Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to Coupeville Academy. Rolani put the truck in park.
“I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here.”
He disappeared through the front doors, and Kennedi waited. Through the glass entrance, she could see movement—Rolani talking to someone at the desk, then following a woman down the hall.
Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen.
When he finally came out, Monroe was with him. Even from the parking lot, Kennedi could tell something was wrong. Monroe’s shoulders were hunched, and her face was red and blotchy, like she’d been crying. Rolani had his arm around her, his mouth moving softly as he tried to calm her down.
Monroe’s eyes were still wet when she climbed into the back seat. She buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window, arms crossed tight.
Rolani got in, shoulders tight, and started the engine without a word.
The silence in the truck was heavy.
“Woo,” he said finally, glancing at her in the rearview. “I know you’re upset, but I want you to meet somebody.” He hesitated, then looked at Kennedi. “This is Kennedi. My... my—”
“Monroe, it’s nice to finally meet you, sweetie,” Kennedi said, cutting him off and turning in her seat to extend her hand.
Monroe lifted her head, eyes landing on Kennedi’s face. A slow, tired smile appeared. “I know you. Uncle Ro showed me your picture.” Her voice was hoarse. She looked at Rolani. “You didn’t tell me you had company. I can go back to school if—”
“No,” Kennedi said firmly. “You’re not interrupting anything. Let’s get you home, okay?”
Monroe nodded, leaning back as Rolani pulled out of the school parking lot. She placed her hand on his thigh, and he glanced at her but shook his head.
When they pulled into his driveway, the truck engine cut, but the tension didn't.
Monroe was out before either of them said a word. Head down, backpack clutched tight, moving fast. She unlocked the door and disappeared inside.
Rolani came around and helped Kennedi out. They followed her in.
The house smelled fresh — light cologne, a hint of citrus. Everything in its place.
Rolani shut the door with more force than necessary. Monroe's footsteps hit the stairs. A bedroom door closed above them.
He stood in the foyer, keys still in his hand. Monroe was upstairs falling apart. Kennedi was standing in his house for the first time. And pregnant… with his baby. He hadn't had a second to breathe, and it was all happening right now.
“Make yourself at home,” he said.
She glanced toward the stairs. “Should I make lunch? Does she need Tylenol or something?”
“She’s not sick.” His voice was flat. Controlled. “Her mama showed up at the school this morning. Tried to take her.”
Kennedi sat up. “What?”
“Bulshit I know, but I’ll be right back.”
Before she could respond, he was heading toward the back of the house. A sliding door opened and closed. Kennedi stood there alone, taking in the space.
She slipped off her heels and moved toward the glass door. Through it, she could see Rolani on the back patio, sitting in one of the chairs, head tilted back, smoke filling the air. His shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. Then another.
She waited a beat, then slid open the door and stepped outside.
He didn’t look at her right away, and smoke drifted up in slow spirals. His arms stretched the length of the chair.
“You don’t gotta try and fix me,” he said before she even spoke.
“I wasn’t going to. I’m just here.”
He nodded and lifted his hand, motioning her closer.
When she reached him, he pulled her into his lap without a word. She wrapped her arm around his neck like she’d done it a hundred times before. It felt like no time had passed. Like LA was yesterday, and the last few months hadn’t happened at all.
His hand found her belly immediately, thumb moving in slow circles.
He rubbed his face. “I got so much going on right now.”
“Then tell me.”
He was quiet for a long moment, his hand steady on her stomach. Then he spoke. “Pearl died a little bit before I met you in LA.”
Kennedi froze in place. She’d heard about it, but this was the first time he’d said it to her directly.
“The only mother I ever knew.” His voice was rough. “She raised Robin and me when our parents couldn’t. And when she passed...” He stopped. “Everything got heavier.”
Kennedi’s hand covered his on her stomach, waiting.
“Before that, Robin got locked up. Monshay got him caught up in some shit he had nothing to do with because she’s sick in the head. So now I’m raising Monroe. Running Idle Hands. Trying to build my own shit. And today, Monshay shows up at the school trying to take her? What if she had succeeded?”
His hand stilled on her belly.
“I’m tired, as fuck, Ken. I wake up thinking about lawyers, Monroe’s school, Robin's release. Grief. Every day, something needs handling, and I'm the only one handling it.”
He was quiet for a beat. His thumb moved again, slowly.
“I can't tell Robin. I don’t want him carrying that in there. Giovanni's been locked into his own thing; he’s a husband now. So, I just... kept it moving.”
He let out a dry laugh, but there was no joke.
“I ain’t been able to say any of it to anybody. You probably think I’m soft.”
“Ro.” Her hand covered his. “You’re allowed to be tired. That’s not soft. That’s honest.”
He nodded. “‘Preciate that. I want you to know y’all are my priority right now. Nothing I got going on is going to stop me from focusing on y’all.”
“Rolani, stop.” She turned in his lap to look at him, her hands cupping his cheeks. “Little LA is already lucky to have you.”
He kissed her then, their lips tangled in a slow, grateful, and desperate kiss. When he pulled back, the smile on his face made her want to capture it and frame it.
A lot had been said today—his grief, her secret, the commitment they’d made. But there was one thing she still needed to hear before she could fully believe this was real.
“I know you said you were scared.” Her fingers played with the necklace around his neck, not quite meeting his eyes. “But are you happy?”
“Damn, my bad. Of course I’m happy. Shit, I’m shocked but I’m more than happy.”
She hated how much the answer mattered. But it did. She finally looked at him and saw the truth in his face.
“Okay.” The word came out soft, relieved. “So what now?”
“Go ahead and tell me everything. How did you find out? When? Doctor appointments, how you’ve been feeling, all of it. I ain’t missing nothing else.”
He kissed her cheek and said, “Start from the beginning.”
She did. She told him about being in Colorado working on the DaVinci Bryns special—how she’d been exhausted, nauseous, couldn’t keep anything down.
But Pimento cheese really did it. She shared how she’d taken the test alone that night, hands shaking, those two pink lines appearing six times and making her whole world tilt.
“I haven’t known that long. Like two months. I found a doctor here already, and I have my first appointment next Thursday. I’d like you to come with me.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He pulled her closer, his forehead resting against the side of her head.