Page 44 of Fallynn West

“Okay.” Kehlani hunched her shoulders and stared at Demetria. “What do I call you? I used to call Colony Ms. Miles until she became my daddy’s girlfriend. My friends at day care get mad because I can call her that. Wait, Daddy. Did she meet Colony too?”

One thing my baby girl was going to do was make sure Colony was involved.

“Yes, she did. And you can call her Demetria for now.”

My gaze went to Demetria who nodded in agreement. Honestly, she had no other choice. I wanted Kehlani to eventually refer to Demetria as her mother, but she had to prove herself first.

It took no time for Kehlani to warm up to Demetria. She sat there, finishing off her cone while talking her head off. Their conversation ranged from what Kehlani liked to what she ate for breakfast. She could be an open book, and I had to admit that I loved seeing the two of them have a natural chemistry. It wasn’tawkward nor did it feel like Demetria was forcing herself on Kehlani to make up for lost time. It flowed well, giving me hope that their relationship would blossom into something beautiful.

One month later. . .

“I love when we have our girls’ day, Colony. It makes me so happy,” Kehlani expressed.

We were sitting in her room, going through all the things we’d gotten on our shopping date. Keondra sent us out with his card, and we had a time. He told us to get anything we wanted. Kehlani didn’t spare a dime. She went through the mall, picking something out from almost every store we went into. We had to make two trips in between shopping to take the bags to my car before we ate and went to get mani and pedis.

It was our second girls’ day out, and I deemed it one of my favorite days ever.

“Awww, me too, Kehlani. I’m glad we got to spend the day together.”

“You feel like a mommy to me. I love you.”

My body stilled. There was a knot lodged in my throat that I couldn’t swallow down with a gallon of water. Kehlani’s words knocked me off my feet. They reached the depths of my soul, giving special love to the parts of me that mourned not being able to bear children. All the children at the center were my babies, but as I’d always said, Kehlani was special to me. It felt damn good to know I was just as special to her.

“And I love you, Kehlani. So much. I’m glad that I feel like that to you, and I hope that never changes.”

“It won’t,” she stated confidently. “Me, you, and Daddy are going to be a big happy family. And Demetria too. I know she’s my mommy, but she doesn’t feel like it. I do like her. She’s really nice, and I have fun with her too.”

So far, Demetria had been keeping her word and was proactive in Kehlani’s life. It took Keondra up until last week to allow Demetria to take Kehlani alone, and even then, I had to calm his nerves and make sure he didn’t text her every hour. I understood why he was cautious, and gratefully, so did Demetria. She eased his mind by sending pictures of Kehlani. Each time he saw that captivating smile, it helped him breathe a little easier.

Clearing my throat, I moved closer to Kehlani and said, “I know we haven’t talked about it, but how are you feeling about getting to know your mommy?”

“Uh, I like it. I’ve always wanted a mommy, so it makes me happy, but I still don’t know why.”

“Why what?”

“Why it took her so long to come to me. I know Daddy said she’s a doctor, and she let me see her doctor things one day. It was cool.”

“One day, you will understand. Like your father said, doctors go away to get their schoolwork done sometimes. When you’re older, I’m sure your mommy will talk to you about it.”

“You think so?”

I nodded. “I do.”

“How do you feel about my . . . Demetria?”

My tongue trailed along the inside of my jaw but quickly forced a smile. “I’m happy that she is in your life now. I’m happy that you’re getting to spend time with her and get to know her. I can tell she really loves you.”

“So, it doesn’t make you sad?”

I scowled. “Why would it make me sad, Kehlani?”

“I don’t know.” She hunched her shoulders and moved some of her loose strands from her face. “I don’t want it to.”

“You don’t need to worry about my feelings. That’s what I’m supposed to do with you. Anything that makes you and your father happy makes me happy. If your mommy brings you happiness, that’s all that matters.”

“Is it okay if the both of you do?”

“Of course.”