Page 44 of No Greater Love
"And Marcus is coming with his wife and the twins."
My older brother. The golden child. The doctor.
"Fantastic."
"And Jasmine got into Howard pre-med. She'll want to talk to you about it."
My perfect little sister, following the path I was supposed to take.
"Anything else? Is Michelle Obama stopping by? Maybe Beyoncé?"
"Don't be dramatic, Tasha Marie. I'm just giving you the lay of the land." A pause. "I'm looking forward to meeting your young man. And his daughter."
After we hung up, I stood staring at the sauce, wondering what cosmic glitch had prompted me to invite Nate and Paige to the Williams family reunion. It had seemed like a good idea three days ago, after Nate had casually mentioned that Paige seemed to thrive around other kids, but their social circle was limited.
"Something wrong with the sauce?" Nate's voice startled me. He stood in the kitchen doorway, concern etching his features.
"No, just... stirring."
"You've been 'just stirring' for five minutes." He moved beside me, close enough that I could feel his warmth. "Was that your mom?"
I nodded.
"Having second thoughts about Sunday?" he asked quietly.
"No. Maybe. I don't know." I set the spoon down. "My family is... a lot."
"Most families are."
"Not like mine." I turned to face him. "There's going to be at least thirty people there. Kids running everywhere. My grandmother's going to interrogate you. My brother's going to give you the third degree. My aunt's going to ask if you know how to cook anything besides 'white people food.' And that's just the first hour."
Nate smiled, that small, genuine smile that still made my stomach flip. "I served in Iraq, Tasha. I think I can handle your family."
"Ehhhhh… don't say I didn't warn you." I forced lightness into my tone, but something of my real anxiety must have shown through.
His expression softened. He reached out, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. "Hey. What's really bothering you?"
I looked away. "I just... I don't do this. Bring people home. Especially not..." I gestured vaguely between us.
"Especially not older white guys with pre-teen daughters?"
I winced. "That sounds terrible when you say it out loud."
"But accurate."
I met his eyes finally. "It's not you. Or Paige. It's... complicated."
"Most important things are." He didn't push, didn't demand explanations. Just stood there, steady and patient.
Something in his quiet acceptance loosened the knot in my chest. "My dad's bringing his new wife. She's twenty-nine."
Understanding dawned in his eyes. "Ah."
"And my brother's going to be there with his perfect wife and his perfect twin boys and his perfect medical practice. And my sister just got into pre-med, which is what I was supposed to do before I 'settled' for nursing."
"Settled?" His eyebrow rose. "You're one of the best nurses in the ER."
"Try telling my family that. Marcus puts people to sleep for a living and he's practically royalty."
