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"Where you at?" My sister shouted over the phone. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?” 

I could hear her muttering something under her breath. “What was that?” I asked, feeling guilty.

“I said, here it was Sunday and you need Jesus more than anyone I know, all while missing church.” I didn’t even have to be there to know her face was working overtime.

"I can explain. If you just give me the chance,” I began patiently, determined to somehow make her understand.

"I’ve given you chances. You had all night to call and tell me where you was, and what you was doing." she huffed. “You didn’t call. You abandoned your son, the same thing you accused Camilla of doing.”

Arionna had hit a nerve. “I would never abandon my son. I told you I had to leave. I thought I’d be coming home. Obviously, that didn’t work out.”

“Obviously. I can’t even talk to you right now.” My sister ended the call, which didn’t make me any happier.

I worked to remain calm for the last three minutes of the drive. When I pulled in, I saw her face in the upstairs bedroom for a split second after I hit the button on the remote to open the garage door. I parked the truck and strode into the house. Arionna needed to know what was happening. I wouldn’t condone her being rude to Tegyn.

“Look what the cat drug in,” she grumbled as she stomped down my stairs.

“You can stop with that already. You may be my big sister, but I didn’t move you out here so you could sit and judge me,” I reminded her. My words seemed to have little impact.

“No, you have me here so I could raise your boy while you chased after some white woman.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Is that what you really think?” I eyed her angrily. “I wanted him to be with family when I worked.”

Arionna laughed. “Oh, is that what last night was? Work?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Actually, yes. Someone threw a ball through Tegyn’s window and painted a threat on her life…right on her house.” I shook my head. “How do I abandon her at a time like that? And how could I bring my son with me?”

“That’s too bad.” Ari sighed. “Too bad she don’t have no friends.”

“I’m her friend,” I reminded my sister. “And from what I picked up on last night, her ex was controlling and alienated everyone. She needs me.”

“Right. She needs you. I saw you sniffing around her, DeSean. I know what you want. And it ain’t friendship.” She glared at me as she pushed past me to go to the kitchen. “I gotta make lunch.”

“Okay, well make sure you cook enough for one more,” I warned her.

“What you mean?” Ari leaned on the island angrily. “You invited her for lunch? After last night?”

I swallowed hard. “No, I told her to move in so I can take care of my son and keep her safe.”

“I can’t believe you’re picking a white woman over your family.” Ari shook her head. Only her grip on the granite showed how angry she really was at the moment.

“Stop calling her that. Tegyn isn’t some white woman. She’s a woman. And if you took a moment to get to know her instead of judging her, you’d actually like her.” I moved to stand across from her at the island. “Luckily, you about to get that chance. She’ll be here probably within the hour.”

“Well, I won’t be.” My sister glared at me, her nostrils flaring. “We’re leaving.”

I slapped my hand on the counter. “You kidding me? You just got here.”

“And now we going.” Ari strode toward the stairs.

I turned and realized Necie was sitting on the top step holding Keyon. “Morning, little man. You coming to greet me or what?” I grinned as he reached for the railing so he could make his way down the steps.

“Mama, I don’t want to leave,” Necie mumbled. “I like it here. Uncle DeSean has a nice big house. We can all be here.” She licked her lips before adding hesitantly, “And Tegyn is nice. I like her.”

“You don’t even know her!” Arionna shouted.

“Neither do you,” Necie pouted.

“Pack. We’re leaving,” her mother ordered.

I was barely listening to them. Instead, I focused on making sure Keyon didn’t tumble down the stairs. The minute he was in my arms, I squeezed him tight and spun him around. “I missed you. You good?” I asked him quietly.

He nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good,” I whispered in his ear while I held him close. Looking at Arionna standing beside me, I murmured, “You don’t have to leave.”

“I can’t be here. I can’t be part of whatever it is you doing with…her.” She took a deep breath and stormed up the stairs. When she reached the top, she growled, “Pack fast.”

“How are you even leaving, Arionna?” I asked. “You don’t have a car. Last I heard, you was low on money. Where you even gonna live?”

“Mama will pick us up.” She stuck out her chin.

I laughed sadly. “I can’t believe you’d rather live in Mama’s itty bitty two bedroom, one bathroom house than stay here with me.”

“It’s not staying with you I have a problem with,” she retorted as she disappeared down the hall.

With a sigh, I set Keyon on his feet, grabbed his hand and lead him into the kitchen. “You hungry?”

He nodded. “I want popcorn,” he announced with a big smile.

