Ma gasped.
“My bad, Ma,” Duke mumbled. “But it’s the truth. If that kid looked like us, it could just as easily be a baby someone adopted because one of yourdaughtersgot pregnant and hid it.”
“You tried it,” Blake said. “Like any of us could hide a fuckin’ baby bump in this family.”
“I know y’all like to joke about my cussing jar but Blake? Babe, you need to check your tone. And give me my money. You too, Duke.”
Speaking of my mother . . .
Victoria Young could strike fear and relief with one look. Momma rarely raised her voice, and she never had to. We all knew when to fall back. As for the cussing jar, we’d basically paid her car note for the last decade because we had to drop cash every single time we let a shit, damn, muthafucka, and ass fly.
Blake emptied her pocket. “I’m sorry.” She grabbed three hundred-dollar bills from her purse and gave them to my mother. “I’m paying ahead.”
“Thank you,” Ma chirped.
“Anyway, I feel like my question to Char and my comment to Duke’s ass were valid,” Blake said.
As if on cue, the room dissolved into another heated discussion. Nothing too serious, but lines were drawn. #TeamDexWouldNeverDoThat or #TeamMindYourBusiness. Unfortunately for Char, no one thought Dex had a secret baby. But because my family was my family, they couldn’t just let it be that. Every single one of my siblings hated to lose, so it had become a competition of who was right.
“Alright, that’s enough,” my father’s soft, yet loud voice rose above the fray. He stood, dropping the Sunday paper on the coffee table. He’d been working the crossword puzzle while everyone was losing their minds. “This isn’t helping anything.” He glanced at Charlye. “Charlye, come here.”
Char inched closer to my father. “Yes?”
Dad smiled at her, squeezed her shoulder, then pulled her into a hug. “I understand, and I know what’s going on here.”
Stewart Young had helped many people navigate life. I knew he’d been cataloging every word, every non-verbal cue, and the inflection in every voice. He was an expert at reading the room. He listened to comprehend, not respond. And he strove to understand the root cause of any action. He’d given us the tools to make good decisions, but he also gave us the distance we needed to learn from our own mistakes.
I’ve made many.
“You’re pregnant with your first baby. You’ve watched your body change, and maybe you’re feeling a little insecure.”
“But—”
“That’s normal, sweetheart. And no one’s blaming you. We have all allowed our emotions to get the best of us. Especially Blake.”
Blake’s mouth fell open. “Dad?”
“And she’s loud, too.”
“Really, Dad?” Blake grumbled.
Dad chuckled. “But she’s protective of her family, and that includes you.”
Char nodded, pulling away and wiping her cheeks. “I know it wasn’t personal.”
“Good,” Blake said. “I love you, chile.”
Giggling, Char glanced up at my father. “You’re right.” She walked into Dex’s waiting arms. “I didn’t mean it, baby. I’m just emotional.”
Dex kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. Remember, I love everything about you.”
“Aw, that’s cute.”
I couldn’t tell if that was Dallas or Blake. It was one of them though, because it was too sarcastic to be Bliss or Paityn.
“So whose baby is it?” Dallas asked, slipping back into minding everyone’s business mode. “It’s not Dex. I guess it’s not Duke.”
Demi laughed. “Girlllll, stop.”
