“Charis, how does that sound? Mom is lying.”
“So tell me what happened.”
The entire situation was insane. A little piece of her heart swelled when Jio called Jackie his future mother-in-law. She knew that she was delusional.
“Does it even matter?” she muttered.
Charis laughed sharply. “Uhhhh, yes, it does. Nina, you are losing your damn mind over this man.”
“Don’t,” she warned her.
“What? Tell the truth?”
“You don’t know everything… actually, you don’t know anything,” she hissed, trying to climb out of bed before she woke Jio.
“I know enough.”
The words landed harder than Nina expected. She was growing tired of everyone acting as though they knew her better than she knew herself. Her family had already made up their minds, drawing conclusions without ever bothering to ask her how she felt. It was easier for them to judge and pity her. She knew that they were probably whispering behind closed doors and having lengthy conversations about how she was throwing her life away over a man. They probably thought that she was sprung on his hood dick to the point where she would abandon her own future. But none of that was true. They didn’t know him like she did nor did they see the amazing parts of his life. They didn’t understand the weight he carried or the sacrifices that he had to make as a made man.
“Nina,” Charis said again, her voice softer this time. “Daddy wants to speak with you.”
“Oh, now he wants to talk?”
“Please... just come.”
Nina closed her eyes for a brief second.
What was the point in her going? She already knew exactly how this would end. He’d tell her she was making the biggest mistake of her life. She’d defend the man she loved and neither of them would budge.
“I'll be there in an hour.”
η
She kissed Jio on the nose and made him promise that he would still be home when she got back. He was half asleep, so he told her whatever she wanted to hear so she could leave him alone.
Roberto asked before he turned onto her parents’ street. “Ms. Marcelle, do you want to get dropped off back here?”
“No, in front of the door is fine, thank you.”
She was done hiding and sneaking around.
Brooklyn felt weird. It wasn’t even cold outside, but the weather gave her a chill, or maybe… she felt unwelcome before she could even lift a finger to knock on the door.
Her parents' house screamed old money elegance. Nina used to adore their brownstone. Growing up, she bragged just like her mama did about the family heirloom that she used to hope to one day inherit. But now, she despised the address. The neighborhood and the mother fuckers that lived inside.
She felt the tension upon entering. She felt like she was about to testify in court with the way her family was standing in the formal living room.
Her mother was still in her pajamas, which was bizarre. When she was growing up, they used to get a beating if they came downstairs on the weekends in their sleep clothes. She couldn’t recall many moments seeing her mama dressed socasually. Her hair was still tied in a scarf too. Last night must have did a number on her.
She had a look of disapproval on her face after she stared her up and down. Nina was used to it though. If they weren’t going to a gala or a charity dinner, Nina looked regular. Like normal fuckin’ people.
She wore a pair of baby sweats, a sorority sweatshirt, and flip-flops. The same dusty ones that she would slide her feet into to take Nino outside to piss.
Her father stood near the fireplace holding a glass of Bourbon. It wasn’t late enough for a drink, but knowing them, they’d blamed the early indulgences on Nina’s foolish behavior.
Her sister Charis sat curled on the sofa scrolling through her phone. Once she noticed Nina, she stopped. “You came…”
“I told you I was on the way… what’s up?”
