by Kaylee Ryan
“When can we tell her?”
“When do you want to tell her?”
“Now. We can leave now and go to my place. Can the two of you stay with me tonight? I need to hold you, Laney. I need my girls with me. Please.” His voice is a whispered plea, and it’s unnecessary. I can’t explain it, but our souls are tethered together, and I want nothing more than to spend more time with him.
“Okay.”
“Yeah?” He pulls back, his dark eyes filled with so much… love. Love for me and our daughter, and it’s a look I never want to miss out on. Never again.
“Yes. We have to figure out where we go from here.”
“You tell me, babe. I go where you go. If that’s back to California, then that’s where we’ll be. If it’s here in Tennessee, if you and Kendrix settle here in Jackson, we need to start looking for a bigger place. I want my little girl to have a nice big yard to play in.”
“Um, is this yard not big enough?”
“I thought you wanted to sell this place?”
“No, that was all my mother. She insisted I sell it. She didn’t want me coming here at all.”
“What do you want, Delaney?”
“You and our daughter. The rest will work itself out.”
“All right then, let’s go get our girl. Pack a bag.” He smacks me lightly on the ass, making me giggle as I climb off his lap.
Hand in hand, we go to my room, and he sits on the bed and watches me as I toss some things into an overnight bag. “I think I have what I need,” I say, looking around. He doesn’t speak. He grabs the bag that’s still open in one hand and laces our fingers together with the other as we head to the room that Kendrix is using. I grab her what she needs, making sure I have her teddy bear, and then zip up the bag.
Without a word, he offers me his hand again, and I take it. We make our way down the steps, slowly as he’s refusing to let go of me, and into the kitchen. Kendrix is sitting on the kitchen counter, with Mark standing next to her while Ridge, Seth, and Tyler are all hammering nails into what appears to be a piece of scrap wood.
“What’s going on in here?” Kent asks. It’s obvious to hear the joy in his voice.
“Mr. Kent, we’re having a nail-hitting contest. You want to play?” Kendrix asks.
“Not right now, sweetie,” I answer before he can. “How about you and I go over to Kent’s house for a little while? Since our kitchen is messy, we’re going to make dinner at his place.”
“Yay!” she cheers. “Sketti.”
“You ready, kiddo?” Kent drops my hand and walks over to her. He opens his arms and she doesn’t hesitate to jump into them, letting him settle her on his hip. He smiles at her like she’s the light in his life. He turns to face the guys, giving each one of them a look I can’t explain, but he gets a subtle nod from all four of them.
“Ready, baby?” he asks me.
I can feel my face heat at his endearment, but I keep my head held high as I nod to him, and wave to the guys. No other words are exchanged as we load up in his truck and head toward his place.
Chapter 16
Kent
The drive to my place is quiet. Even Kendrix is not talking, and my little girl loves to talk. It’s almost as if she can sense something big is about to happen. When we pull into the drive, I hustle to get her out of her seat and carry her into the house. Delaney is right behind me as she sets their bag on the floor.
“What’s that, Momma?” Kendrix asks, pointing to their bag. I set her on her feet and busy myself taking her coat off her. “Can we make sketti now?” she asks me.
“In a minute, sweetie. Actually, we want to talk to you about something. Come sit down.” Delaney offers Kendrix her hand, and she takes it, bouncing off to sit in the living room. Once they’re settled on the couch, I take the chair sitting across the room from them. I don’t know how she’s going to react and I don’t want to scare her. “Do you remember how Mommy told you that your daddy was away with his family?”
“Yep,” my daughter replies brightly.
“Well, things have changed, and Daddy can be with us now.”
“Oh.” Her eyes grow wide.
“Kendrix, sweetie, Kent is your daddy.” She just blurts it out like ripping off a Band-Aid. Then again, I’m not sure how else you could explain it to an almost five-year-old. We can’t tell her why I was away from them, not right now. Maybe one day, when she gets older. When she can understand the depths of her grandmother’s deception.
