“This my guy,” I said.
“Alright, alright,” someone spoke from a microphone. “It’s time for The Sullivan Family Holiday Games. Y’all got five minutes to get y’all teams together. And I’m setting a timer. Go!”
People rushed to tables, putting their teams together. And they didn’t discriminate. I saw the seniors grabbing a few teenagers and the little kids to their team. Just watching them told me everything I needed to know – this family was competitive as hell.
“Ma, Aura, Shawna, KJ, Brandi, and Cortez, y’all on my team,” Enzo announced.
KJ and Cortez ran over to us and sat at our table along with the rest of our teammates. We played a few trivia games that included Charades, Heads Up, and Lyrically Correct. I got us a win in Lyrically Correct. Beat the people so bad, they thought I was cheating. And then it got serious with games that involved movement and speed, which I shamelessly lost.
I was having so much fun, a couple hours had slipped by before I even noticed. As the games came to an end, I got a text from Danae, letting me know that she was walking inside. I got excited like I hadn’t seen my cousin in years. I spotted her, as sheentered the diner in a two- piece, leather set and a cropped fur coat. Before I could wave her over, Aura called out her name. She went to duck, but he was on her like a bee to honey.
“You know ya cousin be harassing my cousin, right?” I said to Enzo, who was watching the party from his seat.
“Danae yo’ people?”
I nodded.
“Oh, he in love with that girl,” he said like it was a known thing.
“So, y’all get crazy when y’all in love, huh?”
He nodded slowly. “And very territorial. But we loyal as fuck and protect with our lives.”
Turning away from him, I made a mental note of that. The night continued on with Aura finally freeing my cousin and allowing her to mingle. We turned the dance floor up with the other women in the family. From the old school classics to the new Tik Tok trends, me and Danae were on it. I just knew KJ was somewhere fighting the air. Not only was his mother fine, but I kept in touch with what was in.
There was another announcement, this time for the gift exchange. Remembering that I’d left Enzo’s gift that he was supposed to give his cousin in the car, I let him know that I was going to get it.
“Hold on, I’m coming witchu.”
EJ looked up at me and grabbed my hand.
“I guess he is too.” I giggled.
Enzo went to grab our coats, and we walked outside with EJ in the middle of us. I unlocked the door as we got close and directed Enzo to the backseat to grab the gift.
“All three or just this one?” he questioned before closing the door and holding up the small gift bag for him while clutching EJ’s gift under his arm. “What’s this?”
I smiled and shrugged lightly. “Consider it a gift you can’t decline.”
For a second, he didn’t say anything. Then, he closed what little distance there was between us and spoke. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” I replied confidently.
The moment settled between us before he leaned in and kissed my lips. It was gentle with a little hunger in it. Before either of us could take the kiss up a notch, EJ hit both our legs. I laughed at us almost forgetting the little person we had with us.
“Tyri,” he called out to me with his lips poked out.
“Awwww,” I cooed and bent down, so he could kiss my cheek. “Thank you so much.”
Enzo chuckled. “That’s wild, EJ. You don’t share women with Daddy.”
EJ nodded, making us both laugh, as we headed back inside.
I didn’t know what the kiss meant. What I did know was that anything felt possible in the moment, and the Sullivans knew how to throw a party.
CHAPTER 10
The Kid Knows
