Page 57 of Devil's Queen

“I don’t know, baby.” Those words are all I have to say to her sad face. At one point in history, I would have said a resounding yes. It’s all I ever truly wanted. A life and family with Rem, but even the thought of that life seems so impossible now.

Her eyes search mine for a moment, contemplating my words. “But why does Beaux live with his mom and not with us?” she asks, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.

“Well…” I begin, choosing my words carefully, “… sometimes families are different. Just like how every animal at the zoo is unique. Beaux’s mom wanted to take care of him on her own, just like I’ve been taking care of you all this time.”

Birdie listens intently, absorbing the information as she nibbles on her lower lip. It’s clear that she’s trying to grasp the concept of family dynamics and understand why things aren’t always straightforward.

“Does Beaux know about me?” she asks softly, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

A pang of guilt resonates within me once more.

“No, sweetheart,” I confess. “Beaux doesn’t know about you yet, but I hope with time, you might be able to meet him.”

“I’d like that.”

I smile at Birdie’s response, relieved that she seems open to the idea of meeting her half-brother. It’s a complicated situation, but seeing her willingness to embrace it gives me hope that everything will work out in the end.

“But remember, sweetie…” I caution gently, “… we have to be patient. It may take some time for everything to fall into place.”

Birdie nods, her eyes filled with determination. “I can be patient, Daddy. Just like waiting for my birthday or Christmas.”

I chuckle, admiring her innocence and resilience. “That’s right, baby girl. And in the meantime, we can start planning our trip to the zoo this weekend.”

Her face lights up again, the topic of the zoo bringing back her excitement and joy.

“You promise, Daddy?”

“I promise, baby girl. Now, you hurry up and finish your breakfast. Miss Blanche will be here soon to take you to preschool. I have to go to work.”

She shovels in bite after bite like a hungry alligator, the grits smearing all over her face. Miss Blanche laughs when she sees her after coming in from the backdoor.

“Sweet child, what is all over your face?” She walks over to the kitchen counter, grabs a wet wipe, and uses it to clean off her face.

Birdie giggles, her mouth still full of grits as Miss Blanche wipes away the mess. “I had a milk mustache, and then Daddy wiped it off,” she explains, her words coming out in muffled bursts.

Miss Blanche chuckles and ruffles Birdie’s hair affectionately. “Well, your daddy did a good job cleaning you up, didn’t he?”

Birdie nods vigorously, a wide grin spreading across her face. “He always takes care of me,” she says proudly.

“Yes, he does, songbird. Now you, get in your room and put on those clothes I laid out for you.”

Birdie slides off her stool and heads down the hallway to her room. As soon as she’s out of earshot, Miss Blanche turns to me with that knowing smile on her face again.

“You saw that woman again, didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I did.”

“Judging by the look on your face, you know about that boy of yours now, don’t you?”

“Wait. How did you know about him?”

“Sugar, nothing happens in this town that I don’t know about. I’ve told you that. Plus, his grandmama comes to my prayer circle at the Baptist church on Thursday evenings. She’s brought him with her. Sweet boy.”

I sit up straight in my chair, my heart pounding. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t my place.” She shrugs nonchalantly. “I didn’t realize it at first, but every time I see him, he looks more and more like you. And he definitely has that stubborn streak of yours.”

“He gets that from his mother.”

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