4. Keondra Daily #2
“She did tell me that,” Colony confirmed and stood up. “I think it’s sweet and amazing that she shares such a close bond with you, Mr. Daily. She might be my favorite, but you are definitely hers.”
“You’re one of my favorite people too, Ms. Miles. My daddy beats everyone,” Kehlani clarified.
Colony snickered and stepped around the chairs.
My eyes swept over her, taking in the way the dress she wore fit her slender frame perfectly.
Her physique was on the smaller side. Her curves were minimal, but the ones she did have looked damn good on her.
As Colony made her way over to us, I got a whiff of her perfume and subconsciously inhaled deeply.
Whatever she wore, it was unique and inviting.
I got a light hint of marshmallow and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on but enjoyed.
When Colony was only a few feet away, Kehlani wiggled out my arms and walked over to her.
She hugged Colony with her free arm, still holding onto her flowers, and thanked her for the day before coming back over to me.
Colony and I peered at one another. An uncomfortable silence engulfed us, but I couldn’t pry my eyes from her.
The beauty radiating from the outside seemed to be seeping through her pores from the inside, and there was a part of me that desired to know more about her.
“Why are y’all just looking at each other?”
Leave it to Kehlani to break the silence and make the situation more awkward than it already was. The only thing I could do was laugh to lighten the mood. Colony rubbed the back of her neck and smiled.
“Well, I need to get ready for my next one-on-one session. I hope y’all have a great weekend. Be good, Kehlani. I will see you next week. Bye, Mr. Daily.”
“Thank you, Ms. Miles.”
“Colony. You can call me Colony.” She beamed.
Kehlani sharply inhaled. “Can I call you Colony?”
“No, you can’t,” I answered before Colony could open her mouth.
Kehlani pouted, and I shook my head. Giving Colony one last glance, I nodded at her and led Kehlani out the center.
Of course, she started in on me, immediately asking question after question on what we were about to do.
I answered them to the best of my ability without giving too much away.
She didn’t need to know every detail. Some things needed to be a surprise.
As we headed to the house so Kehlani could change, I half listened to her singing in the background as Colony crossed my mind once again.
She was doing something to me, something I hadn’t experienced in years, and it almost scared me.
Mainly because we hadn’t had a true conversation about anything.
We simply spoke in passing, but still, she had some type of mental hold on me.
I needed to talk to someone, so I was anxious to get to my parents’ house.
Kehlani and I made it there around five o’clock, and I was grateful that my brother, Dawson, and Sedrick were already there.
They were standing on the back porch with my father who was grilling, so I joined them after greeting all the women with love.
“What’s good, Keondra?” Sedrick was the first to notice me. He dapped me up and pulled me in for a brotherly hug.
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 into you 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.