Everyone turns to look at me, Annabelle, my mother, and even grandma and her posse.

My mother nearly whispers in surprise, "Nathan?"

"Mother." I snap and tip over the glass until I empty it, swallowing the contents in one go until it burns my throat to the core, then I slam the glass against the table so you can hear the tiny cracking sound.

She smiles and gestures at Annabelle, "I was just introducing myself to Annabelle. I didn't know you brought a girl."

I force a smile so fake it makes my eye twitch, but my birthgiver, for that's all that she is, doesn't deserve anything better, "Aren't I full of surprises, huh!"

Annabelle, speaking to the side so others can't hear and without moving her lips and face too much, tries to bring me around, "Calm down."

"I wasn't aware you had... Well, a girl." My mother smiles, nearly tearing up in the process. "Rather shocking, actually."

Ignoring Annabelle, who would probably take my side if I had let her in on the nitty little gritty details concerning my mother, and widen my eyes at the gawking crowd, "Shocking? Can't a guy invite a lady to accompany him to a party?"

"No, honey-"

"And that disbelief is kind of concerning, mother. And you showing concern for one of your children, now, that's truly shocking!"

Annabelle peers up at me angrily and pulls me aside, "What is the matter with you, she's your mother."

"I'm quite aware of that, thank you. And you don't know the whole story, so let me be, Annabelle." I try to be as least snappy as possible since she has nothing to do with this. I hoped she would never have to deal with any of this, but of course, my mother, the snake that she is, wants to slither her way around everyone.

"All I wanted to say, darling," and she is back, going after me like a pathetic puppy, "is that I didn't see you two arrive."

I turn to look at her and hold Annabelle's upper arm, as I'm slowly pulling her away, "Then watch us leave!"

Annabelle follows my steps and once we're far enough, she pushes me away and peers at me in shock "What was that?"

"In the Bible, that's the snake, but in this life, she reincarnated into my mother." I smile and look around if I can find anything similar to brandy or anything that has the same percentage of alcohol.

"You told me you two aren't in the best relationship, but that was really pushing it, Nathan. Are you sure this party and all was a good idea because you don't look alright." She puts her hands on my upper arms and slightly rubs them, which has a very tranquilising effect. The eyes that she looks at me with aren't as judgmental as one would expect.

I chuckle at the ground beneath me, "I've never been better."

"We both know that's a total bull, but you need to get your act back together."

I feel like I'm a kid that's being punished in school for eating glue. Eating glue sounds better than meeting my mother, though, would be more than glad to exchange.

She eyes me worried and speaks with a voice so silent like she's swallowing her pride, "Maybe it's best if we just leave. You saw Aidan and the rest of your family."

"No!" I exclaim, even surprising myself as I do that. My reaction may not be emotionally intelligent, but it's an honest one. I'm not scattering off like a tiny, terrified rabbit with nothing better to do but running away. "We've only just arrived, it wouldn't be polite."

She squints her eyes at me, not taking any of my bullshit. She has probably just noticed I used her own personality against her. "Then stop throwing tantrums if people want to talk to me."

"See, they are not just people. They are Patty, my ex, May, my sister, and..." my voice trails off while my eyes linger on my mother who's talking to Patty's parents. "My mother." I finally finish the sentence, shockingly not because of a stutter, which May so bluntly pointed out.

"You have beef with them, I can see that. But understand that you don't usually bring a woman to a birthday party of your nephew." Annabelle observes me a while, and I notice the edges of her eyes begin to sink the longer the silence looms between us.

I do see a point she has made, and despite my wishes for circumstances to be different, I agree with her, so I nod, and not easily.

She smiles, her cheeks rising and gathering under her eyes like two bubbles, "To motivate you, in a healthy and not satanic way, you did say you'd like to see your Dad."

I smirk at her motivation, a very convincing motivation. Though, my smile along with my mood and my brows sinks. If my Dad said he'll come, he wouldn't have been already here. He has always been one of those people so worried about being late, to take one flight early.

To actually imagine this day being a complete waste, just ruins everything I had been planning. Of course, I wanted to piss off Patty, avoid my mother at all costs, and May to some extent too, but I haven't seen Dad in months, since my last birthday when he flew all the way from Chicago to spend a quiet night in with me. What if he won't arrive? Maybe he cancelled it the last minute? Or he missed his flight...

