After the silence stretched between them, Jayvaughn finally spoke. He reached for the phone and said to Dayonna, his tone steady but gentle. "Mom, we're not coming. Please greet grandmother and father for me."
On the other end of the line, Dayonna let out a long sigh. Her voice carried exhaustion and helplessness when she replied, "I already told your father you wouldn't be able to come. But while I was still speaking with him, your grandmother suddenly came inside. She looked your father in the eye and said she really misses you."
Jayvaughn's brow furrowed instantly, his lips pressing into a hard line. "Mom," he said firmly, "every time grandmother claims she misses me, it's because she's planning to stir up trouble. And I don't need anyone to tell me who that trouble is directed at. She wants me back just so she can target Axel, and I won't allow it. We're really not coming."
