Blythe Apartment—

Rilla looks at her phone sighing. Still staring at the text that Ken had sent her, that he did his part of the paternity test. All she had to do was go to the clinic with Kenzie and do their side of it and it would be ready within a week.

This meant it was time. It was time to tell Kenzie about Ken.

She had seen the better part of the week talking to family and siblings about the new development of her life.

Her sisters wanted details, while Jem her eldest half-brother told her to go to a reputable clinic and Walter had offered any reference for youth counselling if needed. Lee made a joke that he preferred to think of his niece as a virgin birth, but was ultimately glad that by a bizarre chance his twin find the guy she slept with a decade ago.

She sets the salad bowl on the table and the plates of chicken nuggets in their respective places on their little kitchen table. It had been just the two of them for so long and Rilla didn't know how to do this. How does she bring this up? Tell her daughter that her father wants to meet her after miraculously appearing.

Rilla sighs and sits down at their little table. So many meals and talks happened over it, she grew up over this table as much as her child did.

"Bug I need to talk to you," Rilla finally tells her daughter.

"Okay," Kenzie asks as she placed the bowl of cat food, and another dish for the bunny and goes to sit at the table and sits up straight "Is Grammy and Grandpa okay?"

"Everyone is fine, I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure, but after thinking about it I feel like I can't lie to you." Rilla starts.

"Are we moving? Are you dating someone? Oh my god, are you dying?!" Kenzie goes through the motions.

"No no, Bug I am fine and no I am not dating anyone," Rilla says sighing. "but I did find someone."

"Found who?" Kenzie asked confused.

"I found your father," Rilla tells her, letting

"I know," Kenzie tells her simply.

"Pardon?"

"I overheard you talking to someone about him," Kenzie tells her. "You thought I was in the shower, but I wasn't yet."

Rilla sighs. "I'm sorry that I hid it from you, I just wanted to be sure. I wanted to know for sure that it was him before I tell you I potentially found him."

"Potentially?" Kenzie asks confused. "Either he is or he isn't?"

"It's more of a formality left, we decided to get a paternity test to be absolutely sure," Rilla tries to explain. "I thought it is better to be upfront with you, rather than try and find an excuse of why you need to get your cheek swabbed. Mostly we want to be sure before the two of you meet. It wouldn't be fair to either of you, I know my side and he agrees that he, we, that night," Rilla says shaking her head at Kenzie's face at the thought of her being with someone in that way.

"He wants to meet me?" Kenzie says suddenly quiet.

"Of course, he does, though only if you want to meet him?" Rilla tells her.

"What's he like?" Kenzie asks. "Have you met him?"

"We met last week, he's lives in Toronto now. He's nice, cautious about things but he does want to meet you, get to know if that is what you want," Rilla explains. "You can take as much time as you need, but we do need to go to the clinic to finish the official paternity test."

"How did you find him?" Kenzie tilts her head at her mother.

"Remember when you did your school project?" Rilla asks and Kenzie nods her head. She decided to stretch the truth a little. No need for "He popped up a few weeks ago on the site, I reached out, he replied and then we spoke on the phone to hammer out a few details and then we met."

"What's his name?" Kenzie finds herself asking quietly.

Rilla watches her daughter. "His name is Kenneth, he goes by Ken. It seems when I named you I had some sort of crazy conscience coincidence?"

She hopes for a smile, but instead, her daughter pushes back her chair. "Can I go read?"

Rilla sighs and nods her head. The chicken nuggets are left on the plate but the salad is gone, she shakes her head and takes the nuggets for herself.

She makes sure Kenzie is showered in and bed for the night. While the cat sat on the edge of the bed protecting its charge.

She kisses her baby's forehead and shuts off the light. She goes to her room sinking on her bed. She grabs her phone from her pocket and hits her parent's number.

"I told her," She says into the phone to her mother who picks ups.

"How did it go?" Anne asks.

"She's curious and confused at the same time," Rilla says sighing. "I thought maybe it be all right, he reacted so calmly and collected."

"Well, she is half you and you were always prone to dramatics," Anne reminds her. "It's a big adjustment, it's only natural for her to feel that way. Maybe you can always ask Walter if he knows anyone who does counselling in the area for her? That could help her process?"

"I already did," Rilla said quietly. "Along with a box of old Nancy Drew books and a paint your own tea set."

"You spoil her." Anne laughed lightly. Rilla could hear her mother shake her head as she did.

"Apparently she overheard me talking to someone so it wasn't news but still a shock either way," Rilla tells her.

"It would be a big adjustment. I'm sure Joy and Walter could give you some advice about long-lost parents. Roy wasn't really present after the divorce for quite a few years," Anne tells her.

"According to Di he was never truly present," Rilla tells her under her breath. Di was young when the divorce happened and didn't have a close relationship with Roy because of it.

Her mother always tried to never speak ill of her ex-husband, they were just different at the end of the day. Her half-sibling felt differently. "I just don't want her to get hurt, I warned him that I know lawyers and that he needs to be in or out. I know this is a shock to him, and even for us. But she is a child with feelings."

"He seems like a good man with his head on his shoulders," Anne reminds her. "Give her some time and space to adjust to this information."

Rilla hums and yawns. "I'll let you go and keep you updated give Dad a kiss for me?"

"Of course," Anne says into the phone. "Love you."

"Love you too," Rilla says before hanging up before googling the clinic and booking an appointment online for the next day.

Kenzie looks down at the number that she took from her mother's phone when she hadn't been looking. It took days to formulate a plan since the day at the clinic, but her mom rarely leaves her phone unintended these days. She has her own phone, an old phone of her mother's. With a simple plan with picture text and unlimited calling since they don't have a landline, that way she could call her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

Or now her father.

Kenneth Ford—416

That was truly his name.

She hits dial wanting to hear what he sounded like and it rings.

"Captain Ford," he answers and she freezes.

"Kenzie?" He says cautiously. "Is that you?"

Silence

"You don't have to say anything, I can talk for the both of us?" He says. "I hear you have a kitten and a bunny, I have a dog his name is Max," Ken thinks quickly on the top of his head.

"Cheshire and Dr. Fluffernutter," Kenzie says finally into the phone. "Max is the name of the dog from the little mermaid."

"Is it?" Ken says intrigued.

"Yeah,"

"Does your mom know you called me?" Ken asks carefully and is greeted.

By silence.