“You can’t have popcorn for lunch. Let’s see what we got for food. I think we need to get groceries. We only picked up a few things yesterday. Auntie was too tired to do real shopping.” I babbled on to cover the sound of my sister rushing around upstairs and barking orders at my niece. As I reached for the fridge door, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket and grinned when I saw I had a text from Tegyn and breathed a sigh of relief at her message. “She’s on her way,” I told Keyon.

“Who, Daddy?” He stared up at me, a smile on his face.

“Daddy’s friend, Tegyn, is coming to stay with us for a little while.” I inhaled deeply. If I had my way, she’d be here forever. A little while wouldn’t be nearly long enough. All I could think about was getting her here where she’d be safe, hauling her into my arms. I stared at the phone, hoping she might call, but it didn’t ring and the last thing I needed to do was scare her off with my over-eager behavior.

Keyon tugged on my hand.

I looked down. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I want cheese.” He grinned.

I laughed. “You win. You want mac and cheese?”

“Uh huh.” He bounced a little beside me. Then he calmed down. “I go sit and wait.” He rushed to the back side of the island and I saw a hand pop up onto the counter and I realized he was trying to get on a stool.

After helping him into the seat, I warned, “Don’t wiggle, I don’t want you to fall and crack your head open.”

“Okay, Daddy.” He giggled. Apparently, concussions and stitches were funny to him. That’s because I’d protected the boy from anything worse than a skinned knee his whole life.

I disappeared inside the pantry and started looking for a box of the powdered kind to make him for lunch. The emotions coursing through me were so distracting. I wanted to sit and analyze them. I was nervous about this. Facing my mother after whatever Ari would tell her pained me greatly. Then I was so worried I’d mess everything up with Tegyn again. This was my second chance and she didn’t strike me as the kind of woman to give a guy a third and fourth. Most immediately, however, I was mad at my sister, angry she wouldn’t give Tegyn a chance based on the color of her skin. As a black woman, you’d have thought she’d be more understanding about racism, but instead, she was stuck in the past.

“Daddy! Where’d you go?” Keyon chirped from his seat.

“Right here, little man.” I peeked out the pantry. “Boo!” I teased.

He giggled like I was the funniest person he knew. It felt good. I needed that right now.

I grabbed the closest box of mac and cheese and walked back into the kitchen. As I was about to pull out a saucepan, Ari came stomping down the stairs with Necie trailing sadly behind her. “So, you out?” I asked glumly.

“Of course, we’re leaving. I can’t believe you thought I’d stay here,” she snapped.

Necie’s shoulders sank. “I want to stay,” she whispered. “I like it here. And I like tae kwon do.” She was clearly ready to list off all the things she enjoyed about her current living situation, but her mother cut her off.

“We can’t stay, I told you. It’s the principle.” She glared at me again.

Of course, I was so used to her moods and attitudes, this didn’t faze me a bit. “Mama coming to get you?” I asked calmly.

“Yes. She’ll be here any minute.” Ari grabbed her bags and made her way to the front door, struggling the whole time.

I could’ve offered to help her, but I chose to help Necie instead. “Girl, let me get this for you.” I carried everything over to the door. “So, you don’t mind sharing a room with your daughter. That’s cool. I’d think you’d want some privacy at your age, but that’s cool.

Necie’s eyes widened. “We’re sharing a room.”

“Well, you’re keeping your clothes in the room, but you’re sleeping on the couch.” Arionna stared out the window.

“And listen, Necie, you might want to get some books. Go to the library or something. Take up a hobby, like drawing or writing maybe. There’s only one television at Mama Delta’s house.” I leaned casually against the wall as her brow furrowed. “And that tv pretty much only gets one station. Your gramma refuses to get cable.”

“But what about Wi-Fi?” she whimpered.

“Mama Delta doesn’t believe in Wi-Fi.” I smirked.

Necie shook her head. “What’s to believe? How do you live without internet?”

“Oh, I don’t. Your Mama Delta does.” I winked.

“There she is.” Arionna turned to her daughter. “Go on. Get in the car. I’ll be right out.”

With her head hanging, Necie opened the door and wandered outside to follow her mother’s orders. I shook my head. “You always did have to be difficult, Ari,” I said with a sigh. “This time I think you’ll find you done shot yourself in the foot. Your daughter will be miserable. She’ll be in a terrible school and a terrible home. I hope it’s worth it.”

“Yeah? Well, I hope you learn to prioritize. You need to learn to support your family. How you could be so disloyal sickens me.” She looked at me with disgust. “You hear me? You make me sick.”

