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“I know that, but you ain't have to bring it up at dinner,” I said, still laughing.

“Thank you!” Kayla added. “That's all I'm saying.”

My mama shook her head and went back to eating. “Both of y'all always got something to say.”

I figured that was the end of it until she looked over at me again.

“But back to what I was saying about Cassian.”

“Oh, Lord,” Kayla mumbled.

“If I were you, I'd fuck the shit out of that boy.”

For a second, I couldn't do nothing but stare at her.

Now, I know damn well my mama ain't just said what I think she said.

I looked over at Kayla, who was sitting there with her mouth hanging open.

“MAMA!” we yelled at the same time.

“What?” My mama shrugged and kept eating. “I'm just saying. That man fine, got his own money, treating you right, and got you living up in this big-ass house. Shit, what you waiting on?”

“Mama, please!” I hollered. “I cannot believe you just said that to me!”

“Well, what you want me to say? You grown, Kaylen. I ain't about to sit here and pretend I don't know what grown folks do.”

“Okay, but I don't need you telling me to do it!”

Kayla was laughing so hard she had to put her fork down.

“Mama, you really could've kept that to yourself,” she managed to say.

“Why? Ain't nothing wrong with what I said.”

“Yes, it is!” I told her. “That's something I don't need to hear coming out of my mama's mouth.”

“Well, you asked for my opinion.”

“No, I didn't!” I hollered, making Kayla laugh even harder. “You asked me if we were sleeping together. I ain't ask you for no advice!”

My mama waved me off. “Whatever, Kaylen. All I'm saying is that man ain't hard on the eyes, and if he's treating you right, I don't see what the problem is.”

I shook my head and tried to finish eating, but every time I looked at Kayla, one of us started laughing again.

I didn't know what had gotten into my mama today. First, she was asking if Cassian had any uncles, and now she was sitting at his dinner table giving me advice about sleeping with him. The craziest part was that she was carrying on like we were discussing something as simple as what we wanted for dessert.

One thing was for damn sure, though. I wasn't telling my mama a damn thing about what happened between me and Cassian. She was already doing too much with the little information she had.

By the time my mama and Kayla left, I was ready to get out of the kitchen and relax. We'd already cleaned up everything, and I'd made sure to fix Cassian a plate before putting the rest of the food away.

After taking a shower, I threw on an oversized T-shirt and a pair of shorts before climbing into my bed. I was scrolling through TikTok when I heard a knock at my room door.

“It’s open!” I called, setting my phone down.

The door opened, and Cassian walked in with a big-ass smile on his face. I swear, this man was fine as shit. I'd been wondering for a while what he was mixed with because I could tell there was something different about his features. I just hadn't gotten around to asking him.

“What’s up, baby mama?” he greeted.