Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello readers! This chapter is really just a filler without a lot of dialogue, but it was a necessary evil. Now bare with me Justin is still acting like an ass, but he's a deadbeat and for some deadbeats it takes years, decades for them to wake up. I can tell you that by then end of this chapter you will see that things are about to change......

Life - the good and the bad – goes on with obstacles that challenge a person’s will and blessings that make it all worthwhile.

 

It took heartache and abandonment for Kiki Lewis to get Cheyenne, the joy of her life. Looking back on the past two years she couldn’t say she wouldn’t do it all over again if it meant she didn’t have her baby’s beautiful smiling face looking up at her when she went to wake her each morning. Not that she ever felt like her life was in disarray, but having a child centered Kiki and gave her life such meaning, her happiness was now her daughter’s happiness, safety, and well being. She may have been a young working woman raising a child on her own, but once Kiki adopted a routine for their life, it was easy fulfilling those needs for Cheyenne. Part of that was using the all day in-house daycare that Key West had for staff and members. When Kiki’s maternity leave ended, Cheyenne came to work with her and only being two floors down from her office, it made checking in on her and nursing very convenient.

 

As for her down time, well her little girl was the first grandchild of two sets of grandparents and the first niece to a horrid of aunts and uncles including three couples who saw watching her as practice. It provided Kiki with plenty of babysitters when she was in a pinch, but in generally her neighbor’s teenaged daughter was a licensed babysitter and had offered her services when she was pregnant. Kiki thankfully took advantage. With such a high requirement for totally dedication that came with being a parent, Kiki knew she was fortunate to have a happy and healthy baby that she was able to be an on-hands mother for all the while maintaining a successful, lucrative business and have a social life. She counted her blessings everyday, especially as she watched her baby grow with each passing moment.

 

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There were some days when she could just watch Cheyenne and her interaction with everything around her all day as apposed to going to work. Whenever that feeling struck, Kiki would remember she was her own boss and after a sub was secured for her classes, she took the day off to do just that. She and Cheyenne would spend those days hanging out in the house, just playing on a blanket spread out on the den floor while listening to music or out and about enjoying the sun. It was during those quiet times that Kiki witnessed a lot of Cheyenne’s milestone.

 

Starting with the first time she smiled genuinely and it was the most beautiful gummy smile Kiki’d ever seen. Then there was the first time she sat up and rolled over. Using the camcorder that Derek and Rhea had given her as a shower gift, she’d been able to capture a lot of her firsts on tape so she could share them with the family and Cheyenne when she was older.

 

While Cheyenne was perfecting her motor skills, she was also proving herself to be a motor mouth – babbling in response to whoever was talking to her. To Kiki’s delight she even responded when Spanish was spoken to her. To survive in the Lewis family, she would definitely need to be skillful in bilingualism.

 

At four months when she started Cheyenne on solid foods, Kiki found out that her daughter had a wide variety of food preferences with varying levels of like and dislike. For example, she hated mashed peas to the point where she cried the first time she had them and everything there after; whereas, she loved cereal so much her little legs would get to kicking and she’d babble happily when it was fed to her. The day of her introduction to a menu of solid foods, with the comical array of expression Cheyenne went through, was quite entertaining and one of those precious moments that was etched in Kiki’s memory forever.

 

Not long after that, to everyone’s surprise, Cheyenne started crawling. It was almost as if she said “forget waiting,” she wanted to be able to get around like everyone else, now. And she did. She was all over everyone’s baby proofed house getting into everything. Naturally, talking and walking came next. With their strong bond it was no surprise that Cheyenne’s first word was Mommy or as her 11 month old pronunciation allowed – “Ma-mee.” Kiki cried and laughed when she heard her baby’s cute little voice for the first time. 

 

It was a tiring time for the new mom, keeping up with such an active and energetic child, but it was a good tired, a satisfying exhaustion. Like after a dance class or a show, only about a hundred times more fulfilling. Kiki used to think that feeling she got when she danced couldn’t be found in anything else, but a smiling and laughing Cheyenne changed that and everything else in her life.

 

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While Kiki was experiencing one of the most profound changes in a person’s life, life sure wasn’t boring for everyone else around her.

 

The parents of the inner circle were busy basking in the new milestone in their lives: Grandparenthood. For years now they had been enjoying have their kids out of their house, for the most part anyway, but it was nice to have a baby running around again. A baby that went home at the end of the day leaving their time to themselves and they used it to enjoy their new friendships. Nina and Frederick found themselves joining Lynn and Paul’s bowling league while Lynn and Paul joined Frederick at Rodrigo’s to take Nina’s salsa class. It was finally time for the older folks to have just as much fun as the youngsters.

