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Ugh! She’d always hated it when he and her brother joked that she had a small mouth. Her brother long ago stopped making those jokes. Now that they were grown, the jokes felt inappropriate. Yet, Caleb continued to pick on her. Ignoring him was always the quickest way to make him shut up.
“Careful,” he said as she continued to eat. “All of that won’t fit into your mouth.”
Tiera opened her mouth to tell him what he could go choke on. What did she do that for? The food she’d been in the process of swallowing went down the wrong pipe. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. And trying to take a deep breath had only forced more food down her throat. In a split second, her entire life flashed before her eyes.
She saw her middle school days of dressing like a Tom Boy and hanging with her twin brother and their neighbor, Caleb. She saw herself following them around and getting into trouble right alongside them. Then there were her acne-filled awkward high school days where she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a Tom Boy or a girly girl.
It wasn’t until college that she started to know herself better. Her brother and Caleb had decided to go to a local college. She’d decided to go out of state so she could get out from under their thumb. Doing so had been the best decision ever. She’d blossomed as a woman. Until that one holiday when she’d come home to visit. That one holiday had ruined everything.
Tiera continued to cough as her mother and Mrs. Fitzgerald rushed to her aid. As they patted her back, she heard Caleb chuckle. He actually chuckled. She was choking, and he was laughing. Coughing and eyes watering, her gaze met his. The bastard had the nerve to smile. Her stupid heart had the nerve to flutter.
“You still eat too fast,” he drawled before taking another sip of his drink. “I’m surprised you’ve survived this long without Terrence or me around.”
Tiera inhaled deeply, preparing to tell him she’d survived this long because she hadn’t had him around. Unfortunately, another round of coughs racked her body. Ugh! Why did she always embarrass herself in front of this man?
“Caleb’s right, honey,” her mom said. “You know you can’t put that much in your mouth. I swear you eat like you were raised with barn yard animals.”
Not now, mom. Not in front of him!
“Step back,” she heard him saying to their parents.
Shaking her head, she raised her hand to ward him off. But her mother and Mrs. Fitzgerald were already moving away from her, making room for him. Tiera attempted to force herself to cease coughing. It worked for a full second. Then more coughs erupted from her. To her dismay, Caleb reached her and knelt in front of her.
His dark brown eyes were now staring into hers. Even in the midst of a crisis, looking into his eyes still made her thoughts drift back to that night, that holiday, that mistake. She wished she could erase their one-night stand from her memories. At the same time, she never wanted to forget it. Tears filled her gaze.
“Look at you,” he told her, wiping tears from her cheeks. “Coughing so hard that you’re crying.”
You’re the reason I’m crying, jackass. He reached around her and patted her back with one hand while placing his other hand on her chest, right above the swell of her breasts. He rubbed gentle circles on her chest as he patted her back. Tiera continued to cough.
“That’s right,” he told her. “Get it all up.”
She hated it when he did this. Having him be nice to her was worse than having him bully her. She’d take the bullying over this any day. At least the bullying didn’t confuse her. This, this confused her. He was rude to almost everyone. He didn’t treat everyone like this. Him treating her this way made her believe she was special to him. But she knew that was a lie.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Vivian called out as she neared their table. When her gaze landed on Tiera, Vivian’s eyes widened. “What happened? Did Tiera choke again? T, you know your mouth is too small to stuff all of that food in at one time.”
What? She had a normal size mouth. Her sister-in-law had been hanging with her brother far too long. Tiera shoved Caleb’s hand away from her.
“You,” Tiera said between coughs as she glared at Vivian. “Me. Bathroom. Now.”
Tiera moved to stand up. Caleb assisted her. Again, she shoved his hand away.
“I’m fine,” she muttered and stalked to the bathroom.
She was so not fine. Vivian followed her to the restroom. Once inside, Tiera closed the door and locked it before facing off with Vivian.
“Why am I here?” Tiera whispered loudly.
“To pee,” Vivian said. “I know I have to pee. Move back.” Vivian pushed past Tiera. “Trust me, this pregnancy bladder is no joke.”
Vivian rushed into the closest bathroom stall and closed the door behind her. Tiera heard the lock click. Pacing in front of the stall, she waited for Vivian to answer her question. Why were they suddenly having a family get-together?
Terrence wasn’t even in town right now. They usually had these types of get-togethers when everyone was present. Vivian never did anything without a reason. So, what was her reason? Tiera waited.
When Vivian still didn’t answer, Tiera asked, “Are you going to answer my question?”
“What was the question again? This pregnancy brain ain’t no joke.”
“Girl, stop playing. Your mind is as sharp as ever, pregnant or not. Now tell me, why did you really want to have this get-together?”
