Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? #3
“If they’ve gotten on your nerves I promise that I won’t be offended if you leave.
” I spoke into the side of his face but could hear Ori chuckling next to me.
That had to be the reason he was letting me know subtly that I was going to have his protection and his grandson’s.
Someone, probably my mother and brother, had offended him deeply.
“Nonsense. Nakoas stick together despite what seems to have happened of late. Your generation is the one that will heal all the wrongs. I can already tell.” He gave me a squeeze before turning toward the table where my family had been patiently waiting.
Ori squeezed my hand and I was flanked by both Nakoas as we walked toward the table.
My sister was grinning her approval, my brother seemed more concerned with his drink, my father was trying to mask the irritation that my mother had obviously caused and she was sitting there looking as though she’d sucked on a lemon.
Business as usual then.
I put a placid smile on my face before addressing the room. “Hello everyone, sorry about the delay—”
“It’s my fault I got caught up in the office.
Mr. Avery, a pleasure to see you again,” Ori stepped forward and my father stood from his seat to shake his hand.
He was taking control of the situation by putting the blame for our tardiness on him instead of allowing it to be something my mother could hone in on.
My father accepted his hand with a smile I knew was genuine. “Thank you for organizing this dinner—”
“Especially since our daughter didn’t think it was necessary.” My mother threw her first lob and since it was weak I glanced at my father to gauge his reaction. The ticking of his jaw showed that she’d been well into her wine and he was already over her.
So much for keeping her shit together.
“I’m thankful to have a fiancé who could organize something for me because of my busy schedule.
That’s what marriage is all about: teamwork.
Complimenting one another’s strengths and shoring up the other’s weaknesses.
I’m very grateful for Ori.” He squeezed my hand again but this time it felt harder like he was trying to keep his temper in check.
It wasn’t going to end well if he were counting on me to keep everything calm.
“It must be despicable to have your father purchase you a husband.”
That would’ve been a good dig if I actually cared about having a husband but it bounced off of me like everything else she said. The air in the room grew more tense but instead of addressing it angrily Ori tugged me to a seat that was close to his grandfather’s.
I noticed he refused to let me sit in the spot that I was sure my family thought I would take.
I wasn’t about to be in between my sister and my brother and I was thankful he was so adept at reading the room.
My situation in life had changed and although I wasn’t forgetting my family I was thankful that Ori was keeping his word.
I didn’t like the setup as it being a family divided so I happily sat between the two mountains.
“Better than baby trapping him the way you did yours.” I glided gracefully into my seat delivering my words with a smile as Ori’s grandfather coughed to hide his laughter.
Sasha’s wine was almost violently ejected from her mouth, WJ’s glass hit the table and my mother had to grab a napkin to prevent her wine from staining her dress when her jaw dropped open.
“Excuse me?” She sputtered her outrage as though I were supposed to uphold her image while she tarnished mine.
Ridiculous.
“I don’t believe I stuttered, Mother. My diction is near-perfect thanks to you.
” I smiled as Ori sat down, keeping me between him and his grandfather.
I thought it was sweet how they both wanted to keep me surrounded by their positivity.
I placed my napkin in my lap before taking a sip of the water goblet that had been placed at my setting.
I was sure nothing had been done to it because Ori’s grandfather was here and they hadn’t expected me to sit here.
Despite how he was behaving, Ori would never change my stance on men. He might have been proving to be a decent man, but the rest of them sucked on principle. Well, Pappy raised him so he might be included in that as well. The other four billion could kiss my ass.
“Ori, I’m sure you can tell that is my sister Sasha and my older brother William Jr. This is Maluhia Nakoa, Ori’s grandfather.”
“The introductions have already made, my love, but thank you for joining us tonight.”
My dad was sitting at the opposite end of the table and I knew he was pissed I wasn’t closer to him.
He had my mother on one side, my brother on the other and Sasha almost directly across from me.
Ori was sitting across from WJ, then me, then his grandfather at the other end of the table.
I appreciated that my mother hadn’t tried to confiscate this seat for herself but of course we’d just arrived so there was no telling what had been done before we got here.
