5: A Family

*Kamala*

Kamala and Kamryn sat under a huge blanket on the couch, binge-watching the TV show Scandal together and eating snacks. This was one of the few peaceful moments they could have together.

"You know Mommy I was thinking" Kamryn started as she looked at her mother with a mischievous grin "I should get a tattoo"

"Kamryn please don't test me" Kamala warned giving her a look.

"I'm serious Mommy. And a piercing" Kamryn added still with the same grin on her face. She enjoyed pressing her mom's buttons to get a   K. It was a big no but like every teenage girl she always asked.

Kamala gave her a side eye "Kamryn you do realize I owe you an ass whooping after you drop that baby right?" She said with a hint of a joke in her voice.

"Oop, Girl I'm gonna leave you alone" Kamryn threw her hands up.

"I knew you'd see it my way" Kamala said with a smile, which then caused both of them to burst out laughing.

Kamala could actually count on one hand how many times in 14 years she actually ever had to physically discipline her daughter. So for her to say she owed Kamryn an ass whooping was nothing but an empty threat, and Kamryn knew that. But she also knew her mother meant business.

After their laughter subsided, Kamryn laid her head on Kamala's shoulder and dug her hand into the Nacho Cheese Dorito bag that was lying on Kamala's lap. "Mommy, what if we told my dad? You know about the baby?" She asked looking up at her mom with her eyes searching for her approval.

Kamala sighed "Kammy, You know that's not possible"

"Why not mommy?" Kammy asked as she took a bit of her chip.

"Because Kammy. It's a secret for now" Kamala said wishing Kammy would back down from this subject. Kamala wasn't ready for Barack to find out he was about to be a grandfather. She knew he would probably lose his mind.

"Like I've been a secret for 14 years?" Kamryn shot out before she could stop herself. She knew she was the biggest secret her parents kept. But she never understood why. All she knew was that at a very young age, her parents instilled in her that behind closed doors Barack was her dad, and in public, He was President Obama.

Kamala raised an eyebrow completely taken back by what her daughter said. "Excuse me?"

"You don't think you and my dad have enough secrets between you two?" Kamaryn responded knowingly she'd be pressing a sensitive button on her mother's nerves.

Kamala shifted uncomfortably which caused Kammy to sit up and look at Kamala. "Okay, clearly something is bothering you. So give it to me" Kamala stated giving her daughter the floor to talk.

"I just think that you and my dad have a lot of secrets when it comes to me" Kamryn replied treading very lightly not to upset Kamala. "I don't think this is a secret that should be kept from my dad. I understand why we wouldn't post on the internet the VP's 14-year-old daughter is expecting a child or why we wouldn't dare tell Charles. But my dad, He should be a part of this too"

"You know I'm only trying to protect you right?" Kamala Said with sincerity in her voice.

"Protect me from my own dad?" Kamryn questioned. "Shouldn't he be protecting me as well?"

"He's not around enough to know how to protect you Kammy" Kamala spat out in an unintentionally condescending tone.

"Because of the secrets you and my dad keep!" Kammy raised her voice but still kept it on the respectful line.

Kamryn's words held in the air over Kamala's head like a dark cloud. She looked at Kamryn's face and for a split second she saw nothing but Barack in her face. Then she furrowed her eyebrows and pressed her lips together. She was the momentary spitting image of her father.

Kamala pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, Trying to piece together what to say next. But before she could say anything Kamryn continued to give her a piece of her mind.

"My dad can't be my dad because nobody but us knows he's my dad. And you keep saying my dad wants to see me and the last time I talked to him, he said he would do whatever I wanted. And I have yet to see him" Kamryn frowned as she felt herself getting sad.

Kamala couldn't help but hear the sadness in Kamryn's voice. It became evident to her that it wasn't that Kamryn wanted to tell Barack about her being pregnant, She just wanted her dad and all of her pregnancy hormones were bringing every emotion she buried down out into the open.

Kamala sighed "Kammy let's make a deal" She slightly smiled "Call your dad and invite him over for dinner"

"Really" Kamryn perked up smiling from ear to ear as if those were the words she was waiting to hear her mother say.

