29. Alex
29
ALEX
A s the night winds down, I keep Bianca close, my arm wrapped around her waist. Her family has been surprisingly chill about our relationship, thanks in no small part to Aliyah's support. We head toward the door, ready to call it a night when Bianca stops short.
"What's up?" I ask, sensing her hesitation.
She bites her lip, glancing around before locking eyes with me. "I want to talk to my mom before we leave. With all three of you."
A collective pause settles over us. Liam and James exchange glances, and I can almost hear the gears turning in their heads.
"Are you sure about that?" Liam asks, his tone cautious but supportive.
"Yeah," she says firmly. "It's now or never."
James shrugs, stepping forward. "Okay, let's do it."
We follow her lead, trailing behind as she makes her way through the house. The smell of baked ham and cinnamon still lingers in the air from dinner, mingling with the scent of pine from the Christmas tree. We find her mom in the living room, staring at an old family photo on the mantelpiece.
"Mom," Bianca calls out softly.
Ayanna turns, eyes narrowing as she takes in the sight of us standing together. The room's warmth contrasts sharply with the coldness of her gaze.
"What do you want, Bianca?" she asks, her voice devoid of warmth.
Bianca steps forward, squeezing my hand for strength. "I need to talk to you about us—about my relationship with Alex, Liam, and James."
Her mom's eyes flicker between us before settling back on Bianca. "I thought I made myself clear."
"You did," Bianca replies, lifting her chin. "But this is important to me. They are important to me."
Ayanna crosses her arms over her chest. "So what? You think parading them in front of me will change my mind?"
"No." Bianca squares her shoulders, her voice steady. "But, if you can't accept me, then I can live with that. But can you?"
The room seems like it's holding its breath. Ayanna's lips press into a thin line, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. For a second, I think she might say something cutting, but she stays silent.
Bianca turns on her heel, heading for the door. Liam, James, and I follow suit, ready to leave this tense atmosphere behind.
But just as we reach the threshold, Ayanna's voice slices through the silence. "Bia, wait."
We all stop in our tracks, turning to face her again. Bianca's back is straight, but there's a slight tremor in her hands.
"What is it?" Bianca asks, her voice calm but tinged with weariness.
Ayanna’s hesitation is palpable. She swallows hard, her eyes darting between Bianca and us. Her fingers drum against her crossed arms as if she’s trying to summon the courage to speak.
"I’ll try," she says, the words almost a whisper, forced out like they physically pained her.
The silence that follows is deafening. Liam, James, and I exchange quick glances but remain silent, waiting for Bianca's response. She opens her mouth, but Ayanna continues, her demeanor still tense and unyielding.
"I don’t want to lose you, Bianca," Ayanna adds, her voice strained.
Bia stiffens, staying composed as she takes in the weight of her mother's words. Finally, she nods, "I hope so, mom," and turns on her heel.
I give Ayanna a nod, acknowledging the small crack in her icy demeanor. It’s something, at least. Then James, Liam, and I follow Bianca to the door. I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her shoulder.
"Let's get out of here," I murmur against her skin.
We step outside, leaving Ayanna without another word. The cold night air is a welcome relief after the suffocating tension inside. Bia’s shoulders relax a bit as we walk to the car.
Liam is the first to break the silence. "You okay?" he asks, his voice soft but edged with concern.
Bia nods slowly. "Yeah, I think so. It went better than I expected."
James chuckles dryly. "Better? Your mom practically spat nails."
"She said she'd try," Bia counters. "That's more than I could have hoped for."
Bianca doesn’t sound so sure. Her voice trembles slightly as she continues, “But, I’m not getting my hopes up. I just want to spend Christmas Eve with you guys, where I’m accepted and happy.”
James nods, his eyes softening. “You’ll always have that with us, Bia.”
“Damn straight,” I chime in, pulling her closer. “Who needs Christmas carolers and mistletoe when you’ve got us?”
Liam chuckles, but there’s a seriousness in his eyes. “He’s right. We’re your family too.”
We all pile into my car, Liam sliding into the driver’s seat without a second thought. He declares, "I’m driving," with that no-nonsense tone he does so well.
