Trey
As Kiara and I step into Mom's house, the aroma of a home-cooked dinner fills the air. Candice arrived before us, perched on the kitchen counter while Mom finishes cooking, both of them drinking large glasses of wine. From her perch on the counter, Candy glances at us for only a second, grimacing before looking back down at the glass in her hand.
I guess she's truly willing to set aside her grudge with Mom because she believes my relationship is about to crash and burn. Jokes on her; I'm not even proposing tonight. But I can see just how petty she can be now.

Mom's face lights up with an ear-to-ear smile at the sight of Kiara, and she rushes over to give her a warm hug. "There's my future daughter-in-law!" she exclaims. In my periphery, I catch Candy rolling her eyes.
"Smells good in here, Mama. Need any help?" I inquire, planting a gentle kiss on Kiara's forehead before releasing her to mingle with my family.
Even though I volunteered to cook and bring dinner, Mom insisted on handling everything herself, requesting only a bottle of wine. Naturally, I opted for a bottle of sparkling cider instead. She doesn't need any more alcohol in this house.
"Yeah, I just need everything put into serving dishes and put on the table," she replies. "Candy, are ya gonna help or just stand there?"
"Sure, Mom," she mumbles, a hint of irritation threading through her voice.
Kiara and Jeremiah arrange the table settings while Candy and I position the dishes in the center. The delectable aroma of food wafts through the room as we all gather around the table. Kiara and I take our seats on one side, with everyone else seated on the opposite, Candy positioned across from Kiara and farthest away from Mom.

"Thank y'all for comin'. I'm just so happy to see all my family here tonight on Christmas Eve," Mom says with a smile, her Southern accent adding a charming touch to her words. With that, we begin grabbing our own helpings of her delicious food. I can't help but notice Candy and Mom, indulging in another pour of wine while I opt for the bottle of cider I brought.
"Want some?" I ask Kiara, and she nods appreciatively. I proceed to fill a glass for both of us.
"Too good to drink now, Ki?" Candy spits, her tone dripping with disdain. "Don't tell me you're pregnant."
Kiara grits her teeth, but doesn't respond. I squeeze her thigh underneath the table, silently praising her for not feeding into the bullshit.