Kamala nodded "But You cannot tell him about this baby okay? Don't hint at it or anything. He's not ready for that conversation and I need to be the one to tell him when the time is right okay?"

"You got a deal!" Kamryn beamed as she pulled her phone from under the cover.

Kamala playfully rolled her eyes and watched as Kamryn pulled up Barack's number which was saved as 'Father The President'

Seeing his name in her phone tickled Kamala a bit  it was similar to what her name in Kammy's phone which is 'Mother MVP'

Kamryn made sure she put the phone on speaker. The phone rang twice before Barack answered with his deep voice filling the room "Lo lo!"

Kamryn smiled widely "Hi Daddy! Are you busy?"

Barack shifted on his couch looking around before answering her "No not at all. What's going on?"

Kamryn gave a quick glance at Kamala. And in approval, Kamala nodded her head and subconsciously held her breath. "I was wondering if you'd want to come over and have dinner with me and mom?"

"Have dinner with you and your mom?" Barack questioned with a surprised tone.

"Yeah" Kamryn replied nodding her head as if he could see her through the phone.

"Does your mother know we're having dinner tonight?" Barack asked almost skeptical of the invitation because the last he received the same invitation the door was rudely slammed in his face.

Kamala pressed her lip into a thin like as she made a face just before butting "Yes I know about dinner"

"Well in that case let me get my driver and I'll be on my way" He said not hiding any excitement in his voice. In his mind, he was over the moon.

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. This left the three of them with a smile on their lips. They all had their reasons for smiling but part of it was for the same reason subconsciously all three instantly realized that this would be the first time it would just be the three of them under one roof for a few hours. The time that happened Kamryn was only 3 days old.

This was something they all wanted to experience just once but never spoke on it to admit it.

Kamala decided she was going to cook dinner and with Kamryn's input, they settled on having cheese burgers and homemade fries. It was an easy meal that Kamala didn't have to put much effort into and would take less than 45 minutes to make.

By the time dinner was finished, the doorbell rang. Involuntary Kamala's breath hitched and her chest tightened. True realization hit her that for the first time in years, she was about to sit down for dinner with Barack.

It pained her deep in her core not to know what to expect of this visit. Whether the pregnancy news would slip out. Or if subjects of the past would be brought up leading to some tough conversations. The possibilities of this night were endless Kamala hated that.

She wiped her hands with her kitchen towel and threw it onto the table before exiting the kitchen to answer the door.

"Kammy get cleaned up for dinner. Your dad is here!" Kamala yelled out as she reached the door.

Wrapping her fingers around the know. Kamala let out a deep breath and then pulled the door open.

Greeted by a warm smile, another bottle of wine, and a blue Tiffany's bag. "Hi" Barack spoke up.

"Hi" Kamala smiled back at him.

"Are you going to slam the door in my face again Devi?" Barack joked as he looked Kamala up and down as if he were taking a mental picture of what was in front of him.

Kamala playfully rolled her eyes and stepped to the side to let him in the house "You can come in"

Barack stepped inside never taking his eyes off Kamala. He stood inches away from her "I brought you this" He said giving her the bottle of wine he held in his hand.

"Thank you, You know I still have the last one" She stated.

"I know. But this one is a very expensive 1932 Bordeaux. Thought you could add it to your vintage collection. You still have that right?" Barack questioned hinting that he still remembered that one of her hobbies had been collecting old vintage wine and that maybe one day she would actually drink it.

She ran her free hand through her hand to hide the fact that she began blushing at the fact he remembered such a small detail about her. "I do in my basement back at home.

She smirked then walked away towards the kitchen. Barack followed closely behind.

"Daddy!" Kamryn yelled running down the steps as they walked into the kitchen.

Barack stopped and turned to see Kamryn in a blue oversized hoodie and baggy black sweatpants an ensemble that became her signature look lately to hide the small baby bump that was starting to form. Barack completely oblivious to that little fact about his daughter smiled and held out his arms "Lo Lo!"

Kamryn ran straight Into his arms and hugged him tight. Neither of the two wanted to let go. They waited months for this reunion. The last time they saw each other had been 5 months. It was a month before Kammy did what she did and got pregnant.

