“We love you more,” I said.
She pulled back, wiping her face. “Well… since we’re having this emotional family moment,” she said, trying to lighten the mood, “there is something I wanna tell you.”
Khloe and I looked at each other.
Kennedi burst out laughing. “I’m not pregnant,” she said quickly. “I’m actually a virgin.”
I swear my soul left my body for half a second. I kept my face straight but I was barely able to.
“I can’t promise I’ll wait until marriage because I don’t want to lie. But I feel like it’s sacred, so I’m not in a rush.”
Every protective instinct in me wanted to scream, but I stayed calm. I was proud that she was talking about something so personal with us.
“But,” she added, biting her lip, “there is this boy I like.”
Khloe smiled. “Okay…”
“He’s my age and very intelligent. We’re not official or anything. We just talk a lot and sometimes I wanna go to the arcade, movies, golfing, and stuff like that.”
Khloe nodded. “I’m okay with that. What’s his name?”
Kennedi blushed hard. “Maaa, we’re not there yet. I’m not ready for the meeting and names. He’s just a friend, and I like that it’s private.”
Khloe looked at me, searching for something to say. “I respect that.”
“I've been wanting to tell y’all… but I figured you’d judge him.”
I frowned. “Why would we judge another kid?”
She hesitated. “Because he did something Mom’s been on me about for the longest.”
Khloe and I looked at each other confused.
Kennedi took a deep breath. “He has a daughter.”
Khloe and I both gave each other thatwhat the fucklook. Then we remembered everything we just talked about.
Kennedi rushed to explain. “He was young and he made a mistake. But he’s still in school. He works hard and takes care of his daughter. He’s not some bum.”
Khloe’s eyes filled as she hugged Kennedi. “I can’t judge him for something I did,” she said. “I didn’t plan to become a teen mom, but you are the most beautiful outcome of that mistake.”
“Look at what we built,” she said, looking around the house.
“Mistakes don’t define a person,” I said. “How you grow after them does. If he’s respectful, and you’re safe… then we’re not here to judge him.”
Khloe added, “And you don’t have to hide things from us out of fear.”
I wrapped an arm around both of them. “You can come to us about anything,” I said. “Even if we’re uncomfortable. We’ll figure it out together.”
Kennedi smiled. “So… since we’re one big happy family now… can we order hibachi and dessert and play board games like we used to when I was younger?”
Khloe laughed. “That actually sounds perfect.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That sounds really good.”
Kennedi grabbed her phone. “I’ll call it in.”
“I’ll go pick it up,” I said, standing.
