He still wouldn’t look at me.Why do I care?
“This is mybaby shower,”Laurene hissed at Mama. “You’re causing a scene.”
“You know how important it is for us to look collected to the rest of the town.” Mama pointed to a guest who was whispering and staring at us wide-eyed. “This is not looking cool, calm, and collected. Quite the opposite.”
“Mama,enough!” Laurene said.
“Hell, everybody in here knows Omar was doing crack. It’s not some secret. But why you insist on dragging us through the mud like it’s a damn thrill ride, Laurene Elizabeth? I have no idea why, but you could have done this inprivate.”
“You need to get your mama up under control. She’s talking real wild right now,” Miles gritted out, and I saw his mom, Audrey, place a hand on his shoulder.
“Watch your mouth,” Erik growled, looking Miles up and down.
I inhaled deeply.
“Serena, get security over here immediately. Get the drinks flowing. And make sure no one outside the room finds out they were here. I don’t need this mess splashed across theLush Chroniclesif, God forbid, Omar wants a second chance at taking your father out.” Mama stood closer to Erik as she glared at the Whitmores.
“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Audrey said tightly. “You’re the one ruining everything, not us.”
Mama’s eyes locked on her. “Don’t act holier than thou, Audrey. Smiling in my face back then while your husband was trying to kill mine.”
“He didn’t try to kill anybody!” Audrey barked. “He had a breakdown!”
Mama let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, is that what we’re calling coke-fueled assaults now?”
“This is why I didn’t want to come,” Omar muttered.
“Well, then roll your ass out, Omar, and take your accomplices with you,” Mama said.
“You act like you don’t have skeletons, Miss Yvonne. Let’s not be quick to call the kettle black,” Miles said.
“Miles—” Laurene warned.
“Mama,” Erik said. Not sharp. Not scolding. But enough to make Mama blink and lift her chin. He stepped forward, taking up the space like it belonged to him. “Not here,” he said. “Not like this. You raised us to handle things with discretion, right? So let’s honor that.”
I waited for Mama to argue. To lash out. To remind him who ran this family.
She didn’t.
She exhaled—slow and tight—and gave him a single nod. Just like that.
And I felt it, sharp and familiar, that stinging little knot of heat behind my ribs.
I understood her relationship with Laurene—at least now. She had set a boundary, and Mama didn’t dare cross it with her. But Erik?
Mamalistenedto him.
“C’mon, Vonnie.” Daddy grabbed her arm, leading her away. “Let’s try some dessert.”
“Oh, so I’m the villain now?” Mama asked.
“You are,” Miles said.
Erik pointed at Miles as they were basically chest to chest. “I don’t care what history we got with each other. You don’t talk sideways at her like that again. Not while I’m standin’ here.”
“How about a drink, Mr. Whitmore?” Reese asked Omar and Audrey.
I’d forgotten he was standing there watching, his arm around Laurene, holding her close as his eyes flicked between the mess that was all of us. Omar looked at his wife, who nodded. “We could use one.”