Mom raises her glass to her lips, taking a generous sip of her wine. "Could ya imagine?" she interjects, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I'm finally gonna get some grandbabies."
Candy rolls her eyes dismissively. "They won't make it that far."
The conversation shifts, and we all enjoy a peaceful meal for a while. Jeremiah and I delve into a discussion about football while Mom initiates a conversation with Kiara. "So, how are ya doin', Sweetheart? How's the book goin'?" she asks, her speech starting to slur.
"Good, actually. I should be getting the first published copies soon, and as promised, I'll have one sent to you."
She grins warmly. "Well, Sweetheart, you and Trey make quite the power couple, don't ya? I'm gonna be honest... I didn't see this happenin' 'cause when I asked Trey to be nice to you, I reckon he was a little too friendly, but I'm real proud of both of y'all."
Kiara's cheeks flush with embarrassment, but she quietly thanks her for the compliment.
"Isn't that lowering the bar kind of low, Mom?" Candy asks in disgust.
I open my mouth, but Kiara beats me to it. "What the fuck is your issue, Candice? Stop acting like a bitch," she seethes, her thin thread of control finally snapping, the frustration evident in the sharp edge of her words.
"Stop acting like a slut," she retorts, narrowing her eyes at my girlfriend.
I ease my chair back, creating some distance from the table, prepared to intervene if their verbal sparring escalates into a physical altercation.
Unfazed by the insult, Kiara presses on, "Why are you shutting everyone out? Why surround yourself with people you know are just using you? And why the hell are you sleeping with random girls? This isn't like you!"
The tension in the air thickens as everyone holds their breath, waiting to see if Candy will finally talk and release the pent-up anger and misdirected hostility she's been holding onto for months.
"You don't know shit about me, just like obviously I didn't know who you are. The Kiara I know wouldn't be such a desperate slut and hop in my brother's bed!"
"I told you I didn't know he was your brother!"
Amidst the arguing and yelling, Mom casually fills her glass with more wine until the bottle is empty. "Shit. Jerry, go grab Mama another bottle."
Jeremiah rolls his eyes but complies, standing up. He glances at me, and I shake my head. "No, Mama. That's enough," I say sternly.
Her expression transforms into a disapproving scowl. "Boy, my daddy is dead. I can do whatever the hell I want."
My tone doesn't waver. "You're. Not. Having. Any. More."
As the tension lingers between my mother and me, we lock eyes in a standoff that lasts several minutes until she relents, muttering curses under her breath. She takes a deliberately slow sip of her wine, savoring what will be the last glass she'll enjoy in my presence tonight.
"I brought ya into this world, I can take ya out. Don't forget 'bout that," she warns menacingly.
"Don't forget about our deal, Mama. I have a girlfriend now, yet you still haven't made any effort to stop drinking," I remind her, frustration evident in my voice.
She falls silent, a wave of shame filling her face as she diverts her gaze away from me. Meanwhile, my focus returns to Kiara and Candy, who remain entangled in their heated argument.
"Why don't you put your head back in my brother's ass and go back to minding your business?" Candy's loud voice reverberated through the room, like a clap of thunder demanding attention.
They continue going back and forth for a while until Kiara's voice suddenly softens, "Stop fucking deflecting and talk to me, Candy. You've had enough time to wallow in self-pity."
"Fine," she shouts, throwing up her hands. "Patricia was seeing someone else the entire time, and I was so embarrassed, I unwillingly shared her with the other girl just to avoid coming right back home. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?"
The confession hangs in the air for a moment before Jeremiah interjects, "You know, Mom, you should stop drinking. If Dad managed to stop, you can too."
Fuck.
A surge of tension courses through my body, but I maintain a neutral mask. Despite its unexpected arrival, I knew this day was inevitable. Not on Christmas Eve, but inevitable nonetheless.
Confusion ripples across Mom's features. "What the fuck do you know about him?" Her head snaps in my direction. "Trey, I know you didn't introduce that motherfucker to my son without my permission."
There's no point in lying about it now. I'll just spare the details about how many times J has preferred his company over hers. "I did. You told both Candice and J a bunch of bullshit, and I wanted to set the record straight," I explain in a calm but firm tone.
Her voice rises, "No wonder Jerry's been acting different. You let that asshole turn him against his own mama!"
"No, I didn't," I snap, my own fury flaring. "If anything, your drinking is turning him against you. And what about how you made my own siblings hate me over complete lies? If you hate William so fucking much, why say he was a good guy I ran away out of jealousy?"
Her countenance is a blend of anger and hurt. "Maybe 'cause I didn't want to look stupid to my own kids that I stayed with a man who beat the living daylights out of me every day. It was easier to blame ya, and I knew it was wrong, but I'm not gonna apologize for it. At the time, I needed them to believe that."
Not gonna apologize?
"Why? To ease your own guilt?" I grit out.
"What do ya want from me, Trey?" She pleads, her voice a mix of frustration and vulnerability.
I hate when she asks that every time she's called out. She just wants me to let everything go, but I need to get this shit off of my chest.
Finally.
"How about for you to take accountability for your actions. Be honest and tell them that instead of being alone and handling your own shit, you let him beat on you and your six-year-old son while you didn't do shit to stop it!"
My body is vibrating with rage, the muscle in my jaw jumping rhythmically.
"That's not true. I tried to keep him away from you," Mom says, her voice thick with emotion, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Well, you didn't do a good enough fucking job!"
As I glare at her, the room falls silent. Everyone at the table watches the argument unfold with a mix of horror and discomfort. Kiara reaches for my hand, squeezing it gently in a silent gesture of support.
"Cupcake, we're leaving," I declare. A soft blush paints her cheeks as I use her nickname in front of my family. A mix of embarrassment and relief plays on her face, but she immediately gets up and follows me to the door.
Once we settle inside my car, both of us release a huge sigh, the tension from the evening slowly dissipating. I pull out of the driveway, the engine humming as I rush to get back to my apartment before Candy decides to come back. I'm going to enjoy time with my girlfriend in my own apartment, damn it! Maybe I'll even be lucky enough tonight and my sister will stay longer to talk to Mom about how much they both hate me.
"Are you okay?" Kiara nervously bites her lip. "Sorry, that was a dumb question. I just mean-"
A low chuckle escapes me as I absentmindedly stroke my thumb across her hand. "Yeah, Cupcake, it went as well as I thought it would."
It was a complete fucking shitshow.
As I drive, I can't shake the worry of facing another ordeal with Kiara's family tomorrow, potentially overshadowing the joy of proposing.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks. I can feel her studying my face in the dim light of the car.
"Just that meeting your family tomorrow can't be half as bad as what went down tonight."
"Yeah, I can't fucking wait," she mutters sarcastically.
Once we reach my penthouse, I park the car, and together, we ascend the elevator to our sanctuary above the city.
"Want to watch a movie on the couch?" she suggests quietly.
I shudder as the image of Candice with that random girl on my couch flashes in my mind. "Nah, that needs to be cleaned first," I mutter, pulling her into my room.
After ensuring that the door shut and locked, we undress each other and spend the next few hours making love and comforting each other after the shitty night we had. After we're both too exhausted for another round, we simply cuddle and hold each other.
"I love you, Trey," Kiara whispers, her words a soothing balm to the wounds left by tonight's events.
"I love you too, Cupcake. More than anything," I reply, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.