Draya was finer than a motherfucker.
I hadn't seen her in person since we broke up officially, and that was a little after we graduated law school — something Brielle didn't know.
Brielle had actually introduced us because she thought we would make a good fit.
I thought so too at first. But Draya got toxic and too clingy, and me confiding in Brielle led to us sparking an unexpected flame that just wouldn't die out.
I couldn't believe it when she quit her dad's firm and moved to London to start fresh.
I know why she did it, and I hated it for a while. But the more time I spent with Brielle, the more I forgot about Dray'.
Truth be told, the only reason I kept things going with Brielle was because she reminded me of Draya.
If I had the time and energy to deal with Draya breaking all my shit and trying to cause problems between me and my clients, I would've gone back to her and let Brielle go...maybe.
But as the years passed and Brielle's softness grew on me, it got harder to walk away.
"Welcome back, sickness. What, you pregnant or something?"
Aunt Judy announced Brielle's return and threw a shot at Draya at the same damn time.
It was always something with those two.
If they weren't at each other's throats about Aunt Judy being drunk all the time, they were going at it about Draya not having a man.
Sometimes I felt like Aunt Judy knew more than she was supposed to know about me and Draya, and that's why she always had something to say.
But I never intervened. Just in case she did.
"No, I'm not pregnant," Brielle said as she took her seat next to me. "It must've been from drinking last night. You know I don't drink much."
"It would be nice if my baby girl had a baby, though," Linda said. "One of my children has to give me some grandchildren before I get too old to care for them."
I hated when they started talking about having babies and shit.
It was an uncomfortable conversation because at one point, Draya was pregnant. But no one knew because I didn't want Brielle to find out that we were still fucking around.
I don't even know if the baby was mine or not.
We just assumed it was, and I talked her into having an abortion to keep my secret safe.
"Well, it won't be me," Brielle said. "No time soon, anyway. Kannon and I are too busy with work right now to be having babies."
"Enough of the baby talk," Percy cut in. "I have some good news for everyone."
He stood up in the middle of grubbing to make sure he had everybody's undivided attention.
Draya was the only one who didn't look at him—she couldn't stand him. And I was the only one who knew why.
I couldn't stand the old creep either. But he had a lot of influence as the U.S. Attorney General, and enough dirt on me to keep me quiet about the nasty shit he did to his own daughter.
"As we all know, I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into building my career from the ground up. I started as a paralegal and worked my way all the way up to U.S. Attorney General. And while it's been a wild and fun ride, I think it's about time for this old man to step into another avenue. So, right here in front of you all, I'm proud to announce that Percy Champagne will be running for mayor of Forest Lake, Illinois."
I thought he was going to say he was retiring and wanted to give Draya the firm.
That would've made the most sense to me, considering the hell he put her through. But when he dropped the bomb at the brunch table that morning, I almost shit a brick.
"Oh, my God!" Linda gasped. "Percy, are you serious? That's amazing news!"
While everyone at the table cheered and gave him a round of applause, Draya and I were stuck on stupid.
I knew damn well that if Percy became the mayor of anything, he would use his title to do more harm than good.
And that's not to say I was always the perfect man, because I had skeletons in my closet too. But none of those bones were as young or as important as Percy's.
"Congratulations, Dad!" Brielle smiled. "You'll be the first black mayor ever in Forest Lake. That is amazing."
It was amazing if you didn't know what kind of man Percy Champagne really was. And Brielle was clueless.
That was another issue I had with her—she was naïve and not street smart.
Not like Draya. And definitely not like me.
"Well, let's not get our hopes up too soon," he chuckled. "I still have to get the campaign together, pick a good team, and make a great impression on the people of Forest Lake. That's where I could use the help of the soon-to-be bride and groom."
I looked at Brielle, hoping she would read my eyes and speak up where I couldn't. But I didn't have much faith in that.
She loved the ground her daddy walked on and would've never gone against him. Not even for me.
"Okay." She looked at me. "What can we do to help? You know we don't mind."
But I did mind.
I minded a lot, actually.
I didn't want to be at her parents' estate in the first place because it meant I had to be fake with Percy.
Shit, if it wasn't for him hanging skeletons over my head, I probably wouldn't have asked Brielle to marry me.
Not when I did, anyway.
"I'd like to invite my team and some of the press to the engagement party this weekend," he said. "I think it'll be a great way to introduce the people of Forest Lake to who I am as a man, and who the Champagne's are as a family. Of course, you can decline, because it is your engagement after all. I just thought I'd ask."
He gave me a look that dared me to say no.
I wanted to say HELL NO!
But he had me by the balls with everything he had on me.
If I could've gone back in time and found another lawyer to fight the case that could've ruined my life, I would've never asked Percy Champagne for his help.
"What do you think?" Brielle asked me.
I was still stuck.
And Draya's eyes were burning holes in my face, waiting for me to answer.
I already knew that if I said the wrong thing, she was going to cause more hell than she already had. So, I let Brielle make the decision.
"It's up to you," I said. "He's your father, not mine."
I could tell she didn't like my answer.
Percy didn't like it either, but just like me, he had to keep his cool if he wanted to keep his secrets far away from his campaign.
Because even though he had dirt on me, I had shit on him too, and he knew I wasn't afraid to back down. Even if it meant being exposed.
"Okay then. I guess we're having a political celebration," Brielle said. "Let the campaigns begin!"
"Yes!" Percy cheered, and the rest of the family clapped with him. "The Champagne family is on its way to the top!"
Draya was so disgusted with what was going on, she got up and stormed out of the brunch hall.
I wanted to go after her and comfort her and figure out what the hell we could do about shutting down Percy's campaign.
But that would've looked crazy. Especially to Brielle, who I knew was on the fence about my so-called dream.