Love Thy Neighbor

by Kimberly Smith

  When Kayla stopped crying, Petunia looked into her eyes. “Now will you tell me what lead to you punching Daniel in the eye?”

  Kayla through herself back on the sofa with her eyes closed and told her what Daniel had said to her. “I lost my composure and before I knew it I had hit him. I'm really not a violent person, I'm not, but I was so angry at him.” She opened her eyes looking at Petunia who was smiling from ear to ear.

  “Well I guess he won't make the mistake of calling you a liar again now will he?” Petunia giggled. “I don't need to know what else was said in your argument, but I will say this and then I won't utter another word to you about this. I can see that the two of you are miserable. I mean look at you, you're not feeling well and he's a mess too. One of you has to make the first move.”

  “I thought you'd be happy about our break up.” Kayla said confused.

  “Happy because this would give Vanna a chance to win him over? Oh no, I knew the day I had lunch with him that you were the one. He's never ever talked to me the way he did that day. Besides Vanna's fishing in another pond.” Petunia said the last part to herself smiling.

  “Thank you for bringing the soup, but I have nothing to say to Danny.”

  Petunia stood leaned down kissing Kayla on the forehead. “Finish the soup and it is flu season, if you're not better soon go to the doctor.” Petunia smiled at her and left the office. Kayla sat feeling drained. Had Petunia, who just a few weeks ago thought of Kayla as the enemy, just expressed care and concern for her health and kissed her head with love?

  Chapter 15

  Kayla

  Over the weekend Kayla couldn't keep any food down and she felt lightheaded along with being tired. She spent so much time in the bathroom throwing up that her crew insisted that she go home to get better as well as keeping them from getting sick. By Sunday morning Lee had arranged a doctor's appointment for her for the next day. He was very concerned since she hadn't been able to keep anything down and had lost a few pounds.

  After her doctor's appointment Kayla hadn't wanted to go back to the condo yet. She knew that Lee was waiting for her to return. Instead she went to NorthPark Mall. She walked aimlessly holding a sleeve of saltine crackers. She was pregnant and while she knew how it had happened, she couldn't believe that it had happened.

  She had been so consumed with the new garage, house and TV show that she hadn't paid attention to her cycle and the fact that she was late. She knew that she and Danny had used protection when they had sex. She ran through it in her mind and then she stopped closing her eyes tight as the night flashed in her mind. The night of the fire. They hadn't used anything that night. They had both been so caught up in their emotions.

  What was she going to do? She walked into Kids Gap looking about the store at all the tiny little clothes and items for babies. Her eyes filled with tears. She was going to have a baby, Danny's baby. She laid her hand over her abdomen, It wasn't a good time for this, she thought, but then her brother's words came back to her. 'Love and life happens when it happens. Stop trying to control it.' She walked around the store for a bit touching the tiny things. She picked up a footed one piece in a striped pattern and went to the check out to buy her baby's first item of clothing.

  *****

  When she entered the condo Lee pounced on her. “Where have you been, Missy? I've been sitting here going out of my mind and you weren't answering your phone. I was imagining all kinds of crazy things. Did the doctor find out what's wrong with you? It's not serious is it? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?”

  Kayla hadn't been able to get a word in. “If you would stop freaking out, I will.” she said sitting on the sofa dropping the small shopping bag next to her leg.

  Lee came around and sat next to her. “I'm sorry. I know I'm getting carried away, but you're never sick.”

  Kayla smiled, “Well, I'm not sick. I'm pregnant.” Lee stared at her for a few seconds. “I'm going to have a baby.”

  “Danny?” Lee asked then added. “Of course Danny. Oh my.” He said putting his hand on her leg. “What are you going to do?”

  Kayla put her hand on his. “I don't know yet, but you are not to stick your nose in this. I need some time to think about it all.”

  “You are gong to have it, right?” Lee asked with concern.

  “Yes.” She said reaching down to grab the bag and handed it to Lee. He pulled the onesie out. “My child's first outfit. I'm going to lie down. I'm tired.” Kayla said getting up and going to her room. She left Lee sitting on the sofa holding the baby's clothes.

  Her phone rang just as she got into her room. It was D. “Hey bucket head.” She answered.

  “Hey Butt Munch.” He said before continuing. “So Dad and I were talking about the holiday plans for this year. Dad wants to have Christmas in Chicago at Mark's and we will all come to Dallas for Thanksgiving. Sound good?” He asked.

  Thanksgiving was just over a week away. “Yeah that's good for me.” she said running through where she could order a full thanksgiving meal.

  “Dad said not to worry about cooking. He said he will take care of the food.” Darren said laughing before adding. “We all know cooking is not your thing.”

  “I can cook.” she said disgruntled.

  “Yeah, but we are going to want more than pancakes and sausage or Top Ramen.”

