She shook her head. “Nah. He goes to Stone Prep.”
It wasn’t far but across town. A magnet school that was known for turning D1 dreams into reality. I nodded. “Okay… so how y’all meet?”
“Instagram. But I mean he does attend a rival school, so he’s seen me cheer at games,” she said casually. “We’ve been talking for a little minute now.”
“Are y’all dating?”
She paused. “Not really. I mean, we’re cool. We talk a lot when he isn’t busy.”
I watched her closely. “He must have a situation?”
She hesitated. “Kind of.”
I turned toward her fully in the driver’s seat. “What does that mean, Kennedi?”
She looked down, then back up. “He has another friend who is a girl… but it’s complicated.”
“Complicated” I repeated it slowly so she could hear what she just said. “So, another girlfriend.”
She nodded. “I mean I guess you can say that.”
I took a breath. “Listen to me. I’m not gonna tell you not to talk to him. I’m not gonna say ‘leave him alone’ like your mama probably would. But baby girl… just know what you’re doing.”
She nodded again. “I do, Daddy. We’re just cool.”
“Okay,” I said, trying not to let the protective side of me jump out and turn our conversation into a lecture. “I just don’t want you giving your time to someone who’s not in a position to give you theirs. You feel me?”
She nodded. “I know.”
I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezed it. “You’re too dope to be anybody’s ‘kinda-sorta-maybe.’ Don’t settle for part-time attention, alright?”
Her eyes teared just a little, and she gave me that half-smile that always reminded me of when she was five, sitting on my lap, and asking me if I thought her stuffed animals had feelings.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you more,” I said, kissing the back of her hand. “You’re smart, you’re beautiful, and you’ve got hella purpose in you. Don’t ever let some confused little boy make you forget that.”
She leaned over and hugged me, and I held her tight, wishing I could bottle that moment up. Teenage years were hard enough, but if I could make her feel heard then I was doing my job.
“Alright,” I said, rubbing her back before letting go. “Let’s get in here before your mama comes looking for us.”
She laughed. “You know she’s probably already in there on ten.”
We grabbed our cups and got out, heading toward the front door. I looked at her as we walked to the front door, silently praying I was giving her enough tools to navigate the world.
She had her mama’s fire, but I wanted her to have my patience. Even though she might not have realized it yet—our conversations, our car rides, our little check-ins—was my way of breaking the cycle. I didn’t want my daughter to become so curious about the world and everything it had to offer, but scared to talk to trust someone with guidance. I didn’t want her doing the very thing that her parents did that landed them with major responsibilities at the ripe age of eighteen.
I smelled flowers before I even made it to the kitchen.
Khloe was talking while arranging a fresh bouquet of flowers. I heard her laugh from around the corner and the exaggerated, “Girl, pleaaaaase.”
I knew it was Coffee on the other end of the phone. No one else could get her that animated. They’d been thick as thieves since kids—Kennedi’s godmother, Khloe’s backbone, and the only woman who could tell Khloe to shut the hell up and she’d actually do it. I used to come home late and find them curled up in the bed like I was the guest in my own damn house. I didn’t even fuss, I’d just grabbed a blanket and made peace with the couch. Coffee moving to the city and opening her firm years ago was probably the beginning of the unraveling in our marriage, if I’m being honest. It left Khloe alone, with too much time to feel the absence I was causing.
I leaned against the doorframe, watching Khloe trim the flower stems and laughing into her phone.
“Hello, Coffee,” I said loud enough to make her pause.
Khloe turned, smirking as she set the phone on speaker. “Say it again.”
