"Daddy?"

     "Yes, baby?"

     "Can I get a kitty?"

     "Sweetheart.."

      She looks up at me with her doe eyes and pouts her little lip out.

     "Pease?" She asks in her cute little voice.

     ...

     Lord-

     "Let me talk to your mommy about it, okay baby?"

     "Mkay!" Echo says, snuggling her little face into my neck as she sits on my lap.

     We were currently at my apartment, and Phoebe asked me to babysit Echo well she went to handle some issues with her school. She said she'll tell me about it when she gets back. We were laying in my bed, watching some random cartoon Echo found.

     "Daddy?"

     "Hm?"

     "What's your favorite animal?" She asks sweetly, moving her eyes from the tv.

     "Hmm. I like seahorses." She covers her mouth and giggles at this, making me smile.

     "Seahorses are little. Like me!"

     "Just like you," I say, chuckling at her while she smiles brightly at me. "What's your favorite animal, little one?"

     "I love love love bees! They're so cute and tiny and pretty. I want a pet bee. I also like deers. They are soo cute! Mommy showed me a picture of one in the snow and it was like- so cute. Like a little baby! And I like fishies. I like the black one with a scar from Nemo. He's pretty. And I also like foxes! Like the one from Zootopia! And I really love sheep. They remind me of cotton candy. Especially the ones you dye pink in Minecraft-" She rambles.

      "Okay baby, you like a lot of animals. Gotcha." We both start giggling at this. I then hear my front door open.  

     I fake gasp and look down at Echo.

     "I think your mommy is here!"

     "Yay!" She squeals before trying to jump off of my lap. I quickly tighten my hold on her so she doesn't fall and she giggles again, swinging her little legs. I stand up and move her to my hip before walking to my bedroom door.

     "Hi, sweetheart," I say to my beautiful girlfriend as we walk out the bedroom door. She looks quite stressed.

     "Hi." She says quietly, looking down.

     "Mommy!" Echo just about screams in my ear, reaching for her mom.

     "Hi, baby!" Phoebe says, her face instantly lighting up. She walks over to us and takes Echo from my arms, smothering her face with kisses.

    "Mommy! You're back! You look so pretty!" Echo squeals, hugging Phoebe tightly.

     This is too cute.

     "Thank you, baby," Phoebe coos at her. "Can you go put on a movie while daddy and I talk?"

     "Mhm!" Echo says, nodding her head proudly. Phoebe puts her down onto the floor and Echo runs off into my room, before struggling to reach the door handle.

     I walk over and open the door for her, making her giggle before running in and shutting it, but not all the way.

     When I turn back around, Phoebe was already sitting on my couch, looking stressed again.

     I walk over to her, pick her up from her spot, sit in it, and place her onto my lap.

     "What's wrong, my love?" I say, rubbing her sides.

     Her eyes begin to fill up with tears before she plops her head in my neck and starts sobbing.

     "Baby-"

❀❀❀

     "Are you okay now, sweet girl?" I say, rubbing my girl's back as she sniffles.

     She nods her head before sitting up and resting her hands on my shoulders.

    I then notice her blood-red eyes and her slightly red nose, making me sigh.

     "What's wrong, beautiful?"

     "E-echo's school! It's terrible. T-they've been neglecting her and I never noticed. I'm such a terrible mom. I went over there t-today because I was r-really mad but I can't even fight! I've never gotten into a fistfight a day in my life. So I just started yelling at everyone when I got there and I got escorted out by security. I want to sue them so bad. But I'm poor and have no evidence besides Echo's word, and they won't believe her because she's just a baby!"

      I begin to tear up again, and Zameer's grip on my waist gets tighter. His eyes turn cold and his jaw clenches.

     We sit there in silence for a second before his grip on my waist loosens and his eyes close. I watch in silence as he takes a deep breath, and reopens his eyes. His gaze burns into mine as we just look at each other.

     He opens his mouth before shutting it again. He does this multiple times before finally saying something.

     "How did you find out?"

     So I tell him everything that happened at the doctors' office. From Echo having DPD, to this. And he just remains quiet through it all.

     "I really don't know what to say, I'm sorry. This is just- I'm sorry I can't. Baby, this is in no way your fault. You didn't know they would act like that. Obviously, no one expected them to, it's a preschool. The teachers are the ones at fault here, so please don't blame yourself. They are just- disgusting people and I promise you they'll get what they deserve. I have a friend who's in the FBI- I can try to get him to investigate the school. Everything'll be alright, hmm?" He says softly, kissing my nose and repeatedly pecking my lips.

     I begin to tear up again.

     "I don't know what I did to deserve you," I say, chuckling in between my sniffles. Zameer just flashes his white teeth at me before burying his face in my neck, giving me tiny kisses there.

     "Trust me, sweetheart, I should be the one saying that."

❀❀❀

     We were all in Zameers bedroom, watching a movie. Echo laying on top of Zameers chest, sleeping peacefully, and I curled up to his side.

     "My mom called me this morning. She wants Echo and me to come over for dinner. I don't think I wanna go, but I feel like I deserve closure. I don't wanna bring Echo though."

     Zameer begins rubbing my back before responding.

     "You should go, baby. I want to come with you though, for my sanity." He says, making me giggle.

     "Aww, you care." I joke, smiling at him.

     "Yeah, yeah." He says smirking, making me start full-on cackling.

      "Echo wants a cat."

      "Oh? And who's getting this cat."

     "Me. I can pay for it."

     "Absolutely not. You spend your money on us too much. I'll get the cat; I want one too."

     "I can pay for the cat."

    "No, I'm paying for the cat," I argue with him

     "I'm paying for the cat. End of story." He says in his stern-professor man voice, making me immediately stop talking.

     This man-

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Hey guys! I'm finally getting my schoolwork in so I'll have more time to update. I'm really sorry for the short chapter! I'm pretty sure I said this before but I don't wanna put too many events into one chapter because I don't want the story to be too short. I lost motivation a lot to put this chapter up because I'm starting to hate my writing but I'm doing it now so I hope you guys enjoy. Please like and comment! I love you all <3

p.s I'm not doing Phoebe and Echo's outfits, they're wearing the same thing they did in the last chapter.