Before Blake could get to Ebony, I stepped in front of her. “Go somewhere,” I told my sister. Turning to face my girlfriend, I added, “That means you too.”
“What?” Ebony shouted. “You’re kicking me out?”
“Pretty much. This isn’t going to work, Ebony. It’s obvious that we’re not compatible. I can’t be with someone who gets on my nerves all the time. Most importantly, I can’t fuck with anybody who disrespects my family. This is over.”
Ebony stared at her, eyes narrowed, nose flared. Without a word, she pivoted on her heel and walked into the bedroom.
“That’s what I’m talking…” Blake zipped her mouth shut when I shot her a sideways glance.
The room was silent while I waited for Ebony to come back. When she did, she had her overnight bag on her shoulder. No eye rolls. No cursing me out. No breaking up my shit. I half expected over-the-top theatrics, maybe even a smack or two. But she said nothing for a good minute and a half.
Finally, she turned hard eyes on me. “This is why I should’ve followed my first mind and went after Duke. At least he’s fun. Maybe I’ll call him.”
“Good luck with that,” Blake muttered.
What?” Duke shouted. All our heads snapped to Dallas who was holding up her phone so that my brother could watch everything unfold. “How did I get into this? Cause… nah. I told him not to get with your ass in the first place.”
My sisters cracked up loudly, clapping and shaking with glee. Once Dallas realized they were the only two laughing, she sobered up quickly and said, “I’m hanging up for real now, Duke.” She dropped her phone into her purse and shrugged innocently. “Sorry.”
I counted to ten. “For the last time….” I managed to keep my voice low, even. “Leave.”
The warning was clear and both Blake and Dallas rushed out of the house. Ebony, on the other hand, stuck around.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.” The first tear fell, followed by a steady stream of more tears. Then, she let out a loud wail and fell back on the couch. “I deserve better than this.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “We both deserve better, Eb.”
She shook her head. “No. Don’t try to be noble. You’re an asshole.” She brushed her hand over her cheek roughly and stood. “Fuck you.”
Then, she stomped out, kicking one of my boots over and slamming the door. And I felt free.
* * *
“Attention, please!”The wedding coordinator shouted for the third time in the past five minutes.
For the last half an hour, we’d listened to speeches about posture and pacing and other wedding details. All of us were adults, but we also lived in different states. Some of us hadn’t seen others in years, so the wedding rehearsal had been one big catch-up session. Which had, unfortunately, made the coordinator’s job harder.
Justus slid onto the seat next to me and sighed. “Ugh… My head is bangin’.”
I laughed. “Probably because you had at least seven shots of Casamigos last night.” From the moment I’d landed in Atlanta, I’d been dragged to event after event—some with Duke, the rest with Justus. “Or it could’ve been the bourbon from the night before. Maybe it’s that edible you ate before we got here.”
He chuckled. “More than likely a combination of everything.” Shrugging, he added, “Hey, I’m on vacation.”
Justus had followed in his mother’s footsteps and earned his Juris Doctor. Except, instead of attending the University of Michigan Law School like his mom, he’d chosen Emory University because he’d already settled in Atlanta when he decided to go to Morehouse College.
Justus groaned, resting his head on the pew in front of us. “Isis is going to kill me, man.”
I scanned the room and spotted his future wife chatting with the coordinator. “Pretty much.”
The couple had been together for fifteen years and had built an impressive life together. Early on, they’d made the decision not to let people pressure them into marriage before they were ready. Instead, they’d focused on career, travel, and savings. “She’s so beautiful, man,” Justus mused, watching his fiancée across the room. “I’m just lucky.” He looked at me. “I still can’t believe you broke up with Ebony in front of your sisters—and Duke. That’s not even like you.”
The change of subject wasn’t jarring. It was just his way. I hunched a shoulder. “It had to be done.”
“Not that it wasn’t the right thing to do, though. She sucked.”
I watched Isis point toward the back of the church and followed the motion. Charlye breezed into the sanctuary, holding a carrier with four cups from Starbucks. She handed one to Isis, then scanned the area, presumably looking for Justus. When she spotted us, she smiled. And my heart…skipped a beat? The years had definitely been good to her. Her brown skin seemed to glow in the low lighting of the church, her curls were wild and free, and those hips…Damn. Still beautiful.
Charlye approached us and handed her brother the other cup. “Reinforcements. Seems like both youandIsis got it in a bit too much last night.”