 

And said youngsters were still doing it up all around LA, but their booming professional and/or personal lives were growing more significant.

 

Going on 3 years, Derek and Rhea were a couple of old marrieds, but still crazy in love with each other. Rhea had decided to go back to school for her Master’s in Communications, putting her in top position for a promotion as a production manager at the news station she worked for. Derek was by her side supporting her every step of the way. When they both weren’t hard at work, being the only other younger married couple, every now and then they went out on double dates with the newest old marrieds, Marissa and Trent. Even though their marriage hadn’t changed their friendships with everyone else there was a new dynamitic to their relationship that was more relatable to Derek and Rhea than the others, not to mention Trent and Derek were already close as fraternity brothers. The foursome just needed to do their own thing sometimes and it wasn’t held against them.

 

Maya, the next in the line of Lewis children, was busy juggling work and a new relationship very different from any other she’d been in. Being the control freak that she was, Maya usually dated guys that were; to be blunt, pushovers, but that never lasted long because she really needed a strong man who could handle her strong personality. That man was Sage Hill, a photographer that she met at a photo shoot she was overseeing for her company’s summer catalog. Sage had a combination of assertiveness that wasn’t overbearing, a layed back attitude and irresistible charm that complemented her personality perfectly. He mellowed Maya out a little and once she gave the relationship an honest effort, she found that their similar personalities meshed very well together. Those familiar with her track record saw the couple’s potential themselves when she brought him to Sunday dinner, a big step in a new relationship – including significant others in a family function – for all the Lewis children. Nina, Kiki and Tami immediately approved of Sage’s cool, confident and funny demeanor not to mention his gorgeous face and hot body. Of course following the norm Frederick and Derek didn’t like him on sight, giving Sage intimidating attitudes and pulling him aside to “talk”. Sage stayed cool through it all, passing what was really a test and eventually earning respect from both Lewis men. Overtime he also became another member of the inner circle, mixing well with everyone and going club hopping with the gang from time to time.

 

As for the adopted Lewises: Alex was still doing his thing in NYC, landing roles in more than a few on and off Broadway productions. His relationship with Reed Cordes, who he met a few months after the tour ended, was still going strong. Reed was an advertising exec that he met one night at a wrap party and they hit it off right from the start. After being together for three months, Alex brought Reed to LA with him for the first time and he was welcomed with open arms just as Alex was with Reed’s family. His own may have rejected him, but Alex now had two families that cared for him and accepted him unconditionally. In spite of the Velezs, he had a fulfilling, happy life that he was very thankful for.

 

Next up was Tami, specifically Tami and Joey who had taken the leap and moved in together. Tami had never been happier or more content with her life. Joey was just as much in love with her and with his broadening career, he was living the life. In addition to a few acting roles and hosting gigs he landed, he was working on a production level for Jive now as an advisor on a panel responsible for recommending new scouted artists for contracts under Jive, other Sony BMG labels or to be passed on to another company all together.

 

There was still life beyond ‘N Sync for JC too as he became a sought after producer with a golden touch. He had multiple successes with some of Jive’s new artists and with a couple of movie scores he worked on. He was flying all over the world making music for others, but all the while keeping up with his own for his solo projects. Professionally his life was on point; personally it was another matter all together. He had dated frequently and was still looking for the right girl. The right girl who according to the new group of women in his life, would not be found in the “gold digging hoochies he was running around with”. Nina had even tried to set him up with some of the young women who took classes at her studio. He declined and she conceded, stating that the offer was still standing whenever he was ready. He appreciated the underlining concern in their meddling, but he was determined to find his dream girl on his own. He still had faith that she was out there waiting for him.

