Page 36 of Fallynn West

I chuckled. “Yeah, she’s always been like that. I tell her she knows how to code switch too well.”

“She does. It’s amusing.”

“It is, but on a serious note, my family loves you. I didn’t think I’d be able to have you to myself at all.”

“We always have the after-party.” Colony turned around and draped her arms on my shoulders, smirking with her head tipped to the side. When she sexily trailed her tongue over her lips, my member started to rise.

“You better chill out with all that. My old room is still available.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare do anything here. I’d be far too embarrassed if anyone heard me or walked in on us.”

“We’re grown. No one could do anything about it.”

“Yeah, but it’s not only grown folks here, Keondra. Like I said, we have time after this.”

I leaned down and meshed our lips together. The moment didn’t last long because my mother screamed my name. My heart palpitated from the urgency in it. Colony grabbed my hand and followed behind me. I walked through the house to find all my family standing at the front door.

When my presence was known, my mother turned around and stared at me with a look that made my stomach drop. I pushed through them to see Demetria standing there with a small gift bag in her hand.

My ears started ringing.

My fists clenched.

My body temperature rose.

I wanted my eyes to be playing tricks on me. I wanted it to be a sick joke someone was pulling. I’d be able to deal with that much better than actually seeing the woman who’d walked away from my daughter without a care in the world.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

The voice that came from me didn’t sound like mine. I didn’t even try to hide the hatred spewing up from deep inside me like vomit. The nerve of her to show up as if everything was all good after three years.

“Daddy? Are you okay?” Kehlani’s worried voice trembled from behind me.

Instantly, I forced myself to calm down to talk to her. In no way did I want her to think I was upset with her, but before I could say anything, Colony rubbed her hand up and down my arm with a slight bob of her head. She whispered something in Kehlani’s ear. Kehlani nodded her head, but her eyes remained on me. They were glossy, filled with concern, so I went over and squatted in front of her. When she threw her arms around my neck, I wanted to break down.

“You’re upset, Daddy.”

I held her tightly. “I’ll be okay, KeKe.”

“It’s my birthday. I want everyone to be happy, especially you.”

“And I am. Nothing makes me happier than you, baby girl. You’re a whole year older. The big five. It’s all about you still. The day isn’t over.”

She kissed my cheek and pulled away. Her eyes went to the door briefly, then back to me. “Who is that woman?”

“No one. How about you go with Colony for a second? I’ll come find you, and we can have another piece of cake.”

“And ice cream?”

Playfully, I tugged on one of her braids and kissed her nose. “Anything the birthday girl wants.”

“Yay! Come on, Colony. Let’s go look at my new toys.”

Kehlani led Colony to the back, leaving me to address the unwanted guest. When I turned around to face Demetria, she had tears streaming down her cheeks. That shit annoyed me. She had no reason to be emotional.

Taking a deep breath, I tried my best to remain calm as I addressed Demetria. “You need to leave.”

Demetria opened and closed her mouth several times. Those round eyes matching Kehlani’s bore through me. One thing I couldn’t deny was how beautiful she still was. Time had been good to her. She raked a hand through her fluffy spirals and sighed.