Rich Bastard {mxm}

Twenty Two.

"Looking forward to the next day is something I never experienced until now," -C.T

I was impulsive.

That much was true. 

"Are you sure you want to do this, Master Cheyenne?" I bit my lip as Tara and I looked around the third bedroom of my new house, deciding once and for all. Tara had shown up out of the blue at Joaquin's house after I had moved from the studio into my new home closer to Palo Alto. 

Somehow, she had managed to escape at 1:47 in the morning, packing up what her little beetle could handle and she drove to find me. Since I had transferred into a new home just yesterday morning, she couldn't find me. I was just thankful that I was smart enough to give her Joaquin's number because he was able to get in touch with me.

From there, she showed up on my doorstep, all of her suitcases in tow at 2:30 am, wanting to take my offer. I wasn't going to be cruel and turn her away, especially now that she was going to be targeted even more if Sterling found out where she was.  So I gave her a job as my personal maid. The pay was just a little lower because it was just me, but she understood. She even lived here with me in the basement, claiming that it was nothing but home to her. She didn't have to leave, not for a while. 

She was going to be safe here.

"You have all the time in the world," She said once again, trying to convince me, but it was no use as I already knew my plans. I turned to her, ignoring all of the purple plushies in the room, making a point to question Pierre why he went all out with Holly's favorite color. "I do," I hummed, knowing that I had a whole life ahead of me that was just beginning. "But, Tara," I huffed. "That little girl asked me if she could live with me, and I could see it in her eyes that she was begging me. How could I refuse?"

I was probably doing things on a whim, but this wasn't just for me. I had nothing to gain from it, but I wanted Holly to stop looking at me with those sad eyes and to stop wearing those shabby and ratty clothes, and for Joaquin to finally smile like everything was going to be okay.

"You're only 24. Do you think you have what it takes to raise this child?" Tara was trying to be supportive, but she was always trying to get me to see the rational side of things. 

"No, I don't," I shrugged casually, thinking back to the look Joaquin gave me when he was talking about his daughter, remembering her. "But there's a father out there who desperately wants his daughter back. He even gave me his own word that he'd do better for her and that's a damn good promise coming from him. If that isn't enough, I don't know what is," That man really missed his daughter, so much that it was breaking him into pieces. He was trying his hardest to keep whole while putting on that same facade that everything was okay.

I knew it because I recognized it.

He helped me with a few simple words of 'You're stronger than you think,' while giving me all the support that I needed, so it was my turn to do the same.

"So yes, there will no regrets." I pulled out my phone, calling my old/new bodyguard so that he could make the moves. "Pierre, we're going on a trip," I chuckled. Pierre was the one that drove only me around, no one else. So if I left, he was out of work and I was starting to see that it wouldn't be fair (Joaquin actually told me to keep him on since he would protect me from the threats of Sterling).

Tara had stayed back when Pierre rolled up in an instant, ready to go. She wanted to make dinner and to make an apple pie for when I returned as a surprise. Pierre and I went on ahead, heading to East Side San Jose. "Are you nervous, Master?" I frowned at the name, knowing that I told him numerous times not to call me that anymore.