 

 

 

As a group of adults, life and all it had to offer was old news for the inner circle, but it was a whole new world to Little Miss Cheyenne. So far the experience was pretty good for probably the most happy and agreeable baby that anyone who knew her ever encountered. It wasn’t long before quite the personality started to come out of her that made just as much of an impact on her surroundings as they were making on her. She always had a smile on her face and an adorable giggle, both infectious, but she did have a sensitive and shy side at times. The most impressive thing about Cheyenne though was her intelligence at such a young age. Her high level of maturity and quick comprehension of new discoveries had people only half joking when they called her a baby genius or as Joey put it “a smarty pants”. Her bright and dazzling personality wasn’t the only thing that made her irresistible. Cheyenne was a beautiful child. She may have shared features with her parents such as a big, bright smile like her mother or cerulean eyes like her father, but the rest made up a look totally of her own. One that earned her the nickname Pixie because of the combination of her cute little ears, her now more prominent elven face and her tiny physique. According to her Grampy – Frederick - she looked like she should be “flying around sprinkling pixie dust on people or something.” The new name fit and it caught on quickly not only because of her appearance, but because of the light that, that little Pixie face exuded was unforgettable and impossible to ignore.

 

 Of course the biggest impact Cheyenne made was on her family. She was the little darling, the axis of the group, the one who brought them all together, but at the same time she shared an individual connection with each of them.

 

Tami and Joey were named her godparents at her christening and they took the role very seriously, building a strong bond with their goddaughter. After a long and tiresome debate with herself, Kiki decided that should something happened to her in the immediate future and that bastard still didn’t step up in her absence, her best friend and her boyfriend were the best fit. She loved Marissa, but Kiki wanted Cheyenne to be with family and Derek was on the road a lot, Maya was in no way ready to take on the responsibilities of a parent and neither was Alex. Tami and Joey would create a stable loving home for Cheyenne and keep her well connected with the rest of her family. Thankfully everyone agreed and there was no drama because it was a tough decision for Kiki to make. No mother wanted to have to think about leaving their child at any point in her life, but tomorrow was not promised. If she had to, Kiki was leaving her baby in safe, loving hands.

 

Cheyenne’s christening was a beautiful occasion. In town from Tennessee for the event wasn’t just Sadie and Bill, but Randy, Lisa, and his parents as well, meeting their granddaughter and great granddaughter for the first time. They all were just as smitten with her on sight as the rest of her great and grand parents. Conveniently, Alex was already in town for his monthly visit home that he’d been making since Kiki was pregnant. He said that with the family growing, more now than ever they had to stick together. And that was exactly what the christening was, a moment of unity and celebration among a group people all connected by the love for one little girl.

 

Cheyenne was very lucky to have her life enriched by them all, especially when she was already down one parent. Not that it was impossible for a child to thrive in a one parent home, but there was no telling how it would affect her in the future. Fortunately, she had a lot of father figures to make up for the loss and no one was more serious about it than Derek. Work may have had him travelling frequently, but when he could he made it a point to spend at least on day a week with his niece. His dedication to her was partly due to his thinking that Cheyenne was an extension of Kiki. Since both his sisters were born it had been his job to protect them. He couldn’t protect Kiki from Justin, but he could and would protect Cheyenne. Without her father there he felt like it was his job to pick up the slack. And Cheyenne adored her Uncle Derek just as he adored his little CJ – his own nickname for her. He said Pixie was too wimpy for a little girl who could hold her own, usually by biting or pulling hair, in a wrestling match with him or Joey.

 

While Uncle Derek and Uncle Joey were “toughening her up so she would be a strong woman when she grew up,” Uncle Josh spoiled and pampered Cheyenne like a little princess. Every time he was traveling for work he sent her a package with a souvenir from wherever he was and/or some toy he thought she’d like. She already had a curio in her bedroom full of figurines from around the world, the center piece being a little tiara he picked up over in England. “Because ever little princess needs a crown” his note had said.  

 

“An 8 month old with a tiara. I’m a grown damn woman and I don’t even have a freakin’ tiara, but she does.” Sitting at her kitchen table laughing with her sisters and Marissa, Kiki shook her head at the sight of her little girl reclining in her walker chomping on a teething ring with the piece of jewelry perched on her curly head, totally oblivious. Grabbing her camera she took a quick shot to preserve the outrageous moment.

 

While the uncles were teaching Cheyenne how to be tough or to be a princess, the aunts were in charge of beauty, fashion and attitude. Not even a year old and Cheyenne had a closet full of “I saw this and thought it would look adorable on her” clothes from her aunties. Since she was the newest chica, just a miniature sized, she was occasionally allowed to join the big girl luncheon and spa days. By the time she was a year and a half, to go along with a wardrobe and mannies and peddies fit for a diva, she had developed a little diva-tude that popped out at times and she even learned how to do the neck roll – a skill that Kiki knew came from Aunty Maya directly.