Kamala watched the two interact with each other and it gave her a feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Barack pulled back from the hug and held the blue Tiffany's bag up "I got you something, baby girl"

Kamryn quickly grabbed the bag and pulled out a black box. She opened the box to find a necklace that read her middle name 'Lotus' She smiled looking up at Barack "I Love it, Daddy! Mommy can we eat now"

Kamala nodded but also gave her a certain look that reminded her not to say anything or show signs of her situation tonight. Kammy gave her a slight smile that let Kamala know she understood exactly what she said to her without any words. This form of communication was something they had years of practice and mastered....

*Barack*

Barack finished the last bite of his burger and sat back in his seat fully satisfied and stomach full. "I forgot how good of a cook you were"

Kamala smiled with her cheeks burning up. "Well thank you"

"Mommy is the best cook ever" Kamryn added in.

"Yeah, she is" Barack said as his mind started to play memories of the first time she'd ever cooked for him and how after dinner that led to something better than dinner.

Kamala passed him a quick glance and for a split second they locked eyes until Kamryn butted in "We should play Uno Flip"

Breaking his gaze "Uno Flip?" Barack raised his eyebrow. He hadn't heard of Uno Flip especially since his twin girls weren't into card games.

"Yeah it's like Uno but the cards have a light side and a dark side" Kammy explained what the card game was.

"Well let's get this game out!" Barack clapped his hands together. Part of him was happy that this night wasn't going to end just yet..

"OH! Daddy draw five!" Kamryn laughed as she threw down a dark purple draw 5 cards for Barack to pick up five cards.

This was their second round of Uno flip after they cleaned up from dinner. And the first time Kamala won which Barack didn't find that fair and they ganged up on him and he wanted a rematch.

"This is some bullshit!" Barack playfully yelled throwing up his hands. "You two are cheating I got almost the whole damn deck in my hand!"

"Aww B! Don't be a sore loser!" Kamala joked "Oh to the two of you Skip you both Uno and Uno out! I Win again!" She burst out laughing plopping down her last two cards.

"Oh come on Mom! That's some bullshi-" Kamaryn started but was instantly cut off by her mother.

"Kamryn watch it!" She said in a stern voice not allowing her daughter to cross that line.

Barack smirked seeing the similarities that he and his Lo lo hold. Not that he ever denied her but it was the truth that she was the spitting image of him and he couldn't deny her even he wanted to.

Kamala's phone began to ring and Barack noticed the picture of Kamala and Charles displayed on her screen. Out of instinct he rolled his eyes and sighed. Kamala looked down at her phone and groaned in a low voice. "I'm sorry I have to take this" She stood up with her phone and disappeared out of the kitchen.

"He must be calling to apologize" Kamryn let out not knowing her mother didn't want her father knowing there were issues in her relationship.

"What do you mean by apologizing" He raised a brow at her.

Kamryn shrugged "He and my mom had a huge fight before she left Cali and she ignored a lot of his phone calls afterward" She explained.

It left him with many questions but he wouldn't dare to press for any more information. In his mind, the fight couldn't have been that if she answered his call today..

Barack felt a light tap on his knee causing him to jerk awake. For a moment everything was a bit blurry until he blinked a few times. As his vision became clearer the image of Kamala in black silk pajamas standing in front of him.

He looked around noticing that he was still at the VP's residence on the couch with Kamryn laying on his chest. He must've fallen asleep while they watched a movie together last night.

"Good Morning, I forgot you snore so fucking much that I had to go upstairs" Kamala whispered with a chuckle in her voice.

Barack smiled carefully moving Kamryn from his chest and laying her completely on the couch "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stay the night" He hoped he didn't cross a line with Kamala by overstaying his welcome and staying the night. Bad enough he may have to hear Brenda's mouth if she came home while he wasn't home.

She waved her hand at him. "Don't worry about it. Time slipped us all" Kamala didn't mind that Barack stayed the night. When she saw that Barack had fallen asleep while they were watching Like Mike She didn't want to bother him because he looked so at peace. And if she had to be honest about it she liked that he stayed with her and Kammy, It gave her the brief feeling of them being a real family of three. Something she longed for after having her baby but pushed deep down as the cards didn't pan out for them to be a family. So living in that brief delusion for a few hours is all she needed.

