“Take cake home.”
“Thank you for coming.”
Nobody needed more explanation.
The party ended early.
By seven-thirty only family remained.
Jordan and Maya sat upstairs with Tiana watching a movie none of them followed.
Downstairs, Vanessa stood near the fireplace.
Marcus sat across from her.
His parents had gone home at his request.
Eli left the memory card.
The caterers finished cleaning.
The mansion—house, not mansion perhaps upscale suburban home. Let's keep large home. The home became quiet.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Say what you want to say.”
Marcus stared at her.
“How long have you disliked my daughter?”
“I don’t dislike her.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“It literally is.”
“No.”
“You know what I mean.”
Vanessa paced.
“I have done everything for that girl.”
Marcus said nothing.
“I drove her to school.”
“When I could.”
“I bought clothes.”
“I attended events.”
“I included her in vacations.”
“You want to reduce three years to one photograph?”
“No.”
“To one stupid sentence?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Marcus took out his phone.
He opened a folder.
Vanessa frowned.
“What is that?”
“Photos.”
He scrolled.
Christmas.
Vanessa, Jordan, Maya in matching pajamas.
Marcus entered later wearing similar pajamas he had bought himself after realizing Tiana had none.
He showed another.
Beach trip.
Vanessa posted a photograph captioned:
My whole world.
She, Marcus, Jordan, Maya.
Tiana had been standing twenty feet away.
Another.
Mother’s Day brunch.
Only Jordan and Maya beside Vanessa.
That made sense alone.
Then another caption:
Being a mother to these two is my greatest blessing.
Marcus looked up.
“Where is Tiana?”
“She isn’t my biological child.”
“You told me that never mattered.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then why keep saying two?”
Vanessa’s anger returned.
“Because I have two children.”
Marcus shook his head.
“And I have three.”
“Yes.”
“So we built a family of five.”
“Yes.”
“Did we?”
Vanessa stared.
Marcus continued.
“Because Tiana tells me you asked her not to call you Mom around your friends.”
“She never calls me Mom anyway.”
“That isn’t the point.”
“You’re making everything sinister.”
“Am I?”
He removed something from his suit jacket.
A sealed envelope.
Vanessa recognized it.
Her expression changed.
Marcus noticed.
“You know what this is?”
“No.”
“You do.”
She looked away.
Marcus placed it on the coffee table.
“I planned to give you this tonight.”
“What?”