Chapter 9 #2
KJ leaned over and whispered in my ear. “They take they Christmas parties seriously.”
Before I could nod, the security spoke. “You have an in…”
“They good, Mack.” Although I couldn’t see him behind the overgrown security, I knew Enzo’s voice. “They with me,” he added calmly.
Big guy stepped aside immediately.
“Come on in,” Enzo instructed. Holding the door open for us, he gave me a light peck on the cheek and held his hand out to KJ. “KJ, right?”
“The one and only,” KJ confirmed smoothly. They shook hands firmly, showing mutual respect.
I had half expected him to be standoffish, so I was pleasantly surprised by his greeting.
The place was packed with people but not too bad to where the air felt thick and people were rubbing elbows. Enzo offered to take our coats, and before we could hand them over, a voice shouted through the crowd.
“Nigga! I thought you said ya moms said you couldn’t come. Yo’ lyin’ ass.” A tall boy who I recognized as Cortez made his way through the crowd. “Oh – my bad, Ms. Anderson,” he said once he realized KJ wasn’t alone. “How you doin’? You look nice. I like that red.”
“Aye, nigga.” KJ pushed him back.
I smiled. “Hey, Cortez. I’m good and thank you.”
Enzo reached out and mushed his head. “Watch how you approach adults, lil’ nigga.”
Cortez laughed. “Aight, cuzzo. C’mon, bro.” He slung his arm around KJ’s neck, and they disappeared into the crowd.
I handed Enzo my coat, and he grabbed my hand to guide me through the crowd.
We went through a bunch of friendly smiles.
His family, both old and young, were dancing, laughing, drinking, and eating.
It was a vibe for sure. I took it all in, loving the feeling of being amongst family.
Pulling the chain to my purse out of my bag to wear it crossbody, I went to put it over my head when I felt a small body crash into my leg.
“Tyriiii!”
I looked down to find EJ wrapped around my leg.
“Ahhh, look at my boy!” I laughed, bending down to pick him up. “Wassup, dude?”
He laughed as I tickled him. I completely tuned Enzo out, as EJ started to give me the rundown of what he’d been doing in two-year-old English. Enzo laughed, asking EJ if it was okay if he let me meet everybody. He nodded and went back to talking like Enzo had interrupted his flow.
Not only was I introduced to everyone, but Enzo also moved me through the room like I belonged there. Me, his nanny. I met his cousins, aunts, uncles, distant family members, and even his mom. She’d picked up on the way EJ clung to me throughout the party, refusing to leave my side.
“Look at him.” His mother pointed out. “You got your own personal bodyguard.”
“No, forreal,” one of his cousins added. “We ain’t had to stop the party to look for him or nothin’,” he joked. “You just might be the one, Thyri.”
I smiled, glancing down at EJ, who held onto my leg with one hand and busied himself with Enzo’s phone in the other.
“This my guy,” I said.
“Alright, alright,” someone spoke from a microphone. “It’s time for The Sullivan Family Holiday Games. Y’all got five minutes to get y’all teams together. And I’m setting a timer. Go!”
People rushed to tables, putting their teams together. And they didn’t discriminate. I saw the seniors grabbing a few teenagers and the little kids to their team. Just watching them told me everything I needed to know – this family was competitive as hell.
“Ma, Aura, Shawna, KJ, Brandi, and Cortez, y’all on my team,” Enzo announced.
KJ and Cortez ran over to us and sat at our table along with the rest of our teammates.
We played a few trivia games that included Charades, Heads Up, and Lyrically Correct.
I got us a win in Lyrically Correct. Beat the people so bad, they thought I was cheating.
And then it got serious with games that involved movement and speed, which I shamelessly lost.
I was having so much fun, a couple hours had slipped by before I even noticed.
As the games came to an end, I got a text from Danae, letting me know that she was walking inside.
I got excited like I hadn’t seen my cousin in years.
I spotted her, as she entered the diner in a two- piece, leather set and a cropped fur coat.
Before I could wave her over, Aura called out her name.
She went to duck, but he was on her like a bee to honey.
“You know ya cousin be harassing my cousin, right?” I said to Enzo, who was watching the party from his seat.
“Danae yo’ people?”
I nodded.
“Oh, he in love with that girl,” he said like it was a known thing.
“So, y’all get crazy when y’all in love, huh?”
He nodded slowly. “And very territorial. But we loyal as fuck and protect with our lives.”
Turning away from him, I made a mental note of that.
The night continued on with Aura finally freeing my cousin and allowing her to mingle.
We turned the dance floor up with the other women in the family.
From the old school classics to the new Tik Tok trends, me and Danae were on it.
I just knew KJ was somewhere fighting the air.
Not only was his mother fine, but I kept in touch with what was in.
There was another announcement, this time for the gift exchange. Remembering that I’d left Enzo’s gift that he was supposed to give his cousin in the car, I let him know that I was going to get it.
“Hold on, I’m coming witchu.”
EJ looked up at me and grabbed my hand.
“I guess he is too.” I giggled.
Enzo went to grab our coats, and we walked outside with EJ in the middle of us. I unlocked the door as we got close and directed Enzo to the backseat to grab the gift.
“All three or just this one?” he questioned before closing the door and holding up the small gift bag for him while clutching EJ’s gift under his arm. “What’s this?”
I smiled and shrugged lightly. “Consider it a gift you can’t decline.”
For a second, he didn’t say anything. Then, he closed what little distance there was between us and spoke. “Thank you. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” I replied confidently.
The moment settled between us before he leaned in and kissed my lips. It was gentle with a little hunger in it. Before either of us could take the kiss up a notch, EJ hit both our legs. I laughed at us almost forgetting the little person we had with us.
“Tyri,” he called out to me with his lips poked out.
“Awwww,” I cooed and bent down, so he could kiss my cheek. “Thank you so much.”
Enzo chuckled. “That’s wild, EJ. You don’t share women with Daddy.”
EJ nodded, making us both laugh, as we headed back inside.
I didn’t know what the kiss meant. What I did know was that anything felt possible in the moment, and the Sullivans knew how to throw a party.