"Kane, it is okay if you are angry with me. It is understandable. It was unfair of me to walk out of your life."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything," she agrees.
"Why didn't you ever try to find me?"
"When you were a baby I lived a life that wasn't suitable for a child. Late on, it was more than that. One day I was in the grocery store, and I saw a little boy who would have been about your age, he was maybe three. I looked at him, and I realized something. I realized that it was best if I didn't know where you were. If I knew where you were I would want to have you with me, and that wasn't fair. I knew by then you were securely attached to your dad, and that he was completely capable of taking care of you. I knew that he had the kind of stability that you needed. It wasn't fair for me to walk into your life when you were three, or six, or thirteen, and throw your entire world into chaos."
"I missed you," he confesses as the smile disappears from his face.
"I know," she returns.
"How could you know?"
"Because I could feel it."
"Kensi, I don't expect you to become a part of my life. I am not asking for that."
"You shouldn't have to. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, and the biggest one was not being around for you."
"Was I a mistake?"
She furrows her brow, "Why would you say that? Is that what you think? Has someone told you that?"
"I am just asking, no one has ever said that. I mean you were sixteen when I was born, and my dad was only nineteen. You were both kids."
"I will fully admit that you were totally one hundred percent unplanned, and unexpected, but I never felt like you were a mistake. I just knew that I couldn't take care of you. I wanted you to be with someone who could, and who would want to. Your dad was always a better homemaker than I could ever dream about being."
"He cooks for an army," he adds.
"That isn't the first time I have heard that."
"Why didn't you try to make it work with him?"
"He was being deployed, and I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. I was afraid of losing someone else, I guess. I didn't know that I was pregnant. I would have told him if I had."
"You should stop letting the past hold you back," he advises.
"What makes you say that?"
"Have you ever been married?"
"No."
"Do you have any other children?"
"No."
"You made the right choice. My dad is the most natural father I have ever seen. I used to laugh at the other kids on the playground, because their dads couldn't make lasagna, or buy groceries, and they sure as heck didn't know which Band-Aids to buy. He is one unique guy. Do you know that he braids my sister's hair before she goes to t-ball practice? What guy does that?"
"You know what he told me?"
He shrugs, "Hm?"
"I asked him what his dreams were, and I expected to hear him say that he wanted to be a general, or president, or something of that nature."
"What did he say?"
"I want to get to be home every night with my family. I want to cook my family dinner, and tuck my kids into bed each night. When he grew up your grandfather was married to his job, and he wasn't around a lot."
"What else did he tell you?"
"He jokingly told me that he wanted to name his son Simba, so he could be the lion king. We were young," she reminds him.
"Is that why you gave me the middle name Leonardo?"
"Who says that I named you?"
"My father asserts that if he had chosen my name it would have been Simba."
"Which is precisely why he couldn't name you. Simba is no name for a boy. Can you imagine your first day of preschool, or college with the name Simba?"
"Luckily his second child as a daughter, so she couldn't be named Simba. If you notice, there is a dog lying around here somewhere. I assume he is outside, because he's not licking your face. His name is Simba."
"What is your expectation of this?" Kensi inquires.
"I have no expectations. You have a life…"
She cuts him off, "I don't want you to ever think that my job, or my life is more important than you. It's not. I have made choices that lead me on a path away from you, and that is my fault. I can't turn back time, and I certainly do not know the best way to move forward. I have very little maternal instinct. With all of that being said, I would like to participate in your life, if you would allow it."
"I would allow it," he agrees.
"I want you to be comfortable. The ball is in your court. You call the shots. I will give you my number, and you can call me."
"Fair enough," he agrees.
She rises from the couch, and turns to leave. He stands up, blocking her path to the door. He smiles, and shakes his head, "Not so fast."
She furrows her brow. He steps forward, and she grins. She wraps her arms around the six foot two football player. He hugs her back.