Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“Idon’t even know if kids eat this shit,” I mumbled as I scanned over the groceries that I had delivered this morning. I could’ve called my mom or any other mother in my family, but it would have all led to a million questions on why I needed to know.
I’d barely gotten any sleep last night because all I was thinking about was why that woman had her child out in the car all day and where the fuck her husband was.
I noticed the ring the first time I went to her car, and assumed he was the help that she was waiting on, but I’d obviously assumed wrong.
Deciding that I’d wait for her to get up to get answers to my questions, I put the refrigerated items away, left the rest of the stuff on the counter for them to find when they came down, then went to make myself a cup of coffee.
I had a couple of meetings planned and decided to conduct them from home since I had unplanned guests.
While my coffee brewed, I looked over the day’s agenda that I had Mel send over. I ignored all of her texts asking me why I wasn’t coming in because if I answered it would open the floodgate to questions that I didn’t have the answer to yet.
“Good morning,” I heard from behind me.
When I turned around, I was nearly knocked off my feet by the refreshed and beautiful face of my impromptu guest. She was dressed in a white sweater, some jeans and the same Ugg boots I’d seen her wearing the day before.
Her skin was more vibrant today and her eyes had more light to them.
I assumed that it was all due to the fact that she was actually able to get a good night’s sleep.
Not wanting to seem like a creep or scare her by gawking at her, I found my voice and said, “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Great, thank you.” She smiled brightly. “I wanted to come down and thank you before waking Ava. You didn’t have to open your home up to us, but you did and I’m grateful, Mister…” she paused, waiting for my name.
“Dr. Ward, but you can call me Kiyan,” I answered.
“Kiyan,” she repeated and nodded, still wearing that beautiful smile. “Well, Kiyan, thanks for opening up your home to us, and I apologize for trespassing on your property yesterday. It wasn’t my intention to interrupt you or to stir up any trouble.”
“No apology necessary.” I glanced her way briefly before grabbing my cup of coffee. “As long as you and baby girl were safe and warm. You drink coffee?” I asked. “I usually have mine black, but I have plenty of creamers and sugar if that’s not your thing.”
Had it not been for my cousin coming over unannounced most mornings, I wouldn’t have any of the extras that people put in their coffee because it would have gone to waste.
“I do, but we should probably get going,” she said.
My brows lifted. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, we have to.”
“Why do you have to?” I asked.
Her brows furrowed before she answered. “Well, because… we don’t know you,” she answered then quickly followed it up with, “I really appreciate you opening your doors to us, but that fact still remains. Getting my daughter adjusted and acclimated to new settings is a task, so I need to get ahead of it and find us somewhere that will have a guaranteed bed, heat, and hopefully food, quickly.”
“So let me get this straight,” I set my cup on the counter in front of me. “You want to take her to a shelter with even more strangers, where they may or may not have the space for you, and in the event that they don’t, then what?”
“Then, I don’t know. We figure it out.”
“Would figuring it out include you finding more private property to park on and have her sleeping in the back?” Her big, brown eyes glossed over right before she turned to try and leave, but I moved quickly to catch her wrist and stop her.
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be harsh, I promise you I’m not, but I want to understand this fully, and I want you to as well.
You’re obviously dealing with something, and I’m offering you help.
You don’t have to tell me what’s going on, but why won’t you let me help? ”
Our eyes were locked, hers dancing around mine until she answered, “I’ve depended on a man before.” She broke our gaze and shifted it to the ring on her finger. “It’s how I got into the situation that I’m in now.”
I gave the ring a onceover myself then turned my focus back to her beautiful face.
“That’s fair enough,” I nodded. “But you’ve never depended on me. Don’t leave here and take your child the same way you came—defeated and exhausted. Stay here until you have a plan.” She got ready to say something, but I held up my hand to stop her. “Not a maybe. Not a hope. A plan.”
Again we held eye contact until she finally nodded. “Okay, we’ll stay, but only another day or so until I figure out my next move. I can’t impose on your life and whatever plans you have for the holidays.”
I released her after hearing confirmation that she’d stay and made my way back to my now lukewarm coffee.
