Page 79 of Set me Free

Icould feel the tension before I even walked outside. That shit was thick, like the Texas heat sitting heavy in the air. It didn’t matter that the backyard was lit up, music playing, and people drinking and laughing.

I knew. I knew somebody was about to piss Serenity off. And I had a pretty good idea who.

"You know, I really don’t think it’s fair." I heard her voice before I even saw her. My jaw locked instantly. Here we go.

I turned, catching sight of Serenity standing stiff, holding her drink while Gianna stood too damn close, smirking like she knew exactly what she was doing.

"What’s not fair?" Serenity asked, her tone already tight.

"That my son loves you so much." I sighed.

Here she go. Serenity adjusted her stance, rolling her shoulders like she was bracing herself. I watched as Serenity closed her eyes as if she was counting to ten. Still, I didn’t make my way over there because I knew she could handle it on her own.

“Look, I’m not about to do this with you tonight?—"

“Yeah.” Gianna continued cutting Serenity off. Serenity bit down on her bottom lip she was trying to keep it together. “I just think it’s wild. I mean, I carried him for nine months, birthed him, raised him, and yet… he acts like you’re his second mama."

"I’m not tryna take your place, Gianna. I never have. But I love Gio, and he loves me. That’s just what it is."

Gianna fake-smiled, sipping her drink.

"For now," she said.

Serenity stilled. "The fuck does that mean?"

"Just that things change," Gianna mused. "You and Creed aren’t married, you’re not permanent in his life. You might be around for now, but who’s to say you’ll always be?"

I saw the way Serenity’s eyes darkened, the way she held herself back from making a scene at my mama’s house. And truth be told? Gianna was playing with fire. I knew the moment the chuckle escaped Serenity’s mouth that shit was about to go very left. I was just about to walk over there when I saw my granddad step in, calling Serenity away. And thank God, because if she had swung first, I don’t know if I would’ve stopped her.

Besides that the party was going well. This was my mama’s first party at the new home I’d purchased for her in Lancaster. The huge backyard held so many of our friends from our old neighborhood along with my mama’s co-workers and some of the people from Pop’s community center he always went to.

Still, I wasn’t expecting shit to pop off this fast. But when I stepped into the living room, I already knew I was too late. Sienna Bradshaw and Tasha Langston stood face to face, the tension between them thick enough to choke on. And standing right beside Sienna was Lenox my girl’s daddy, the man whose name rang bells in every industry he stepped foot in. And from the way he was standing tall, shoulders squared, his hand lightly resting on his wife’s lower back…Yeah, they were a unit. And they weren’t intimidated, not one bit.

I had seen my mama go at it with plenty of people before. But this? This was different. This was a whole other battlefield and I wasn’t sure he was going to win it. Still, I watched as it all unfolded.

"I was just telling your mother how interesting it is that you’re so involved in my grandson’s life," my mama said, her arms crossed, looking dead at Serenity.

Serenity stood calm; her expression unreadable similar to how she always handled my mama. "Oh yeah?" she said. "Interesting how?"

"Well, most women would know their place."

Before I could even process what the hell my mama just said, Sienna scoffed. And when she finally spoke? Her voice was smooth like honey, yet sharp like a dagger.

"Tasha, right?"

My mama’s eyes narrowed. "That’s right."

"Right." Sienna took a sip of her wine, her lips curving into a slow smirk. "See, I’ve been hearing a lot about you. And now that I’ve finally met you in person, I have to admit…" She tilted her head slightly, her voice dripping with condescension. "I’m disappointed."

Lenox cleared his throat, rubbing his jaw, but his eyes gleamed with amusement. My mama’s face twisted.

"Disappointed?" she repeated, her voice tight.

"Mmhmm," Sienna mused. "I thought you’d have a little more grace. A little more… class."

Oh, shit. I barely held in my smirk, leaning against the wall. This was getting real good.

Mama squared her shoulders. "I don’t know what you think you know about me, but one thing I don’t do is let people disrespect me."

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