Page 21

The energy in the house had shifted. The laughter was still there, the games still rolling, but the vibe was different now. More settled, intimate. The house was alive with the rhythm of the night, the Bluetooth speaker pouring out a mix of smooth R even if she was too shy to say it.

Krys’ chest tightened. She cleared her throat, squatting slightly to Kaliyah’s level. “I like you too, short stuff.”

Kaliyah beamed, but only for a second before quickly hiding her smile like she didn’t want to give too much away.

Krys shook her head, reaching out to smooth a hand over her curls.

This was definitely growing into something else that Krys wasn’t prepared for.

**********

At some point, Kenyatta found himself off to the side, just watching; eyes trained on Krys and Kaliyah.

Watching Krys as she laughed with her family. Watching Kaliyah as she twirled in her little white dress. Watching the way Kaliyah kept finding Krys, like she was already claiming her. And when Kaliyah reached for Krys’ hand, pulling her toward the dance floor, Krys didn’t hesitate. She let Kaliyah lead her, spinning her around, making her laugh; her face lighting up in a way Kenyatta didn’t see often.

The laughter, the games, the way Kaliyah kept twirling around the backyard like she was having the time of her life; it all felt so natural.

Too natural.

Krys, for all her sharp-tongued, bougie-ass ways, wasn’t forcing it. She was just being. And it was messing with him. Because this wasn’t a part of the game. This wasn’t some carefully orchestrated performance. This was just… Krys. And Kaliyah liked her.

Like, really liked her.

That thought sat heavy in his chest, stirring something he wasn’t ready to deal with yet.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, shaking his head slightly. “Damn.”

Just as Kenyatta was trying to make sense of everything, he heard a chair scrape beside him. He glanced over, surprised to see Pam, Krys’ mother, sitting next to him, her wine glass in hand.

She looked like Krys in twenty years, but with a softer, more knowing presence.

“Relax, boy. I don’t bite,” she said, crossing her legs.

Kenyatta smirked. “I ain’t think you did.”

Pam studied him for a moment before looking toward Krys and Kaliyah.

“They look good together, don’t they?” she mused.

Kenyatta’s smirk faded slightly.

Pam didn’t wait for him to answer. She swirled the wine in her glass. “Krys ever tell you what she really wants?”

Kenyatta frowned slightly. “What you mean?”

Pam turned her full attention to him, her voice softer now. More deliberate.

“My daughter is tough. Strong. Independent. All of that.” She waved a hand. “But at the end of the day? She just wants a family of her own.”

Kenyatta stayed quiet.

Pam smiled knowingly. “Does that surprise you?”

Kenyatta exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah. A little.”

Pam chuckled. “That’s ‘cause she won’t let just anybody see that side of her.” She took a slow sip of wine. “But I see the way she looks at you.”

Kenyatta glanced at her. “And what way is that?”

Pam’s eyes twinkled slightly. “Like she sees something real for the first time in a long time.”

Kenyatta’s chest tightened.

Pam tapped a manicured nail against her glass. “As quiet as it’s kept, I never liked Zahir for her.”

Kenyatta arched a brow. “Oh yeah?”

“I let her have her little fantasy with him, but deep down? I knew he wasn’t the one. Too safe. Too predictable.” She waved a hand. “Krys needs somebody that makes her feel something real. Somebody that challenges her.”

She took another sip, giving Kenyatta a knowing glance. “And from what I can see, you seem up for the challenge.”

Kenyatta’s jaw clenched slightly. Hearing that Krys talked about him to other people, that she saw something in him that maybe he didn’t even see in himself yet was throwing him.

Pam leaned forward slightly. “I’m not saying you need to be anything you’re not. But if you’re gonna be in her life,” she nodded toward Kaliyah and Krys laughing together, “then you better be sure. Because that girl of mine don’t do halfway.”

Kenyatta let that sit for a moment before nodding slowly. “Understood.”

Pam smiled, pleased. Then, before standing, she patted his shoulder. “Dinner next weekend. You and Kaliyah.”

Kenyatta blinked. “Oh?”

Pam grinned, standing fully. “Mmhmm. You can bring Krys too.”

And with that, she walked off, leaving him sitting there with more thoughts than he knew what to do with.