6. Keondra Daily
My baby girl was sick, and I hated seeing her so down.
All she wanted to do was sleep and lie up under me.
Earlier, I had taken her to the doctor to find out she had a virus.
They said it would take about three days to run its course, so I’d been doing everything I could to keep Kehlani hydrated and well.
Tonight was supposed to be the night we had dinner with Colony. I had to reschedule to take care of Kehlani, taking it as a sign that maybe it wasn’t what needed to happen.
Maybe our worlds weren’t meant to collide in the way I’d been imagining.
Maybe she wasn’t good for me or Kehlani.
Whatever it was, I would take heed to it.
Kehlani jumped in her sleep, so I touched her little body.
She was warmer than before, which meant her fever had probably spiked again.
Checking my timer, I saw it was time to give her some more medicine.
Carefully, I scooted away from her and got up to go grab her medicine and orange juice.
Just as I made it to the kitchen, there was a knock at my front door.
Assuming it was one of my family members coming to check on Kehlani, I detoured to the front and opened the door. I had to push my glasses up to make sure I wasn’t tripping. Colony stood there with a soft smile and held up two bags.
“I’m sorry if this is overstepping, but I wanted to come by to bring you and Kehlani some dinner.
I know it can be a lot taking care of a sick child, and sometimes, parents neglect themselves and forget their basic needs to make sure their child is taken care of.
I wanted to make sure you were good too,” she explained, and that shit did something to me.
The gesture was bigger than she probably thought it was.
“That’s extremely thoughtful, Colony. Thank you.”
“No worries. I’ve seen it plenty of times in my line of work. How is she?”
I glanced over my shoulder, then back at Colony. “You want to come in and see her?”
“I would love to.”
I opened the door wider and stepped to the side as Colony walked in.
Taking the bags from her, my gaze swept over her frame.
It was the second time I’d seen her dressed casually, and I liked it more than her business attire.
She wore an oversized, cropped shirt that showed a little of her stomach and paired it with leggings.
Two big braids rested against her back, making it harder for me not to stare at her pretty, bare face.
Her features had been embedded into my mental from the first time I laid eyes on her.
Anytime I closed my eyes and thought of her, I could vividly see how gorgeously breathtaking she was.
Her lips were deemed my favorite feature.
There was something about how plump they were that did something to me.
“Oh, your place is lovely, Keondra. I love the open floor plan,” Colony complimented as her head swiveled around.
“Thank you. You caught me on a good day because my mother came over and cleaned the other day. If it were any other time, Kehlani’s toys would be everywhere.”
“That’s a good sign. A messy home is mostly filled with love.”
I chuckled. “That’s the same thing my mother used to say. She never fussed whenever my brother and I destroyed the house. She’d let us do our thing, saying she’d prefer us to be comfortable than scared to do so. It was cool until she made us clean it all up.”
“Oh, I wish my mother was like that. She would fuss at Serenity and me about it all the time, but our father saved us. Is your brother your only sibling?”
“Yes.”
“Let me guess.” Colony turned to face me and tapped her finger against her chin. “You’re the youngest, aren’t you?”
“And what makes you think that?”
“Because I am, and you give off the youngest child vibe. We’re misread by many people. We’re labeled as bratty and spoiled when we’re honestly pretty chill. We are spoiled, but it’s only because the people who complain about it are the ones who are at fault.”
“You’re spot-on. I’m younger than my brother by two years, but that’s my roll dog. He’s always looked out for me.”
“I love that. It’s the same for Serenity and me. Sibling bonds are the best.”
“They are.”
The sound of Kehlani moving around caught my attention. I made my way over to the couch to find her sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her bottom lip poked out when she didn’t see me beside her. She looked around, and when she found me, she tried getting up to come to me.
“Lay back down, KeKe,” I instructed.
“But I want you.”
“I know. Let me get you some medicine and juice, and I’ll be right over there. I have a surprise for you.”
Usually, that would’ve perked her up. She would’ve jumped up from her seat and begged me to tell her.
Instead, Kehlani simply nodded her head and lay back down.
Glancing at Colony, I bobbed my head for her to go over to Kehlani.