Kendrix gasps and her little hand covers her mouth. She stares at me, her big blue eyes wide and glassy with tears. “Mr. Kent?” she whispers.
“Princess, I promise you that if I could have been with you and your mommy, I would have been there. Every breath, every second, every minute, every hour of every day I would have been there.”
The room is silent while we give her time to process what we’re saying. I’m expecting an onslaught of questions any second now, because that’s my little girl. She’s curious and observant and so damn smart for her age. I watch her as she climbs down off the couch and makes her way toward me. She stops when she’s standing in front of me, where I sit in the chair. She doesn’t make a move to climb in my lap like she usually does so I rest my elbows on my knees, bringing myself to her level. When her tiny hands land on my cheeks and her blue eyes bore into mine, I freeze. I don’t know what’s happening.
“C-Can I call you daddy?” she whispers.
Her voice is so soft, I’m not even sure Delaney heard her. I get my answer when a sob rings out from across the room. It doesn’t faze my daughter as she keeps her hands on my cheeks, while her momma’s blue eyes remain trained on me. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Swallowing hard, I try again. “Do you want to call me daddy?”
“I’ve never had a daddy,” she replies while nodding.
My heart cracks wide open and allows her to reach in with her tiny little hands and burrow deep inside. “I’ll always be your daddy.” I want to tell her that I’m sorry, that it wasn’t my fault, that nothing would have kept me away had I known, but she’s a little girl who doesn’t need all of that. All she needs is my reassurance that I’m her dad, and she can call me whatever in the hell she wants.
“Can we make sketti now…, Daddy?” she asks, smiling.
Elation.
Happiness.
Love.
“Yes, princess, we can make spaghetti now.” She leaps into my arms, securing hers around my neck, and I hug her as tight as I can without hurting her. “Mommy,” I say, finding Delaney’s eyes. She’s openly crying, and tears coat her cheeks, but there’s a smile that greets me. It’s her smile, the one I remember. I hold one hand out for her, and she comes to us. I move Kendrix to one knee and pull Delaney down onto the other. “My girls,” I say, kissing Delaney.
“Ew.” Kendrix giggles.
I kiss her all over her face, making her laugh even harder. “I have to pee. Mr.— Daddy, I have to pee.” She laughs and I relent, letting her off my lap as she rushes down the hall.
Delaney, much like our daughter did earlier, cradles my cheeks in the palms of her hands. However, I speak before she has the chance to. “I love you.” More tears well in her eyes. She doesn’t say it back, and that’s okay. She needs time, and I get that. I’ll give her all the time she needs.
Kendrix comes racing into the room and hops back up on my lap. I have both my girls right where they belong. I feel as though it’s the first time I’ve taken a full, even breath since the night I ghosted her. Never again. Not a day will pass that Delaney won’t know what she means to me. Either of them.
An hour later, our bellies are full and my kitchen is a mess. Kendrix had a blast making spaghetti. We used box noodles and jar sauce, so I’m not sure how we were so messy, but the memory we made, that’s worth all the messes.
“Kendrix.”
“Daddy.” She grins.
“How would you like to meet your grandma and grandpa? My mommy and daddy.”
“Yay!” She cheers and I don’t know if she really understands, but her enthusiasm tells me she will embrace them just as she has me. This little human is resilient and has so much love to give.
“Laney?”
“Have you told them yet?”
“No, but I was going to go call them. I thought we could swing by their place and maybe stop and get some ice cream on the way home.”
“It’s freezing outside.”
“It’s never too cold for ice cream.”
“Yeah, Momma, it’s never too cold,” Kendrix agrees.
“I’m always going to be outnumbered with you two, aren’t I?” Delaney laughs.
“Maybe the next one will be a boy and he can be on your side.”
Her eyes widen before she shakes her head and smiles. “Go make your phone call, crazy man.”
