Brand tried not to, but he smiled at his brother.
“Sorry, Road Trip,” Bax said to Athena. “I’ll explain later.”
“Double gross,” Athena quipped, and she rolled her eyes. “I think I can figure it out for myself, thanks.” She stood and lifted Stuey from his highchair next to Bea. “I’m rescuin’ Stu from this conversation. You’re gonna burn his poor little ears.” Athena hurried away with Stuey in her arms, still munching on a piece of garlic bread, and he wiped his greasy hands on the sides of her face. “Stuey! For real? Yuck.”
“So,” Merv said, wiggling her oddly bent, arthritic pointer finger over her plate, back and forth from Brand’s face to mine, “this is a thing now?”
“Yes,” I said.
Brand hung his arm over the back of my chair. “Yes, Mama. Roxanne and I are together.”
“Okay, well next time, do you have to be so rude?”
Rude? Miss Priss deserved it. ‘Oh Brand and I go way back, right Brand?’ Heart eyes, heart eyes, heart eyes.
Ugh. Gag me with a pitchfork.
“There won’t be a next time,” Brand informed his mom. “Gina is a work colleague, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t invite her to any more family dinners, but I apologize if I was rude.
“I didn’t intend to be, but Roxanne and I had a few urgent things we needed to discuss.” His hand slid from the back of my chair and beneath the table. He gripped my thigh and moved it up slowly, his skin rasping against mine, and he cupped his fingers possessively over my still-soaked underwear.
No one could see where Brand’s hand was, but they could guess.
Bea’s eyebrows hit her hairline. Bax looked speechless, his mouth open, but nothing came out. Tab slapped her hand over her mouth, and Devo smiled from ear to ear, happy about being a witness to the drama. Poor Clay was avoiding eye contact with every single person at the table. He seemed to have found something really interesting to look at on the roof of the house.
Abey and Merv both rolled their eyes, mother and daughter in sync, though, I was sure Abey would never admit to that.
Merv stood. “Thank you for dinner, kids. Tell Athena and Stuey goodnight for me. I’m goin’ home.”
“I’ll drive you.” Brand scooted his chair back and set his napkin next to his half-full plate on the table.
“Sit your butt down,” Merv scolded him like a little boy. “I’m not an invalid. I’m walkin’. You’re the one who said I need to walk.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He scooted back in.
Clay jumped at the opportunity. “I’ll walk with you, if that’s okay?”
“That’d be fine,” Merv said. “Thank you.”
Everyone waited a minute until Merv and Clay were far enough away, and then Bea, Bax, Devo, and Abey busted out in laughter. Tab still looked shocked. She’d said Brand didn’t normally talk to her about his relationships, so I thought it safe to assume he didn’t usually go caveman on a woman at the dinner table either.
“Did you see Merv’s face?” Bax doubled over and slapped his hand on the table.
“Jeez, you two,” Abey said, trying not to smile, “I hope you don’t make a habit out of screwin’ all over town. Roxi has a professional reputation to uphold.”
“Oh, Roxi has a reputation alright,” Bea said, giggling, and Abey and Devo busted out in laughter.
I thought I might die of embarrassment, but this was the dinner I’d been hoping for when Brand asked me to spend the evening with his family. The Lees reminded me of my own family, my sisters and the gossiping we got up to when we were all together.
“You’re so lucky Rye ain’t here tonight, Brand,” Bax said. “He would’ve pulled up a chair to watch you and yelled back commentary for the rest of us. He’d never let you live it down.”
Brand shrugged.
“You guys, cut it out,” I said. “We didn’t have sex!”
“But you did somethin’,” Devo said. “What, did you bite him?” She pointed to Brand’s lip, and he lifted a finger to press against it.
With all eyes on us, the fidgeting was about get out of control under the table. My leg tingled where I usually tapped out my one-two-threes, but Brand understood. He wrapped his arm around me again and pulled me closer, and the urge subsided, like he was my very own grounding wire. “My woman’s a little feisty, is all,” he said.
