Page 10 of Jagged

Tatiana and I both burst out laughing. My heart gave a great leap of joy when her silliness lifted my mood from its somber place. The kid had a way about her that turned dimness to brightness in a heartbeat.

"We did the Rain On Me dance in class. Remember?"

"Sure do." I chuckled and leaned against the kitchen counter after snatching an energy drink from the fridge. "The fact that song is still relevant all these years later is legit the best."

"Legit!" Reagan pumped her fist in the air then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Done, Mama." She dropped her spoon into the bowl with a clang.

"Goodness, girl. Manners." Tatiana grabbed her arm before she could go in for a second mouth wipe. "Napkin, please. Then go change your shirt."

"'Kay." She swiped at her mouth with the napkin then bolted from the table off to her room.

"Such a little menace," Tati said once she was out of earshot. "She moves so fast sometimes."

"I don't ever remember having kid-level energy."

"You had other shit going on."

"Yeah." I smirked then chugged my drink.

Tatiana shook her head then slapped a banana into my hand. "Eat actual food."

I rolled my eyes and she scoffed at me.

"Sure you're okay taking her? She really can take the bus."

"I'd rather take her. It's not far. Just in the opposite direction of where you need to go. Did you get accepted into the show?"

"That's what I get to find out today." She used the reflective surface of the microwave door to fix her hair. "How do I look?"

"Like an artist," I teased and nodded toward her bohemian-esque outfit consisting of a deep green skirt, and loose-fitting, earth-toned top.

"Should I change?" She screwed up her face. "Wear a suit or something?"

"Nope. You should be yourself, Tati. Like always." I gave her shoulder a squeeze then looked up when Reagan returned to the kitchen.

She wore a bright blue sweater over her jeans now and settled her backpack over her shoulders. "Okay, ready."

"All right, short stuff. Let's head out." I tossed the empty can in the recycling bin and smooched Tatiana's cheek. "Later."

"Behave yourself." She swatted my arm then hurried to catch Reagan in a hug before she ran to the door.

"Good luck with the gallery," I told her as we headed out.

Reagan gripped my hand tightly as she skipped down the hall. "Bye, Mama."

"Bye, love. See you after school." Tatiana drew in a deep breath, and we parted ways once our feet hit the sidewalk.

"Okay, kid. Guns N' Roses or Gaga?"

"Umm…I like Slash so him." She accepted the earbud when I handed it to her.

"You got it." I queued up the song and headed down the street with her while listening to Sweet Child O' Mine.

My thoughts rumbled while we followed the familiar pathway. Reagan skipped most of the way while keeping up with my pace. I glanced at her, and the content, happy smile that seemed to always linger on her sweet face. I wondered if she knew how lucky she was to have a doting mom in her life every day. Tatiana was probably as great as they come, and everyone deserved a parent like her.

In the fifteen minutes it took us to walk to Reagan's school, she asked around thirty questions about random things. I didn't mind answering them, but secretly hated it when I had to say, "I don't know." She deserved proper answers.

I walked her into the school, flashing my badge to the security guards and school resource officers on the way. No one questioned me, and Reagan's eyes brightened with the sudden popularity that came with her door-to-door escort.

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