“Good,” she said, grabbing the baby and walking toward the living room.
I shot an annoyed look at Ocean, then followed my mother as she pulled me inside.
Within seconds, conversation started, polite enough on the surface, but I could feel everything that wasn’t being said. Every laugh felt forced. Every glance from Kory was sharp, just heavy enough to put me on edge.
Ocean didn’t pretend to like him, which made Kory shift slightly, and I felt a small satisfaction in that.
Dinner was a battle of subtle digs and fake smiles. My mom, of course, noticed the tension, and let it be known that she wasn’t standing for it.
“I don’t want to sit here and watch y’all play this stupid game,” she said, poking Leera in the side lightly with her fork. “Y’all grown folks. Act like it.”
“Game? What game?” Leera asked.
“Oh, please. You know what game? I had your sister come here so she could meet KJ and you two could make amends. Now, to do that, I need you to act like you got some sense. All of this fake smiling and making her feel uncomfortable isn’t the way to do that.”
“If she feels uncomfortable, that’s on her,” Leera said, shooting a glance at me. “No one ismakingher feel anything.”
I opened my mouth to speak, then slammed it shut.
“I need some fresh air,” I mumbled, standing abruptly.
“I’m going to feed KJ,” Leera blurted.
I slipped outside, the cool air hitting my face like a splash of clarity. I leaned against the porch railing, phone in hand, and dialed Nyx without even thinking.
“Hey,” I said when she picked up, my voice quieter than usual.
“Hey, girl. You sound…tense. Everything okay?”
I exhaled slowly. “I’m at my sister’s. The dinner…it’s a lot. I’m just trying to hold it together.”
“What’s going on? Is Kory acting stupid?”
“It’s not even him. Well, not completely. My sister is acting like I’ve done something to offend her, and all I did is show up like our mother asked me to. Hell, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be here.”
“Did you check her?”
“Honestly, I don’t want to start acting crazy. We both know the second I say what’s really on my mind, shit’s going to go left.I’m trying to avoid that. I’m trying to keep my cool in front of my nephew.”
“Well, just keep that at the front of your mind. The dinner will be over before you know it.”
“I hope so, and after, I hope my mother finally realizes that trying to get me and Leera to work through things is a lost cause.”
“I doubt that. You know she’s going to keep trying.”
“Yeah, well, I need her to stop. Although Kory isn’t the one making a scene, he’s definitely making his disdain known. I’m pretty sure he got into Leera’s head before I got here, lying and twisting shit.”
“Girl, you already know. But Ocean’s there, you’ve got support, and you’re smart. You can handle him without losing your cool. Don’t let his energy pull you down.”
I exhaled again, slower this time. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. Now finish your deep breaths and go back inside like the queen you are,” she said, laughing softly.
I laughed too, letting some of the tension drain. “Thanks, Nyx. I needed that.”
“Anytime. And Skye?”
“Yeah?”