"Would you like some Banana pancakes? I'm going to make breakfast before I get her up for school. Today is her last day" Kamala asked as she turned away to go into the kitchen.

Barack slowly stood up from the couch, careful not to wake his Lo Lo. He followed behind Kamala into the kitchen. He watched as she moved around the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Kamala asked as she stopped in front of her coffee maker and looked up at Barack with her eyes.

"Thank you" He nodded as he sat down on the kitchen table. "I had fun last night with you and Lo Lo" He spoke in a low careful tone.

Kamala smiled as she began making coffee "We definitely enjoyed the company last night" She admitted tucking her bottom lip under her teeth.

"This is how it should've been for the last 14 years Devi" Barack slipped out tracing his finger over the tablecloth, He let his mind drift to what could have been.

Kamala's smile faltered and her body tensed up. She didn't know how to respond to this sudden statement. She parted her lips to speak but her words lodged in her throat. She let her gaze meet Barack's and she could see a glimmer of something that could be hope.

"We missed out on being a family for 14 years and it felt so good to be one last night" Barack continued slowly licking his bottom lip.

"And whose fault was that?" Kamala finally spoke with a tone that was serious but yet vulnerable. She poured coffee into two mugs.

"Now that's a hard question to answer isn't it?" He replied as he leaned forward in the chair. "We both played our parts in it"

Kamala slightly rolled her eyes as she sat the two steaming hot mugs down on the table "Oh really, Last time I checked you went back to your wife"

"After you said that you didn't want me" Barack replied with amusement.

She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips "I never said that"

"But your actions Devi, Definitely did" He shot at her as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I'm not having this conversation with you this morning" She said switching her tone into a more defensive tone. The topic of their relationship will always be a sensitive subject for Kamala and she refused to talk about it.

Before Kamala could get the idea of walking away Barack reached up grabbing her by the arm gently "Come here" He Whispered pulling her down onto his lap.

She sighed giving him another eye roll "Barack"

He draped his arm over her lap placing his hands on her hip to hold her in place. And to his surprise, she didn't put up a fight. "I don't mean to piss you off Devi" He whispered looking up at her. "We both had a part in everything that went wrong and it caused us to miss out on this"

She turned her head refusing to look at him. This was a conversation she didn't want to have because she knew she would have to admit her wrongdoing in the situation and after years she convinced herself she wasn't wrong for what happened between them and she spent a while building walls so she could remain the fearless woman she is today.

Barack licked his lips then reached up gently grabbing her chin to make her look at him "Look at me"

Without much choice, she looked at him. Their eyes locked and in that split moment, they both found themselves forgetting the world around them. Their lips pressed against each other tangling them into a deep kiss that hadn't been shared in 14 years. Unknowingly this awakened a spark that once lied dormant for so long.

Their kiss deepened as if they were savoring the moment, the taste of each other's mouths. Barack's hand found its way to the back of Kamala's head where he then tightly gripped her hair causing her to moan. 

They almost didn't know the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen. "Mom" Kamryn called out with her voice sounding close. 

Instantly Kamala snapped back to her senses ripping herself away and stood up creating a healthy unsuspicious distance between her and Barack. 

Barack sat back with a smirk painted on his lips and wiped his mouth as Kamryn walked into the kitchen unaware her parents were just in a full-blown makeup session. "Good Morning Lo lo" Barack spoke. 

"Good morning Daddy!" Her face lit up realizing Barack was still there from the night before. "Good Morning Mommy" 

"Good Morning Kammy. Go get ready for school I'll have breakfast ready" Kamala said with a smile.

Kamryn nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Leaving Barack and Kamala with silence in the air both of them wrapping their minds around the kiss they shared. Walls slowly being chipped at and memories rushing back like they never left. 

The taste of each other's lips lingered and part of them wanted another taste but they both ignored it. Barack began drinking his coffee and Kamala started on the pancakes both pretending that nothing happened.......

          ***

A/N: Next chapter has a bit of a trigger warning. Sorry in advance