“I’m happy to see you all. I know it’s rare we all get to gather but I’m happy our schedules could come together before the wedding.” It wasn’t a lie because I was happy to see some of them. I just wish we’d been able to leave the dead weight behind.
“You two are absolutely stunning together, Sissy. You failed to mention that the man could wear a suit as if it were created for his form. You two look like a couple that needs to be on the cover of a magazine.”
I blushed at Sasha’s words because I knew she didn’t say things she didn’t mean. I thought it was sweet that she’d broken out of her role as mediator.
“You’re being silly.”
“No, your sister is right. I can say that Ori is passingly attractive but you my dear are stunning. He’s all polished up tonight and I’m sure that’s some of your influence.” Pappy’s smile was genuine and when I glanced at my father he wore a similar look on his face.
“Thank you, Pappy.”
My brother cleared his throat and then glanced around the table, tensing, thinking of what it was he was going to say.
In the last few years, he’d gotten distracted and I knew it was because my mother had gotten in his ear.
He didn’t look the way he had even a few years ago allowing his vices to take hold when he wasn’t given the position that he felt entitled to.
“Glad y’all are finally here, can we order now?”
ORI
I wonder if Asha will be upset if I kill her brother.
My fingers curled around my knife at the thought of wanting to plunge it directly into his carotid and watch the arterial blood spray like a faucet all over his mother’s face. The only issue was that it might hit her twin, but it would’ve been a small price to pay.
And I would have an easy way to bury the body since this is one of the family restaurants.
Pappy had done a lot of interjecting in attempts to keep my temper in check and although I appreciated him, I was going to eventually need to blow off some steam when it came to my fiancée’s family. Preferably with my fist hitting someone’s face repeatedly until they were no longer recognizable.
Her sister was cool, if not slightly overbearing, her mother was a bitch, her father seemed too keen on observing and her brother…
that fucker was his mother reincarnated.
I could tell something had shifted in their relationship because even Asha was surprised at some things he was saying to her or how he wasn’t stepping in for her when his mother started her bullshit.
The idea that siblings wouldn’t band together was foreign to me because although they weren’t my blood, I was going to bat for my brothers every time.
Their situation was unusual for me to witness but it gave me insight to how she reacted in specific situations and why.
We’d ordered steaks for the table and despite being a model her sister ate a normal portion of food and wasn’t trying to subsist on air and crunchy water. It increased my positive opinion of her.
Conversation had been formal and didn’t touch on much that was personal and I was sure that was by design.
Pappy and Mr. Avery carried much of the conversation and her mother focused more on her drinks than what was going on.
The twins had been joking about a few of their mutual friends and Sasha was regaling us with some of her fashion week escapades.
“So, I’m sure I’m part of the bridal party so we’ll need to get fitted for everything soon, right? Do you all have a date?” William Jr.’s question threw me off guard because I hadn’t expected him to care about being involved with the ceremony let alone thinking he was going to have a special role.
“We do.”
William Jr. waited expectantly as though I was supposed to give him the information as eagerly as he seemed to want it.
He would need to understand, and very quickly, I didn’t give a fuck about him beyond the fact that he was Asha’s brother.
That was a tenuous association as it was and if I found out she didn’t really fuck with him, I wouldn’t either.
He was dressed in a full suit more suitable for a business meeting than an upscale family dinner. The cut was stern giving off an air of rigidity that wasn’t necessary for our gathering.
Loser.
He gave off vibes that he would be sneaky or do his mother’s bidding, which meant I needed to keep a closer eye on him than originally planned.
He’ll end up in Bikini Bottom with SpongeBob, Patrick and ‘nem if he is on that bullshit.
“Well, when is it? We need to be making plans—”
“Why WJ? It’s not like you have to take time off from work or anything like that,” Asha lobbed that shot and it immediately had her mother frowning in her direction.
A look from Mr. Avery tempered whatever bullshit she was going to say but she was still staring at my fucking wife like she had a problem.
You just called her your wife.