Kindness

Lailah looked up at the balcony doors and smiled as bright as a star.

She waved her hand open and Tatiana could be seen standing next to a duo of guards.

When her golden eyes settled on Lailah, she crossed the distance between them at once.

She ran her thumbs along the corners of Lailah's mouth as she wiped away the remnants of some whipped cream. "You would think after all this time you spent chastising Bekka that you would have learned to keep your face clean."

Lailah was finding it hard not to smile as Tatiana went to wipe off her nose. "Do as I say, not as I do."

"That only works on the kids, honey."

Lailah didn't really understand why that had to be the case, but she was too glad to see Tatiana to bolster much of an argument in response.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" Nubia was trying to make sure both of her mothers remembered that she was here before they started doing weird things and they reached a point of no return.