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Kiyah entered my office as the boys filed out. She promptly took Casey’s seat and swung her legs back and forth, anxiously kicking them in the air. She avoided eye contact with me.
“Kiyah…relax…you’re not in trouble.” I chuckled when her little body deflated. “I wanted to talk to you because I consider you and your mother part of our family. I love your mother very much, and you feel like a daughter to me. One day, I will marry your mother.”
“You will?” she gasped excitedly.
“I will.”
“That means we can stay with you?”
“Yes.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and I fought to hold mine back.
“Good. I like my room,” she whispered, wiping away a tear. I offered her the tissue box that sat on the edge of my desk. She snatched one and wiped her nose.
“I’m happy that you like your room. I had to spend the whole day with Uncle Ant to put it together, but your joy makes all his complaining worth it.”
“He does complain a lot,” Kiyah agreed.
“Mhm. With all that being said, one day, I will become your father, but that doesn’t mean that I’m replacing Rory. Do you understand?”
“No,” she confessed.
I reclined in my chair, laced my fingers together, and circled my thumbs around each other as I contemplated how to proceed.
“Do you remember when you told me that you missed your dad, and we cried in the parking lot?”
She nodded.
“That is 100% okay. If you’re ever sad about your dad and you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me, okay?”
“I’m sad about my dad,” she responded immediately. “I-I just wish I could bring him his tools again,” she cried.
“Do you want to see something he left you?” She nodded her head as she attempted to regain her composure. “Okay. Stay there.”
I left my desk and removed the canvas Daisy painted off the wall, revealing my wall safe. I punched in the code and retrieved the box before concealing the safe again.
“Your father left you this,” I said, showing her the necklace in the box that was meant for her mother. At first, I was crestfallen by Kierra’s refusal to accept the necklace, but she was right—this felt right. “What do you think?”
“I-it’s so pretty.”
“The R is for Rory, and he never wants you to forget him, and neither do I.”
“C-c-can I wear it, Mr. Jonathan?”
“You can when you’re old enough,” I said, replacing it. “But…if you ever get sad and want to look at it, just let me know. Which brings me to my next topic…your mother.” Kiyah appeared to sober up before me. “I know that seeing your mother in that condition was traumatizing, which is why you’ve been distant, but avoiding your mother is not the answer. She needs you, Kiyah. She needs you to be strong for her, just like she’s been strong for you. Sometimes, loving someone means that we might have to do something that makes us a little uncomfortable. Yes, seeing your mother like that makes you uncomfortable, but nothing would make her happier than seeing you.”
“If…if she sees me…will she get better?”
I pressed my thumb and forefinger together. “Just a little bit, but every bit counts, right?”
She nodded.
“Great. So, you and I are about to spend a little one-on-one time together, and then you’ll visit with your mom afterward. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Grab your shoes and jacket and meet me by the garage door.”