“Ari, Tegyn did nothing to you. She did nothing to Mama. You can’t hate her because of our father. Not all white women are out to steal a black man and wreck a marriage. You should’ve figured that stuff out by now.” I scowled. She stood there glaring at me, like her mood was going to make a difference to mine. “Just go on, if you’re leaving. No need to keep Mama waiting.”

“Oh, I’m outta here.” Ari snatched her luggage off the floor and went stumbling through the door, hitting the frame several times on the way out.

I was too tired to worry about whether or not she’d done any damage. Our relationship would never be the same after this. I wondered how Mama would feel. As a test, I leaned out the door and waved at her. She turned her head away and ignored my greeting like she hadn’t just been staring at me. Guess I had my answer.

I closed the door just in time to hear Keyon say, “I get down now.”

I realized my mistake instantly. I never should’ve left him alone on the stool. “You bored, buddy?” I asked as I entered the kitchen again.

He nodded. “I hold my tablet?”

I turned and found the one I’d bought him sitting on the counter plugged in. After I unhooked, I passed it to him. “You play and I’ll make lunch. Got it?”

“I got it.” He smiled and wriggled happily in his seat.

Pulling out the saucepan, I moved to the sink to fill it. I’d barely set it on the stove and turned the burner on when I heard the garage door coming down. I whipped around and grinned at Keyon. “Tegyn’s here,” I told him, completely unable to hide the excitement in my voice. Luckily, he was too young to notice. I pulled him off the stool, and carried him to greet her as she came in through the garage door to the laundry room and drop zone.

“Hi,” she began shyly when she saw me standing there.

“Hi yourself.” I grinned.

Her eyes landed on my son and her smile faltered. “And who’s this?” she asked as she took a step closer.

My boy took one look at her and smiled. “I Keyon.”

“I am Keyon,” I corrected.

He shook his head. “You Daddy. I Keyon.”

Tegyn giggled. “He’s not wrong.”

“I tried,” I muttered as we all stood there awkwardly.

She glanced at her luggage still sitting where I’d dumped it after I entered the house half an hour before. “Looks like everything made it in. Wanna show me where to stick my stuff?”

“Nah, I’ll carry it up after lunch.” I gestured for her to follow me. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

“Awesome.” She padded behind me. “Nice house.”

I nodded. “That’s exactly how I think of it. House. A place to hold my stuff.”

Her brow furrowed. “What’s wrong with that?” She pulled out a stool while I walked over to the stove.

After pouring the macaroni into the boiling water, I faced her again. “I want a place to hold my heart, a place filled with the people I love.”

“I love you, Daddy!” Keyon launched himself into my arms.

“And I love you, too, buddy.” I grinned and held him close a moment before growing serious. “Having you here is the closest I’ve been to that dream,” I murmured as I stared into her eyes.

Tegyn inhaled sharply, but nodded. “I see,” she responded. Then she shook her head. “So, what’s for lunch?”

“I’m making macaroni and cheese.” I pointed to the box.

“And?” Her brows rose.

“And what?” I frowned.

She sighed. “That’s no lunch for a growing kid.” Tegyn wandered over to the fridge and peered inside. “Okay, I’m seeing signs we need groceries.” Opening the freezer side, she murmured, “We have hot dogs.” She moved to the pantry and stepped in. “How about some canned fruit too?” Instead of looking to me for approval, she grinned at my son. “Do you like hot dogs, Keyon?”

He nodded happily. “And fruit.”

Teygn made her way to the stove. “Saucepan, then step aside. I’ve got this.”

I think my hand was shaking slightly as I passed her the pan. This was new to me. Camilla hated cooking. She hated cleaning. She wasn’t the least bit domestic. Two minutes in my house and Tegyn was going to make it a home. I could feel it. And that thought was equal parts exciting and terrifying. I reached in the cupboard and passed her the pan she’d requested. Then I wandered around the island and sat beside Keyon.

“What you think of this, Key?” I asked him, worried it was moving too fast and he’d be confused.

“I yike she.” He smiled.

“You like her?” I asked, once again trying to correct him.

“Yes, Daddy,” he whispered.

I frowned. “Then why so quiet about it?”

“When you loud, they leave.” Keyon leaned his chin on the granite.

His words hurt. I knew why he thought that. He was awake the night his mother left. He was here while Arionna packed up. Why wouldn’t he worry about losing Tegyn? I knew how he felt. I didn’t want to lose her either.