Chasing the Artist (Book Two)

FOURTEEN

Kyla

"Jennifer or Elizabeth?"

"Thotiana."

"Kyla!"

"We've been going over baby names during this whole ride. I'm burned out."

Anna sheepishly smiled at me and I playfully shook my head. Sean chuckled in the front seat.

"Yeah and she only has only been asking for girl names. What if it's a boy Anna?"

"I don't know. I think it's like some type of mother's intuition. I just know I'm having a girl."

"You've been reading too many of those pregnancy self help books." He said with a sigh.

I laugh at the couple and stare out the window. We were on our way to our mom's. Apparently we were meeting Adrian. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be but I was a little anxious of what his reaction to me would be. Almost as if he could sense my feelings, Sean stopped laughing and looked at me through the mirror above his head.

"He's gonna love you Kyla. Everyone does. Stop stressing." He said.

"I know." I said wearily. Sean looked at me once more before he focused on the road again.

**
The mansion I had grew up in stood tall and intimidating. I no longer felt the usual suffocating tension I experienced when I was younger. I felt freedom. Sean had knocked on the door and Elizabeth or "Liz" opened the door for us. She was the new family maid. Her mother was our old maid but she had died a few years ago. No one but her family knew she had breast cancer and when we were informed of the news we were shocked. My mom paid for the entire funeral and we all paid our respects. It was a pretty sad time but then Liz soon said she had to find a way to thank us and started working for us.

"Hey Liz." I said as I entered my old home.

"Hey Kyla." She smiled. She stepped further aside to let Anna and Sean in and stared in awe at Anna's belly.

"Oh my God how far are you?!" She gushed. Anna smiled brightly at the attention.

"Two months and counting."

The four of us made our way to the living room where I saw my mother, Brandon, Ms. Campbell, and a blonde curly headed young boy.

Ms. Campbell looked exactly the same as I remember her. She has not aged at all and the young boy was literally glued to her hip.

"You guys made it." Brandon, my stepdad spoke up. I looked at him and he gave me an encouraging smile.

"Kyla."

Her voice was so familiar yet so foreign.

"Ms. Campbell..." I respond.

"Oh I'm not your teacher anymore, call me Nicole."

In my peripheral vision I could see how distraught my mother was.

"Nice to see you again Nicole." I said.

"Liz Dear, can you give us some privacy please?" My mom asked. Liz nodded and left the room.

"I-is that Adrian?" I spoke up. The eyes of the young boy widened as he heard his name.

"Yes. Adrian these are your siblings." Nicole said as she gestured towards Sean and I. He looked at us with curiosity and slowly moved away from his mom.

"H-hi." He said softly.

"Hi." Sean and I said at the same time. We looked at each other after and laughed.