Trey It's been a week since Candice found out about us, and everything is tense and awkward. Kiara is too upset to come over, so I've been spending most of my free time at her place. I don't mind it; like I told her, anywhere she is, I'm home. But I know she's only avoiding my sister. Candy must feel like she's the queen of the fucking world right now, causing a disruption in our routine. I am determined to get them talking again, though. My sister needs to stop acting like Kiara cheated on her and pull out whatever bug crawled up her ass. Multiple times this week, I considered dragging her back to my mom's house, but I'm trying to be understanding of whatever she's going through right now. I've asked her repeatedly if she wants to talk about it, but she pushes me away every time. I've given up on trying to get her to open up. Today, as promised, I take Jeremiah to the DMV for his driving test. We have spent weeks practicing, and I'm positive that he's more than ready. Upo

TreyAfter taking Jeremiah to lunch and dropping him back off, I return to my place to find my sister sprawled out on the couch, an empty wine bottle on the coffee table beside her. I grimace at her sleeping form. I didn't know she drank. When I met Kiara, I recall her mentioning that her "friend" avoided alcohol out of fear becoming like her parents. Well, whatever happened in New York must've changed her mind. I throw away the bottle and gently shake her awake. "Candice, wake up. We need to talk." She groans, rolling over to face me. "What time is it?" "Two in the afternoon. Shouldn't you be at work?" Her face scrunches up like a used tissue. "Shouldn't you be off fucking my best friend? Oh wait, you already did that." Her slurred attempt to deflect doesn't faze me. "Did you lose your job when you went chasing after your girlfriend? There's no way they let you take leave for that long." I don't even think she's left the house since she's been here and that's extremely concer

Kiara "Hey, Mom," I answer, managing to keep the bitter edge out of my voice. "Finally! I've been trying to contact you for weeks, don't ever do that to your mother again, you hear me?" she screeches through the speaker. I roll my eyes, my mind drifting elsewhere as she gives me a lecture about being there for the family and not letting personal grudges get in the way of that. "You okay?" Trey mouths, his hands expertly massaging my feet, the gentle pressure providing a welcome distraction from the stressful phone call. I glance at the phone, swiftly muting it before putting her on speaker. "My mom is literally giving me a fucking lecture at three in the morning. No. I'm not okay," I say with a humorless laugh, the weight of the conversation settling into the room. A mischievous smirk plays on his lips as he suggests, "You can always hang up. We can finish what you started, you know." I'm tempted to do just that until Mom suddenly bursts into tears. "I need your help,

Kiara Trey stays silent, his thoughtful expression revealing that he's taking in every detail, probably trying to understand the kind of person my sister is. "So how did you get a black eye, then?" I ask. "Oh, me and his mom got into a fist fight. She threw the first punch, but as soon as I defended myself, she called the police on me," she explains casually. "I swear, I'm so done with that little mommy's boy." My mouth gapes open. Jordan's mom is literally one of the nicest woman I've ever met despite her occasional snootiness, so for her to hit Lavender...she must have really hated her. "I was going to marry him, but if he can't take care of me, what's the point, ya know? Now this one...you better hold on tight sis or I-" I cut her off, "I dare you to finish that sentence." She only huffs in response. "Plus, I don't get with men for their money. I have my own. You and Jordan were living off of me, remember?" "Ooh, all high and mighty," she taunts. I turn my head to sho

TreyAs Kiara and I step into Mom's house, the aroma of a home-cooked dinner fills the air. Candice arrived before us, perched on the kitchen counter while Mom finishes cooking, both of them drinking large glasses of wine. From her perch on the counter, Candy glances at us for only a second, grimacing before looking back down at the glass in her hand. I guess she's truly willing to set aside her grudge with Mom because she believes my relationship is about to crash and burn. Jokes on her; I'm not even proposing tonight. But I can see just how petty she can be now. Mom's face lights up with an ear-to-ear smile at the sight of Kiara, and she rushes over to give her a warm hug. "There's my future daughter-in-law!" she exclaims. In my periphery, I catch Candy rolling her eyes. "Smells good in here, Mama. Need any help?" I inquire, planting a gentle kiss on Kiara's forehead before releasing her to mingle with my family. Even though I volunteered to cook and bring dinner,