 

Even with all that, when it came to nurturing Cheyenne’s spoiled streak, the worse by far were Gigi and Grampy, and Nonnie and Pop Pop. Better known respectively as Nina and Frederick and Lynn and Paul. Their titles were courtesy of Maya who said Cheyenne had too many grand and great grandparents to do the traditional Grandma and Grandpa, plus she was “too cool for normal”. Lynn and Nina showered her with everything under the sun while Frederick and Paul treated Cheyenne as if she could do no wrong, she was after all their Pixie and little darlin’.

 

 

 

With all these influences, Kiki had to keep a tight watch on the way they affected her daughter. There was nothing wrong with Cheyenne growing up to be a strong assertive woman who strived for the best – the type of personality that her family was trying to nurture. That was exactly what she hoped her daughter would grow to become
to an extent. She was not about to raise a bratty child who thought she was grown and gave her attitude when they inevitable clashed. No, no, no that was not going to happen under her roof so Kiki took steps to make sure she was the authority that Cheyenne minded. It didn’t matter what Aunt Tami or Uncle Josh said, in some respects it didn’t matter what Gigi and Nonnie said either. What Mommy said and did was Law. That impression worked with Cheyenne and despite being spoiled, she was not a brat. She understood the word “no”. Sure she pouted, but she never threw a fit when she couldn’t get what she wanted and as much as a toddler could she appreciate everything she had.

 

Cheyenne may have had a village to help raise her, but no one was more essential than her Mommy. Kiki was her primary source of guidance, love, comfort, and friendship. Being an only child, Kiki had to be playmate as well as mom and she never hesitated to get elbows deep into whatever activity her daughter asked her to participate in. Sometimes, Kiki actually had more fun playing with a bucket of building blocks on the living room floor with Cheyenne, than she did going out to the club with her friends.

 

Their unequivocal value in each other’s lives went both ways for mother and daughter. After a long day at work seeing her little girl was always the highlight of Kiki’s day. And when she arrived to pick up Cheyenne from daycare, her little face would light up at the sight of her mother and she’d either reach out for her or once she was capable, made a mad dash into Kiki’s arms. It was hard for her to be away from her mother at times and it was only when she was in the presence of family or one of her caretakers that she felt comfortable and even that didn’t last long. Separation from her baby wasn’t easy on Kiki either, the first week back to work she was downstairs every hour on the hour checking on her. They both just needed a period of adjustment before they were comfortable being apart. But even when they were together, once Cheyenne learned how to move around, she was Kiki’s little shadow. At that age though following her mother around was out of admiration and learning through mimicking rather than clinginess. After she got the hang of doing a lot more things on her own, Cheyenne became an independent little woman. However she was still growing and independent or not, there were some things that only Mommy could provide. And whenever she was needed Kiki would be right there for her for the rest of her life.

 

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Cheyenne was thriving in her natural bonds with her family members, but when she was 11 months old, she created a bond all on her own. Robbie Taylor was also 11 months old and was the new kid to Key West’s daycare. From the start he and Cheyenne got along famously and by the end of the day when it came time to go home the two babies had a fit when they were separated. During that incident Kiki meet one of her newest club member Alana Taylor as they tried to separate their children calmly without anymore tears.  The two mothers joked that their kids had just found their BFFs. Or in the words of Lynn, Cheyenne found herself a Trace, a correlation that Kiki did not care for. But it became more and more apparent that, that was exactly the case when time and time again Cheyenne and Robbie spent almost all there time in daycare playing with each other. Eventually while watching their kids together through the viewing window Kiki and Alana became friends and they started having weekly playdates. It was a chance for the kids to interact outside of daycare and a chance for the mommies to form a friendship themselves.

 

With so much love and happiness circling her, Cheyenne already had the best thing life could give a person; however something was still missing. As of now she had no clue what that was, but one day she would figure out that she was lacking in what Robbie or even her mother had. It would probably be a sad day when Kiki sat her down to tell her the truth, but what was more saddening was that, that missing link was a messily hour’s drive away from her.

 

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Living fabulous in his million dollar home in a gated community up in the Hollywood Hills, Justin Timberlake was on top of the world. His solo album and tour had been a hit, he was branching out into acting and he was dating one of the industry’s hottest actresses. Everyday was a party for him with endless resources to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.

