Xander eats up this kind of attention. It makes me want to throw up.
“You alright, babe?” Linc asks.
I nod. “Yep. I’m good. It’ll be a couple months, then someone more note-worthy will do something and we’ll be long forgotten.”
“Exactly. Until then, let’s do what we need to do to get through this.”
“If it gets too bad, we can always stay home,” I offer.
“In bed. I know you were going to finish that sentence with ‘in bed’, right?”
I laugh. “Absolutely. Where else would I want to be?”
9
LINC
Okay, so I admit that Kiki is scarier than Kadi. She’s always everywhere and somehow, for being so young, she knows things. Way too many things. And her stare. It makes me want to run in the opposite direction. None of the other kids give me this feeling. Just Kierah.
I can remember the first time she saw Tera. She ran into the room looking for her good buddy Xander, but when she saw Tera she stopped in her tracks. She ignored Xan completely and ran right up to Tera who was sitting on the sofa. Kiki’s eyes got wide and her cheeks puffed up as her tiny mouth formed a perfect O. Then she let out a breath and asked, “Who’s this?” in her little girl way. Xander told her it was Tera, his wife.
Kiki climbed right up on the couch next to Tera, kneeling at her side, and ran her little hands through Tera’s long dark hair. She looked at Tera and asked, “Are you Princess Jasmine?”
“Princess Jasmine?” Tera asked.
Kiki nodded, her curls bouncing. “Yep, from ‘laddin. She has long hair like you.”
“I’m not Princess Jasmine, I’m sorry. I’m Tera.”
Kiki nods again then raises up on her knees, grabs the sides of Tera’s face and sticks her own right in it. “I like you. You pretty-pretty. You can be my princess pal.”
It took all I had not to laugh.
“I’d be happy to be your princess pal, Kierah,” Tera replied.
Oh hell. Tera’s gonna regret this.
“It Kiki. I don’t like Kee-rah.”
“Kiki it is then,” Tera answered.
Since then, Kiki’s been Tera’s shadow. Xander’s a bit disgruntled. She was his pal, and now she’s BFFs with Tera. With Tera being six months pregnant now, she’s showing pretty good, and Kiki is constantly touching Tera’s belly, hugging Tera so she can press her ear against her tummy as if she can hear something inside. Who knows? Maybe she can.
Tera and Kiki sitting on the sofa watching some cartoon video is a familiar sight. I wonder what she’s got on today. I take a seat next to Kiki and look to the TV. It’s that puppy show. I swear she doesn’t watch anything else.
“Who’s your favorite?” I ask.
Kiki looks at me like I’m stupid. “All of them.” All that’s missing is the “duh”.
“Jeez, kid. Kinda harsh today, aren’t ya?”
Tera looks at me with a grin. “Don’t mess with her puppies.”
“Real or pretend,” Xander adds when he walks in the room. He leans down and gives Tera a kiss, and Kiki gives him the evils. That is, until he gives her a kiss too. Then all is right with Princess Kiki.
“I’m going to work out,” I mumble and exit the room. Hell to the no. I don’t want any kids like that—so headstrong. No fucking way. Not that Ethan and I can have them anyway. We could adopt, but… what the hell? I shake myself out of it. Why am I thinking of kids?
“Jesus,” I mumble just as Ethan walks up.
