Page 62 of Everywhere You Look

Dean McKenna: Please.

Ms. Mason: Are you aware of your biological connections to your parents?

Dean McKenna: I am. My sister and I had genetic screenings done when we were young so that ourparents and us would have a better understanding of our medical histories.

Ms. Mason: Would you mind sharing what you learned about your genetic makeup?

Dean McKenna: Sure. Biologically, Camila Di Maria is my mother. She donated her eggs and carried both my sister and me. The rest of my genetic material comes from my father, Jay. My sister and I share the same mother, but her other half comes from our other father, Keith.

Ms. Mason: So you’re not technically related to your father, Keith?

Dean McKenna: Pops and I don’t share DNA, but that doesn’t make him any less my father.

Ms. Mason: And Camila. You call her Tía, not Mom?

Dean McKenna: Correct.

Ms. Mason: Would you say biological relation holds weight in how you see your family?

Dean McKenna: Not at all. To me, family is what you make it. Family is love, commitment, showing up when someone needs you. The science is just that—science.

Ms. Mason: You are not biologically related to Gigi Cannon’s daughters, are you?

Dean McKenna: I am not.

Ms. Mason: But you consider them family?

Dean McKenna: Absolutely.

Ms. Mason: And as your family, do you see it as your responsibility to love them? Commit to them, show up when they need you?

Dean McKenna:Without a doubt. When I married Luke, I put a ring on his finger to signify my devotion to him. That same day, I gave Lemmie, Mellie and Ollie each a bracelet to signify my devotion to them, too.

Ms. Mason: So, you consider the girls your kids?

Dean McKenna: I don’t consider them my kids, Ms. Mason. They are my kids.

Ms. Mason:I have to admit, I’m a little star struck. I have a Spin Sync bike at home and take your classes everyday. You’re quite the celebrity, Mrs. Yates.

Kira McKenna-Yates: It’s McKenna-Yates. And you can just call me Kira.

Ms. Mason: Kira, then. You were friends with Gigi Cannon before her death, correct?

Kira McKenna-Yates: Yes. Gigi and her girls moved into the house next door a few years ago, and I took her under my wing. Iinducted her into my girl gang—The Pussy Posse—and…fuck. Shit, can I say pussy in court?

Ms. Mason: There’s a first time for everything.

Kira McKenna-Yates: Anyway, Gigi joined my group of girlfriends. We’re all moms and aunties and we take care of each other. Lemmie and Mellie are the same age as my daughter, Cami, so they became friends, too.

Ms. Mason: This supportive group of moms and aunties…does that support extend to Luke Cannon, now that he is the guardian of Gigi’s children?

Kira McKenna-Yates: Of course. The Pussy Posse takes care of our own, and Luke is one of us. We’re always ready to swoop in and help out. And we’re all connected in one way or another. Luke was my brother’s best friend before they fell in love, he played on the NFL team that my best friend and her husband co-own, and so on. We’re a tangled up group in the best way.

Ms. Mason: Living next door, you must see the children more than anyone besides Luke and Dean. How do they seem to you, after the loss of their mother? Well-adjusted? Sad? Confused?

Kira McKenna-Yates: They’re so young. Ollie is still a baby, but damn she’s the sweetest baby on earth. Always babbling and smiling. Lem and Mel…they miss their mom. They ask about her a lot. There’s a wall of photos in my house, and Gigi is in half of them. Whenever they’re over, they like to look at them and talk about their mom. They have their moments when they’re sad, as we all do. Gigi’s death left a hole in all of our hearts. But overall, they’re the happiest kids I know. They love to sing and play and tell me stories about their Uncle Lukey and their best buddy, Dean.

Ms. Mason: So you’d say that the children seem to be living a good life, despite their loss?

---