Page 13 of Fallynn West

Repeating the same motions with Dawson and Dad, I cracked open a beer and sat on the couch. “What you got smelling so good, Dad?”

Dad opened the grill, and my stomach growled at the sight of all the smoked meat. “You know how your father does it, Key. Your mother insisted, so I made it happen.”

Sedrick rubbed his hands together. “Let me be the taste tester for you, Unc.”

“Now, you know my granddaughter is my certified taste tester.” Dad pointed his tongs at the door. “You better go in there and ask her if she’s willing to share that title today.”

We all shared a laugh. Leave it to Kendrick Daily to make it known that Kehlani ran the place. Like me, Kehlani had him wrapped around her fingers. All she had to do was bat those big, beautiful eyes at him, and he’d do anything she asked. He didn’t try to deny it either. All my life, I’d watched him spoil my mother to no end, so to see him keep the same energy with my daughter meant everything to me.

Dawson sat next to me and stared at the side of my face without speaking. I glanced over at him. When I had enough of his unwanted glare, I mushed his head. “Stop doing that creepy shit if you’re not going to say anything, Dawson.”

“I’m trying to figure out what’s up with you,” he responded with a hiked brow. “What’s on your mind?”

“What makes you think something is on my mind?”

“Because you’re sitting over here too quiet, and you got that look in your eyes like you want to speak on something but don’t know how.”

Dawson took a swig of his beer as if he didn’t just read me like an open book. At thirty-three, Dawson was older than me by two years. Since we were kids, we’d always been close. He was the true definition of a built-in best friend. Over the years, he’d provided me with a safe space, guidance, and love. Of course, we had our fights, but we never allowed our ill feelings to weigh us down. Our parents made it a point to ensure we had a good, healthy relationship, and I was grateful for that.

“Damn.” Sedrick chuckled. “He got you on that one, Key. What’s up, though?”

All eyes were on me. Leaning forward, I set my beer on the table and expelled a sigh. “I’m intrigued by someone, someone I’ve barely had a conversation with. I can’t seem to get her off my mind, and I don’t know how I feel about it.”

“So, you basically have a crush?” Dad questioned, and my brows sank.

“That sounds like some elementary school shit, Dad,” I said.

“It does, but it sounds like that’s what it is.” Dawson agreed with Dad. “Do you want to pursue something with her, or simply admire from afar?”

That was a good question, one I’d been thinking deeply about. While I wouldn’t mind asking Colony on a date, I also didn’t want to blur the lines. It was obvious she and Kehlani had a special relationship, but who she was to Kehlani would make it inappropriate for me to act on my feelings.

Plus, I didn’t believe I was ready to let anyone in.

Not only for myself, but for Kehlani as well. The thought of a woman getting close to us to only abandon us, or things to not work out, was what had kept me from dating all these years. For me, I had two people to think about. Every decision I made, I had to think about how it would affect Kehlani as well. Guarding her heart was a priority.

Picking up my beer and polishing it off, I replied, “Y’all know the answer to that.”

“Listen, Son.” Dad closed the grill, put his tongs down, and crossed his arms while studying me. “You can’t let what Demetria did hold you back forever. It’s not fair to you or to Kehlani. You never know the blessing you could be missing out on because you want to live in fear of what could happen instead of living and seeing the outcome God has. You better believe your mother and I have consistently prayed a woman comes intoyou and Kehlani’s life, a woman who will truly love and cherish you both how y’all deserve. If you keep second-guessing or keep your walls up, you’ll never get it. I know that you think about Kehlani in every situation but start thinking about the positive ‘what ifs’ instead of the negatives.”

Over the years, I’d had the same conversation with my family on more than one occasion. I understood they were only looking out for me and Kehlani and wanted what was best for us, but they didn’t understand how scarred I was from the stunt Demetria pulled. They didn’t understand how hard it was for me to remove the shield from me and my daughter and allow someone to come in. I’d deemed it the hardest thing in my life.

Even then, I knew they were right.

“I hear you,” was all I could offer.

Dad patted my shoulder with a smirk. “Pray about it, Key. If your heart is tugging at the woman, I say God is trying to tell you something.”

I nodded. Praying about it was the best and only thing I could do. With the way Colony hadn’t left my mind, I believed there had to be something special about her. I wouldn’t know if I didn’t at least try to find out.

My fingersrapidly tapped against my steering wheel as I waited for the light to change. In the passenger seat, Serenity danced to the music and peered out the window without realizing how nervous I was. We were headed out for a weekend lunch date to celebrate the good news of our father’s test results coming back clean. He was in the clear for everything, but he needed to switch his diet up some to keep it that way. Our mother had turned into the health police, and Daddy hated how Serenity and I backed her up.

It was all out of love. We needed him around for the long haul, and if it meant being strict with him, then so be it.

Serenity and I were going to eat at Daily Fix. It was my choice, and the closer we got, the more I began to second guessmy decision. To Serenity, I made it seem like I only wanted to go for the food. While the food looked delicious, so did Keondra. The way he interacted with Kehlani melted my heart. Their bond was like mine with my father’s. Knowing Keondra was a single father heightened my curiosity about him. Kehlani mentioned he worked all the time, so there was no better place to see him again than his place of business.

“Oh, wow. It’s packed here,” Serenity stated as we pulled up to the restaurant. “The food better be good with all these people here.”

“I know that’s right. If the wait is too long, we can go somewhere else.”