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I was in Blue's room, packing up her things. My baby girl’s been distant since the divorce, acting like I’m not even her mother half the time. It’s not that she’s disrespectful—no, Blue would never—but she’s got this coldness, this wall that wasn’t there before. I sighed, zipping up her little suitcase and setting it by the kitchen counter. My ex was coming to pick her up, and I hated it. Every time she left, a piece of me went with her. But that was part of the deal.
I headed back to the living room, where Blue was watching TV, her face as neutral as ever. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t exactly lean in, either.
“Mommy’s gonna miss you,” I said softly, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of her.
Nothing.
I sighed, squeezing her a little tighter. “You know I care about you just as much as Daddy does, right?”
Blue finally looked at me, her big brown eyes locking with mine, and for a second, I thought maybe she’d let her guard down. Instead, she hit me with something that made my stomach drop.
“I have a stepmommy now. I don’t like her.”
My mouth went dry. A stepmommy? What the hell? Jay hadn’t mentioned a damn thing about getting remarried.
“A step—what? What do you mean, baby?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Blue shrugged. “She almost looks like you, but you’re prettier and nicer.”
I blinked. There was too much to unpack in that sentence, but all I could focus on was who the hell is this woman?
“Is she mean to you, Blue?” I asked, trying to keep my calm. “How old is she? What’s her name? Where did—”
Blue put her little hand over my mouth, cutting me off. “Girl, stop. I’m not telling you. Ask Daddy yourself.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even though I wanted to scream. Girl stop—who taught her that?
I sighed and leaned back, pretending to be unfazed, but my blood was boiling. “Fine,” I muttered. “Well, I can’t wait for you to leave so I can eat all that Popeyes I bought.”
Blue’s eyes darted to me, her expression softening just a little. “You ain’t slick,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
Before I could respond, I heard his voice echoing down the hall.
