“It’s only been a month,” Byron growls out. “It hardly makes him family.”
“No? He was part of this family for years, so it’s not new. I choose him, and none of you have a say in who I get to love.”
Byron mumbles under his breath.
“While I respect your opinion, it’s up to you to mendwhatever is holding you two back from friendship. Originally, I was to blame, but now I’m fixing it.”
Byron shakes his head. “Coming here… I don’t know if I can trust him again.”
“You can. Accept it, Byron. I’m not backing down on this.”
“I can vouch for him,” Zara pipes up, and my family turns to look at her. “He loves Lottie…” She pauses. “No! Is completelyin lovewith her and would do anything to win her back.”
“I agree,” Penny says and leans her head on Franklin’s shoulder. “I trust him.”
I smile at my sisters-in-law.
“Well, I believe he is here to do the right thing by this family.” She looks at her husband with gentle eyes and places a hand on his shoulder. “This feels right.”
I let out a long breath. My girls have my back. And if anyone can convince Byron, it’s Giana. Thankfully, she got to know Byron before the shit hit the fan.
“I believe now is the right time to announce that I have already reached out to Brandon, and he is coming to the gala.”
I gasp at my mother. “What?”
She smiles at me. “Our table is now complete.”
For the past two years, I took over the preparations from my mother, but this year, she wants to take back the reins. She misses it, loves the control, and I am overwhelmed with the business of the basketball team. For most things, she still ran some things past me, but I had no knowledge of this.
Lola appears with the entrée, and my brothers grumble about the gala before sitting at the outdoor table.
“Thank you, Lola,” Mom says before coming to me. “Are you angry?”
I smile at my mother. She cannot help but interfere, but she does it in the way of helping her children—her adult children. “No. How can I be when you have accepted BJ back into our lives?”
She beams a smile at me. “A mother notices when her daughter’s happy. My old Charlotte is back, radiant and beautiful.” She pulls me in for a hug.
“We promised not to keep secrets,” I murmur. “And now he has kept this from me.”
“I also made him promise as I wanted to surprise you.”
“I think you surprised the entire family.”
She laughs under her breath. “That always gives me a thrill.”
28
CHARLOTTE
There issomething calming about watching the team train through the glass of my office window. A team I am committed to every second of the day. Today, there is more joy in my heart as I witness my brother and Brandon playing alongside each other. Both laugh at things I cannot hear, yet their body language tells me everything I need to know.
Two weeks have passed since I told my family that I chose to be with Brandon, and I need them to be on board with that decision. Byron is the one who struggled with it the most. He has never been great with words, but it’s clear he has put all his reservations away and is trying…for me. What I didn’t expect is how they have slipped back into a friendship like it was only yesterday when he would show up to Brandon’s house and carpool to training. Because today, he showed up at my home and picked up Brandon.
I don’t ask about their conversations even though I wishI could be a fly on the inside of the car. Byron and Brandon had something special before I came into the mix. I want to help them get that back, and our family will be better for it.
Brandon passes the ball to Byron, and he drives toward the basket, dunking it over Leroy. I can only imagine the ‘whoops’ echoing from the court. Byron and Brandon high-five each other, their smiles as big as their hearts. These two have combined together like no other in the competition. It’s like they know what the other is thinking and blitz the opposition with ease. To see them back together, dominating, winning, and getting us another step closer to the playoffs is a dream come true. I hope they succeed for the team, the fans, and my family. A major bucket-list tick as well as a massive financial gain for the LA Sharks.
If we achieve this goal, what’s next?
