THE FIRST STEP

Briar strolled down the aisles of the upscale department store, her fingers absentmindedly grazing over the neatly arranged merchandise.

The holiday season was in full swing, and though the festive cheer was in the air, Briar couldn't shake the heaviness that had settled in her heart ever since the fallout with her mother and the revelations about Dwayne.

The conversations with Beyoncé had started to open some wounds, but the real work of rebuilding had yet to begin, especially with Dwayne—her biological father—still a stranger to her in many ways.

She glanced over at her sister, Bryland, who was happily flicking through a rack of jackets. Bryland had always been the more outgoing one, the one who spoke her mind without hesitation.

Briar, on the other hand, had always been more reserved, more cautious. But today, she found herself leaning on Bryland more than usual, seeking her advice about something that had been weighing on her mind: Thanksgiving.

It had been years since Briar had been to one of the family's big Thanksgiving gatherings. Now that Briar knew the truth—that Dwayne was, in fact, her father—she was left with a decision: would she invite him to the family gathering this year? Should she even try to mend the rift between him and her mother, between him and her stepfather Bishop? Or would it just be another holiday filled with silence and strained smiles?

Briar was deep in thought when Bryland's voice pulled her from her reverie. "You know what you need to do, right?" Bryland said, her tone playful but pointed as she looked up from the jacket she was holding.

Briar frowned, unsure of where this conversation was headed. "What do you mean?"

"You need to invite Dwayne to Thanksgiving," Bryland said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's time. You're never going to move forward if you keep avoiding it."

Briar stopped mid-step, glancing at her sister in disbelief. "You want me to invite Dwayne? To Thanksgiving? After everything that's happened? With everything that's going on between him and Mom, and him and Bishop?"

Bryland sighed, placing the jacket back on the rack with a shake of her head. "Look, Briar. I know things are complicated. I get it. But you have to see that this is about you. About building something with Dwayne. You don't want to spend the rest of your life avoiding this. You want a relationship with him, right? Then this is your chance to make a move. You can't keep tiptoeing around it forever."

Briar crossed her arms, her mind racing. The idea of sitting down at Thanksgiving dinner with Dwayne felt impossible, especially after everything that had happened. The confrontation between Dwayne and Bishop a few days ago still weighed heavily on her mind.

Briar had been there, watching the two men nearly come to blows over their shared history and their differing versions of the past. Dwayne had always been a distant figure in her life, and now that she knew the truth, everything felt like it was happening too quickly. How could she expect them to be in the same room, let alone have a civil conversation?

"You really think Mom and Bishop can handle that?" Briar asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want both of them in the same room with Dwayne after their last confrontation?"

Bryland didn't flinch. "They're grown men, Briar. As long as they don't throw hands, then they can be in the same room. Besides, this isn't about them. It's about you. You need to give Dwayne a chance, and Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity. It's an olive branch, a first step to healing."

Briar's mind was spinning. She couldn't deny that part of her wanted to see her family whole again. She wanted to understand what had happened between Dwayne and her mother. She wanted answers—and maybe this holiday, this seemingly simple gesture, could be the first step toward finding them.

But she couldn't ignore the reality that Dwayne and Bishop had always been at odds. The rift between them was more than just a difference of opinions—it was personal. Briar knew the history. Dwayne had been absent for much of her life, leaving her mother to raise her alone. Then there was the confrontation, the argument where things had almost gotten physical, where years of pent-up resentment had spilled over. How could she possibly bring them together in one place, for something as intimate as a family dinner?

Still, as she stood there, looking at Bryland, Briar realized her sister was right. She couldn't keep holding onto the past. She couldn't keep avoiding the inevitable. She wanted a relationship with Dwayne, and she wanted her family to understand that this wasn't just about her—it was about them all. She had no idea if it would be easy. She had no idea if it would even work. But she knew that if she didn't take this step, she would regret it forever.

"I don't know," Briar said, rubbing her forehead. "It just feels like everything would explode if I even brought it up. What if it's too soon? What if Mom and Bishop aren't ready for that? What if Dwayne isn't even ready to be around them?"

Bryland, ever the realist, gave a knowing smile. "I get it. You're scared. But you have to realize that things can't heal if you don't give them a chance to. If you keep tiptoeing around this, nothing will ever change. The only way forward is to have these difficult conversations. You want your father, and your family, to move forward, right? Then this is the only way."

Briar stood silently, thinking about everything that had happened. Thanksgiving was just a few weeks away, and the thought of everyone gathered around the table—Dwayne, her mother, her stepfather Bishop, and the rest of the family—made her heart race. But what was she waiting for? For the perfect moment? For the past to magically fix itself?

"No more waiting," Briar said quietly to herself, almost as if she were trying to convince herself that this was the right decision. She met Bryland's gaze. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll invite him."

Bryland grinned widely, relief washing over her. "That's what I like to hear. Trust me, this will be the start of something new. Maybe not perfect, but it's a step forward. A step toward something real."

Briar nodded, still unsure of how everything would unfold. But she knew Bryland was right. She needed to take control of her future, her relationship with Dwayne, and her family's healing. It wouldn't be easy. It might be messy. But it was a risk she was willing to take.

As they made their way to the checkout counter, Briar's mind raced with the conversation she knew she would have to have with Dwayne. She would have to explain the family dynamics, the tension between him and her mother, between him and her stepfather.

But more than that, she would have to make it clear that this wasn't just about reconciling the past—it was about creating a future, one where everyone had a seat at the table.

It was a start.

And that was all she could do right now. Take the first step.