“But you aren’t going to have to worry about that anymore,” Kellen assures her. “Because she won’t be back.”
“Yeah!” Kya squeals. “Dah-dah!”
“You’re going to be staying with me for a while,” Kellen states. “Okay?”
“Eggen chocowat cake!” Kya exclaims.
“Is that what you want to do today?” Teagan laughs.
Kya starts to jump up and down. “Chocowat cake and omen oodle!”
“Well, we’ll need to talk about that,” Kellen chuckles. “Come on; let’s go.”
She grabs one of Kellen’s hands and then reaches for one of Teagan’s. “Come!” She squeals.
“Wait.” Teagan stops. “Where’s her backpack and jacket? It’s not warm out.”
“Damn, good thinking,” Kellen snorts. “That would be a mess. Where did you put your backpack and jacket, Kya?”
“ubby!” Kya chimes.
The girl says, “They are in her cubby. I will go get it.”
“Chocowat cake! Chocowat cake!” Kya cries, jumping up and down.
“She is so going to be a baker when she gets older,” Teagan laughs.
“That or just eat nothing but chocolate cake,” Kellen chuckles back.
“Here,” the girl says, handing over the backpack as Teagan helps Kya into her jacket.
“Thanks,” Kellen replies. “Ready, Kya?”
Nodding, Kya yells, “Weave! Weave wit dah-dah!”
“Okay, we are going,” Kellen chuckles. They walk out to the truck, and Kellen puts Kya in her booster seat. Teagan gets in the front. Kellen buckles Kya in and shuts the door.
Teagan turns around. “We’re going to have to stop by my apartment.”
“K,” Kya giggles. “Eggen artmant!”
“Yup,” Teagan quips back.
When Kellen gets in, he asks, “So, what are we doing?”
“Going to my apartment so I can pack a bag,” Teagan chirps.
“What time is class?” Kellen inquires.
She turns back to Kya. “Should I go to class today or play hookie?”
“What ookie?” Kya asks with a smile.
“It’s where I stay with you and bake a chocolate cake!” Teagan exclaims enthusiastically.
“OOKIE! Eggan OOKIE! Chocowat cake!”
Kellen shakes his head. “You really shouldn’t skip class.”
“It will be fine,” Teagan replies. “I rarely miss school.”
“All right,” Kellen sighs, knowing he won’t get anywhere with her once she has her mind made up. He starts the truck and backs up. “Do we need to stop at the store?”
“Yeah,” Teagan replies. “I need a few ingredients. Plus, whatever you want me to make for dinner.”
“You don’t automatically need to cook,” Kellen groans.
Teagan rolls her eyes. “I love to cook, and I don’t get to do it very often.”
“Kya want spaghetti!”
“Okay,” Teagan laughs. “I will make it from scratch. I memorized my grandmother’s recipe for spaghetti sauce. My friends love when I make it.”
“Can’t wait,” Kellen chimes. He reaches over and takes Teagan’s hand. She squeezes his in return. “So, you girls are going to bake today.”
A mischievous grin passes over Teagan’s face. “Oh no, Dah-dah’s going to help.” Teagan turns around. “You know what we should make instead of chocolate cake?”
“What?” Kya giggles.
“Tie-dyed cupcakes,” Teagan replies, widening her eyes. Kya gives her a puzzled look. “Hold on. I have a picture of the last ones we made.” She opens up the picture and shows Kya. “They’re five different colors.”
“OOOOOOO,” Kya yells. She starts to bop around in her booster seat. “Cupcakes! Cupcakes!”
“Let me see,” Kellen leans over as Teagan shows him her phone. “Those are definitely tie-dyed.”
Looking at it, Teagan says, “We have to make the frosting from scratch, but it’s pretty easy.”
“Kya xited!”
“Huh?” Teagan asks.
“Excited,” Kellen laughs. “She has a hard time with that word.” Suddenly, Kellen’s phone rings. He presses something on the dash and says, “Hello?”
“May I speak with Kellen Grayson, please?” a woman’s voice asks politely.
“This is he,” Kellen says back.
“My name is Tina,” the woman states. “I’m calling from the District Attorney’s office.”
“Okay…..”
Tina clears her throat. “We were hoping you could come in and testify at the preliminary hearing for Harry Colt and Jarrod Mertz.”
