Page 33 of Fallynn West

“I’m down. It’s the best spot here.”

“Perfect.”

We went to order our food while the mystery woman settled into the back of my mind. I wasn’t sure who she was, but something told me I’d cross paths with her again.

“Colony! I didn’t think I’d get to see you today.” Kehlani squealed as Keondra opened the back door and placed her in her car seat.

“Hey, Sweet Pea. Did you have a good day?”

“I did! We went outside to play today, and Ms. Olive got us all shaved ice. I got the blue kind. It was so good.”

I giggled at her enthusiasm. “That sounds like a wonderful day.”

“Have you been with my daddy all day?”

My attention went to Keondra who was climbing into the truck. He glanced back at Kehlani. “You know, you’re nosy, KeKe.”

“You told me to always ask questions if I wanted to know something,” she countered, and he held his palms up in surrender.

“You’re right.”

Turning in my seat, I looked at Kehlani, whose round eyes seemed bigger than normal as she waited for me to answer. “Yes, I have been.”

“Are you his friend or girlfriend?”

“His friend.”

Kehlani surprised me when she crossed her arms and pouted. “I want you to be his girlfriend.”

Keondra chimed in. “She will be. We’re just getting to know one another better before we take that step.”

That response perked Kehlani up as well as myself. She bounced in her seat and giddily clapped her hands. “Does that mean she’ll be my new mommy?”

My gaze immediately went to Keondra. His jaw tightened as well as his grip on the steering wheel. I sat back straight in my seat and waited for his reply. That was a sensitive topic for him, and I didn’t want to insert myself. In no way did I want to take the place of Kehlani’s mother. Even though she’d been absent, that was a title I didn’t hold.

A title I would never hold.

The thought had me looking out the window, praying I didn’t cry. Of course, I’d made peace with it, but it didn’t stop the pain it caused. There was nothing more I yearned for in life than to be a mother. God didn’t see fit for me to have biological children, so I was grateful there were other options.

Keondra’s fingers lacing with mine instantly calmed my nervous system. He rubbed the pad of his thumb against the back of my hand and softly spoke. “I know we haven’t talked about this in a while, KeKe, but you do have a mother. You wouldn’t be here without her, and you should love her so much for that. As for Colony, she’s already like a mother-figure to you. She’s with you at the center and now, whenever she’s with me. As my relationship with Colony grows, we can talk more aboutthe possibility of her being a bonus mommy to you. How does that sound?”

“It sounds good to me, Daddy! I hope your relationship grows as big as the world. Did you know Earth is over three thousand miles? We learned that at the day care today.”

And just like that, Kehlani’s little mind went elsewhere. I glanced over at Keondra who winked at me. The reassurance and security he provided gave me every reason to believe we were on the right path. Our lives crossed for a reason, and I prayed nothing or no one threw us off-kilter.

“Are you nervous?”

I peered over at Colony, who was clutching the gift bag for dear life. She was sitting in the passenger seat as we headed to my parents’ house for Kehlani’s birthday party. My first thought was to keep it small and intimate, but Kehlani wanted bouncy houses, grilled food, and all her friends surrounding her, so we made it happen. I dropped her off to pick up Colony, and I didn’t believe Kehlani even noticed I was gone.

Colony tittered. “Can you tell? I can’t tell you the last time I met someone’s family. I guess that should’ve been another red flag in my last relationship because anytime I brought it up, he came up with an excuse, even though he’d met my family.” Colony shook her head. “I can’t believe how naïve I was.”

“Shit happens. Don’t dwell on it.”

“I don’t anymore. It’s just what we have going on is so . . . beautiful compared to that time in my life, so sometimes, I can’t help but to think about it.”

“I get what you’re saying. It’s the same for me too.” I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as I carefully thought of what I was about to say. “How do you feel about us, Colony?”

“Truthfully, I feel great. You’re such a breath of fresh air to me, Keondra. I think about you all the time, and I find myself counting down the minutes until I know I get to see you. Talking to you throughout the day has become my favorite pastime. I mean, I guess you can say I really like you.” She turned toward me and flashed me a smile. “What about you? How do you feel?”