a tight embrace. "We were so worried. Is everything okay? The baby?"

"Everything's fine." Xiomara looked up at him in embarrassment. "Omar, this is Carolina, my mother. Mom, this is Omar."

Carolina straightened her back and Omar found himself staring into a pair of tired eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Carolina. Your daughter talks a lot about you."

"Are you the Omar? As in the young man who didn't use a condom and got my daughter pregnant?"

Now it was his turn to cringe. "That sounds about right."

He glanced at Xiomara, hoping to reassure her that he could handle her mother, but she didn't appear worried at all. Instead she was laughing.

That's when he knew he was in for a hell of a night.

*****

What do you think is going to happen next? Let me know in the comments.

Lorde - Royals

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