 

But behind the veil of fame and fortune his personal life was in shambles. He was miserable, barely living with his regrets and the pain over being without his child, not to mention being estranged from his family and friends. He dealt with it by working constantly or partying hard with Cameron, Trace and Elisha, but neither were exactly healthy and they didn’t work at all. Everyday his first and last thoughts were of Cheyenne and even Kiki, who he still held a deeply hidden torch for.

 

When in public, he did a good job of hiding his problems. There were days when his depression was too much and he either isolated himself or walked around with a pissy attitude – flipping people off and the like. Chalking it up to your typical mood swings, Cameron let him be to work through it on his own. Trace, who knew the real reason behind his behavior, worried about his best friend, especially when it appeared as if Justin was using more and more alcohol to cope. He couldn’t do anything about it though. Justin had to fix his mistakes on his own before he lost any chance at having a relationship with his daughter or drank himself to death.

 

In the past when his life was in turmoil and he was depressed, Justin would find refuge at his mother’s home, but now that was the last place he wanted to be. Her house was over flown with painful reminders, pictures of Cheyenne and her toys scattered around. But at the same time of it wasn’t for his mother he probably would have never found out her name or seen her face.....

 

“Ma! Where are you?” Justin called out after coming up empty on the first floor.

 

“I’ll be right down.” She responded from somewhere upstairs.

 

Knowing his mother that meant it would be at least five minutes before she was ready so he went to wait in the living room. This afternoon he was taking her out to lunch since he hadn’t spent any time with her in awhile. They both had been busy living their own lives, plus the strain on their relationship lately had them avoiding the awkwardness that lingered around them during their meetings.

 

Taking a seat on the couch, Justin grabbed the remote off the coffee table and began channel surfing. Nothing good was on so he turned the TV off and looked around for a magazine or something to read. When his eyes passed the mantle above the fireplace, he did a double take. All along the mount were pictures of his family, himself and a little baby girl that he knew the identity of without question. Almost entranced by the photo, he walked over to the other side of the room and with a shaky hand, picked the frame up. There she was his daughter, curled up on her side, fast asleep with her tiny fist tucked under her chin. Dropping onto the arm of the recliner behind him, Justin held on tight to the picture and stared at the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Tears stung his eyes as he traced her face, memorizing ever detail. She looked so small and innocent, and a burn started in his chest that reminded him that he willingly walked away from this little angel.

 

God what is she going to think of me when she grows up?

 

At this point whether he showed up in her life or not, he was positive she’d grown up to hate him when she found out the choice he had made. There was no way he could handle watching her grow up and loving her only to have her hate him in the end. No, he shook his head furiously at the thought. The best choice had been made and his only option now was to live with the consequences.

 

 

Unbeknownst to Justin, Lynn was standing in the doorway watching him. She had to fight every maternal instinct that told her to run over and comfort him when she heard his sniffles as he traced his daughter’s face. This was one conflict in his life that she could not fix.

 

Coming out of his stooper and sensing he wasn’t alone, with an almost compulsive need to know, he spoke up. “What’s her name?”

 

Startled by his voice since she thought he hadn’t noticed her, she hesitated before answering. “Cheyenne Jocelyn.”

 

He nodded morosely. Now he had a name to go with the little face that was permanently imprinted in his mind. They both would haunt him for the rest of his life, but that was only a morsel of what he deserved.

 

He wiped away a tear that ran down his cheek as the constant ache he felt inside throbbed, but it was quickly replaced by a stream of tears. The last thing he wanted was to be seen crying over this in front of his mother and then have to see the look of pity on her face.

 

Placing the picture back on the mantle, he cleared his throat and excused himself. “I uh I have to use the bathroom. Be right back.”

 

He may have left the room with his head cast down, but Lynn knew he was crying. “Oh Justin.” She sighed regretfully for her son. She never liked seeing him in pain, but in this case he made his bed so he would have to lay in it.

 

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Kiki could believe it, it seemed like just yesterday she was looking at her baby girl for the first time. Now here she was taping up balloons and streamers in Lynn and Paul’s backyard for Cheyenne’s first birthday party. Just thinking about the best moment in her life had Kiki in tears throughout the day with either her mother or Lynn offering comfort and understanding. However, the happiness that accompanied the tears was welcomed as she watched her baby’s special day unfold.

 

Kiki had hired a trio of performance clowns to put on a magic show, do face paintings and make balloon animals. Cheyenne was having a ball, running around in her party outfit with her friends from daycare. Of course Robbie was right at her side since the two were practically attached at the hip.

