Page 34 of The Only Shot that Mattered

After loading her hands and arms with more bags, she managed to close her trunk in case someone tried to rob her of the rest of the goods she got. By the time she made it to the door, Annalise had opened it with a huge smile on her face.

“My goodness, what is all this?”

Kenna returned her smile and held her arms up as best as she could with the heavy bags weighing her down. “Told you I would come by with a few things for you guys.”

“Chile, that is more than a few things. Come on in here,” Annalise fussed. Kenna and Cam walked into the cozy home. The smell of something sweet baking in the oven hit their noses. “Set those bags right here so we can sort through them all. My word.”

Kenna placed the bags in front of the small blue sofa like Annalise directed, before turning to Cam with a wicked smile. “Since Cam was complaining about carrying the bags inside, he can help you start sorting through them all while I go grab the rest.”

Cam cut his eyes at her while Annalise exclaimed, “The rest? There’s more?”

Kenna held her hands up in mock surrender. “I admit I may have gone a little overboard.”

Annalise shook her head in disbelief. “Alanzo! Come here, baby, and help Kenna get the rest of these bags!”

Footsteps sounded down the hall, getting closer and closer. Alanzo appeared in the living room, and his eyes grew wide. “Kenna!”

“Hey, buddy.” She smiled when he jumped into her arms. There was something about this little boy’s energy that she absolutely adored. She was never around kids, but he made her want to be. He made her realize that she had been missing out on a lot by sitting alone at home and reliving her past. Alanzo didn’t realize it, but he was the first person to break her out of her shell, not Damien. Her heart skipped a bit at the thought of him, but she pushed it away for the moment and asked, “You ready to help me get the rest of these bags?”

Alanzo nodded excitedly as he looked around the floor at the scattered bags. “Is there anything for me?”

“How about you help me grab the rest and then we can look through them and see?”

Alanzo took off for the door without shoes.

“Put your sh—Okay, he’s gone,” Annalise said, scratching her head and shaking it at the same time. “I don’t know what to do with that boy most days.”

Kenna giggled as she followed Alanzo out the door. He stood on the sidewalk looking at the cars lined up on the street, no doubt trying to decipher which one was hers. She walked over to her car and opened the trunk. “Grab as many as you can.”

Alanzo tried to make a big show of grabbing them all. Kenna patiently allowed him to try, and when he dropped over half of them, she swooped in to pick them up. Once the trunk was closed, she followed behind him and back into the house.

“This is entirely too much,” Annalise said with tears in her eyes as soon as Kenna and Alanzo walked through the front door.

Kenna placed the bags on the floor next to the others. “Like I said, I may have gone a little overboard. I never realized how much fun shopping for a kid could be.”

“You didn’t only shop for him though. There’s house supplies, groceries, and I see some candles and bubble bath that I know aren’t meant for that lil boy.”

“I like bubble baths!” Alanzo exclaimed as he rummaged through the bags. When he found a bag with toy dinosaurs, he snatched it up and hopped to his feet. “Gigi, look!”

“I see,” Annalise replied with a hint of laughter in her voice. “Why don’t you go to your room and play with those while we work on sorting out the rest of these things?”

Alanzo didn’t have to be told twice. “Thank you, Titi Kenna!”

Kenna’s heart swelled, and then a bit of sadness took over. Her chances of being an auntie were taken when Rashad died. To hear Alanzo give her that title meant more than he would ever know.

Alanzo took off back down the hall while Cam smacked his lips loudly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t say hi to me, you little ankle biter! I helped, too, you know?”

The only response was the sound of Alanzo’s door slamming shut while Kenna fought to hold back her laughter.

“Thank you, Cam,” Annalise said, patting him on the cheek before she glanced at Kenna. “Thank you both.”

“Of course,” Kenna replied.

“It was really my pleasure, Ms. Annalise.” Cam batted his long lashes at the older woman.

“Really, Cam? You complained the entire time,” Kenna reminded him.

Cam shrugged. “I don’t recall.”

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