“Of course,” Kellen says. “When?”
“Next Tuesday, 9 o’clock in the morning.”
“I will be there,” Kellen replies. “What about Miss Murphy?”
“Oh, yes, we will be contacting her,” Tina counters.
Teagan opens her mouth and pauses. Finally, she says, “Um, I’m right here.”
There is a moment of silence, and then Tina inquires, “This is Teagan?”
“Yes,” Teagan replies.
“KYA!” Kya yells from the background.
Kellen and Teagan burst out laughing. Kellen chuckles, “You’re over my car’s intercom. That would be my daughter.”
The woman laughs, “Very good. I wasn’t under the impression that you and Miss Murphy knew each other.”
“We didn’t prior to the attack,” Kellen states. “But we are….um…dating now.”
“Oh,” Tina squeaks. “I am not sure what to say in this situation. Good for you?” Kellen and Teagan give each other a look. “Well, will you be able to make it, too, Miss Murphy?”
“Yeah, of course,” Teagan replies. “I will do anything to make sure they stay behind bars.”
“That’s our goal,” Tina says. “You’ll need to be at the courthouse around 8:30, so we can go over everything with you before the hearing.”
“We will be there,” Kellen states.
“Very good,” Tina counters. “Mr. Kohl is the District Attorney. You will go to courtroom 5.”
Kellen nods. “Okay, courtroom 5, got it.”
“Can I ask a question?” Teagan pipes up.
“Sure.”
“How much time are they looking at?” Teagan inquires.
“Mr. Mertz has been charged with assault and faces up to one year in jail. We hope to convict Mr. Colt of attempted rape, which carries a longer sentence. He has a history of battery.”
Kellen’s eyes widen, and he says, “Oh really?”
“Yes,” Tina replies. “So, we are going to see what we can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Dah-dah!” Kya suddenly yells.
“Hold on,” Kellen says to Tina. He looks in rearview mirror. “What’s up, Honey?”
“Monald’s!” Kya exclaims, pointing to the sign next to them. “Pway!”
“She wants to go to McDonald’s,” Teagan states.
Tina says, “You seem to be busy. I will let you go. We will see you on Tuesday.”
“We will be there,” Kellen assures her.
“Very good, have a nice day.”
“You too.” Kellen presses end and then looks at Kya. “You want to go to McDonald’s, huh?”
“PWAY!” Kya exclaims again. “French fies!” She has the biggest smile on her face.
Teagan laughs and says, “How can you say no to that?”
“Are you hungry?” Kellen asks.
“Yeah, we missed breakfast,” Teagan reminds him.
“French fies!”
“Okay, okay, we’re stopping,” Kellen chuckles.
When they get into McDonald’s, Kya skips over to the counter. She yells, “Happy meal!”
“Good pronunciation,” Kellen praises. “That was awesome.”
“Yeah, Kya!” Kya squeals.
“What would you like?” Kellen asks Teagan.
She stares up at the board. “What I want is different than what
I should get.”
“Oh stop,” Kellen groans. “Just eat, damnit.”
“Dah-dah, naughty!” Kya exclaims. Teagan and Kellen laugh at each other.
Suddenly, Teagan’s sides are tickled. She screams and jumps backwards. Spinning, she finds Victoria laughing behind her. “Got ya!”
“Oh my god,” Teagan gasps. “Victoria.” Isaac, Emily and Mike walk up behind Victoria. “Guys….oh my gosh….um hi.”
“Hi,” Victoria retorts, giving her a look. “Why are you acting weird?” She looks past Teagan and goes, “Kellen….well, this is a wonderful, fantastic surprise.”
Kya grabs Teagan’s hand and hides behind her leg. “It’s okay sweetie,” Teagan whispers. “That’s my best friend, Victoria.”
“Eggen,” Kya mumbles, hiding behind her.
“Why is she being so shy?” Teagan asks Kellen.
“She’s out in the community,” Kellen replies softly. “She’s more easily intimidated.”
“I see,” Teagan says. Squatting down, Teagan says, “It’s okay, Kya. These are my friends.”
“Friends?” Kya barely breathes out.
“Yeah,” Teagan says, trying to sound enthusiastic. “My best friends.”
“Best friends…” Kya says, looking more closely at Victoria.
