Kairo paddled a bit, so we were a ways away from the shoreline. Distance wasn’t my strong suit, so I couldn’t say if we were a few feet away or what.
After we got to where Kairo wanted us, he placed the paddle across his leg, and we pretty much just floated along.
“What kind of mother do you think you’ll be?” Kairo asked as he reached for my hand.
I was a little skeptical about being on the same side as him, so I didn’t move any closer, even though I wanted to.
“I think I’ll be one of those fun ones but stern when I need to be. I want our child to feel comfortable talking to me about everything. If not me, then you or even your siblings. I just want them to have an adult they feel they can confide in. I think they will, though, because we are surrounded by good people on both sides. What about you?”
“Essentially the same. I would like them to have siblings like I did and have the same type of relationship.”
“So you saying I need to be pregnant in about two years or so.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Only if you want to, though.”
I wasn’t sure what I would feel like in two years. I had to finish baking the one in my stomach first.
“Do you plan on marrying me before the second one?”
I believed Kairo when he said he wasn’t thinking about another woman, because he showed me how he felt about me every day. I wanted to be married, though, and didn’t think we should have multiple children before then.
“Trust me, that’s coming.”
My heart slammed in my chest. Even though we had a conversation before about marriage, what Kairo just said made it real. It was just a matter of when.
Kairo leaned forward and kissed me. “Don’t overthink it. Look.” He pointed toward the sky. “The sun is going down.”
I turned around to watch the sun go down. The sky turned multiple colors and made the water shine in some parts. I couldn’t sit next to Kairo, but I felt him. He rubbed the back of my neck and my back. I didn’t always need to be in his skin, even though I loved it. I also loved that whenever he was close enough to touch me, he did.
I never would have guessed that I would move on when I did, and sure didn’t expect to fall for my boss, but I loved it here. Moving to Sunrise Valley was the best decision I’d ever made.
Brian may have been a terrible person, but without him doing what he did, I would have never found Kairo. Brian may have been the reason, but it was fate that brought us together.
Even though itwas early afternoon when I got off, the day had been a long one. All the shit I went through during the day was forgotten about when I entered my house. I kicked my work boots off by the door, then greeted Shadow and Cashmere when they walked toward me. After showing them some love, I let them out in the backyard for a little bit.
I made sure to take my clothes off in the laundry room, then went upstairs in nothing but my boxers and tank top. Mycah made sure I didn’t enter our room or the baby’s room with my work clothes on.
My heart leaped when I entered the bedroom, and my eyes landed on Mycah sitting up in bed, breastfeeding our little girl. Karisma Bishop had brought so much joy to all our lives.
“Who’s that?” Mycah smiled as she looked down at Karisma. “It’s daddy.”
Karisma’s eyes lit up, and she crawled away from Mycah to the end of the bed, where I picked her up and placed kisses all over her face. At nine months old, Karisma was already a daddy’s girl.
“Hey, Rizz,” I cooed, then kissed her cheek again. I held her in my arms as I walked to the head of the bed. Leaning down, Mycah and I shared a kiss before I sat at the end of the bed. Karisma crawled out of my lap and went back to her mother.
“Hey, how was your day?” Mycah asked as she held Karisma so she could finish eating.
I watched them for a second, feeling every bit of happiness.
“It was good. Busy as hell. I missed y’all. What have y’all been up to all day?”
I listened intently as Mycah told me about their day. Since she was around seven months pregnant, she had been on leave. The plan was for her to stay out until Karisma was a year old. We started looking into day cares but wasn’t sure if that was the route we were going to go. We had plenty of family to help. My parents could keep her some days. Mycah’s parents were looking for a house here, so they would help too. Karma and Koda said they would help too.
Our families loved Karisma, and each one of them spoiled her. Mycah and I weren’t any help either. Mycah’s best friend, Chanel, was Karisma’s godmother, and she had plans on moving closer to us as well.
Things for Mycah and me had been going well. She moved in with me when she first went on maternity leave. Even before then, one of us stayed at the other one’s place, so we were always together. I was so excited about having a baby, and I didn’t want to miss anything.
Mycah’s parents had stayed at her old apartment when they came to town, and they considered moving in there permanently, but they wanted something with a yard so Karisma could have somewhere to play when she got older. Plus, they said they wanted to be able to watch the dogs for us as well. One thing I could say was we didn’t have a shortage of help when it came to Karisma or the dogs.
