Page 13 of His to Have
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “It’s not about being strange. It’s about keeping things separate. I’m trying to keep you safe. You don’t understand.” I groaned, completely frustrated that we were having this discussion, yet again.
“Safe? From what? Your family?” His voice rose, the annoyance now clear. “We’ve been together for a year! And I only know your brother from the brief encounters. I want to meet your parents, meet your family—why is that so much to ask? If we are going to be together you can’t keep us separate forever.”
“I know,” I admitted quietly, my voice a bit calmer despite the tension I could feel in my shoulders and neck. “It’s complicated.”
That only made his annoyance grow. “You’re acting like I can’t handle my shit. Like I’m some kind of bitch. I’m not scared of your family, Ayanna. I’m not some fragile nigga who can’t handle meeting the parents.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You should be scared. Trust me.”
He paused, the line going silent for a long moment. “What’s that supposed to mean?” His voice had dropped, quieter now but still tense.
“Nothing. Look I have to go. I’ll call you when I leave. If it makes you feel better. I will swing by your house later. Okay?” I asked, pulling my car behind my brother’s matte black Mercedes AMG, and placing it in park.
“Yeah, okay, Ayanna,” he huffed, hanging up the phone, and I tried not to dwell on his attitude right now.
Family dinners were demanding enough without adding his insecurities to the mix. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car and prepared myself for whatever this impromptu meeting would hold.
One hour later, I was looking at my father like he had lost the last shred of his mind that the good Lord had given him.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said, pulling the glasses from my face and tossing them on the table. I couldn’t see shit anyway. They were so fogged up from the heat radiating from my pores. “Y’all just sat around one grand day, and decided to play God with my life. You and the rest of your little minions.” I gestured at the non-existent soldiers. Though they might as well have been here considering how my life was now apparently some kind of group project. “Just sittin’ around, like, ‘Hey, let’s marry Ayanna off without bothering to ask her—she’ll get the memo eventually.’ Am I supposed to just smile and thank y’all for it? Should I give you a cookie?”
I was pissed.
Three sets of eyes stared back at me.
An arranged marriage?
Mom’s gaze was steady, her eyes reflecting not quite sympathy but something close to understanding.
I scoffed, when I glanced at my father. His expression was blank. I knew he loved me, but this was a business move and he expected full compliance, no pushback.
But fuck that! I had a lot to say... and had a hell of a lot of pushback.
I scooted back in my seat ready to storm out. They could take this arranged marriage and shove it up their asses. If they needed an alliance they better find another Reed to fill that duty. It wasn’t for me. Just for bringing me here for this nonsenseI was going to go to my man’s house, ask for forgiveness and fuck his brains out. For once, I should have listened to him and skipped this bullshit ass dinner.
“Look, you better marry Bash off because I am not doing that shit.” I fussed.
Then I looked at my brother who just sat across from me, his eyes filled with guilt and regret. “And you knew about this? And didn’t tell me? Wow.” I scoffed, feeling even more betrayed by the one person, I knew was always in my corner. “That is so foul. You didn’t tell me because you knew I wouldn’t go for this.”
The weight of that truth—of him keeping it from me—sat heavy between us. I blinked away angry tears, trying to process what had just been laid out on the table.
“An arrangement?” I shouted, my voice sharp with disbelief. “Like this is the nineteen fuckin hundreds?” I was so angry that I didn’t even care about all the cursing I was doing in my parents’ house.
“Sit down!” My father’s voice boomed along with his hand slamming against the dinner table, breaking me from my rant. While my mother’s “I know like hell you aren’t cussing at my dinner table.” She gave me a look only a black mother could. “If you say another cuss word you won’t have to worry about a marriage,” her eyes cut over at me, and I instantly bit my tongue not wanting to test her gangsta.
“Now, I know this comes as a shock. But this was a necessary move for the family.”
“Necessary?” I couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that escaped me. “For who?”
Dad leaned back in his chair, his tone tight.“For all of us. We needed this alliance to keep our family safe. You will uphold the agreement.”
“And if I don’t.”
He chuckled, low and cold. “You will. Because, Ayanna, you don’t have a choice. You may not like it, but you’ll do what’s necessary. That’s what being a Reed means.”
I stared blankly. This affected my life and no one else’s. They got to reap the benefits of an alliance while I had to suffer with a man I didn’t know. I glanced over at my mother who was still quiet, and then my brother.
Bash looked away, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “It wasn’t my place to say, Yanna.”
