Page 34 of D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding

I sat back heavily, blown away by what had just come out of her mouth. Nah. She hadn’t said that. I must’ve imagined it.

“Mama!” Embarrassed, D’Vaughn covered her face.

I frowned. So I wasn’t trippin’? She’d truly uttered that unmitigated ignorance? Reaching up, I rubbed at my jaw as I shook my head. “Um... My people are Black. I’m Black.” It was ridiculous that I even felt the need to say it. It was almost laughable.

Ms. Miller swung her gaze at me, narrowing her eyes as she gave me a thorough once-over. “With a last name like Zavala, I’m certain not everyone in your family is Black, and that means someone is racist.”

“What the heck? Mama, stop it!” D’Vaughn’s hands fisted and her leg started to bounce. I touched her arm, patting it a few times, hoping to calm her down before she exploded.

“It’s fine,” I assured D’Vaughn as I leveled Ms. Miller with a cool stare. “For the record, I want to inform you that Afro-Latinx people exist and the diaspora isn’t exclusive to African-Americans. Second, assuming that someone is racist simply because their name sounds different than yours is a pretty bigoted point of view. Especially when everyone has the potential to be prejudiced and hateful.” I gestured to D’Vaughn. “Unfortunately for women like us, the bigotry oftentimes comes from people in the same community as us because they are closest to us and have the ability to hurt us unlike anyone else. My parents have done an amazing job with ensuring that the only people who have been in our lives are those who are worthy. Those people love us for who we are and don’t have a shred of hate in them. Now, I’m not going to argue with you over a wrong opinion about people who you’ve never met. All I’ll say is that D’Vaughn struggled with sharing her sexuality with you her entire life, which means that, while you’re worried about the hate from outside sources, you might want to consider that the call was coming from inside the house.”

Back straight, I sat primed and ready to rise to my feet, waiting for her to tell me to leave. I certainly hadn’t planned on monologuing, but once she spoke ill of my family all gloves came off. To my surprise, her face drooped as she gazed at me remorsefully.

“I—I apologize. I’m just concerned at the suddenness of all of this. It’s my duty as a mother to worry about the people my child attaches themselves to.”

Were you concerned when you were ignoring her sexuality and pretending that you didn’t know? The words were on the tip of my tongue and so eager to be spoken that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep them from spilling forth. I’d already said more than enough, and I wasn’t here to start shit with D’Vaughn’s mother, even if the words were true. I was supposed to be offering support, likely in silence. So, instead of saying anything at all, I blew a long breath through my nostrils and sat back on the sofa. D’Vaughn’s hand immediately found its way back to my knee and I realized that I needed that small touch. I needed to know that she wasn’t upset about what I’d said.

“Well, Kris’s parents want to meet you. They suggested dinner this week and I think that’s a good idea.”

Pursing her lips, Ms. Miller shook her head. “It doesn’t much seem like I have a choice. If they’re all on board and I show a little hesitance, I’m the bad guy here.”

D’Vaughn huffed out a dry laugh as she stood to her feet. Clearly she’d had enough. “You know what? I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, Mama. Maybe this was a bad idea. I probably should’ve taken this to my grave.” Sounding dejected, she looked down at me. “Let’s go, baby.”

Caught off guard by the term of endearment that seemed to just roll off of her tongue, I rose just as Ms. Miller shot up from her chair.

“Now wait just a doggone minute! Sit your tail down. The food is almost done and you’re not going anywhere until you eat. Do you hear me?”

I glanced between the both of them, taking in the twin looks of determination on each of their faces. Squeezing D’Vaughn’s hand, I waited for her to look my way before I leaned toward her, lowering my voice.

“I think we should stay.”

Hurt and frustration clouded her eyes. I touched her jaw, which was clenched tightly.

“Emotions are high right now. Let’s just stay and give things a chance to cool down, okay?” It took a minute, but then she nodded.

“Fine.” Without sparing another glance to her mother, she reclaimed her seat, staring straight ahead.

She didn’t say anything, but Ms. Miller gave me a tight nod, which I took as a thank-you, and left the living room. Once she was gone, I pulled D’Vaughn to me and pressed a kiss against her cheek.

“Were you about to go to war with your mama behind me?” I asked, a grin on my face. I hadn’t forgotten the way she’d squared up in her seat.

Her lips barely moved but one of her dimples made a tiny appearance.

“I’m pissed about that comment she made and wasn’t about to sit here and let her default to nonsense about people she’d never met. Your family is amazing and showed me nothing but love. They don’t deserve that.”

“Well, thank you for that.” Sensing that she needed it, I wrapped an arm around her in a side hug.

“You’re welcome,” she murmured as I nuzzled her neck.

The sound of a key at the door made her straighten up, and we both looked toward the door to see her sister and a guy I recognized as the drummer from church walk through the door. The guy turned to lock the door as the woman headed straight for D’Vaughn, who was barely on her feet before they collided. They rocked back and forth as they hugged while the guy took off his jacket and hung it by the door. He entered the living room and offered me his hand.

“I’m Darren.”

“What’s up, man? I’m Kris.” We shook. His grip was firm but not overly aggressive, which I appreciated.

D’Vaughn and her sister separated, and I was glad to see D’Vaughn’s eyes were bright, and she now wore a genuine smile on her face. She reached for me, threading our fingers together.

“Kris, these are my siblings, D’Niesha and Darren. Y’all, this is Kris. My fiancée.”