  “Whatever.” She said kicking off her shoes and sitting on the bed.

  “Me and dad will drive up and I'll get back to you when everyone else has made their travel plans. Are you going to invite Danny? I think Dad might like him.” D. asked her.

  Kayla sighed. “We had a fight and I haven't talked to him for a while.” she said.

  “What did he do?” D. asked getting riled up.

  “We just had a disagreement.” She said. “Nothing major.”

  “Am I gonna have to open a can?” D. said.

  Kayla laughed. It was the first time in a few weeks that she really laughed. “No D. There is no need to open a can of whoop ass.” After he was assured that everything was okay with her and Danny, or at least that it would be. He told her that he would see her soon and got off the phone. Kayla lay down and laughed herself to sleep. She knew that with an uncle like D. not to mention her other brothers, Mark, Micah and Leo, her child would always be loved and protected. She also realized that with them all coming to Dallas, she was going to have to return to her house. She wasn't ready to face Daniel and she certainly wasn't ready to tell him she was pregnant with his baby.

  *****

  Sunday night Kayla spoke with her father and she was surprised when her dad put the call on speaker and all of her brothers were there as well. They had all flown to San Antonio and were going to drive up to Dallas together. They expected to be there late Wednesday afternoon. Her dad told her not to worry about shopping for the food for Thanksgiving dinner, that he would take care of everything. She hadn't seen them in a long time and with her emotions going haywire because of all the hormones racing through her system, she got a little emotional and was weeping by the time she ended the call.

  *****

  Daniel

  Daniel stood behind the counter in his cafe looking at Kayla's father and brothers who sat on stools looking at him. “Sounds like she believed that you all are in San Antonio.”

  “Yeah it does.” Her father said. “I just hope that she doesn't give you another shiner, when she finds out that you roped us all into this scheme of yours to get her back.”

  Leo took a drink from his bottle of beer. “I wish I could have seen it happen. It takes a lot to get Kay Kay to loose her shit. So trust me when I say, you're lucky that all you got was a black eye. She's slow to anger, but when she's hit her limit, she's cut throat.”

  “That comes from you guys. You three,” Sam said pointing to Mark, Micah and Leo. “You three used to tease her and torture her so that she would get so worked up that she wanted your heads on a stick.”

  “She's tough and sweet.” Daniel said. “I woul
dn't want her any other way. I'm just sad that I screwed this up with my own issues.”

  “Well at least you came to your senses, now all we have to do is get her to come to hers.” D. said. “Which reminds me. Do you remember what I said to you the day of the pool party?”

  Danny suddenly realized what D. was referring to and that the other three had come behind the counter. They grabbed him. He struggled but they were too strong. The he heard the sound of buzzing and “Kayla's father said, “Welcome to the family.” through his laughter.

  *****

  Kayla

  Kayla returned to her house on Tuesday night after midnight. She crept past Danny's house hoping he wouldn't be aware that she had returned home. He hadn't tried to reach her any more. The last time he had come by the garage had been just before she went back to work. It seemed that he had moved on. She still hadn't decided when she was going to tell him about the baby, but she knew she had to and the sooner the better.

  *****

  Wednesday afternoon she had just finished brushing her teeth for the third time, when the doorbell sounded. She went to answer the door. She would be so happy when the morning sickness passed. She looked pale and tired. Hopefully no one would notice. She didn't want to tell anyone about the baby and she hadn't talked to Danny.

  “Kay Kay. How's my baby girl?” Her dad said as she opened the door. She threw her arms around him. Then she was enveloped in hugs from her brothers as the came through the door.

  D. pushed their dad out of the way for his hug. “Hey butt munch.”

  “Move it.” Micah said behind him. He wrapped his arms around his sister and lifted her off the ground leaving her feet dangling in the air. Micah was over six feet five inches tall and all the years in the military had made him strong and sinewy. “It's good to see you Kay Kay,” he said before gently putting her down.

  “My turn.” Mark said tapping Micah on the shoulder. Mark smiled and kissed her cheek while he hugged his little sister. “You're looking a little rough, you okay?” He said when he pulled back looking her over.

  “Don't pay him any attention.” Leo said as he threw his arm around her shoulder and closed the door. “He just jealous that he's not as good-looking as you and me.”

  Kayla smiled not saying anything. She was getting misty and she had to pull it together. She couldn't let her emotions get the best of her right now. She smiled at her family as she watched them. “Dad, we should get to the store before they close so we can get everything you need for dinner she said.”

  Her father smiled. “We are actually having dinner with a friend, so no one has to cook. It was kind of a last minute change of plans.”

  “What friend?” She asked him curious. He had never said he had friends in Dallas.

  “He owns a cafe and he's invited us to have dinner there with him and his family. I thought it would nice for us to have more time to catch up rather than spending all that time cooking.” Sam said. “Now show me around.”

