“I hope I don’t look that round,” she mumbled, walking to the front door.
The floors and walls were cleaner than they had ever been. It felt like she was living a new life in a new house when in reality nothing had changed for the two aside from their love for each other. She smiled at the hard work they put into the home and sighed happily when she thought of their future together. The door swung open before Mia could open it, and in came Jordan, walking slowly through the frame. Mia put on a bright smile and bounced on the spot upon his arrival.
“You’re back!” she cheered. But something was wrong; Jordan wasn’t returning that same level of energy. In fact, the frown on his face was infectious and darkened the brightly lit room. Mia slowly walked up to Jordan and placed a hand on his cheek. Jordan lifted his slouched head and looked into Mia’s concerned eyes. “Daddy, what’s wrong?”
Jordan twisted his lips and exhaled deeply, shaking his head.
“No, did they…?”
“Yeah, ‘suspended until further notice’ they say. But we both know why,” Jordan sighed. He wrapped his hand around Mia’s and smiled before kissing her on the forehead. He breathed deeply, drawing in as much of her scent as he could before walking away. He sat on his kitchen chair which was turned toward the door. “It’s not looking good, babygirl.”
Mia’s heart sank when she saw Jordan’s darkened expression. She wanted to believe that Jordan meant everything he said when he mentioned doing whatever it took to protect their home, but she didn’t feel like waiting to see how much he could take. He was depressed when she first moved in, but his face spoke an entirely different volume of stress. She slowly walked up to him while the opened front door brought a gust of wind that tickled her cream-colored short dress. She turned around and sat on his left leg, bouncing twice before settling her back against his chest.
“It’s a lot harder than we thought, huh? Keeping our family together. I wonder if other families have to go through this,” she whispered, stroking Jordan’s leg.
“Maybe worse, maybe better. The only thing I care about right now is what’s going to happen to you,” Jordan sighed, nuzzling his chin through Mia’s loose hair.
“You make it sound like I’m going to run away.”
“You heard Terra. If she has her way… Sometimes I just wonder if this is sort of how it’s ‘supposed’ to be. My parents died a while back, my wife didn’t want to have kids, she left, your father left, and now…” Jordan whispered, shaking his head.
“Shh,” Mia whispered sweetly, placing a finger on Jordan’s lips. “I’m not going anywhere. They can’t take me. I’m way too old to put in an orphanage.”
“Mia, that’s…”
“You told me you were going to fight. Do you think I’m not going to fight too? I might be your little girl but I can kick ass when I’m ready,” Mia said with a wink.
“I know you want to, babygirl. But how am I supposed to take care of you?”
“You’re always so focused on that, Daddy. A man I love once told me that it’s not about getting even. It’s about putting your ass on the line; mutually, of course. That’s the family we have. That’s the family I want,” Mia whispered as she massaged Jordan’s chest.