Page 62 of Forever Finds Us
I shook my head. I was at a loss for words, but I gripped the hem of my dress and squeezed to stop myself from tapping.
Brand reached for my hand, detached it from the fabric, and held it. “Roxanne is my guest. My date.”
His gentle touch on my skin eased my nervousness, and a rush of relaxation pulsed through me from my hand, where he rubbed soothing circles into my palm, to my heart and my head.
“Oh.” Athena smiled. “Didn’t see that one comin’.”
Abey moved into the kitchen, her wife Devo following behind her. “Your date?” Abey said to Brand, and then she looked at me, eyebrows furrowed, probably confused, like two plus two didn’t equal four anymore. “And how long’s this been goin’ on?”
“Since the search for Natalie,” Brand said easily, like there weren’t three sets of eyes staring us down.
At least their mom hadn’t shown up yet. I could just imagine the look of disapproval Merv would aim at me. Abey told me last year when Bax and Bea had first gotten together that her mama didn’t like any woman who dated her sons.
“Actually,” Brand amended, “it started the first night I was back home.”
It felt like he had injected sunshine straight into my heart hearing him say it. He wanted his family to know how much he liked me.
“And why am I just hearin’ about this now?” Abey asked. There wasn’t anger on her face, just confusion, but she aimed it at me, not her brother.
Bax and Bea joined everyone in their kitchen, Bea holding little Stuey on her hip.
Brand tensed next to me. He could tell me till he was blue in the face that everything would be fine when we outed our relationship, but his hand flexed around mine, so I squeezed back, trying to convey to him that he could be my support, but I’d be his too.
“What’s goin’ on?” Bax asked.
Great. The whole fucking family. And now I needed to explain, except I realized I didn’t really know how to. What should I say? Brand and I are dating? Fucking? It’s a tryst? A one-night stand that wouldn’t quit? I’m totally head over heels for him, but I’m scared it’s a one-sided thing? Oh, and your brother likes to boss me around and tie my hands to my thighs so he can have his wicked way with me and fuck me with liquor bottles?
But none of that was appropriate in front of Athena and Stuart.
Brand leaned forward, like he was going to take the problem out of my hands and fix it, but it was my confession Abey wanted.
I squeezed again, tugging him back to me.
“We haven’t exactly defined this,” I said, wagging a finger between the two of us. “It happened, and I was afraid to tell you, Abey. I didn’t want it to mess up our friendship or our workin’ relationship. I-I”—looking around the room at all the people Brand loved, I sighed—“I was just scared.”
“Rox, you’re family,” Abey said. “There’s no need for your fear. If you and Brand have somethin’, I can respect that.”
Instant relief. “Thank you.”
Brand rumbled something beside me. Probably, “I told you so.”
Abey smiled. If I wasn’t wrong, there was a little glint in her eye. “But you should’ve told me.”
Standing beside her, Devo snorted loudly. “Oh, book club is gonna hear about this. You’re really in trouble now, Roxi.”
Abey grabbed my hand out of Brand’s, and I followed as she pulled me into the living room. I sat on the couch while the whole family, including Brand, formed a semi-circle in front of me and stared at me.
Just then, the kitchen door banged open behind us.
“Where y’all at?” Merv hollered. “I brought a surprise.”
Bax turned toward the sound of his mom’s voice. “Mama? I was just about to come pick you up.”
“No need,” Merv replied.
She entered the living room. A big meddlesome smile clogged her features as she dragged someone with her by their hand. Someone with long, shiny, black hair.
“Brand, look. I brought your friend, Gina.”
