Chapter Thirty-Five A Seat for Him, Too
“I don’t need you to love him. Just give him space to show you who he is.”
Saturday evening sunlight spilled through the windows, casting long shadows on the living room floor. Sunni sat on the couch, legs tucked under her, hands folded in her lap. Her voice had that familiar tone—soft, but firm.
“All right, y’all,” she said. “Everybody, come sit down.”
The kids trickled in, one by one. Natty with her unicorn slippers. Bunny bouncing down the hallway with juice in hand. Dexter dragging a blanket like he was being sentenced. Prince and Kane came last, both silent but curious.
Sunni looked at each of them.
“My heart is full right now,” she said. “And I want y’all to hear me all the way before you say anything.”
Everyone leaned in.
“I’ve invited Derrick to church with us tomorrow,” she said. “Afterward, I planned a picnic in the park. Just us. Just family. And I want y’all to ask him anything you want. Anything you need to feel safe.”
The room went quiet.
Prince raised an eyebrow. “So we interviewing him now?”
“Exactly that,” Sunni said. “He’s been kind. Patient. And most of all, honest. I don’t need you to love him. I don’t need you to fake nothing. I just want y’all to see him. Like I have.”
Bunny tilted her head. “Is he gon’ be our stepdaddy?”
Sunni smiled gently. “No titles, baby. Not today. He’s just a man I care about. A man who makes me laugh again. Who listens. Who shows up.”
Dexter crossed his arms. “Is Daddy gon’ be mad?”
Prince cut in. “Daddy made his choice.”
Sunni nodded. “And so have I.”
Kane looked up. “What’s he like?”
Sunni thought for a moment.
“He’s calm,” she said. “He listens with his whole self. He’s not trying to replace anyone—just hoping he fits in somewhere… if we let him.”
Prince leaned back, nodding. “We’ll see.”
The Next Day
Derrick stood at the front steps of the church, fresh haircut, button-up shirt slightly wrinkled from nerves. He smiled when he saw them pulling up in the black Tahoe, every window down, gospel music floating through the breeze.
He looked at Sunni and mouthed, You sure?
She mouthed back: More than ever.
Later, at the picnic
Blankets spread across the grass. Chicken salad, chips, lemonade. Kane passed out napkins. Natty tried to sneak a cookie before eating her sandwich. Derrick sat in the center of it all—a little overdressed, a lot overwhelmed.
Bunny started first. “Do you know how to braid?”
Derrick blinked. “Uh… not at all.”
She nodded. “Good. Daddy couldn’t either.”
Dexter: “You got kids?”
“Nope.”
Prince: “You ever been to jail?”
Derrick laughed. “Nope. Not even a ticket.”
Kane studied him for a moment. “Why us? Why my mama?”
He looked at her. Steady. No fear.
“Because she makes me feel like home,” Derrick said. “And the way she talks about y’all? I wanted to meet the people who made her stronger.”
Nobody responded for a second.
Then Kane nodded slowly.
“Okay,” she said.
Not approval.
Not rejection.
Just… okay.
It was enough.
Sunni sat back, watching the moment unfold.
Not rushed.
Not perfect.
But hers.