Colony tiptoed around the couch and sat near Kehlani’s head.
She gently stroked her bonnet, peering down at her with a look that was all too familiar to me.
Not wanting to think too much into it, I left them alone to go get everything Kehlani needed.
I checked the first bag that Colony had brought to see different soups for Kehlani along with crackers and drinks with electrolytes.
The second bag housed a to-go plate and soda, so I opened it to see what appeared to be a homemade meal of stewed chicken, rice, and green beans.
It was a comfort meal, something I hadn’t made in a long time but would be putting back in my rotation.
Since Kehlani hadn’t eaten all day, I warmed her up some soup while fixing her juice and medicine.
I placed everything I needed on her tray and headed back to the living room to find Kehlani’s head on Colony’s lap.
Colony had her arm draped over Kehlani. My heart skipped a few beats, and the thought of asking Colony to leave crossed my mind.
Seeing them together almost dampened my mood, but I shook it off to focus on getting my baby girl better.
When I came around the corner, Colony gently tapped Kehlani for her to sit up.
“Let’s take your temperature, KeKe,” I said, and she nodded. “It’s one-hundred and two. I’d gotten it down to ninety-nine point nine earlier. I figured it had gone back up,” I spoke more to myself than anyone else.
“Poor thing. It should go back down with the medicine and some electrolytes,” Colony stated. “Do you want to eat, Kehlani?’
“No, ma’am.”
I sighed. “I figured she didn’t, but I’m going to get her to put a little something on her stomach.”
It took me about fifteen minutes to get Kehlani situated before she fell back asleep.
Colony followed me to the kitchen where I looked at the pile of dishes I’d neglected since Kehlani had been sick.
While I needed to knock them out, I wanted to eat as well.
Colony made a good point about parents neglecting themselves when their child was sick.
It made me realize that I hadn’t eaten all day either.
Somehow, Colony sensed the internal battle I had going on because she went over to my sink and started setting dishes to the side.
“What are you doing?” I asked with furrowed brows.
“Helping you. If you need to do anything else, go do that. I’ll take care of these dishes for you.”
“You don’t have to do that, Colony. That’s my mess. I’ll get it.”
I walked up behind her, but she spun around, placed her hand on my chest, and gazed up at me.
Everything around us blurred as I returned her gaze.
It was taking everything in me not to cup her chin and kiss her.
We were too close. My heart rapidly thumped in my chest. Her hand bounced in the same rhythm, and I could’ve sworn I felt her lightly squeeze.
Pushing my glasses up, I took a step back with my palms up in surrender.
“Thank you, but can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” Colony turned back around and continued with what she was doing. “I’m listening.”
“Are you only nice to us because of our situation?”
“That recently became a reason I clung to Kehlani more than normal, but I didn’t know about anything until I met you when you picked her up late that day.”
“You didn’t know?”
She shook her head. “I suspected something since your aunt is always the one I see, but . . .”
“But what?”
Turning back around, Colony bit her bottom lip before revealing, “But when I met you, I was instantly intrigued by you. I wanted to know more of your story so I could get a better understanding of the man and father you are. From the way Kehlani talks about you, I couldn’t help but to be curious.
Seeing the two of you interact only intensified it for me, so I asked my director, who just so happens to be my best friend as well.
She told me about Kehlani’s mother leaving. ”
The mention of Demetria’s abandonment made me click my tongue. It wasn’t something I enjoyed talking about, especially not when Kehlani was close by. She hadn’t asked about her mother in a while, and I didn’t want her to start back up.
“So, you basically feel sorry for us?”
Colony jerked her head back. “Did you not just hear anything I said, Keondra? No, that’s not what this is. Rather you believe it or not, I love Kehlani. She’s such a sweet girl who has easily stolen my heart. And you’re just . . .”
“Just what?”
“Forget it.” Colony spun back toward the sink. “I’ll do these dishes for you and leave.”
Not the one to go back and forth with anyone, I didn’t bother responding to Colony. If she wanted to leave, I couldn’t stop her. Did I want her to? No. I was enjoying her company, but I was still iffy. She was doing everything right without me asking, and that scared me.
Just as that thought entered my head, my father’s words took over.