I nod and follow her and her husband back into the den, where a few other family members are. I smile politely as she introduces me to grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts. When she got to Dawn’s aunt, I could feel the awkwardness between us. Ever since that day in my dressing room, she’d kept her distance from me. Yes, she apologized, but it was still weird being around her. I wasn’t going to let that ruin the mood, though.
After that quick interaction, Dawn whisked me away, saying that there was one more person I had to meet. I followed her up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall until we stood outside of a room with the door slightly ajar. Laughter traveled from inside along with music and loud, excited talking. When Dawn knocked, the music lowered, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal someone who looked like a younger, more fashionable version of Dawn. When they laid eyes on her, their eyes lit up.
“Oh, hey, Dawn!” they greeted, excitedly. Dawn pulled them in for a hug, and they giggled.
“Hi, favorite sibling of mine,” she replied. “I heard all the laughing y’all were in here doing. You having a party and ain’t invite me? That’s wilddddd.”
“Dawn, you stay playing,” a girl chuckles as she walks over. The boy who was in the room joins us at the door as well. “You know…” She pauses when her eyes land on me, and soon all three of them are staring. “Oooh, who are you? You’re cute.”
“Aht! Back you bigheaded ass up, Tasha,” Dawn laughs, palming her face and pushing her gently. She giggled. “She’s too old for you, but most importantly, she’s already taken.”
“Oh my god, is thisher?!” the one who I assumed was Devin asked as they squealed with delight. Dawn nodded with a proud smile. They wrapped their arms around me and hugged tightly before letting me go. “Hi, Raine! I’m Dawn’s sibling, Devin, and it’s so nice to finally meet you! She talks about you all the time, and it always makes me so happy because I can tell from what she says that she loves you, and you feel the same. It’s honestly so inspiring, and I hope to one day have a love just like you two.”
“Whoa, slow down, Speedy G,” Dawn chuckles. “I promise, I won’t leave early today, so you have hours to get to know her.”
“Sorry!” they apologize, but I shake my head, taking their hands in mine.
“No need to apologize, love,” I assured them with a smile. “It’s so great meet you. Dawn talks about you a lot, too. She’s always going on and on about how smart, sweet, and funny you are. She’s always so proud of you.”
“Aww, you loveeee me,” Devin teases as they look up at Dawn. Dawn rolls her eyes and pulls them into a loose headlock. Devin yelps, swatting at her. “Okay! Okay! Let me gooo! You’re so freakin’ strong! I swear, I don’t see why a singer needs that many muscles.”
Dawn lets them go and stands there with a grin on her face, and my eyes travel to her deliciously muscular arms as she crosses them. I’ve always found how strong she was, so attractive. She could pick me up with ease and toss me around, and I love every bit of that. I could feel the heat in my body rising just from the thoughts swirling around my head. She must sense my mind spinning because she takes one look at me and winks before turning her attention back to Devin and their friends.
“Hey, Mama said come downstairs because we bouta eat!” Dominic calls up the stairs, and two seconds later, their mom screams that she could’ve done that.
We all share a laugh before filing down the stairs and towards the massive dining room. On the way, we stopped to wash our hands. Once we’re all seated at the table, grace is said, and then dishes are passed around as conversations drift over to the usual family gathering type of conversations. I sat back and listened as I ate, drawn into every story.
This was a slightly new experience for me, having so many family members in one place. It’d always been just me and my mom on the holidays that I didn’t spend with Ginger and her family. But even then, it wasn’t this many people because she also didn’t have a large family, being the only child of only children.
I didn’t have any cousins on my mom’s side, and I didn’t get a chance to know my dad, of course, so I don’t know if I had cousins or other family members on his side. I’d never been to a family reunion or family gathering, so being around Dawn’s massive family felt so surreal. No wonder she was so full of love. She was surrounded by it.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” her mom says, pulling me back to the present. I glanced around the table and saw everyone looking at me. Suddenly, I wanted to shrink, but her smile eased my nerves. “Just checking to make sure you’re okay, love.”
“Oh, yes ma’am, I’m fine,” I nod. “I’m just in awe at how lively it is. I guess I'm not used to being at a family gathering this large, but I like it.”
“What does your family usually do for the holidays, if you don’t mind me asking. I hope we haven’t stolen you away from them,” she says with a small, apologetic smile.
“Oh, no ma’am,” I assure her. “My family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Back when I lived with my mom, we’d usually goto the movies. My older sister usually spends the day with her husband’s family and their kids. I don’t really get along with her husband's family…or him, so I pass on any invites they send.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she says, and I nod.
“Well, had we known we took you from you and your mom’s tradition, we would have invited her as well,” Dawn’s dad says, and everyone nods. “There’s still time if you’d like to-”
“No!” I interrupt, and everyone turns to look at me with confusion. “Uh, sorry, but no, no thank you. We’re not exactly on speaking terms at the moment. I just…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Vivian smiled. “Family is complicated sometimes. That’s understandable. Hell, even some of the people sitting around this table work on my nerves.”
“Dominic,” Dawn coughed, sending the whole table into a fit of laughter. I could feel my shoulders relax as I joined in while he tried to defend himself.
The rest of the dinner went by smoothly, and I could feel myself relax more as time went on. It also helped that Dawn was right there with me the entire time. As always, she treated me like a queen, making sure that I had everything I wanted on my plate. If I even reached for something, she was grabbing it before me so that she could serve me.
Whenever I tried to do the same for her, she told me to relax and let her take care of me. I could see her mom and dad stealing glances at us every so often. They were trying to be subtle, but they couldn’t hide the excitement on their faces.
When it was time to move on to dessert, I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and Dawn’s mom offered to show me the way. Dawn looked hesitant, but I told her that I’d be fine. I know she was probably worried about her mom casing me, but I didn’t mind. If anything, I felt more comfortable around her than I’d ever felt around Dawn’s aunt. At least I knew she wasn’t praying on our downfall.
“She’s truly so in love with you,” Vivian whispered as we walked down the hall. “I’ve never seen her light up the way she does when she’s around you or even when she talks about you. So, I apologize if I’m overstepping, but I’m so glad that you two found each other. She’s always so busy, and I feared for the longest that she’d never find anyone to settle down with, but I can see that you’re who she was waiting for.”
“Mrs. Vivian, I love her so much,” I admit, and she takes her hands in mine and nods. “She pours so much positivity into me and showers me with so much love that sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’ve never been with someone who is so intentional about how they speak, love, and act. She makes everything feel easier and lighter, and it makes me so emotional because she constantly shows me that I deserve all the good things in life. She’s constantly showing me that it’s okay to feel the feelings I spent years locking away.” I chuckle lightly as she gently wipes the tears from her eyes, then smiles at me softly. “Mrs. Vivian, I promise to love, care for, and respect Dawn for as long as the universe allows. I promise to always be intentional just like she is. She means so much to me, and sometimes, I can’t help but feel like she’s an angel who was sent to me from…”
