She stared at me a moment longer, like she could sense something was off, but she didn’t push it. She went back to her drawing. This one was of a little girl in a hoodie and Timberlands. Her style. Her attitude, just like him, and she didn’t even know it.
***
Back at the house, my brother was in the living room with his feet kicked up like he paid a single bill. We both got money when our parents died, but he ran through his like it was water. Tricking on different hoes. Throwing lavish parties and buying anything that had an expensive price tag. Now he was broke and living with me and Liberty.
Sean didn’t even wait for me to speak. Just started bombarding me with questions. “So? You tell him?”
I shook my head and tossed my keys on the table.
He stood up. “You serious right now? What happened?”
“I was about to, but Buck walked in.”
“So?”
“So I lost the moment, Sean. It didn’t want to tell him with his brother right there.”
He snorted. “Man, fuck a ‘moment.’ You had one job. One. Tell that nigga the truth so he can start sending the cash and paying us back for the money we spent on Liberty all these years.”
I spun around. “We? You’re not raising her. You ain’t even call half the time we were gone.”
He stepped closer. “You think I care about that kid like that? I care about what that kid represents. You sittin’ on a golden ticket to the DeLuca fortune and actin’ like it’s optional.”
My hands balled into fists. “She’s not a come-up. She’s my daughter. A little girl who never asked for any of this.”
He leaned in, voice low and slick. “And she’s entitled to his fuckin’ money. Stop being stupid and naïve, Shay. You may have a lil’ money, but you ain’t got that nigga’s money.”
“So, basically, you want me to press my baby daddy because you’re broke?” I raised a brow.
He stepped closer to me and scowled. “Don’t act like I’m just doing this for me. You said you came here to introduce Liberty to her fuckin’ daddy. You folded at the first opportunity. You gone fuck right around and that nigga gone have a whole new family if he hadn’t already. And then what? The fuck you gone do then?”
I didn’t even think about that. He could move on and forget about me and Liberty before we even had a chance to be a family. I couldn’t let that happen.
“You didn’t think about that, huh?” He smirked.
I didn’t even give him the satisfaction of responding. I went upstairs to my room and sat on the bed. I needed to hurry up and tell Kilo about Liberty before I lost my chance.
***
The next morning…
Liberty sat at the table eating cereal, her curls in a puff, eyes glued to her sketchpad. That little girl loved to draw. I figured I’ll tell her about Kilo now while I had the nerve to. Sean was gone and now was the perfect opportunity.
“You remember how I said we were visiting a friend?” I asked softly.
She looked up. “Yeah?”
I sat beside her. “He’s not just a friend. He’s your father.”
She blinked. “Wait… what?”
I took a breath. “Franklin. The man we saw yesterday. He’s your dad.”
“Why didn’t I see him? Did he not want to see me?” She quizzed.
“No. It’s… complicated. He never even knew about you. That’s why we’re going back today. So I can tell him the truth.”
She stared at her cereal, silent.
