“Goodnight, handsome.”
Chapter Eleven
“Mommy, Santa!” Ava pointed to an inflatable in someone’s front yard as we made our way down the street. We were on our way to breakfast then we were going to get his sister, brother-in-law, and nephews from the airport.
Apparently, the family group chat had been buzzing with the news of company at the house, and she was yet another person that was excited to see the impromptu guest at Kiyan’s place. It was so funny to me because his family wasn’t supposed to come until a couple of days before Christmas, but everyone was so curious about us that they were all coming in earlier than expected.
“Yes, baby, that’s Santa,” I beamed.
“Are you ready for Santa, Ava?” Kiyan asked, looking at her through the rearview.
She nodded. “Christmas.”
“That’s right, baby girl, he’ll be here for Christmas.”
The breakfast restaurant, Rise and Dine, was only about twenty minutes away from Kiyan’s place, but he turned it into a thirty minute drive going a little slower so that my baby could see all the decorations everyone had up around town.
When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately welcomed by the warmth and the sweet and savory aroma of all the good food that was being cooked. I loved coming to Rise and Dine because there was so much to choose from on the menu. My baby was picky when it came to food, but she always ate well when it came to this place.
The server poured both me and Kiyan a cup of coffee and left us a pitcher of ice water. She laid a menu in front of us then gave Ava a kid menu that she could color on and some crayons.
“Do you know what you want to drink for the princess?”
“Ava, honey, what do you want to drink?” I asked her softly.
Without looking up from the picture she was coloring, she answered, “Apple juice.”
“Apple juice it is then,” the server beamed. “I’ll give you all a few minutes to look over the menu then I’ll be back.”
I scanned over the menu knowing already that I was getting the Hearty Homestyle Breakfast that consisted of bacon and sausage, eggs, grits, and my choice between toast or a biscuit.
“Do you know what you’re getting?” Kiyan asked.
I nodded. “I get the same thing every time I come.”
“Word? This is only like my second or third time here, so I’ll likely just get steak and eggs like I always do.”
“Their salmon is really good, and the croquettes if you want to try something different.”
“Says the woman getting the same thing she always gets,” he replied and smirked causing me to giggle.
“I’m just a huge creature of habit and the Hearty Homestyle Breakfast is very filling. I probably won’t eat again until dinner.”
“You can’t let my mama or Aunt Pat hear you saying that. They’ll assume that you’re starving yourself and start shoving food down your throat.”
“Oh, Lord, I don’t need that.” I giggled. “This will be our secret.”
“I got you.” He winked before taking a sip of his coffee.
When the server returned Kiyan took the liberty of ordering for us all since I’d told him what I was getting and the few things on the menu that Ava liked. Once she was gone, we filled our waiting period with talk about my plans for the future. I wasn’t as defeated as I was before because I had people in my corner that had faith in me.
I’d had some time to think on my situation and concluded that I was going to go back to school. My accounting degree was still good, but I wanted more for me and my baby. I wanted her to see that we’d be okay and that she could overcome any obstacle that she ran into.
Kiyan promised to help me get enrolled and to take care of the expenses despite me telling him that I would be okay. I also planned to find a job after the holiday. I wanted to make sure that I was able to spend Christmas and bring the New Year in with my baby, then I was going to hit the ground running. I had to get us a place to stay pronto, so that was my number one priority after the holidays passed.
“I had this delivered for you.” He placed a small, gift wrapped, rectangular box on the table and slid it in my direction.
My brows dipped as I slowly reached for it. “What is it?”