These may sound nothing like my Dad, but when I look around the crowd and don't see Deidre swaying lightly to the left and right according to the rhythm of the music, or hear my Dad's booming laughter, I begin to doubt my own understanding of him.

As I'm looking around, still in some desperate hope trying to spot Deidre's glamour or a similar indicator of their arrival, I notice my mother trying just as desperately to get my attention, even if it's merely an eye contact.

Twenty years too late, mother.

"Will you be fine if I leave you alone for a couple of minutes?" Annabelle asks like I'm a little bratty kid that can run off whenever he feels like. As much as I know her, she'd probably say that's exactly what I am. "I need to check up on Devon, maybe bring him out here to the sun a little bit."

"I'll be fine. If I hate my mother doesn't mean I'll tear arteries from her throat. Have some trust in me, will you?"

"I don't like leaving you alone like that." She shrugs at first, but then she smiles kind of playfully and tugs on the collar of my shirt, "For today, I gotta keep my eye on you, my man!"

I chuckle, lowkey all firing up deep inside. I could probably get us a secluded enough place, but sometimes it's so hard for me to read her. I don't know if she's doing this to cheer me up, joke around or is she craving something dirty. "I'll go find Daniel, so you'll be at peace."

Annabelle smiles widely, showing all her pearly teeth but in a manner where she looks like a trophy wife. "Ain't ya a doll!"

I cringe and chuckle at the same time at the sight, "Just go already, the baby may be dying." 

With a smile and her hand lightly brushing over her braid, she starts walking towards the house. Just as I've done before, I observe her leaving, like I'm the president's bodyguard and she's the First Lady. Right when she's about to get to the porch, she is stopped by Patty. I can't hear that far, but my ears perk up nonetheless, and my observational skills go into full focus since I can only focus on their body language to distinguish the context. 

Patty touches Annabelle's shoulder and shows her the more secluded part of the backyard with a table filled with cooled drinks, predominantly soft ones and a weak version of margaritas or pina coladas. Of course, she's inviting her for a drink right now, the moment she is alone. Annabelle obviously succumbs, but before she is mercilessly, plottingly, selfishly pulled to the side to enjoy a private moment with my ex, she shoots me a look, and by the movement of her eyes, she gives me a hint that I should now check up on Devon. 

Meh, could be worse. 

Patty would try to... corrupt Annabelle, paint me with horns on my head and a pointed tail growing right out of my asshole, but she'd never get my mother involved into this scam. This is not a wild guess, a speck of hope I infested into my thinking process and a set of beliefs. That is a fact. She is one of those who know more about my mother's deeds, perhaps even more than May and Daniel. They are my younger siblings, I don't see a need to tell them the specifics of my mother's attitude. In the end, what kind of protection would that be? They've experienced the friction of it on their own, but they don't need additional information to haunt them now that they are happy and have families. Patty, on the other hand, being my girlfriend first and Daniel's bride-to-be second has learnt a lot about her mother-in-law and how she screwed up the entire family. For that reason, she despises her, has no respect for her now and never had. So, at least that's something. 

Even if Annabelle hadn't told me to go and check u, I would have done so anyway. The kid is probably enjoying a nice climatised room with no grandmas pulling on his cheeks, but just standing here all by myself could attract a very undesired company with nosy questions. 

  On the porch, I again look in the direction of Patty and Annabelle. If any of them was nervous before or unsure about this whole deal, that was now forgotten. They are chit-chatting and looking at kids running around playing. For now, everything seems to be fine. 

I walk in, suddenly feeling relieved there's no longer fifty people around me, eavesdropping on every breath I take. There is only Daniel carrying around cutlery, which I can only assume is for Aidan's cake, and throwing it against everything that can cling loudly, apparently. That is probably the reason why Devon is restlessly shifting in his basket and causing grunting and moaning sounds. 

 "Why do you only shit yourself when I'm around, hm? I bet Uncle Danny would appreciate the gesture." I mutter as I pick him up, to which he responds by immediately burying his face into my shirt. "Is he keeping you awake? Well, that's karma for keeping me awake during the night!" I look down as I talk, and despite his wishes, I tear his face away from my shirt, so our eyes meet. 

At first, he's glaring at me accusingly but before he gets the opportunity to cry out loud for the help of all the softhearted women that want to sleep with me but also judge me, he yawns widely. 

I chuckle at the sight of the mushy face expression he makes, "Yes, poor little Devon, always fed, and clean, and in the cuddles!"

