AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nodded resolutely, picking up on the ice in my tone. He left to join the others, and I froze when I realized something…
Kiyah…fuck.
She sat with the glue bottle in her hand, with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. I scooped her up and took her to the kitchen. I felt like shit. Everyone was so stunned and wrapped up in the situation that we failed to remove Kiyah from the situation.Ifailed to protect her.
“Hey, Kiyah. Let’s have another slice of pie, shall we?” I insisted, sitting her on the kitchen island. She shook her head and pointed to the cheesecake. I smirked and moved thepie down the counter. “I like cheesecake, too. It’s one of my favorites.”
“M-m-my mommy didn’t hit them,” she stammered, wiping her tears.
“I know, sweetheart. I know, and I’m so sorry you had to see that. It was my fault.”
“I-is my mommy in trouble?”
“No, she’s not. Your mother is an angel. You might feel differently once you become a teenager, but that’s neither here nor there,” I responded as I cut a slice into the cheesecake. I set it on a saucer and presented it to her. She appeared puzzled and wiped at her face again.
“Is that slice for you?”
“I’m sorry?” I questioned, tilting my head to the side in confusion.
“That’s a small piece, Mr. Jonathan. That’s not mine.”
I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from laughing and cut her another slice. “Is this big enough for you?”
She nodded enthusiastically before accepting her spoon.
We remained in the kitchen, stuffing our faces with cheesecake until we were given the all-clear. While I entertained Kiyah, my thoughts were consumed by the conversation I had to have with Kierra.
There’s a possibility that this is too much for her. She warned me…but I can’t lose them. I’ll do anything to prevent that from happening.
* * *
Kierra woke, and everyone kept the welfare check hushed under my instructions. I’d speak with her when she was alert. She wokefrom her nap and went straight to bed after the kids showed her their Christmas stockings.
“How are you feeling?” I asked softly, stroking her bruised cheek.
“I’m comfortable but exhausted,” she said, punctuating her statement with a yawn.
“Thanks for joining us for dinner. I know it took a lot out of you, but we were happy to celebrate the day with you.”
“I was barely there. I was in and out,” she laughed.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we need to discuss the Christmas wish lists that these children wrote.”
“Oh no. What was the most outrageous request?”
“A dog. This led to an hour-long debate about what kind of dog to get, but I’m not truly keen on the idea. The thought of having dog hair stuck to my suits is enough to make me crawl out of my skin.”
“I get it,” Kierra sympathized. “Whose idea was it to get a dog?”
“Kiyah.”
“Of course, it was.”
“Currently, we’re stuck somewhere between a Great Dane and a Chihuahua.”
“Tough decision, but don’t feel pressured to get a dog because Kiyah asked for one.”
I shrugged. “I wanted a dog growing up, but my parents were firmly against it. My mother said it would track mud into the house and ruin the furniture, and my father said I had better things to do than fuck around with a dog, like studying.”