 

The adults, parents of the kids in attendance and friends of the family, were enjoying the finger foods prepared by Lynn and Nina while they mingled and watched their children play. Derek and Frederick were on camera duty, taking turns running behind Cheyenne capturing her every move. The rest of the family had also pitched in to help out with the party. The guys were “bartending”, handing out water and soft drinks to the adults and juice boxes to the kids. The girls were jeans and t-shirt clad, right alongside Kiki, helping to corral the kids and keep them engaged in the show. In addition to preparing the menu, Lynn and Nina were fluttering around sharing hostess duties.

 

After the christening party had taken place at her parents’, it was Lynn and Paul’s turn to host a party for Cheyenne. The plans for the party had been made with their house in mind a long time ago without regard to the move opening up an opportunity for someone to figure out Cheyenne’s paternity. While she was pregnant Kiki had separate showers for fear of that occurring, but now that Cheyenne was here, she was not about to slight her daughter to cover Justin’s ass. Lynn had been all over LA with Cheyenne since here birth and no one batted an eye. Even if they did her child had family that loved her, screw Justin and his career, she wasn’t going to bend over backwards to keep his secret. There still was Cheyenne’s safety to consider should the truth be revealed so Kiki continued to be cautious and wasn’t planning on put out a full page announcement in the paper. But if it was discovered, she was prepared to do whatever necessary to protect her baby. In the meantime, Cheyenne had a lifetime of birthday parties to celebrate with her entire family. Watching her happy face as she opened each of her gifts and then feeling exceptional pride as she toddled over and gave a hug and “tank you” to each person who gave her a present. Kiki would accept nothing less than this for Cheyenne.

 

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The celebration of Cheyenne’s first birthday may have been a bright and happy occasion in one part of LA, but it was quite the opposite in another.

 

Just like he had planned, after going out to take care of some business, Justin barricaded himself in his house with a few bottles of Jack Daniels and sat all alone in his den wallowing in his misery. Having instinctually memorized the day of her birth, he knew today his daughter was a year old. He could only image how much she had grown
Grown without him because he was too much of a coward and too selfish to do right by her. He was a failure and he hated himself for it. Anger building inside, he screamed at his self “you’re a fuckin’ failure!” and hurled the half empty bottle across the room. It shattered against the wall, spraying alcohol all over the opposite side of the room, but he could care less. It didn’t matter. Nothing matter except for the fact that his daughter had been in this world for a whole year, without him. 

 

Please forgive me Cheyenne
...

 

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After her first birthday, time continued to fly by and Cheyenne had grown tremendously. She was a walking, talking little person, still with the same bright, sensitive and shy personality, but the baby genius inside of her had made a definite appearance. Already she was showing signs of being a future academic with her penance for toddler puzzles, which she was very good at and had a crazy determination to complete, building toys and books. She couldn’t read yet, but she would still pick out some books and get comfortable on the couch to “read”. Kiki figured she used the pictures to make up her own stories, either way it was more than the average toddler was doing at this age. Not that she was bragging (buffing her nails on her shirt).

 

Alongside that advanced intellect came an independent streak a mile long. When she was about 17 months, baby gates and her crib went out the window. She had figured out how to open the gates and then she’d just crawl up or scoot down the stairs to get where she wanted to go. After waking up to find Cheyenne standing next to her bed two nights in a row, Kiki got rid of her crib and replaced it with a toddler’s bed. She seemed set on escaping her little prison and Kiki didn’t want her to break her neck however she was doing it, so she found the perfect solution that kept Cheyenne safe and her nerves intact. Of course these new developments meant Kiki had to come up with a new set of rules and maneuvers to keep up with her maturing daughter. Ever respectful and well mannered, Cheyenne followed the rules a majority of the time, but she was a child, and every once and awhile she tested her boundaries. In response, Mommy was there every time to put her in check. Nonetheless Kiki couldn’t ask for a better daughter, she was a happy and loving one that blossomed in a healthy childhood full of constant and unconditional love and support.

 

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So there you have it, the good hand and bad hand that life can deal you. But those hands can change from one to the other in an instant. For 20 months you had a family of people who all shared a connection in a beautiful little girl, living happy and healthy; however, there was one piece missing to the puzzle. No matter how much they liked to believe otherwise, they weren’t a complete unit without him. And that missing piece was miserable living on the outside.

 

It all changed December 2005



 

Chapter End Notes:
Here are some more faces to go with the names:

Sage Hill

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Reed Cordes

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Robbie Taylor

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