“Yes!” Whitley grabbed my hands, bouncing slightly. “We do it every other summer. It can be boring sometimes with just the adults, but it would be so much more fun with you and Nel there. Please say you’ll go.”
I looked at Wendell who was watching us with a grin and then back at Whitley’s hopeful face. “Sure. I don’t see why I couldn’t make that work.”
Whitley started cheering just as Stella walked up looking elegant in her evening gown. “What’s all the excitement about?” she asked.
Whitley filled her in at a mile a minute. Stella’s expression softened, her eyes searching mine with a vulnerability I was slowly getting used to. “Oh wow. I’d love that Nique. Truly.”
Deuce caught Nel’s attention and pulled him into the circle to break the news. As everyone stood around buzzing about travel dates and beach houses I realized I couldn’t let the moment stay surface level. Not if we were serious about this.
“How do y’all feel about family therapy?” I asked, the question cutting through the excitement.
The circle went quiet. I took a breath and kept going. “Oak Bluffs and vacations are exciting and I want that. But I don’t want to just sweep things under the rug and pretend like we haven’t been a broken family all these years. Whitley, Deuce, I’m so happy to finally know you but I want us to have a healthy dynamic. I want us to do the work so this last.”
Stella was the first to nod. She looked at Whitley and then at Deuce. “Nique is right. There’s something I need to tell you two once we get home and I think afterward family therapy would be great for all of us.”
They all nodded, the weight of the conversation settling over us. Not as a burden but as a foundation.
The DJ broke the tension, his voice booming over the mic. “Alright alright. Find your lover folks. This next one is for the couples.”
The smooth soulful intro to Luther Vandross’s So Amazing began to play. Wendell reached out a hand to Stella asking her to dance and we watched them walk onto the floor. I didn’t have to wait long before I felt a familiar presence behind me.
Dex swooped in, his hand finding the small of my back. “Can I have this dance?”
“Yes,” I whispered, turning into his arms.
We moved slowly, everything else falling away. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. I didn’t have to say it out loud to know it. I was so deeply in love with this man it scared me.
Dex broke the silence, his voice low against my temple. “I love seeing you like this,” he said quietly. “Laughing with your siblings, your mom in the same room. You used to tell me when we were kids that all you ever wanted was a real family around you.”
“I used to pray for this,” I admitted, closing my eyes. “I used to think God would deliver it in the form of a husband and some kids. I never imagined Stella and I actually getting close or getting to know my siblings. And get this, they want me and Nel to go to Oak Bluffs with them this summer.”
Dex pulled back just enough to look at me, a grin playing on his lips. “Damn y’all doing family vacations already? That’s what’s up.”
I got quiet for a second, looking up at him. “Will you come with me?”
“Of course,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. He leaned down, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that felt like a promise.
When we finally pulled apart, I took a breath. “In a perfect world what does going back to Mobile look like for us?”
Dex didn’t even have to think about it. “In a perfect world? You’d move in with me.”
I raised an eyebrow, but he kept going.
“Nique, when I designed my house, I did it with you in mind. I remembered every single detail you once told me about your dream home. The layout, the light, the kitchen. I built it for you.”
I smiled, my heart doing a slow roll in my chest. “I realized that the first time I ever visited Dex.”
“So why are you talking about moving into an apartment?” Dex asked, his grip tightening slightly as we swayed.
I looked him in the eye, wanting him to understand. “Because I just got out of a relationship where I lived with and depended on my partner. When the rug was ripped from underneath me it left me assed out. I still have to handle getting my things from her place when we get back. It just makes me realize I don’t want to shack up Dex. If you want me under your roof I want it fully. Your last name, my name on the deed, all of it.”
Dex didn’t flinch. He just nodded, his expression steady. “We can make all that happen.”
“But at the same time,” I added, “I don’t want it overnight. We need to date and get to know each other again. I need to really get to know Demi, and we need to make sure Amina is comfortable with me being around your child. It’s a lot of groundwork that needs to be done.”
Dex let out a long breath, conceding the point. “Aight. I’m willing to do it. Just at least get an apartment on my side of the bay.”
I laughed, leaning my head back. “You live in Point Clear. Do you know how expensive rent is over there?”