Bethroned
Writer
“Your mom seems warm,” She held his hands and smiled at him as they locked hands and walked to the dining.
“She’s cool, I guess” he shrugged his shoulders while she folded her lips. She was nervous and by the way he responded. It feels like he didn’t want to be here at all.
“Edward,” she halted and stared at him while he looked at her, with rapt attention.
“Amore,” he called out and she breathed out.
“You’ve not said anything about your family to me. What I should be prepared for, or the kind of person they are! None of that,” she lamented and he ran his hands through his hair.
This was kind of a salty conversation for him, but Maliah was important to him, and meeting his family was important to her. To him, he just wanted to give them the courtesy of knowing and nothing more.
“There’s my father, my mom you’ve met already, and my stepbrother,” his voice was a bit dark saying that, and immediately he started to move without any further information.
“What!” Maliah said running to him, but he already was close to the dining. So she quickly stopped in her tracks and composed herself, before holding hands with him as he let her organize herself.
“You look amazing,” he tells her with a smile while Babe smiles back and they start to walk.
“Oh! There they are,” his mom cooed immediately when she noticed their entrance, and her face was filled with smiles.
“Thank you,” Maliah smiled immediately as she sat in the seat Edward drew out for her beside him. She stared around the table, noticing his mom and a younger man whom she took to be Edward’s stepbrother. He gazes at her while cutting the apple in his hands with his knife. She looked away nervously, but could still feel his eyes wander around her.
She turned to stare at him again, noticing the tattoo on his hands and the eyeliner on his eyes giving him this mysterious look while his lips were small and had a sly smile as she noticed a tattoo around his neck.
“Waiting for Dad?” Edward asked and held her hand under the table giving it a light squeeze.
“Yes, he will be down shortly,” his mom smiled…
“Before Dad is here, I want to ask something,” his stepbrother said…
“What do you want to know Nathaniel!” He said with a grunt while Nathaniel chuckled immediately.
“When did you start bringing a lady home?” He said more in mockery because he knew Edward was the emotionally unavailable one.
“And that’s your business, because?” Edward responds glaring at him..
“Relax devil, I was just curious,” he winked hoping to piss him off and he did. While Edward hated his guts, Nathaniel went more on getting on his nerves and having them banter.
“Say that one more time,” Edward’s tone was stern, Maliah held his hands tightly while staring at him and Nathaniel who seemed to be enjoying the show he put up.
“Is that a dare?” He joked.
“Enough boys. You grown ass men fighting like kids in front of a lady,” she was saying when Mr power walked into the room making everywhere go silent.
“Edward,” Mr. Powers responded to his greetings by calling out his name.
“You brought a guest to a family dinner,” he was quick to say after Maliah had greeted him.
“She’s not a guest,” he responded curtly.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Anyways, it’s a good thing you boys are here. Wanted to talk about something important. But from the looks of it, it would be later,” his father went on, as he started to have his meal while everywhere was quiet.
“And if I’m right this has nothing to do with my personal life but the company,” Maliah could feel the tension in the air when Edward said that.
“It’s both, I’d like to say that are interwoven,” his mother responded and Nathaniel coughed immediately.
“Sorry,” he apologized when he noticed every eye on the table was on him. “Carry on, don’t mind me,” he whispered the last one gulping down a glass of water.
“Then might as well spill it here,” he looked at his mom, and she turned her face to stare at her husband who gave her the go-ahead to speak.
“Things are about to get messy,” Nathaniel whispered, but Maliah heard him and she stared at him wondering what he meant. He rested his face on his hands on the table, using his smallest finger to play with his lips while staring at her intensely.
“Well I have something to say beforehand,” he grabbed Maliah’s hand about to make the announcement.
“Hold on! I have a surprise for you, and it will be here in the next second.” His mom cut him off and immediately the stride of someone walking down the stairs could be heard. Everyone turned their gaze in that direction, while his mom clapped her hair in excitement when the figure appeared. She walked into the room, giving Kim a kiss and greeting everyone.
“Nicole?” Edward called confused while she smiled at him, and hugged him as he stood up to greet her still to see her and confused.
“Hey Nathaniel,” she walked to him and played with his curled hair while he looked at her and smiled as they sat beside each other.
“I see a new face,” she smiled and looked at Edward suspiciously and then back at Maliah.
“Hi,” Maliah said, staring at the girl who looked like a goddess and had the body of a model. Talk legs, perfect smile, banging body, and way better ass than her, she thought.
“Oh, that’s just Edward’s friend,” his mom responded to her.
“My girlfriend,” Edward corrected and dropped the bomb making Maliah feel nervous with all gaze pointed at her.
“This just got messier,” Nathaniel laughed…
“Oh shut your mouth you, Nathaniel,” Edward eyes him…
“Oh I Will,” he said dramatically and used his hands to hold his lips for a brief seconds before smiling again at Edward’s pissed-off face.
“Girlfriend?” His father said after a long minute of silence at the table.
“Yes! I brought her here to introduce you all to her,” he paused.
“Well family, meet Maliah. And Maliah met my family,” he said and forced a smile, staring at them and waiting for what they had to say.
“I don’t understand?” Nicole said dropping the fork on her plate when she realized he was absolutely serious and wasn’t joking at all.
“What do you mean?” He took another bite of food, while Maliah just sat there unable to stare anywhere other than her plate considering their reaction.
“I thought we were dethroned,” she answered him.
“Betrothed?” He looked around the table while Nathaniel chuckled enjoying everything that was displayed in front of him while eating.
“I’m confused,” he looked at his mom and dad when Nicole nodded her head to his initial question of shock.
“We wanted to talk about you and Nicole getting MARRIED,” his mom’s voice was low
“Getting married?” Maliah looked at him now, no longer staring at the girl who claimed to be dethroned to Edward.
“What? Are you being serious?” He started staring at his dad who didn’t say anything.
“Mom?” He called out hoping to hear it wasn’t true.
“You are getting married to Nicole,” his father finally voiced out and Nathaniel whistled at that because he knew when his father spoke it was final.