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situation became out of control. By the time I noticed my mom was going under, it was too late. My mom was malnourished and her liver was shot. She was gone by the time I was twenty years old.
    I tried living with my grandparents for a short while. Part of me felt like they blamed me for my mother’s demise. I heard my grandfather say that no one should be a mother in their teens and that pushed her over the edge. All I could think of was that she was never a mother.
    After my dad’s mom passed away, my dad pleaded with me to come home. He wanted me to come home to concentrate on school, since I had missed so much already. After much persuasion, I accepted.
    I owe my dad an apology. He doesn’t deserve my attitude problem. I could have called him at any point while I was in Florida to come home. I didn’t.
    Directly looking at my dad, I can’t help but think how hard it was for him to have a kid at fifteen. I must have put a damper on his love life. But there is hope for him still. At thirty-six, he’s still a handsome guy. His dark, cropped hair falls stylishly forward, complimenting his big, sad, brown eyes. Tribal tattoos peek out from under his fitted, white t-shirt.
    I rarely bring friends home from school because of how my dad looks. The last time I brought a study partner home, she tried flirting with my dad the entire time. He’s a good-looking man, but he’s still is my dad.
    “I’m sorry, Dad.” I really mean it.
    “Reece’s Pieces, I know you’ve been through some serious shit. You’re free from that life now. Have some fun tonight. C’mon, make your old man feel better.” My big, tough daddy has a few tears in his eyes.
    Goddammit. It’s hard to see him live with the guilt of what happened. “Fine. I’ll go.”
    “Yes!” My dad is too damn excited.
    I laugh at his response and joke, “Do you want me out of the house so you can bring a 'hottie' home?”
    He playfully knocks his fist across my chin softly. “I have a date with the punching bag in the basement, kiddo.”
    My dad belongs to a recreational men’s boxing team. He constantly trains when he is not working his job in construction.
    I get up from my chair to hug my dad. He wraps his arms around me. “I love you, Dad. You need a life too. You should go out too.”
    My dad gives me a side smirk. “I have a fight coming up soon. I don’t need a female screwing with my mojo.”
    “I worry about your mojo.”
    “My mojo is just fine. Go out and get your mojo on. I’ll tell Maria to pick you up in a little bit.”
    My dad leaves my room and I’m left with my own thoughts. God, I feel like I’m eighty years old. What twenty-one-year-old wants to stay in on a Friday night?
    I’m dreading just getting ready to go out. Hell, maybe if I act like I feel, Maria will never ask me to go out again.

CHAPTER SIX
    * * *
    Maria and I look like sisters. It makes sense. My dad and Maria’s dad are brothers. We are definitely the girl versions of both of them. We could be twins. Dallas’s party is overloaded with guys who are obsessed with twin fetishes. It’s getting a little old. If they were to ask because they really wanted to know, I’d be perfectly fine with the question.
    Maria doesn’t seem as annoyed as I am. “When Shorty gets here, all the attention will stop.”
    “Really? Why is that?”
    “Shorty is huge…kind of like your dad. No one fucks with him.” I ask Maria why Shorty is so late. “He had to close up his shop and pick up his friend.”
    “You never mentioned a friend.” Shit. I hope this wasn’t a set-up.
    “Relax, Reece. Caydon has a girlfriend that he pines over constantly. They are going through a rough patch. Shorty wants to get him out to have a good time and take his mind off of things.”
    The muscles in my body loosen. The last thing I need is for my cousin to play matchmaker. Besides, I’m usually really uncomfortable around guys. I don’t have a healthy history with men. My first kiss was with a guy