I shrug, motioning for Bianca to get in the back with me. "Guess that makes me your backseat buddy."
She cracks a small smile, and some of the tension eases from her shoulders as she settles next to me. James hops in the front passenger seat, glancing back at us with a knowing smirk.
As we start heading back to the hotel, Bianca looks at me with a soft smile.
I lean closer, kissing her neck gently. Her skin is warm and soft under my lips. "Good times," I murmur against her ear.
James turns his head slightly, catching our reflection in the rearview mirror. "Hey now," he says, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Save some for when we get to the hotel. Sharing is caring, remember?"
Bianca turns in her seat and plants a kiss on my lips, her warmth a welcome contrast to the cold night air we left behind. I can’t help but grin into the kiss, feeling her familiar touch ignite a fire in my chest.
James rolls his eyes but smiles, leaning back in his seat. “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of me to go around,” Bianca teases, pulling away from me with a wink.
Liam lets out a low chuckle from the driver's seat. “Plenty, huh? I’ve got a few ideas on how to make sure we all get our fill.”
The dark edge to his voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Focus on the road, man,” I say, smirking. “Last thing we need is to end up in a ditch because you’re too busy fantasizing.”
Liam snorts but keeps his eyes forward, navigating through the winding streets with ease. “Trust me, I can multitask.”
Bianca laughs, her hand finding mine again. “Let’s not test that theory tonight, okay?”
As we pull into the hotel parking lot, we all pile out of the car and head inside, the cool breeze following us through the lobby doors.
Liam wraps a possessive arm around Bianca's waist on one side while I take the other. James follows closely behind us, his hand resting on the small of her back.
I step into the suite first, and flick on the lights, casting a warm glow over the room. It’s spacious, with a plush king-size bed and a sitting area complete with a mini bar. Liam makes a beeline for the wine bottles on the counter.
“Red or white?” he asks, holding up two bottles like they’re the Holy Grail.
“Red,” Bianca says without hesitation, slipping off her heels and sinking onto the couch. She looks up at me with those big, brown eyes that always make my chest tighten.
“Room service menu is here,” James announces, waving a laminated booklet. “What’s everyone feeling?”
“Anything but ham,” I joke, dropping onto the couch next to Bianca. “Had enough of that at dinner.”
Bianca chuckles and leans into me. “How about something simple? Sliders? Fries?”
James nods and grabs the room phone, dialing for room service. “A dozen sliders and a mountain of fries coming right up.”
Liam uncorks the wine and pours it into four glasses. He hands one to Bianca first, then to James and me. We clink glasses, the sound crisp and clear in the cozy room.
“To making it through family drama,” Bianca says with a wry smile.
We all drink deeply, savoring the rich taste of the wine. The tension from earlier starts to melt away as we settle in.
The doorbell rings, signaling our food’s arrival. James gets up to answer it, tipping the bellhop generously before bringing in trays piled high with sliders and fries.
“Dig in,” he says, setting everything down on the coffee table.
We dive into the food like we haven’t eaten in days. The sliders are juicy and flavorful, and the fries are perfectly crispy. Between bites, we banter back and forth, laughter filling the room.
I catch Bianca's eye and see her smile widen, her earlier tension all but forgotten. It feels like old times, the four of us together, enjoying the simple pleasure of good food and even better company.
The wine flows freely, making us all more relaxed and open. Bianca leans more into me as she laughs at another one of Liam’s jokes.
“This is nice,” she murmurs after a while, her voice soft but content. Her head rests gently on my shoulder, and the warmth of her breath is soft against my neck.
“It is,” I agree, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The moment is almost surreal, like we’ve stepped into another world where nothing but us exists.
Liam, always the sentimental one when he’s had a few drinks, lifts his glass again for another toast. “To us,” he says, his eyes gleaming with that familiar spark of determination.
“To us,” we all echo, raising our glasses in unison before taking another drink. There's a shared understanding in the air, a sense that we’re reclaiming something we thought was lost forever.
It feels right; it feels like home.
For tonight at least, everything is perfect.