Page 32 of Steel

Then there was Neha.

How the hell could she keep something like this a secret for so long? Did nobody in her family think to tell her she was wrong? Did nobody try to convince her to tell me? I guess it was fuck Kerrion. She left school and left me behind too.

I was regretting not asking my sister to find her sooner.

Back then, that breakup had me acting like a bitch in my feelings. After chasing her for weeks, I gave up. I stopped fighting for her after she told me she couldn’t love me. What difference would it have made if I’d continued to chase her? Knowing now what I didn’t know then, . . . it would have made a world of difference.

She had my kid.

My beautiful little girl.

I thought back to sitting outside with her the day I found out. She was asking me so many questions.

“You really didn’t know about me?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. If I did, there wouldn’t have been a day that I wasn’t here for you.”

“Did you want to be a daddy back then?”

“Yes. I love kids. I’ve always wanted a family of my own.” I chuckled. “I wanted like five or six kids, just like your grandfather. Your brother is my entire world. Having him has been my greatest joy. I would have loved to be there for you, Nayelli. Even though I was young, you would have been my main priority. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to have that time back with you.”

“I always wanted a daddy. My school used to have daddy-daughter dances, and my grandpa would take me. It made me sad seeing the other girls with their dads when I didn’t have one, but Grandpa always made sure we had fun.”

I smiled softly. “If you ever need a date in the future, I’ve got you now.”

Her smile matched mine. “Can you dance?”

“Can I dance? I’ve got moves for days. You don’t wanna see me on the dance floor, baby girl.”

She giggled. “I bet you dance like old people.”

I playfully grabbed my chest. “Now that hurt. You think I’m old?”

She reached out and grabbed my face, turning it from side to side.

“Hmmm, . . . not that old. I don’t see any gray hair.”

I chuckled. “You got jokes. You’ll love your uncle Maceo. He loves to clown people.”

“How many uncles do I have?”

“Four uncles. Well, five now. Five other aunts besides Jaeda.”

“I like her.”

I smiled. “She likes you too.”

“What are the others like?”

“Well, Deuce is the serious one. Maceo is the jokester. Smoke is a big teddy bear. Jaeda is super smart. Smoke, Maceo, and Deuce are all married so that’s three aunts right there. Then there is my sister, Mia, the sassy one. Next, there’s Kalia. She’s fifteen and a huge girly girl. She loves shopping, hair, nails, and clothes.”

Nayelli’s eyes lit up. “I think I’m gonna like her best.”

I chuckled. “I bet you will.”

She counted on her fingers. “I have two more, right?”

“Yes. There’s Jaiden and Emelie. They are the babies of the bunch.”