Page 43 of Father of the Bride
“Whose turn is it?” Davion said, sitting up a little straighter now.
“Uh…I—we…” Daisy stammered, trying to think fast.
“Hold on.” Orion scooted to the edge of the couch, his elbows on his knees. “Do we need to go somewhere and handle this?”
“Ain’t nothin’ to handle,” Davion snapped. “I’m good. My mama’s good. Wifey is good. You the only one in the room with a problem.”
Orion’s eyes narrowed. “Watch your mouth.”
“Why? It’s just a game. Right Daisy?”
She opened her mouth, but Davion cut her off.
“Two truths and a lie. Or in your case, Pop, zero truth and a whole gang of lies.”
“Oh, it’s a game, huh?” Orion’s voice sharpened, taking on an edge, the kind that made Sunny sit up straighter, shoulders tight. She was on high alert now.
“Cool,” he said. “You wanna play? Let’s play.” He pointed a finger at Davion. “Memory game. Who remembers me working my ass off and spending every goddamn dime I had trying to provide for this family?”
Dav rolled his eyes, while Sylvan and Amari looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.
“I wasn’t perfect,” Orion continued. “But I was there.”
“You want a cookie?” Dav shook his head. “Thereis where you weresupposedto be. You don’t get credit for that.”
“Your ungrateful ass had a good life. I’m half the reason for that.”
“Did my mama have a good life? Or was she miserable?”
Sunny stared down at the floor.
“You don’t get to cheat on my mama and think you just gon’ carry on like nothing happened.”
Daisy cleared her throat. “Maybe we should—“
“I’m done,” Dav said, jumping to his feet.
Orion stood, too, his fists clenched.
Mark went to his feet next—quiet, but imposing, his presence a reminder that he wasn’t about to let shit get out of control in his house.
Sunny reached for Davion’s sleeve, exhaling sharply when he snatched his arm away. Orion grabbed his glass and downed the rest of his whiskey before following. Brooklyn looked over at Sunny, the two sharing something silent—sympathy perhaps—before she got up to go check on her fiancé.
Just before rounding the corner, Brooklyn looked back, catching another moment she couldn’t make sense of…her father speaking softly to Sunny in that velvety murmur she used to hear through her bedroom walls when she was little. Sunny stared up at him with her head tilted slightly, her eyes soft and almost…reverent.
Brooklyn’s stomach flipped. She looked at the others in the room, wondering why none of them were paying attention. She wanted to yell at them all, “ARE YALL SEEING THIS?!?!” but that would make it real.
They looked like lovers.
But that was impossible. Her dad was handsome and all, but not evenhecould make a woman fall in love in two days.
She didn’t know what this was, but whatever it was, she knew one thing for sure.
She wasn’t ready to face it.
Chapter 15
Thesundippedlowover the horizon, melting into streaks of coral and indigo as the Dixon and Bennett families made their way down to the beach.
