“So, did everyone else see Dex almost kiss Charlye?” Bliss asked, biting into a pineapple.
“Aw, shit,” I mumbled, immediately pulling some money out of my wallet and handing it to my mother. I tossed my sister a side-eye. I would’ve expected Blake to say some shit like that. Dallas… she would’ve had no problem pulling my hold card. But Bliss? She was the sweet one, now she just talked too much like the rest of them. “Really?” I asked. “We’re not doing this.”
I loved my family. I recognized the gift I’d been blessed with early on. Life could’ve been so much darker had I not had their light, their support, their encouragement to follow my heart. But they were nosy as hell, and I’d had to set hard boundaries to maintain a semblance of sanity.
Bliss shrugged. “We definitely are. I just need to know… Why didn’t you execute? I mean, she was right there. Waiting for you to make a move and you didn’t.”
I decided to go with ignorance, knowing none of them would believe me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Charlye and I are friends. That’s all.”
“Honestly, son, I wondered the same thing.” Dad shrugged. “You definitely choked.”
Mom shot me a sad look. “Hard. Especially after you came riding to her rescue with her shady-ass boyfriend.” Mom cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. “Maya told us all about him.”
Blake cracked up. “I’m just glad Bliss said something. If I would’ve said it, I would’ve got my ass cussed out.”
I caught the high five Dallas gave Blake, before she muttered, “That part.”
“Blake,” my mother said, holding out her hand, signaling that my sister better cough up that cash for her cussing jar.
“Mom,youjust said ass,” Blake argued.
Mom shrugged. “But I’m not you. Even in Atlanta, the rules still apply.”
Blake muttered a curse, but she picked up her purse, pulled a fifty-dollar bill out, and gave it to my mom. “This should be good for the rest of this conversation.”
My mother tugged the ends of the crisp new bill and nodded. “It’ll definitely help me get those shoes I saw at Nordstrom the other day.”
Dad leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “Back to you, Dex. It’s obvious to all of us. There’s no way you and Charlye are just friends. The sexual tension between you two has been a thing since you were in high school. When do you plan on making your move? When you’re fifty?”
“‘Cause if you don’t,” Asa smirked, “I—”
“Don’t,” I warned. “I’ll still kick your ass.”
Asa scooped a spoonful of grits and poured it in his bowl. “I’ll just finish my breakfast.”
I scanned the faces of my family, noting the amused smirk on Duke’s face. “Do we really have to talk about this?” I asked.
Paityn wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me to her. “It’s okay, baby brother. I love that you take your time with things. Maybe you’ll get up enough nerve to step to her next year.”
I choked on my orange juice. “What the hell? Why y’all trying to play me. You know I don’t have a hard time talking to women.”
“You definitely don’t,” Dad agreed. “Justthatwoman.”
“Let us not forget the last woman you didn’t have a hard time talking to,” Dallas interjected. “Ebony was a nightmare.”
“She was the pits,” Mom said. “I’m so glad you broke up with her before Christmas.”
“Dex, I love you,” Bliss said. “But your choice in women…” she made a disgusted face, “sucks. You should let me hook you up. It’s what I do.”
“Bliss is right. It’s almost like you enjoy a project,” Blake said. “You get with these women who basically suck the life out of you and then you dump them when they don’t color inside your lines.”
Duke snorted. “That’s a word right there, B.” He clasped my shoulder. “She got you on that.”
“I won’t call you Captain Save a Hoe,” Dallas said. “But you’re definitely Lieutenant Help a Bitch.”
Once again, they laughed at my expense. And, this time, I joined them. Becausethiswas life with my family—always honest, always loud, always fun. I missed being with all of them like this, even when I was the topic of discussion. After they tossed around a few more jokes about me, my mother changed the subject to Christmas dinner and our holiday plans.
My phone buzzed and I glanced down at the screen. Opening the text message, I read quickly, and my stomach dropped.
