Page 18 of The Twins

There is considerably less hostility as we finish our meal, and I inhale dessert. I’ll give it to Dalisay, that woman can cook. Her parents warmed up to Arlo immediately. Theo even got on the floor of their living room to play with him while Vandy and her mom cleared the table. I offered but Dalisay shut me down. Doesn’t hate me, but not welcome in her kitchen yet.

Vandy has Arlo in her arms as we say our goodbyes. “Thank you for dinner. I’d like to extend an invitation to you both to join my family for dinner on Sunday.” They share another one of those looks and Theo nods with a slight smile.

“We’d like that, thank you.” Dalisay follows Vandy out of the house to the car.

I inhale through my nose and exhale slowly out of my mouth. Then I turn to face Theo. “I excused your words earlier with the understanding that this is a new situation for us all. And out of respect for Vandy.” I step toe to toe with the man, and to his credit he doesn’t back down despite being a foot shorter than me. “But father or not, I will not tolerate disrespect toward Vandy or my family. You come at me again with a harsh tongue, and I’ll cut it from your mouth and choke you with it. Do we understand one another?”

To my surprise, Theo visibly brightens at my threat. “You’ll do just fine.” He pats me on the shoulder and heads outside to join his wife and daughter. Huh. I think I just got his approval. How interesting.

A few minutes later, we’re finally on the road back to the compound. A heavy silence fills the vehicle as I drive. I put my hand on her thigh, and she instantly relaxes.

“I’m so sorry, Tev. I can’t believe they—”

“Don’t be. They love you, Vandy. They just want the best for you.”

“That’s you.”

“I’d like to think that.”

“I know it.” Her words smooth a sharp edge in my chest.

“Well, I appreciate you being so nice and understanding.” I smirk, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate that I threatened her father. “After Arlo goes to bed, I’ll suck your cock as compensation.” Laughing, I press a little harder on the gas, my cock stirring in my dress pants. Her head back on the seat, eyes closed, that sweet, serene smile stretching her perfect lips…

“I love you.” She snaps up at my declaration, her eyes wide. She does that a lot, I’m afraid one of these days they are gonna pop right out of her head.

“Tev? You…I…what?”

“I love you.” And I know without a doubt; I mean it to the very depths of my black soul.

“I am gonna suck your dick so good,” she purrs, leaning over the console and kissing my shoulder. “I love you, too.”

I slam to a stop outside the front doors. Tossing my keys to the nearest guard, I grab a sleeping Arlo from the backseat, rush around to Vandy and grab her hand. Practically dragging her inside, I follow the sounds of my family to the entertainment room. Every ounce of determination I possess withers away when the screen catches my attention.

“Turn this shit off!” I bark, squeezing my eyes shut to block it out.

“Come on, Tevye, it’s just a kid’s movie.” My cousins and sister laugh at me.

“What’s wrong withToy Story?”Vandy asks innocently.

“This big motherfucker shakes in his size 18 shoes during the incinerator scene.”

Vandy sucks in a sharp breath. I won’t look at her though. I can’t. “That’s an emotional scene for anyone.” She steps closer to me, tugging on my shoulder until I lean down. “Let’s get Arlo in bed so I can suckle all those icky emotions right out of your body.”

“Tovahbub, think fast.” I carefully drop my son into my sister’s arms, spin around and toss Vandy over my shoulder.

“Hey! Where are you going?” she yells after me, my long legs eating up the floor.

“Fellatio Therapy!”

Tovah 13.

The only thing that stays the same is the constant change of seasons. The landscape of family dinners altered once again. And from one of the most unlikely sources…my brother.

Unlikely to anyone but me. I know Tev as well as I know myself. He believes we are incapable of love; I know it is that we possess too much. To embrace it all would be like suffocating. I enjoy kink as much as the next person, but I prefer my asphyxiation erotic rather than emotional.

My chest tightens with joy watching Tevye awkwardly dote on Vandy, tend to his son, and interact with Vandy’s parents. My brother is skilled at so many things, small talk ain’t one of them. I’d rescue him, but it makes me so happy to see him flounder.

Mom, Aunt Esther, Aunt Sarah, and Aunt Judi talk about Suzie’s Support Network with Vandy’s mother, Dalisay while my dad and uncles engage in a spirited debate with her father, Theo, about which North Carolina college has the best sports program while Theo insists it’s Vanderbilt in Tennessee. They’re all wrong, it’s UCONN, but I’ve grown tired of correcting my family over the years.

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