Page 46 of Fallynn West

“That’s because she truly does love you, and so do I.”

My hand went to Keondra’s cheek. “I love you too. Both of you. Y’all make me feel complete. Y’all fulfill a desire in me that I wasn’t sure would ever be capable. Kehlani might not be my daughter, but I sure as hell love her like one.”

“And that’s all I’ve ever prayed for in a woman. You exude that in more than one way, babe.”

“How are you feeling about Demetria now?”

“Truthfully, I feel like everything is headed in the right direction. I’m still a bit hesitant about what will happen in the future, but all I can do is focus on the now and pray for the best.” Keondra’s hand met mine, and he kissed my palm. “I would hate for Demetria to hurt Kehlani, but one thing that gives me peace is knowing that regardless, she’ll have you.”

“You better believe it. I was thinking earlier that if, somehow, we decided to go our separate ways, I would hope you’d still allow me to be in her life. While I can’t imagine it without either one of you, I really can’t with her.”

“Well, that’s something you don’t have to worry about. In my heart, I know what we have is forever, Colony. I don’t question a thing when it comes to you. It used to scare me, but now, I embrace it. I love what we’ve created, and I can’t wait to watch it grow. I’m crazy over you. I’d hate for my crazy to show.”

I squealed when Keondra jumped on top of me and peppered kisses all over my face. Those light pecks quickly turned into our lips locking and our tongues sword fighting. It didn’t take long for Keondra to start French kissing my lower lips, sending me to an oblivion that was sure to put me right to sleep.

Oh, did I love that man.

Our families were startingto arrive, and I had the grill going. Music was oozing through the speakers while drinks were being passed out. I had Q and Alex agree to come and help me cook, so I’d invited their families and Alivia’s as well. Colony invited the girls from the day care, and what was supposed to be a small family get-together turned into a full-blown cookout. I wasn’t mad at it, especially seeing the smiles on my girls’ faces.

“Damn, Key. You’re going to burn the food from staring so hard.” Sedrick nudged me with his elbow, careful not to spill his beer. “It gives déjà vu.”

“Don’t it?” Dawson chimed in, chuckling. “I thought we were over the puppy love phase.”

Q laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder. “Stop being hard on him. He’s found the love we’ve all prayed he’d find. Let him stare all he wants to. I got the food.”

When Q jokingly shoved me out the way and flipped the ribs over, we all laughed because I did almost burn them, but they turned out good.

I couldn’t help myself.

Colony was working the party, making sure she stopped and talked to everyone. The smile I would pay money to see on a rainy day seemed to be brighter than the sun. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, giving me a better view of that beautiful face. Kehlani picked out their outfits for the day, and them matching was the cutest thing. They both had on the trending tennis skirts with the matching tops. Kehlani’s was purple, and Colony’s was orange. If Kehlani was going to do anything, she was going to make sure they had on their favorite colors. She tried her hardest to get me to wear black, but I told her it was too hot, so she made me wear orange too.

Someone walking through the back door caught my eyes. Demetria stepped outside with two containers in her hands. Kehlani beat me to her, almost knocking the containers from her hands as she attacked her legs.

“Be careful, KeKe,” I warned, taking them from Demetria.

“Yes, sir. I’m just happy to see her.”

Demetria picked Kehlani up and kissed her cheek. “Hey, pretty girl. You look so cute. Did Colony do your hair?”

“She did. I wanted it to look like hers. Do you like it?”

“I do. She did a great job.”

Kehlani’s head swiveled around before her gaze landed on Colony. “Colony! Colony!” Their eyes met, and Kehlani waved Colony over.

“Hey, Demetria,” Colony greeted with a smile. “Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting me. Kehlani has talked about it all week, and I can see why. I brought a side and dessert, but I know it’s nothing compared to what the men are cooking.”

“At least you did that. Colony didn’t step foot in the kitchen,” I teased, gently yanking Colony over to me and kissing her temple.

It was her idea to invite Demetria, and I wasn’t opposed to it. We agreed that Kehlani deserved to see all of us together to ease her little mind. The Chesire catlike smile on her face as her eyes bounced between us let me know she was beyond satisfied.

Seeing her cling to Demetria reminded me of when she was younger. To witness their bond becoming stronger had me silently thanking God. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It wasn’t the time or place to show any emotion, but man . . .

Colony must’ve sensed my mood change because she snaked her arm around my waist and gave me a light, reassuring squeeze. I loved how she could read me without me needing to express myself. The way our hearts and souls were in sync was confirmation for me every day.

“Oh, I don’t blame her.” Demetria snickered and adjusted Kehlani on her hip. “The way y’all men get down, I’d be afraid to compete with that as well.”