Timing was everything and Daggum Hammor had things planned to a T. So it was no surprise to Shara Calloway that she and Micah arrived at the Manhattan just after Faye left. That was the whole idea. And she also knew that the rest of the guests were right behind them. It was just as well.

Shara had given a lot of thought about how to handle this rather larger-than-expected family reunion. People were going to meet here that had never met before (and be blindsided by their existence), or hadn’t seen each other in decades. There was a lot that could go wrong.

But this was Faye and Daggum’s wedding and she was adamant that family politics and drama would not play a factor.

The one request she had given Hammor was to schedule Nadine’s arrival after hers and before Gavin’s so that she’s have a chance to make proper introductions. They were going to lay out the situation for everyone and then agree to put a pause on the inevitable discussion after after the wedding. As they waited for Nadine to arrive, Shara couldn’t help but pace. She glanced at her husband (the phrase no longer giving her pause) and blew out a breath. “I am going to be one of those wrecks of a mother-of-the-bride, I just know. Promise me that if I start to go weird, you’ll just sedate me. Safer for all.” She was joking… mostly.

Soon enough, Nadine’s shuttle arrived and her younger look-alike, stepped off with a large duffle bag over one shoulder and a large flat case with a handle in her other hand. She grinned the instant she saw them. “The other daughter has arrived!” she said, breaking into a laugh. It was gonna be all kinds of awkward at times, this she knew, but they were going to have to do this meet-and-greet thing at some point. What Nadine wasn’t sure yet was whether Shara had even told anyone about her yet. Faye had seemed to think their mother was going to take care of it in advance, but from she had learned about the woman that birthed her was that when it came to family drama, Shara was rather face a firing squad that deal with it. She could be mad or offended, but she wasn’t. It was just Shara. The woman was one of the bravest she had ever known, but all bravery had limits. This was hers.

“About time,” Shara said, genuine warmth in her expression as she swept her eldest child into an embrace, sneakily shifting the case into one hand to relive her daughter of her burdens. One down, another family unit to arrive. If there were any gods out there, may they have the teensiest bit of mercy for her poor soul. Because otherwise it was going to be a metaphorical bloodbath. But if so? Let the games begin. they had a few hours before this wedding started.

“Who are we waiting on?” Nadine asked.

“The groom, and… my brother and his wife and daughter,” Shara said.

~Shara & Co.