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I walked down the hall to check on Kaiden. Since he had gotten here, he hadn’t said much to me. We had a lot of work to do, but I was willing to give him the space he needed to grieve. When he was ready to talk to me, I would stop whatever I was doing to give him my attention. His door was closed, but I could hear his television. I knocked, but he didn’t answer. Slowly, I opened his door, and he was sitting on the floor. Kaiden had pictures spread out on the floor. Rah kept a photo album in Kaiden’s room from when he was younger and still with Averie.

There was a picture of Kaiden, Rah, and Averie after she birthed him, him learning how to ride his bike without training wheels, his first football game. Then my eyes stopped on a picture of me, Rah, Kaiden, Khari and Ryleigh a few Christmases ago. I had forgotten we took that picture because Kaiden had given his daddy such a hard time that morning. I eased down beside him. He just kept putting the pictures in a stack, not acknowledging my presence. This was his moment; I just wanted him to know I was here for him.

“He looks so happy,” Kaiden said.

“He was.”

“Do you think he knew he was gonna die?” Kaiden asked, looking at me.

It took me a minute to process his question. Kaiden was only twelve and how was I supposed to tell him that being a King man came with a lot of enemies without stepping over my boundaries? I always said if I was to become a parent, I was going to be honest with my kids. The same way my daddy was with me. He wasn’t my biological child, though and I had to be careful how I approached his answer.

“No,” I told him.

“How you know?”

“Because your daddy had too many plans. He was planning our anniversary, your football season, Khari’s birthday. Shoot, he even bought me a gift three months early.”

Kaiden looked down at the picture in his hand.

“Your daddy loved you with everything in him. The last thing he would’ve wanted was for his son to spend the rest of his life wondering.”

Kaiden immediately started crying. I opened my arms and Kaiden hesitated for a minute before he fell into them. I was trying to hold myself together, but the tears started falling out of my eyes.

“Kaiden, you don’t have to be the man of this family. I want you to just be a kid.”

“Why?” he asked, as I wiped off his tears. “That’s what my daddy would’ve wanted.”

“No, he would’ve wanted you to be a child. That is what your Uncle Meek is for.”

“You still got your dad.”

“But guess what?”

“What?” He leaned up.

“I never had my mama. So, I understand how you feel.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I’ve only had my daddy. I never had a woman teach me how to be a woman. But you still got your uncle to teach you everything from here on out.”

“Thank you, Ms. Kyenna.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because you’re still letting us come over here like our daddy will walk through the door at any minute.”

“This is still your home. Whenever you need to feel close to him you let me know, and I’ll come and get you. Deal?”

“Deal,” he said.

“You can take as many pictures as you want back home with you. When you’re ready, come downstairs and get some breakfast.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Hours later, Khari had her swim cap on so she wouldn’t mess up her hair as she jumped into the pool. One thing Rah did was teach all three of the kids to swim. Even though they knew how, I still wouldn’t allow them back there without supervision. Kaiden finally appeared out of the house with his swim trunks on and jumped right in with her. This was the first time I had seen him laugh and Rah not be around. My heart was still grieving but this gave me peace. I sat there soaking in the sun, my phone buzzed.

“Mrs. King,” Grif said.