A Chance Encounter

“But it’s the best!” Kendall says. “I’m going to go get it so we can listen.” She takes off running down the hall, leaving Sophia and me alone.

“You’re not sick, are you?” I raise a single brow, daring her to lie to me.

“No,” she admits sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been upfront with you about her, but I’m protective of her, and everything kind of happened so suddenly. It’s like one minute it’s just us and the next there’s a baby on the way and then you’re sliding into my life…” She sighs. “If you want to rescind your idea about the possibility of us, I’ll understand. It’s one thing to take on a woman who’s pregnant with your baby.” Her hand goes to her belly. “But it’s another to take on a child who isn’t yours.”

“Where’s her dad?”

“He’s dead.” I wait for her to explain further, but she stops there, not giving me anything more.

I step over to her, placing my hands on her hips. “You’re right. You should’ve told me. Not because it would change how I feel or what I want, but because we’re supposed to be in this together, and it’s not going to work if you keep shit from me.”

“I know. Letting someone in is new for me, but I’ll try harder.”

“Come to my family’s for dinner, please. It’s Christmas Eve. My aunt and uncle and cousins are there. They’ve got a couple kids, so Kendall will have a blast. There’ll be tons of food and desserts, and we all watch The Grinch…”

“I love The Grinch!” Kendall squeals, running back out with a small iPad in her hands. “Santa Claus is coming tonight! And I’ve been so good so he’s going to bring me toys.”

Sophia smiles down at her daughter before looking back at me. “Are you sure your family will be okay with two more?”

“More than okay. They’re looking forward to meeting you.”

After they both change—Sophia, in a red sweater, jeans that hug every curve, and knee-high black boots, and Kendall, in a cute red Christmas dress, red and green striped leggings, and black fluffy boots—we take off to my parents’ place. I texted my parents and sister while they were changing to let them know they’re coming—and to tell them about Sophia’s daughter—so they aren’t shocked as shit when we walk in.

Since it’s cold as hell outside, we snag a cab, and about fifteen minutes later, we arrive at my parents’ house, which is situated in Greenwich Village. It’s a four-story single-family home, and the kind of house I’ve been looking at the last couple days. In New York, since everything is piled on top of each other, the only way to get the space you want, is to purchase a multi-level home. I prefer my spacious two-story home in Calabasas, but since Sophia’s made it clear this is her home, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll be making New York my new home base.

When we walk inside and head up the stairs to the living room, we’re met with an onslaught of greetings from my family. The majority of our extended family lives in California, but my dad’s sister lives here with my uncle and cousins, who have kids of their own. So, even with only a small portion of our family here, the house is still loud and full. I introduce Sophia and Kendall to everyone—except my sister and Jordan, since they’re in the other room at the moment—and Mom lets everyone know dinner is almost ready.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Sophia nervously asks.

“Oh no, sweet girl,” Mom tells her. “It’s all done. I just have to heat a few things up. Go sit and enjoy yourself.” I sigh in relief, that even though I know Mom and Dad have their reservations about Sophia, they were warm and welcoming.

So she’s not too overwhelmed, I pull Sophia over to the couch to sit down, and notice Kendall shyly follows, instead of running to play with my cousin’s kids. Kendall pulls her iPad out of her backpack and sticks her earbuds into her ears. A second later, she whispers something to her mom, who shakes her head, making Kendall pout.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“My iPad needs Wi-Fi to play music, but it needs a password.”

There’s music playing in the surround sound, the lyrics scrolling across the television, and it gives me an idea. “Want to play karaoke while we wait for dinner?”

“What’s that?” Kendall asks.

“You don’t know what karaoke is?”

“Nope,” she says, shaking her head.

“It’s when you play a song and sing to it like you’re the person who sings it. Lyrics pop up on the screen and you follow them.

Her eyes light up. “I can’t read too much, only like a hundred words, but I know every song.”