“Victoria, this is Kya,” Teagan declares. She turns and looks at her. “Kya is Kellen’s daughter.”
It takes a second, and then Victoria says, “Ooooohhhhh.” She gives her a big smile. “Well, hello, Kya. I’m Victoria. That is Emily, Mike and Isaac.”
“Oria, Emy, Mike and sick,” Kya repeats.
“Sure,” Victoria laughs.
“Look at me Kya,” Teagan instructs. Kya looks at her. “Vvvv”
“Vvvv….”
“ict…”
“ic,”
“oria…..Victoria.”
“Vicoria,” Kya says, looking at her lips.
Cheering, Teagan yells, “Good job!”
“Vicoria, Vicoria, Vicoria!” Kya squeals.
Teagan stands up. “We will work on everyone else later.”
Isaac nods to Kya. “Ummm, she is….”
“You say it, I will beat the ever living shit out of you,” Kellen sneers.
“What term….?” Isaac asks, genuinely trying to find the word he wants to use.
“Kya has Down Syndrome,” Teagan states.
“Owns indrum,” Kya giggles. “Me special!”
Kellen ruffles her hair. “Yes, you’re the cutest girl in the world.” Kya giggles some more. He looks at everyone else. “So, this is my daughter, Kya Grayson. She is 5 and very sassy. The term that you were looking for Isaac is developmentally disabled.”
“I will put that in the memory bank,” Isaac states, looking very out of place.
“Dah-dah!” Kya yells. “Happy Meal!”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Kellen laughs. “Can I buy you guys lunch?”
“Oh…” Mike starts.
“Hell yeah!” Victoria exclaims.
Mike slaps Victoria on the arm. “Will you stop?”
“What?” Victoria asks, rubbing her arm. “He’s offering.”
“That I am,” Kellen laughs. “What would you guys like?”
“Happy meal!” Kya exclaims again.
Laughing, Kellen walks to the counter. “We need one chicken nugget happy meal, a number one with a Coke…” Kellen turns to Teagan.
She smiles. “I would like the southwest salad….” Kellen rolls his eyes dramatically. “And a medium French fry.”
“What to drink?” Kellen inquires. “A Diet Coke?”
“Um no,” Teagan retorts. “A regular Coke.”
Kellen grins and then looks at everyone else. “Order what you want.”
“I’m first,” Victoria says as she goes up to the counter.
Teagan pulls Kellen aside. “Is this all right? I know you are careful with her.”
“I trust you, and I trust your friends,” Kellen whispers. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay,” Teagan replies. Kellen bends over and kisses her.
“DAH-DAH!” Kya shouts. “KISS!”
“Sorry,” Kellen laughs. He picks Kya up and gives her a big kiss. “Love you, Honey.”
“Luv you, Dah-dah,” Kya mumbles into his neck.
“Can I borrow Teagan for a second?” Victoria asks, grabbing Teagan. Kellen shrugs and nods. Victoria pulls Teagan across to the other side of the restaurant. “What in the hell is going on? How did you end up with Kellen?”
Teagan turns away from everyone. “I got a flat by his house. I locked my keys and cell phone in the car. I had to walk to his house in the rain. Needless to say, I had to take my wet clothes off.”
“Oh please tell me you had sex,” Victoria pleads.
“We talked first!” Teagan snaps playfully. “Everything that woman told me was a lie. Yes, he really is married to her, but she is a mega bitch. I recorded her this morning telling Kellen she uses Kya to get money out of him. Kellen will have full custody from now on.”
“Does that bother you?” Victoria inquires, her eyes warm with concern for her friend. “That is taking on a lot.”
“No,” Teagan answers quickly. “Kellen and I love each other. I adore Kya. It’s a good thing; I promise.”
“You and Kellen what?” Victoria doesn’t bother hiding her wide smile.
Blushing Teagan whispers, “We didn’t have sex; we made love, and it was fantastic.”
“I bet,” Victoria murmurs. “So, you finally did it and enjoyed it.”
“I did,” Teagan giggles.
“Good, you deserve that,” Victoria states cheerfully. “So, are you happy that you don’t know how to change a flat?”
With a big smile, Teagan says, “Most definitely.”
Suddenly, they hear, “EGGEN! HAPPY MEAL!”
“Uh oh,” Teagan laughs with a slight eyeroll. “I’m being paged.”
