𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 | MJJ

KC 16 | 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐔𝐒

OMNISC.
NOV 12, 2020

"Daddy," Beauty said as Michael squirted some lotion into the palm of her hand so she could rub it on her arms. He raised his brows in curiosity as she did so, lifting her so she was standing and putting lotion on her back where he knew she wouldn't be able to reach.

"Yes, baby."

"Can I have my friend over tomorrow?"

He thought for a moment, unsure if he wanted another head to watch over. "I gotta think about it."

"Okay," she said and let it go. A yawn came from her mouth next.

He put the lotion where it belonged on her dresser and took out a night shirt for her to wear. "You getting sleepy, huh?" Michael commented.

Beauty nodded her head. "Mhm."

"Okay, I'ma let you go ta' sleep then. I love you."

"I love you, too."

He puckered his lips, and she does the same for a kiss. Michael finished her bonnet, then helped her under the covers to get comfortable. He tucked her in securely to the bed, leaning down to once again place a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, Beautiful."

"Good night."

She turned onto her side as he stood. Michael flipped her nightlight on and left out of the room, making sure to leave a crack in the door. He then went to his bedroom to grab his clothes and other items for a shower. When Michael got out of the shower and got dressed, there was a knock at the door.

Knowing Moira wouldn't get up to answer it, he made his way to the foyer to see who it was. Michael didn't bother looking out of the peephole. Standing on his porch was Nolana, the person whom he probably disliked the most in this life.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Nolana was visibly growing uncomfortable as she thought of something to say to him. Time had made things difficult between them. He was tempted to just shut the door in her face, but he didn't because it was clear she had come for something. What it would determine was his receptiveness towards the problem at hand.

"I was gonna come back," she started, but Michael's scoff cut her short by a few letters.

"Bullshit. How did you find out where I live?" he asked angrily.

Nolana cleared her throat. "Google."

"Well, Google your way back home."

"I thought I made a mistake," she said to him before he could close the door in her face.

Michael looked at her like she was crazy, his eye almost twitching due to the anger rising inside of him. She had the damn audacity coming to his house—unannounced, uninvited—and saying that she made a mistake. She brought the most important person in Michael's life into this world and bailed.

"What mistake?" She didn't respond to his question and looked down, knowing she'd said the wrong thing. Michael stared at her for a moment, again, before folding his arms. He no longer wished to give her the benefit of the doubt, not that he really had in the first place. "The fuck you want, Nolana?"

She slowly looked up at him, embarrassment and shame crossing her face. Contorting her lips, she fixed herself to speak. "I was scared, Michael. You can't hate me for that."

"And I wasn't?" he inquired, his eyebrows lowering to the bottom of his forehead in pure disbelief. "Especially after you told me you ain't love me and I wasn't worth shit. Then you leave me with a week old in the middle of the night. I was scared." He pointed to himself. But it was all okay in the end. He regained the support system that he'd lost, and Beauty was a thriving five-year-old. Smart, intelligent, and beautiful—as her name suggests.