“You can stay as long as you need to…” I paused, realizing that I’d given her my name and opened my home to her, but didn’t know her name yet.
“Leila,” she answered. “Leila Montgomery.”
“Leila,” I repeated and smiled. “There’s plenty of space in here, so make yourself comfortable and at home until we figure things out.”
“We’ll most likely stay in the room,” she replied. “My daughter can get busy and—”
“Leila, my entire home is open to you two,” I cut in. “I know you have a child, and even though I have none of my own, I know how busy they can be. She doesn’t have to be confined to that bedroom.” I let her know.
“I don’t want her to break anything or mess something up.”
“There’s nothing in here that can’t be replaced.” He shrugged. “Let her play.”
Her gaze left mine and traveled to the laptop that was set up on the counter next to my iPad. “Are you about to work?”
I nodded, looking that way as well. “I have a few meetings, but I have an office that I can close myself into, so don’t worry about that.
Just make yourself at home,” I insisted.
“I don’t know what kids like to eat, but I got all of that stuff for her.
” I pointed to the groceries on the counter. “Knock yourselves out.”
With my coffee in hand, I grabbed my tablet and computer then disappeared down the hall, closing my office door behind me. I busied myself for the next few hours talking with some of the deans that had their requested proposals ready for me and speaking to the donors that I had Mel reach out to.
While in my meetings, I looked Leila up online.
I didn’t find anything on google, but I was able to find her social media accounts.
Majority of the pictures and posts were of her daughter and her journey as a special needs parent.
I hadn’t been able to get a look at baby girl, but after seeing the post and some of her pictures, it became apparent that she had Down Syndrome.
None of that took away from her beauty though.
She had a face almost identical to her mothers with only slight differences.
It really made me wonder about her husband, and how he could be okay with his wife and child sleeping in a car. I tried finding him on her page for me to check out, but was unsuccessful, which was equally odd. Leila didn’t have photos with him, nor were there any of them as a family.
After my meetings were done, Mel was calling. I contemplated on not answering, but I knew that would just result in her showing up over here instead.
“What’s up, Mel?”
“What had you so distracted?”
“Nothing.” I lied. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about, Kiyan.” She laughed. “You’re always locked in when you’re conducting business.”
“I was just looking over the proposals as they were talking.”
“Kiyan, tell that to someone who doesn’t know you.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
I went back and forth with myself on whether or not I should tell her what was going on.
On one hand, she could help me figure out a way to help Leila and her daughter, but on the other she could call my mom and tell her what was going on.
I didn’t want Leila and her baby to still be here when my family came and have them judging her without fully understanding the magnitude of her situation.
Throwing caution to the wind, I gave her the full story on what I was dealing with starting from us leaving the meeting at the university yesterday. Before she got going and giving her opinion, I made her promise not to say anything to my mother or hers.
“Kiyan, I’m low key offended.” She frowned.
“Don’t be, Mel, I’m just saying.”
“Well, you might have to just say to, Khalil and Kayla, but not me,” she frowned, referring to my older siblings. “I wouldn’t dare tell anyone what’s going on in your house, nor would I judge that woman and her child. That’s horrible what she’s going through.”
‘”Yeah, it is.” I sighed heavily. “I don’t even know what to do or how to help her other than allowing her to stay here for now.”
“Well, we can definitely help her find a place, but nothing will be ready for move in until after the holidays, I’m sure. Does she work?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I haven’t really had a chance to ask her those kinds of things because they were sleeping last night, and I had to work this morning.”
“Ugh, men.” She shook her head. “Where are they now?”
“Somewhere in the house,” I answered. “I’ve been in my office since the start of the meetings.”
“Okay,” I noticed that she’d gotten up and started to move around her room.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m about to come over there,” she answered. “Do you know how old the baby is?”
My brows furrowed as I recalled Leila’s daughter’s age. “Six I believe.”
“Okay. I’ll bring some of Jazzlyn’s toys,” she said, referring to her niece who spent her summers with Mel. “I know you don’t have shit in there for her to play with.”