I toss a wink in her direction and rush to my bedroom to call my parents. I don’t want to have this call in front of Kendrix.
“My son, it’s been too long since I’ve seen you,” my mom greets me.
“Hey, Mom.”
“What’s a mother got to do to get her only son to come and visit her?” There’s humor in her voice.
“Funny you should mention that. Is Dad around?”
“He’s sitting right here.”
“Can you put the phone on speaker?”
“Kenton.” Dad’s deep baritone comes across the line.
“You’re both sitting down, right?”
“We are. Are you in trouble?” my mom asks.
“No. However, I do have a story to tell you, and you’re going to want to be sitting for this one.”
“We’re ready, son,” Dad tells me.
With a deep breath in and a slow exhale, I begin the story. I start at the beginning, telling them how I met Delaney. How I kept her all for me, but there was no one I wanted more. I don’t hold anything back as I spill the details of our situation.
“That poor girl,” Mom comments once I’m finished.
“She’s the one you used to bring to the back meadow?” Dad asks, throwing me off.
“How did you know about that?”
He chuckles. “Don’t you know Dad knows everything? You’ll learn with the little one of yours.”
Just like that, easy and absolute acceptance of my daughter and her mother in my life. “Yes, she’s the one.” Those words have a double meaning. She’s the girl I would bring to the meadow, but she’s now the woman I plan to spend the rest of my life with.
“When do we get to meet them?” Mom inquires.
“Well, they’re here with me. We just finished dinner. I thought we could stop by? Let you meet them.”
“Yes,” they say at the same time.
“Okay.” I chuckle. “I’ll load up my girls and we’ll head over.”
“Oh, Kenton,” Mom cries.
“They’re amazing, Mom.” I can feel myself starting to get choked up again.
“Well, what are you doing gabbing? Hang up, get them, and bring them to me.”
Dad and I both laugh this time. “We’ll see you soon.”
“You ladies ready to go?” I ask once I’m back in the living room.
“You tooked a long time,” Kendrix says.
“I’m sorry, princess. I had to tell them all about you.”
“Will they like me?”
“Come here.” I lift her into my arms. “They already love you so very much. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“Will she always be this agreeable?” I ask Delaney. “I have a feeling we’ll need to remember these days for the teenage years.” This moment is surreal. I still can’t believe I’m a father. That this little girl is my responsibility.
“Doubtful. She is a girl with her own mind.”
“Stubborn like her momma.”
“Yeah, if only I had my mind.”
“Hey.” I pull her in close, and now both of them are in my arms where they belong. “You’re still you. You might be missing a few years, but that doesn’t change who you are.”
“It does. You have all these memories; these moments, and I have a dream with you in it that I don’t understand. You have all this… love and I feel—” She stops talking and shakes her head.
“Is that what you’re worried about? That I told you I love you?”
“I-I can’t say it. I don’t know. There is so much going on inside of me, so many emotions.”
“Laney.” I lean down and kiss her temple. “There is nothing to worry about. You wanna know why?”
“Enlighten me,” she says, her sadness already starting to fade.
“Because I’m going to make you fall in love with me all over again.”
“You’re so certain I was before? We never said it, right?”
“No, we never said it, and I’m sorry. I should have. This time, I have my second chance and I won’t stop until you’re head over heels in love with me.”
“You seem confident.”
“I am. When it comes to my girls, I am. Now, let’s grab our coats and get moving. I wouldn’t put it past my mother to send a search party.” Delaney’s eyes widen and I laugh. “She’s excited to meet both of you. I think prom was the last time I took someone home.”
“Prom? As in high school?”
“Yep. Now, let’s get moving.” I set Kendrix on her feet, and she rushes off to get her coat. I help her into it and her boots while Delaney gathers her stuff as well. I snag my jacket from the hook by the door and we’re off.
Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling into my parents’ driveway. The front porch light, glowing bright like a beacon, calls us in. I help Kendrix out of the truck and don’t even try to set her on her feet. She’s a tiny thing like her momma. She might be too big for Delaney to carry her around all the time, but not for me. I intend to do it as long as she’ll let me. I’ve missed so much with her, at least I have this.
Stepping into the house, I smell Mom’s been baking, and I smile. I know as soon as the call ended, she rushed into the kitchen to make some kind of treat for my daughter. Her granddaughter. There is no doubt in my mind she’s going to dote on both of my girls.
We take off our shoes and coats and follow my parents’ voices to the kitchen. “Hey,” I greet them.
“Oh, who do we have here?” Mom asks.
“Mom, Dad, this is Kendrix.” I bounce her in my arms. “And this is Delaney.” I pull her into my side with my free arm. “Ladies, these are my parents, Gordon and Georgia Baldwin.”
“It’s so nice to meet you.” Delaney offers Mom her hand, but Mom bypasses it and pulls her into a hug. Mom pulls away and keeps her hands on Delaney’s shoulders. Something passes in her expression, but it’s gone before I can name it. “Welcome,” Mom says softly, stepping back. I can hear the emotion in her voice. I know she’s wanted me to settle down, but this is not what I expected. I knew she’d be happy and that she would love her simply because I do, but her emotions are unexpected for sure.
Delaney then turns to my dad, and he does the same. “Welcome to the family,” he says softly before releasing her.
“And this little lady?” Dad steps closer and holds his arms out to Kendrix. “Come and see your papaw.”
She doesn’t even hesitate as she reaches for him, allowing him to take her from my arms. “Hello, Kendrix.” My mom places her hand on her arm. “I’m your mamaw.”
“Hi. That’s my daddy, and that’s my mommy.” She points to Delaney and me.
Her tiny hands squeeze my heart with her words. Such easy acceptance of me into her life. I wasn’t sure how she would take it, but she’s acting as if us telling her that I’m her dad is as normal as the fact that Delaney has always been her mom.
“Well, come on in and sit down. I made some cookies, but they need to cool.”
“I love cookies,” Kendrix tells my dad on the way to the living room.
“Yeah? What’s your favorite?”
> “All of them.” Her tone says she’s serious and it makes the four of us laugh.
Over the next hour, we sit and talk. My parents are enamored with both of them. I can see my mom’s wheel spinning, and I’m sure she’s wondering if and when she’s going to get more grandkids.
“We should get going,” I say after Kendrix yawns for the third time.
“No, I want to stay.” Kendrix pouts. She’s sitting on the couch between my parents and crawls up into my dad’s lap. He gives us a pleading look.
“We need to get you home, kiddo.”
“Hey, how about you come hang out with us this weekend? Mommy and Daddy can drop you off and we’ll spend the entire day playing, and we can bake more cookies, or make a cake.”
She nods then looks up at my dad. “You know how to use a hammer?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, baby girl, I can use a hammer.”
“Can I?” Her big blue eyes seek out her mother and me.
I look at Delaney, waiting for her to answer, to find her watching me. “I’ll let you make the call, Daddy. I don’t know them, but I trust you.”
“You can trust us. I promise you that. We’ll take good care of her.” This from my dad.
“I know that. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for it to sound like I didn’t. I just… I’m not used to new people in our lives, and well, I just met you. I know that sounds crazy since we just found each other again, but I already have a deep trust with Kent. I can’t explain it. I assume it’s our prior connection. I just wish I could remember.”
“In due time, my dear. The heart will remember in due time.”
“How’s Saturday afternoon?” I ask my parents.
“That’s perfect.”
“Great. I’ll call you, but probably around one or so.”
“Sounds perfect,” Mom agrees.
“All right, princess, time to go.” I stand, offering Delaney my hand, helping her from the couch. I then bend and take Kendrix from my dad. She comes willingly, knowing that she gets to come back. I’ve got this parenting thing down. After a few goodbyes, we’re on our way back to my place.