“She is really cute,” Victoria declares, grinning at Kya.
“Yes, she is,” Teagan agrees. She can’t help but smile. Kya gestures to her, so Teagan walks over to her. “What’s going on?”
Kya grabs Teagan’s hand and drags her to a table. “Happy meal!”
“You are doing such a good job of pronouncing that,” Teagan praises.
“Kya is…..smart.”
Excited, Teagan says, “That was good, too! You’re on a roll today.”
Confused, Kya looks up at her. “Kya no oll.”
“It’s just a figure of speech,” Teagan replies. Kya still looks confused. “Ignore me. Where’s your happy meal?”
“Dah-dah!” Kya exclaims, sitting down at a table.
“Hey, why don’t we do this,” Mike says, setting down his drink. He grabs the next table and pulls it to the one they are at. “There we can all sit by each other.”
“You sick?” Kya inquires.
Mike gives her a peculiar look. “No, I’m not sick.”
Laughing, Teagan says, “No, she thinks you are Isaac.”
“Oh,” Mike chimes. “My name is Mike. That is Isaac.”
“Say gain,” Kya instructs, looking at him closely.
“Mmmm-ike, Mike.”
“Miiiiike,” Kya repeats.
“Very good, Kya,” Teagan states. Kya giggles and claps her hands.
A minute later, Kellen walks over and sets trays down in front of them. Everyone comes up behind him. “Here’s your happy meal,” Kellen says to Kya as he rubs her head.
“Tanks, Dah-dah,” Kya chimes, opening it up. “Uggets and French fies!”
“Yup,” Kellen retorts, as he sits down. “You are being spoiled today. Usually you get the apple slices.”
With a mischievous look, Kya giggles, “French fies, Dah-dah get Kya French fies.”
“Yes, he did,” Kellen laughs. “Eat up, so you can play.” Kya picks up a chicken nugget and takes a big bite out of it. She chomps and chews. Teagan laughs. Kellen rolls his eyes. “Her therapist h
as been trying to get her to eat a little better.”
“She’s five,” Teagan asserts. “Give her a break.”
“So, don’t you have school today?” Kellen asks. “You can’t all have off.”
Isaac snorts and shakes his head. “Some idiot called in a bomb threat at Grandid Hall. We think it was because there was an important exam there today. So, they cancelled classes.” He takes a long drink of his soda and glances at Teagan.
“That’s horrible,” Kellen states. “Hopefully there isn’t really a bomb on campus.”
“There was a call last year, but no one was ever caught,” Isaac tells Kellen, while eating a French fry. “They think it’s the same person. They have already been looking for three hours, and nothing has showed up. Like I said, we all think it’s because someone didn’t want to take an exam, but hey, free Friday off.”
“Big plans?” Teagan asks.
“Going out tonight,” Isaac replies. “Karaoke.”
Teagan smiles. “Well, have fun.”
“Are you going to come?” Isaac asks.
“Nope, we are going to make tie dyed cupcakes,” Teagan says cheerfully. “Right, Kya?”
“An ghetti,” Kya mumbles with food in her mouth.
“Oh yeah, I’m making my grandma’s spaghetti for them,” Teagan declares. “I told them it’s pretty good.”
Throwing his hands up, Isaac exclaims, “You are making spaghetti and didn’t invite us! How rude!”
“It will be at Kellen’s,” Teagan replies. “Next time, I promise.”
“You guys can come over tonight,” Kellen offers with a shrug. “There’s a fight on. Kya goes to bed around 8. So, it could be fun.”
Mike and Isaac look at each other. “Fight.”
“Is that putting a damper on your evening?” Teagan asks Emily and Victoria.
“Hell no,” Victoria chimes. “Hot guys showing off how strong and fit they are. Sign me up!”
“I concur,” Emily laughs. “Drool.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Kellen says. “I haven’t had people over at my house in a while. That will be nice.”
Teagan asks, “When do you want to come over?”
“Can I learn how to make those cupcakes?” Emily asks. “I want to make them for my nephew’s birthday.”
“Sure,” Teagan says. “Is that all right if my friends come over to help bake?”
“Show Kya room!” Kya exclaims.
“Yeah, wait until you see her play room. I’m quite jealous,” Teagan states with a smile.