He peers up at me, expressionless at first and smiley the next moment, as he puts his hand on my right cheek with such great motoric skills, I'll probably walk around with a blue eye for the next few days, but then he says, "Dah-dah?"

Was that...

What was that word?

His first word?!

My brain takes a moment to consciously comprehend it, but my knees get wonky and my heart stops before the actual awareness.

I widen my eyes, still barely aware this is really happening, and hold the hand with which he likes to hit me, and I smile widely, even wider than when I want to charm women, all in hopes to encourage him to say that again, "Yeah, buddy, it's Daddy, your dah-dah, your Dadd.y"

He giggles like babies do, and starts jumping in my arms, confusing the by-passing Daniel who has no idea what are Devon and I really going through at the moment. Next time, he says it louder, "Dah-dah!" 

The enthusiasm is mutual in both, and if I weren't too worried about my capabilities at this moment, I'd throw him in the air and catch him again. 

I feel so proud he's slowly learning how to speak, and even more, than he recognises me! It's like a confirmation that I'm doing something right with this kid, that I'm not exactly the worst, even though I need help with all of this. 

"Yeah, Devon, your Daddy," I smile and hug him again, his head against my chest where he can hear the heart attack of joy that I'm experiencing. "My little buddy."

Words cannot describe this. There are not enough words, and none of them is sufficient to really describe the joy I'm swarmed with. The sort of chill and warmth all colliding into one, making a perfect mixture of pride. The kiddo does drive me nuts, throwing his breakfast puree at me, jumping on my balls, crying in the middle of the night, but... He's my little buddy.

I gotta tell Annabelle!

I might as well turn into a blue hedgehog and take away Devon's courage to ever speak again. When I see Fatty Patty and my ginger friend holding glasses and chatting, I don't give them any additional time or wait for them to finish talking. 

I walk up to them, float their way, I don't know if there's a proper expression to describe my physical condition right now, and just bluntly interrupt whatever point Patty was trying to make, "Annabelle! Annabelle! You won't believe this! It just happened and I can't even get it! I don't know if babies do that at his age, but I don't freaking care! You gotta hear this! You gotta hear this!"

She's glaring at me confusedly, lightly shaking with her head from all of my vibrations, "Just say it, Nathan!"

I stop abruptly. Maybe I am getting a bit too excited but... It was his first word! "Just watch this!" I rock Devon in my arms, from left to right and up and down, so it's like he's jumping in my arms just as he has before, "Come on, Devon, say it again!"

Devon just keeps smiling like an idiot back at me. Funny thing? I am the one who ends up looking like an idiot!

Annabelle sighs and rubs the edge of her glass with her index, "It probably wasn't his first word, Nathan. For the first word, the baby needs to understand the meaning, and at this point, it's all probably just mumbling random syllables as babies do." 

"No!" I exclaim, "I'm telling you! He understands it! He even hit me when he said it!"

"Weird flex," she smiles and Patty next to her snorts. I don't care if Annabelle finds me insane right now, but I can telepathically hear Patty saying 'He can't stand you already, huh?' 

I rock him again, ignoring the ladies, one more than the other, "Devon, what did you say earlier, hm?" Then I take his hand and put it back on my cheek, "Say it!"

Devon giggles to that, and for a moment I think he's actually gonna do it, but he only retracts his hand so he can hit me again, to which he responds with maniacal baby laughter. 

Annabelle giggles next to me, "Don't beat yourself up, Nathan. Devon will do it for you." 

First of all, fuck you-!

Patty next to her laughs loudly and while she is busy having cramps of laughter, Annabelle meets my eyes and shrugs lightly in an apologetic manner, as if that will now make it all okay! 

"It was his first word, Annabelle! I swear!" 

"Maybe it wasn't his first word, but if he was doing the mumbly things, that's still a good sign that he's developing the ability to speak." 

"But-" It was his first word... "He even repeated it when I urged him to do it!"

"It was probably just his response to you being happy. Kids of all ages respond to that, and Devon responded in repeating what he did." She shrugs and pats my shoulder, "The time will come for it, don't worry."

It has already come! This was his first fucking word!

"Dah-dah."

I look back at Devon, flinching at the sound of that word again, but then I immediately shift back to Annabelle. "Did you hear that?!"

She is gawking at the kid, weirded out herself, surprised more like it. She speaks breathlessly, "Yeah, I did. That's... It really was his first word."

