I made a mental note to do so when my father stood and left the room. The stiff set of his shoulders told me he wasn’t impressed. I’d fucked up. Given I brought her to our home, the least I could’ve done was gone with her.
“More cake, Rayden?” my grandmother asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“No, nana, I’ll be right back.”
I ran upstairs to my bedroom. “Babe?” Hands on my hips, I wondered where Sianna had gone. I left and headed for the stairs. As I crossed the landing, I glanced toward the observatory and stopped short. I neared the glass and stared down. Sianna stood at one of the cocktail tables, her hand cupped around a candle, her eyes closed. Whether she was praying or not, I couldn’t tell. But whatever she was doing, it was more than just some little ritual. It looked significant enough to warrant a deeper connection. I could see it in the way she held her body. Not stiff, yet not relaxed either.
Fuck.I needed to be down there with her. About to step away, I froze. “What the fuck?” I stared. What was my father doing there? Too stunned to move, I watched him walk up to her and place his hands around her cupped hands. Surprisingly, Sianna didn’t move, nor did she open her eyes. Was she expecting him? Had she mentioned the ritual to him? As my mind worked overtime, my heart hammered against my chest. My mild teasing that morning came to mind. Was I losing my girlfriend to my father? While though the notion sounded silly, a part of me knew it could be true. I’d seen women go wide-eyed when he entered a room. Only, he carried himself with such class, he didn’t bother giving them the time of day. Even as that recollection left my head, I understood his fascination with Sianna. She wasn’t the typical type of friend I brought home. Her simplicity seemed to draw people to her.
I watched her eyes open, her smile wide when she noticed him. That was not a simple thank you smile. When he palmed her cheek, cold fear raced through my body. My palms hit the glass, wishing I could break through. Slowly, everything that was happening since we arrived skirted the logical part of my brain, toying with the reminder that he was my father and wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I fought the reasoning, wanting the dull ache in my chest to ease. When he called her Sia in the kitchen, I’d assumed it was just a mistake, now watching him talk to her. The familiarity seemed plausible.
I was still standing there when Sianna appeared at my side. Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed them leave the observatory.
“What are you doing here,” she asked, her smile genuine.
I gulped back the emotion, twisting my insides, and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t join you to light the candle.”
“It’s okay.”
“You never told me about its importance,” I tried to hold back the accusing tone but failed.
Sianna looped a hand around my arm. “Because you never asked.” As we walked headed downstairs, she explained the ritual.
When she was done, I felt like I’d missed an essential part of her birthday celebration. It was no wonder she never wanted a party. Who would want to celebrate the death of a parent? “I should’ve been there.” She shrugged. “What was my father doing there?” I steeled myself against the jealousy but didn’t miss the slip of her smile. Knots at the back of my neck hardened, discharging tension down my body as I waited for her to answer.
“Earlier, when I was explaining to Tamara, he walked in and said since it was his birthday, he’d join me. I thought he was joking.”
Although the explanation alleviated some of my conflicts, something in her smile left me wondering if I should be reading more into this situation. We entered the living room to loud music. Except for grandpa, who was at his customary poker evening, the rest of my family lounged around. Kyra was pulling Tamara to dance with her and Neha when she spied me.
“Come dance with us, Ray.”
“You want to dance, babe.”
“Sure.” Sianna shrugged.
We spent the next fifteen minutes dancing, and Kyra got my father on the floor as well. Relaxed, all my earlier reservations fled the building until the music changed to a Latino song.
“Can you Salsa,” Sianna asked.
“You can, Salsa?” I laughed, trying to follow the steps she was showing me. It seemed there were a lot of things I didn’t know about my girlfriend.
She grinned at my hopelessness. “Finally, I can do something, you can’t,” she teased.
I pulled her body tight to mine. “At least you can’t fuck like me,” I whispered in her ear.
Rolling her tongue over her bottom lip, she cocked her head to one side. “You mean I fuck better than you,” she whispered back.
Laughing, I dropped my hands to her ass, pressing her forward so she could feel my hard-on. “You wish.”
“You sure about that? I did catch you unawares on our first day here, remember?” She rolled her hips, her smile mischief.
“Ray let Dad dance with Sianna,” Kyra called out behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder. My father was trying to show Kyra how to Salsa. “You’re kidding me. I didn’t know you can Salsa, dad.”
He looked at me with a raised brow. “Why? I’m not that old.” He chuckled.
The music changed to another Latino song before I could reply, and I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined Sianna tensing in my arms. When I shifted my gaze back to her, she dropped her eyes to my chest, leaving me baffled.
