Chapter 3
three
Ayanna
Corey’s name flashed across my screen again. This was the third time he had called in the last thirty minutes, and I didn’t know what more he wanted from me. I was in no mood to argue, especially since I was too busy worrying about this family dinner.
It had to be something major.
My parents didn’t do random family dinners in the middle of the week.
All I could think about was Bash’s cryptic “it’s not for me to say,” and that guilty ass look on his face. That gut feeling had me feeling sick all day. I just knew it was about to be some bullshit. It always was when it came to family business.
When the phone rang for the fourth time, I sighed, swiping to answer.
“You know I’m on my way to my parents’ house, right?
” I said, steering through the busy Atlanta streets.
This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
He was already upset that I canceled last minute, and even more bothered that I wouldn’t bring him with me to family dinner.
“I know,” Corey replied, his voice tight. “But that’s the problem, Ayanna. You’re always on your way to your parents’ house, or at your shop, or handling something else. But when it comes to us, there is never the same level of urgency? It’s really becoming a problem for me.”
I gripped the wheel tighter, trying to keep myself calm.
Keep my temper from exploding. My exterior may have been all glitter and sunshine, but deep down, I was still a Reed through and through.
That explosive temper that ran in my family didn’t skip a generation, and I was no exception.
I felt the familiar heat rising in my chest, threatening to explode if I didn’t take a deep breath and focus.
It was a constant battle, keeping that part of me in check.
While I wasn’t in the family business the family business was still in me.
“Corey, I’ve told you before—my family and my shop are non-negotiable,” I said firmly.
I was tired of having this same conversation day in and day out. Round and round. Talking in circles. It was exhausting.
When Corey and I met, he knew how busy I was. How hard I had to work to get my business off the ground. And he also knew who my family was.
“Family dinner is...” I trailed off. Because I couldn’t tell him that family dinner was not only about family, but sometimes veer into family business.
Discussions about territories, partnerships, and keeping the peace often dominated these gatherings.
Sure we talked about other things, but if business came up my family didn’t shy away.
And while I didn’t necessarily agree with every decision they made, I was extremely protective of my family.
Loyalty was a non-negotiable, and had been ingrained in my very being.
“I can’t skip family dinners.” I told him firmly, glancing at the clock, knowing I was already running late.
He scoffed on the other end of the line. “And what about our plans? I’m your boyfriend, Ayanna. You could’ve easily invited me and we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. We’ve been together a year, and I still haven’t met your parents. Don’t you think that’s a little strange?”
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 nonsense I 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.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Yet, you benefit from my marriage, and I have to shack up with some stranger.” The first tear fell from my eyes. “So, who is it, then?”
Dad’s eyes flicked over to Bash, as if he expected him to answer the question. But before Bash could even open his mouth, my mother finally spoke up, her voice soft.
“He is no stranger, Ayanna. You all have been in each other’s lives for most of your lives. It’s Teo, sweetheart.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard her right. Teo? As in Teo Donatelli? The man I’d known my whole life? The man that just left my shop and told me he would never lie to me.
Another gut punch. Just another person who claimed to love me who had lied. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My chest tightened with a mix of anger and something I couldn’t quite place. Teo and I had…. history.
I needed some air.
Somewhere between hyperventilating and trying to make sense of it all, I paced the floor.
“And when, exactly, was someone going to mention this to me?” I finally managed to ask.
My father straightened. “Next year on your twenty-fifth birthday.”
“And what if I had married someone else? Hell, what if I still marry someone else? You all realize that I am in a full-blown relationship.”
My brother snickered as if he found that funny, and my eyes snapped at him, daring him to laugh again. For my sake, he snapped his lips shut, but he still couldn’t contain the amused smirk.
“Baby, you must be losing your mind if you think Teo doesn’t have a firm grip on your dating life?” My father chuckled.
The pieces started clicking into place. Why none of my previous boyfriends lasted, or why Teo didn’t like any of them.
I clenched my fists, my mind still reeling from the news. “And Teo? He didn’t think it was worth mentioning this little life-changing decision to me at any point?”
Not even on that night that things changed for us?
Mom’s eyes softened. “He’ll speak with you, Ayanna. He wanted you to know in the right way. He respects you.”
Respects me? That was almost laughable. If he respected me, he would’ve told me. Not let me find out like this, in some backroom family meeting, blindsided by everyone I trusted.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, pushing back from the table and standing up again, with leaving as the only agenda. “I’m going home.”
“It’s what’s best for the family, Ayanna. And what’s best for you,” my father said, as I headed for the door.
I let out a bitter laugh, feeling my throat tighten. “Of course, it is.”
“He can protect you.”
“Thankfully, I don’t need protection.”
“You do. There has been a threat made on your life.” My father told me, his voice clipped and serious. That news knocked the wind out of me.
“What do you mean a threat. I don’t even have anything to do with the business. Why would someone want to harm me?” I asked incredulously.
The entire time I was ranting, I hadn’t even considered asking why the timeline had moved. Why, if this was supposed to wait until my twenty-fifth birthday, what had changed? But clearly this threat was what changed.
It also explains Teo’s random pop-up today. His questions, and somewhat pensiveness.
My father exchanged a grim look with my mother before answering, “The threat escalated. We can’t risk waiting any longer. Teo will be in touch. Answer when he calls.”
I stared at the table, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. I knew with a threat on my life that there would be no convincing any of the men in my life. One curt nod was all I could muster. I wouldn’t waste any more of my energy tonight fighting a losing battle.
It wasn’t an agreement. But it was enough to make my father believe that I understood the gravity of the situation.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to Teo when he calls.”