"I know!" I grin widely and 'take' Devon's nose, "My big little pumpkinhead!" 

I can feel someone creep up behind me, but since this is a party I find it logical that people are all around me, even behind my back. The situation changes when I see Annabelle looking at me concerned, and Patty looking extremely disinterested. 

'It's her, isn't it?' I ask Annabelle just with my own eyes, without saying a single word. 

She does neither nod nor shakes her head, which is a better confirmation than just plainly saying there's the snake from a Bible slithering behind me. 

"I thought I was clear when I said I wanted you to leave us alone!" I snap at my Mum while I'm still turning around to face her. 

Ignorant as she has always been, she pretends she didn't hear what I've just said. She smiles at Devon and then at me, "You brought him along." 

"You must find it surprising, huh? To see me care for a child while you just love to point out how similar I am to you!" 

"I just want to see my grandson, honey. I only saw him once and even then you literally pulled him from my hands." She looks at Annabelle, her eyes suddenly softening but in a very suspicious manner. Like she is the one that gets the right to be suspicious. "I heard he just said his first word?"

"Uhm, yeah, at least we think so." 

My mother smiles lovingly and looks back at Devon, "Pretty early for his age. Nathan didn't speak until he was 15 months old. We were pretty concerned about him." 

"And yet, I can still tell you to go f-"

"Oh, so you were a late bloomer?!" Annabelle bumps me with her elbow, covering the fact I wanted to send my mother to a fuckland, which was her favourite place when her kids needed her the most. 

I glare at my mother so intensely I can feel hell freezing over. "I was fine." 

"Anyway, I'm sure Ray will be very happy to see you with the company," my Mum smiles bitterly. 

"Dad is coming?" 

If one could turn her smile into a food, it would be spoiled lemon - sour, bitter and slightly sleazy. I bet it's not fun to be the disliked parent, but frankly, it's what she deserves. She looks at Annabelle in a way she usually looks at her middle-aged friends, "Look how happy he is when someone mentions his father."

Annabelle, knowing the little that she does, she is aware I'm mich more fond of my father than my mother. "I don't see why he wouldn't be. It's his father after all."

My mother just nods knowingly and I can feel Annabelle's body temperature drop to 50 °F from the anxiety. Once I get rid of the old selfish woman, I'll explain to her that I don't even listen to what my mother tells me. But, I can understand her concern that she'll approach me and start telling me how I, her little boy, is being poisoned and corrupted by the soulless.

"Are you in good relationships with your family, Annabelle?"

She chokes a little on a lump of air, but Patty answers instead of her, "Most people are, Mrs Price."

I like that Patty, as fucking crazy as she can be, takes no shit from my mother no matter what, but both Annabelle and I feel like we're caught in a cross fire. I, especially.

This party feels like a one giant trap for the family members to kill each other. It's one thing if you hate an aunt or a cousin, that is if you're not from Alabama, but with our family it's hard to say for sure who hates each other more. We're like a Spanish soap opera.

Refreshingly, my mother doesn't say anything further and Patry returns to my question "But yes, Nathan, your Dad is coming. He called Danny just earlier to notify us that he and Deidre are stuck in a traffic."

Aidan then screams loudly, "Grandpa!", happily running to the porch from where I can hear the booming laughter that is my Dad's.

I turn around and see Deidre, dressed all in white, with an impeccable makeup literally taking the stage, and right next to her it's my Dad, hugging Aidan and congratulating him for his birthday with a handshake way too strong for a little kid.

I smile at the scenery that takes me back to the happy days od my own childhood when my Dad came all the way from Chicago or when he was still living with us.

Daniel is standing right next to him and he's the first victim of my Dad's bearhug that can kill. With no shame and all the joy he wants to show, he speaks loudly so everyone can hear him, "Ah, Daniel, how is your missus doing, huh?"

It's a funny thing to see my father and Danny in a conversation. My father isn't afraid to speak loudly, and he never cared who hears what, but Danny always wanted to be polite and keep it quiet. You might as well just imagine an atomic bomb explode and then cricket sounds responding to it.

Even though it hurt all of us when Dad lost the custody and moved away, especially when he married again, Deidre is a perfect woman for him. She likes to be dressed magnificently and is in generally a very open person. So, it's predictable what she does when she sees me. "Oh, there's Nathan! And he has a baby!"

