Father Figure

"Mama, you look really pretty," Gab announced from his seat on the closed toilet lid. 

I gave him a smile. "Thank you, bud." I teased his hair before letting go of the chunk of hair I had wrapped around a curling iron. I picked up a new piece and started curling it from the top down. 

"Mama, how come you're all dressed up?" Beau asked from his place in the empty tub. They had all gathered in the bathroom to watch as their mother transformed into a woman they'd never witnessed before. I had rarely gotten dressed up like this. Not even for my ex. 

Gab decided to chime in. "Yeah, are you gonna go on a date?" he questioned. 

I tried to hold back my smile as the butterflies danced in my stomach. "I am going on a date tonight."

"With Dad?" Beau asked excitedly. 

I laughed and nodded. "Yes. With your father," I told them. 

They all beamed up at me. "He sure is lucky," Gab mumbled. His brothers nodded their heads in agreement. I laughed softly. 

I unplugged my curling iron and began cleaning up. I tossed my mascara, eye liner, small compact of eye shadow, and cover up into the bottom drawer. "Where you guys gonna go?" Gab asked. He hung his legs over the edge of the tub, bobbing them up and down. 

"We are going to a movie and dinner," I answered. 

"A movie!" they all exclaimed. "Wow, he must really like you, Mama," Beau commented in awe. 

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you guys all ready to go?" I asked. 

They nodded their heads, their dark brown curls bobbing just like their father's had when he had longer hair. "Yup!"

I returned to my bedroom to pick out my clothes. Sidney had insisted that he take me out to dinner, as well. When I asked where to, he simply told me to dress up nicely. Needless to say, I had to find a good dress. The boys rushed into my room and jumped onto my bed to watch my search. "What dress are you gonna wear?" Kris asked. 

I hummed, looking over the few I had. "I don't know. Which one do you guys think I should wear?" I returned. 

They all huddled together to discuss the question, a habit they'd picked up from Sidney's teammates. They broke apart with grins. "You should wear the black dress cause Daddy's colors are black and gold," Gab announced. 

I laughed before picking out the dress. It was nice, but not too fancy. It fit me rather nicely, too. "Daddy would love that dress," Beau informed me. 

I nodded my head. "I'll let him know you guys picked it out," I said before disappearing into my closet to change. I used to not mind when they saw me change, but once they started asking questions about body parts, I decided it was time they stopped. I walked back out, my arms held out to the sides. "What do you guys think?" I asked. I did a twirl so the ends of my dress lifted out slightly. 

Their jaws all fell open. "You're so beautiful!" Gab exclaimed. 

"Mama, you look like a pretty princess!" Beau declared. 

"You remind me of that lady with the last name pretty," Kris announced. I laughed at that, Angelina Jolie.

"Well, thank you boys. You are all too sweet," I told them. I quickly placed a kiss on each of their heads before grabbing my heels and sliding them on. 

A knock sounded on the front door. I frowned in confusion. No one was supposed to come here. I walked over quickly to tug the door open. Mario smiled widely at me. "Look at you, all dressed up. Date tonight?" he asked with a grin. 

I giggled softly. "Yup!" 

"Ooo! Lucky man," he teased. I laughed in response as a blush covered my cheeks. 

The boys sprinted into the room at the sound of Mario's voice. "Monsieur Mario! Doesn't Mama look beautiful?" Gab asked excitedly as his arm went around my leg. 

I rolled my eyes. "She sure does," he agreed. 

"Daddy is gonna think she's the most beautiful person in the world!" Beau declared. 

Mario's eyebrows lifted in surprise as he looked back to me. "Sid, huh?"

I blushed more and nodded. "Yeah. He, um... Asked me on a date a few nights ago," I mumbled. 

He smirked. "About time," he commented. 

So Mario already knew. At least he wasn't upset with the idea. "What can I do for you, Mario?" I asked. 

"I was just stopping by to pick up the rent check," he responded simply. 

I reached over to the table to pick it up. I handed it over to him. "There you go, sir," I responded brightly. I was proud that I could support my family on my own. Well, aside from what Sidney insisted on giving me for the boys each month. It was still a little much for my liking. I felt terrible that there was money left over each month, just sitting in the account I'd set up for their money. It was higher than my own account. 

Having the extra help took a lot of weight off of my shoulders. Knowing that I didn't need to worry about putting aside money for their next growth spurts. Not to mention knowing there was someone else there for the boys. 

"Thank you very much. Hope you have a great night," he added on before leaving. 

"Bye. Thank you," I responded. 

When I turned around, the boys were all lined up, staring at me with wide smiles. The only thing I could think of was how much trouble I was in for when they got older and wanted something. 

"When are you gonna take us to Miss Vero's?" Kris asked. 

I checked the clock. "Let's get going. Go put on your jackets and shoe-" I stopped when I noticed they were already prepared to leave. I laughed. "Alright. Let me get my purse and coat," I told them. 

I slid into my small, navy blue pea coat. I flicked off all the lights before leading the boys out to the car. "Are you and Dad going to hug?" Gab asked innocently from his seat. 

"Probably," I answered calmly. 

"Are you and Dad going to hold hands?" Kris asked curiously. "Miss Vero let me hold her hand when we were skating together."

I cleared my throat. "I don't know. Maybe," I responded. 

"Are you and Dad going to kiss?" Beau asked as he scrunched up his nose. 

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Are you gonna kiss?"

"Mr. Jordan kissed his lady friend named Heather. She's real pretty. And Marc kisses Miss Vero and Miss Vero is really pretty! And-and Mr. Kris kissed his lady friend and she is super pretty. Is Daddy going to kiss you since you look so pretty?" Kris summed up. 

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. "I don't know, boys," I mumbled.