  Kayla wasn't sure she liked this having dinner with a stranger, but it would give them time to catch up. She hadn't seen Leo since last spring when she was in Colorado for the opening of his car dealership. It had been since last Christmas since she'd seen Micah and Mark. Micah's military life kept him traveling quite a bit so it was hard to catch up with him. Mark was so focused on his work as an engineer at GM that they only saw him at the holidays.

  She showed them the house and then they boys set up in the TV room to play video games and talk. It was nice having them all in the same place. She didn't realize how much she missed this, just sitting around talking, teasing and laughing with one another. Kayla got comfortable in a corner of the sectional next to her father and before she knew it she had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

  When she woke up later, she was all alone. She found them downstairs in the kitchen cooking. “She lives.” D. said as she entered the room. Her dad smiled at her then turned back to his ministrations over the large pot her was adding seasonings to.

  “Hungry?” Mark asked as her buttered rolls that obviously had just came out of the oven.

  Kayla was starved, but she hadn't been able to keep anything down for long. She inhaled the smell of the fresh rolls. “Yeah.”

  “Stews ready.” dad said over his shoulder. They lined up filling their bowls and going to the dining table. Once everyone was settled. They joined hands and bowed their hands. “Heavenly father, we come to you humbled by your grace. Bless this family and those that touch our lives. Thank you for the many blessings you have given us and help us to bless others, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.” After a chorus of Amen, everyone dug in and started talking about their lives.

  After dinner Kayla and D. cleaned up the kitchen while everyone else watched TV. “How are you really?” D. asked. She ate, but during dinner she left the table twice. The food was good, but this baby didn't like anything but crackers it seemed.

  “I'm good D.”

  “You don't look it.” He said looking at her face.

  “I've been a little under the weather and tired, but I'm good she said. Turning away from him to wipe the stove.

  “Okay. If you say so.”

  When they finished Kayla hugged D. “I'm going to take a hot bath and then to bed. Say goodnight for me.”

  *****

  Daniel

  Daniel couldn't sleep. He had been lying there for hours thinking about tomorrow. When he finally got Lee to agree to give him Darren's phone number he couldn't stop thanking him. Daniel called Darren and when Darren told him he'd help. Daniel arranged to have Kayla's entire family come to Dallas and stay with him to pull everything off. Daniel knew that there was a chance that Kayla wouldn't forgive him, but he knew that if there was the slightest chance that she would, then he had to try to win her back.

  Sam and Darren drove up and they all met the others at the airport and he had been quite surprised by them all. Sam was a handsome older man with close-cropped salt and pepper hair and a matching goatee with medium brown skin. He had a few lines from where he furrowed his brows when thinking and few laugh lines, but in no way did he look like he was in his sixties. He was tall and thin. He had been dressed casually in jeans and t-shirt with a denim jacket when he arrived.

  Micah stood looking down on them all. You could definitely tell he was military even in his street clothes. His posture and his commanding presence gave him away. He smiled easily and if you didn't know he was adopted, you would believe that Sam was his birth father. Mark and Leo were a big surprise. Mark with his pale white skin, looked as if he never spent any time outside. He was of average height with a heavier build. His hair was a sable brown color and curly. He wore thick-framed glasses that he kept pushing up on his nose. Leonardo or Leo as they all called him was also tall and handsome. He could have been a model with his jet-black hair that was just a bit too long in the top causing him to push it out of his face regularly and with his olive colored complexion Daniel figured he was of Italian descent. He had hazel eyes and deep dimples when she smiled.

  You could clearly see the love among them. They all called Kayla, Kay Kay. They referred to Darren and D. It seemed that Mark and Micah had no nicknames. By the night they finished getting the cafe in order, they had taken to calling him chef. They joked that it was a good thing he could cook, cause if it were left up to Kayla they would live on snack foods.

  He hated that he was here and she was right next-door and he couldn't see her or talk to her. He missed her. If he had his way they would never spend more than a few hours away from each other again. His thoughts turned to Petunia who came to see him a few weeks ago and gave him a good talking to as she put it.

  She had just come back for Kayla's garage. Petunia said she was not going to interfere, but that Daniel should not let his pride get in the way of what could be the best thing in his life. Once he had gotten her to stop talking, he had been able to outline his plan to her and let her know that he was not a fool. He explained that he had
quit his job, bought the building that now housed his cafe and once it was ready he would speak to Kayla. It was all up to her once her father and brothers got here there tomorrow.

  *****

  Chapter 16

  Kayla

  Kayla was straightening up, wiping her mouth and flushing the toilet. “You're really sick aren't you?” D. asked coming into the bathroom. Kayla shook her head and went to the sink. She splashed her face with water and then put toothpaste on her toothbrush.