Keeping it subtle.

Dad looks up, completely unaware the entire party is gawking at him and the rest of the kids are intimidated by his loud posture, but when he sees me, he smiles widely and gives me a big wave that suggests he'll be right with me once he properly congratulates Aidan.

My mother groans next to me from all the dread she had for Deidre. And here, there's the rest of us groaning for the dread we have for her. "I can't understand what he sees on her."

"Is that jealousy, I sense?" I snort. I can't understand what my Dad ever saw in her. "Is it maybe because all these men give attention to her and not to you?"

"You are getting old with this, Nathan, and way over the line!" She barks back at me, once for a change not crying about how sorry she is. Surprising, but not enough to completely stun me.

Annabelle pulls onto the sleeve I rolled up right above my elbows, "Look, your Dad's coming!"

Nice distractions. I think if Annabelle weren't here, the saviour, this party would have already been in flames.

"Nathan," Deidre smiles, literally offering me her hand, like she's the queen. Really, Mum, what is there not to like about her?

"Hello, Deidre. What a nice tan for the beginning of summer."

She giggles, "Always a charmer, but I think this little guy is stealing all the attention from you now! Daniel told us what you did, and I think it's so incredible!"

Surprisingly, no one chokes on their drink.

"Thank you, you're one of rare people to actually believe in me. Even Dad told me to get it out of my head." I chuckle.

She dismays it with a wave of her hand, "Eh, what does he know! You were able to take care of your brother and sister when you were eleven years old, why wouldn't you be able to do the same thing now that you're thirty!"

I chuckle again, but this time not as convincingly as before. I can feel Annabelle's eyes on me the entire time. I never told her about what went down between my mother and me, so this is all a huge dump of information for her. Now, I'm kind of scared of getting home.

"Uhm, by the way, this is, uh, Annabelle. We came here together." I smile and this time she walks to the front by herself. Apparently Patty was the terrifying part for her.

Deidre, literally shocked, barely manages to stretch out her hand, "My God, am I hearing this right? Hello, honey, I'm Deidre."

Annabelle shakes her hand very reserved, "It's a pleasure, Mrs Price."

"No, no, Mrs Georgia. Kept my own last name, but by all means call me Deidre!"

This is like a circus. Everyone is basically licking Annabelle's ass the moment they learn she came here with me. It's true I don't bring women with me. I usually find them at the party and leave with them, but arriving with one is really not that big of a deal.

"What did I miss!" My Dad comes grinning our way once he is done talking to Patty about pregnancy, Aidan, Danny, marriage and all the other family sweetey-peetey stuff.

"Hey, Dad," I smile reluctant. I love my Dad, and he's one of the people I care about the most, but whenever he's literally standing right in front of me, it's all amazing, but still feels like there's a barrier standing there, like he's actually still in Chicago and this is just a projection of him.

"Nathan, my boy!" He wants to put me into a hug, but stops abruptly when he sees Devon. "Is this my new grandson?"

"Uh, yeah, his name's Devon."

Then Deidre jumps in, silencing my mother who was just about to say something, "And that's Annabelle, Nathan's girlfriend!"

I said we came here together!!!

Dad shoots his eyes at me, then at Annabelle and stay on her. He feels no need to try and disguise how weirded out he is right now. But then he pulls out one of his sleaziest smiles, and both Annabelle and I quickly exchange a look. "Well, this is a surprise! I'm Ray, Nathan's father!"

Annabelle flinches when he grasps for her hand and shakes it. There's just this problem that he keeps on doing it, he doesn't let go. It's like he's afraid she'll evaporate the moment he stops shaking her hand.

"It's a pleasure, Mr Price." She smiles, always polite just like Daniel.

"Oh, no, trust me, the pleasure is all mine!" He then looks at me, finally dropping her hand, which Annabelle grabs and rubs a little, "So, Nathan, tell me the whole story! And don't leave anything out!"

A/N: Hey, people! I'd love to write a funny comment on this chapter or anything, but I really have to tell you that until the end of May and throughout June, updates may be very scarce. I'll try to write, but don't get furious if I don't stick to the schedule. It's the time of exams and I have 12 of them looming on the horizon. I hope you all understand and I'll try to write as much as possible while I'm on this so-called hiatus. After I come back, when this whole madness ends, I'll do my best to give you as many updates as possible outside of the regular schedule. Thank you for your understanding and for your support!

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~Blackie