I Still Do (bwwm) ᑕᗝᗰᑭᒪᗴ丅ᗴ

when we met

As I slicked my daughter's ever-curly hair back into a neat ponytail on the top of her head, I bit my lip a little and sighed. Anyone could see the frown on my five-year-old's beautiful face and as our eyes met in the mirror, I couldn't help but notice her tiny body shrink as she sighed as well.

"Kenna, what's wrong, baby? Did you want me to do something special to your hair?"

She shook her head and looked down at her hands and in that moment, all I wanted was to make my baby's pain go away and see the smile that made every day worth it.

"Lori has flowers for my hair. She said she'd make it pretty."

Any other little girl would be excited to be a flower girl, to get dressed up and have her hair, nails, and makeup done, but I knew this whole thing was different for my baby.

Figuring the one thing I knew would bring a smile to her face, I faked my own grin, knowing how much pain it still brought me.

"You'll get to see Daddy tomorrow. Aren't you excited? It's been, like, a week and you know he misses his favorite girl."

She sighed again, picking up Penny, the doll that was always within a few inches wherever McKenna.

"Sure..."

She played with the ends of Penny's pigtails trying to hold back something that I could tell was upsetting her.

"Talk to me, McKenna. Tell Mommy what you're thinking."

"Why can't you marry Daddy tomorrow instead of Lori?"

The innocence in her eyes and the pureness of her sweet nature let me know this was genuinely what she wanted, even if she didn't know it was an impossibility at this point.

I gave her a sad smile after I turned her seat around and crouched down to her level, rubbing her tiny cheek as I sighed.

"Your daddy wants to marry Lori. He loves her."

"But he calls you his princess."

I felt my heart thump a little at the nickname, watching as Mckenna bounced Penny by her pigtails.

"When, baby? When does Daddy call Mommy his princess?"

"All the time. He tells Uncle Eli and Uncle Spencer that you'll always be his princess."

✖️

It was my first day at my new school and I was already hating it.

Not only was I lost, late for first-period; no one seemed to want to help 'the new girl' as they all dashed past me, ignoring me as they made their way to their own classes.

My dad had just gotten a promotion which meant a move for our family, and a transfer to Roosevelt High, a predominantly white school.

I had just turned down a hallway, so focused on the map I was holding, I didn't have time to brace myself.

I was surprised when the wall I thought I just ran into turned out to be a boy, who caught me just before I fell back onto the ground.

His arm was wrapped around my waist and our faces were so close, I could smell the minty scent on his lips.

When I finally looked up, I found myself staring into the most lustrous pair of green eyes I'd ever seen.

His full lips parted, allowing his perfect smile to break free.

"Whoa! You okay?"

I nodded silently, suddenly feeling nervous as his arm stayed wrapped around me.

"Yeah, uh... I'm okay."

He finally loosened his hold on me, allowing me to step back and fully take in this gorgeous specimen.

He had curly brown hair that fell over those emerald-green eyes and a chiseled, muscular jaw. I looked up at him, feeling tiny as he towered over my 5'4'' frame easily.

"Are you new? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

I bit my lip and nodded again, and just as I was about to speak, an authoritative voice boomed from behind me, scaring me a bit in the process.

"Ahh, Mr. Cruz, late yet again. Why am I not surprised?"

"I--"

"He was just showing me to my class. It's my first day and I guess I got a little lost."

Smiling up at the balding man in the tan suit, I could feel the curly-headed boy's eyes fixated on me. The older man eyed up both suspiciously before holding his hand out. Instinctively, I handed over my schedule and after glancing at it for a moment, he huffed.

"Well, Ms. Mitchell, it looks like you're in luck. You and Mr. Cruz have homeroom together."

He handed me back my schedule and as I tucked it into the folder I was carrying, I glanced over to see green eyes gleaming in my direction. The older gentleman noticed as well and cleared his throat, causing those green eyes to leer at him.

"Get to class, you two."

He spun around on his heels, walking away, and as I turned back, I noticed a smile forming on the still nameless dreamboat's face.

"Thanks for that. Vice Principal Woodson is always on my ass. I owe you one, Princess."

I felt my stomach beginning to tumble and I swear I never heard a nickname sound so good. His deep and kinda scratchy voice lowered a little as his smile grew while he leaned in a little.

"I'm Jared."

♦️