Free Motown Throwdown by K.S. Adkins

slightly taller than Kandace, maybe six one with a bun in his hair run to her pulling her into a fierce hug.
    “Hi Dad,” she giggles. Okay, what the fuck?
    “Dads I’d like you to meet my friend Roman Peterson,” she says proudly like I was worth a shit. I didn’t want to be her fucking friend and I didn’t want to meet her dads either. I was seriously uncomfortable and wanted to leave yesterday.
    “ The Roman Peterson?” the big one asks reaching for my hand intent on shaking it.
    “The same Roman Peterson you used to brag about?” says the smaller one shaking it next.
    “Yeah that’s me,” I snap crossing my arms over my chest. “The same Roman Peterson that just got out of prison.”
    Coming toe-to-toe with me, Kandace cranes her head up toward my ear and whispers, “You feel better now convict? Knock it off. This is my family, act right.”
    “I’m gonna jet,” I tell her moving away.
    “No you are fucking not,” she counters taking my hand to keep me in place. “He’s one in the same,” she says pulling me into the kitchen. “Sit,” she says pointing to the chair and I do. Watching her grab glasses to get us a drink, it’s when her dads take the seats next to me that I start to sweat. Meeting a chick’s parents was a first. The circumstances sucked too, I was fresh from the hospital, confused and pushing thirty.
    “Okay Rome, so the big guy to your left is Richard, and the guy to your right is Peter.” Blinking at them both I was at a loss until she spoke again. “Really you got nothing?” she says putting her hands on her gorgeous hips. “I tell you that my dads’ names are Dick and Peter and you’ve got nothing?”
    “I’m Dick Kane,” he says patting me on the back. “But Peter calls me Big Daddy Kane.”
    Yeah, I still had nothing. The fuck do I say to that? I’m not calling him Big Daddy anything. Who are these people?
    “Stop embarrassing him, Dick,” says Peter on a laugh.
    “Where’s Gage?” she asks joining the party. Handing me a glass of what looked like lemonade I guzzle it back to buy some time. Standing up she brings the pitcher over then hands me a pill. “Ibuprofen for the pain,” she says nodding at me to take it after refilling my glass again.
    “He’s in Dallas, I think,” says Peter eye balling me. “He’ll be around next week.”
    “What’s with the dress Kandy girl? Did you pull an all-nighter?” Dick asks smiling at her like he’d approve if she did.
    “I was called into work for an emergency and this was what I happened to be wearing,” she says smiling at me. “I was at benefit for Mott’s, it was formal and yes, I’m uncomfortable.”
    “Well you should dress up more often,” he says with pure fucking love. “You’re beautiful, Kandy girl.”
    “Thanks, dad,” she whispers like she’s embarrassed. Looking up at me her demeanor changes again when she says “I’m sure you’ve figured out I have two men as parents,” she says. “My dads used a surrogate for my brother and me. I’m nice and pasty like Peter, whereas Gage is a golden brown like Dick.”
    “We both wanted two,” says Dick. “We had just had Gage with a wonderful surrogate but he wanted a sister. He told us her name would be Kandace with a K. That she would be his best friend and that he would protect her. You’d have to see it for yourself but it was her protecting him. Kandace can be territorial of those she loves. I mean look at her son, she’s the spitting image of Peter and no one gives him shit for good reason.”
    Okay, yeah, so she did favor Peter which made sense since he was white as fucking snow. Dick was even darker than I was so talk about a blended family. Kandace wanted to prove a point and she did, it was clear she didn’t see color. I already knew she was territorial and wanted it to be because she cared about me but I knew I gave her no reason to. At a loss to what was happening and why I was included in it, I spoke up. “You two miss the