Part 46

What? Did she just say married?! Beyoncé groaned and grit her teeth, looking at Kelly, while Ryan just looked between them, one eyebrow raised and her nostrils flaring.

"Kelly..." Beyoncé groaned. Kelly was still so beautiful, Beyoncé thought regrettably as she watched the smirk tug at the older woman's lips.

"No it's fine bumblebee, I just thought I'd get more than a note and a text before you ran out and left me."

"Bunblebee?" Ryan raised a brow.

Beyoncé tensed still gripping Ryan's hand. Ryan was trying to take in the information but what the fuck did she mean married? She distinctly remembered Beyoncé saying she was divorced the first time they had met and she'd never brought up anything like having a wife.

What kind of marriage was this? And why did Beyoncé even want her to even hear this shit? Beyoncé's hand was still holding onto her, beneath the table picking her fingers up and squeezing.

"Who's this then?" Kelly's teeth sparkled against her skin as she extended her hand to Ryan.

"Uh I'm—" was all Ryan said before Beyoncé yanked her hand back silently. She knew Kelly could tell they were together and she didn't want to open Ryan up to that just yet.

"Anyways... have you met my daughter?" Beyoncé interrupted, hoping Kelly would have some respect for where she was.

Kelly gave her a pointed look, "you know I haven't."

Beyoncé pointed at Brooke across the garden feeling Ryan's hand settle on her leg. It was calming, it was comforting. But Ryan had a million questions and zero answers. She felt so awkward but she'd be there as long as Beyoncé wanted her to be, listening to this conversation trying to get more information.

Kelly's eyes widened noticing Brooklyns baby bump. "Wow Bey! The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree I guess."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Beyoncé's eyes narrowed, getting defensive. She could say whatever she wanted about her but Beyoncé drew the line at her talking about Brooke.

"Nothing bumblebee," she pasted a saccharine smile over her face and the blonde one grimaced.

Ryan's jaw clenched. She didn't like this conversation either. She felt defensive over Beyoncé, and at the same time she was mad at her. The older one had never said anything about a marriage yet here was this woman talking to her like she knew her better than Ryan did.

She clearly knew something Ryan didn't and Ryan hated that feeling. She narrowed her eyes, gaze darting between the two of them, jaw tight and unsure which one of them she was more mad at.

Beyoncé just rolled her eyes, "yeah okay..." she bit her lip trying not to cause a scene. "How are the boys? How is Tom?" The smoke from the barbecue made her cough and she wiped the thin layer of sweat forming above her lip.

Kelly swallowed, "it's Tim, you know that. And you'd know how they were if you stuck around instead of ditching them in the middle of the night."

Beyoncé sighed and Ryan got the sense she'd messed up his name on purpose. Ryan just couldn't tell if it was jealousy or something else making her do that.

Beyoncé and Kelly went back and forth trading comments that all seemed to have a lot of subtext Ryan was trying hard to catch. Kelly was mad Beyoncé had left her but Ryan couldn't figure out if Beyoncé was just in denial or whether they'd truly ever been married.

Then finally Brooke came over and handed Ryan a drink. Kelly looked at Beyoncé pointedly and she sighed introducing them.

"Kelly from when my mom was in high school?" Brooklyn asked, a strange expression on her face as she looked at the woman beaming at her.

"The one and only," Kelly stood up and pulled her in. "I'm sorry I have to hug you. I can't believe you're Beyoncé's baby."

Brooklyn smiled, looking at her mom who had the same fake smile as her plastered on her face. "It's nice to meet you, I'll see you around," Brooklyn said grabbing Ryan to get a plate with her.

Ryan said she didn't want to be left alone earlier so Brooke was just trying to take her off her mom's hands. Beyoncé couldn't do anything but let her go, her eyes lingering on Ryan already. She sighed. She knew this was going to be something she had to talk to Ryan about eventually but truthfully she didn't think it would ever come up.

"What was that about?" Ryan couldn't help but to ask Brooklyn. Her mom was married and it was never mentioned? The way it sounded made her wonder if Brooke even knew. She didn't seem to have even met that woman.

"She was basically my mom's first love. I dont think Kelly knew how she felt but my mom was like highkey in love with her."

"Oh," Ryan's eyes widened. That explained a lot but it didn't explain the marriage. "She said..." she trailed off. If she kept talking, ranting, trying to figure this out, she'd end up telling Brooke that she was fucking her mom again.

Instead Ryan tucked that information away for later. A marriage to her first love? Had they got married before her and Shawn or something? Was gay marriage even legal back then?

Brooklyn frowned, "what'd she say? My mom was acting all secretive about her a couple years ago. She hired a private investigator and stuff, it was weird." Brooklyn had mixed feelings about that. It was around the time when her mom started neglecting her so needless to say, she didn't really like Kelly.

"Oh, you never met her?"

Brooke just shook her head and they went over to grab some food, Brooklyn filling up her plate with ribs, 2 burgers, 2 hot dogs, some chicken and 3 pieces of corn. Ryan sipped her drink and immediately glared at Brooke.

"What did you put in this?"

"It's strong?" Brooke smirked. "Just cuz I can't drink doesn't mean you can't."

Ryan took another sip. This was going to fuck her up if she wasn't careful. She ended up going back for another plate of food and Julez joined them, both drinking while they ate.

Ryan glanced over to see Kelly was swiping hair from Beyoncé's face. It took everything in her not to jump up and flip the tables. But then Beyoncé actually jerked back and stood up to walk away. Ryan's heartbeat slowed. All this pretending was getting to her. There was no reason to hide their relationship, Ryan thought as she took another sip of her drink.

Chris's kids joined them to eat and Ryan had a distraction from whatever Beyoncé was doing. They all talked about nothing, the kind of conversations you have when you don't know someone. Ryan found out his daughter was studying to be a vet so they spoke a little bit about animal science versus veterinary medicine, Ryan getting an idea of how it was to study and considering whether she was truly interested in either.

Angie, Solange and Michelle were getting ready to play Spades and called Beyoncé over, who rolled her eyes trying to find an excuse so she didn't have to join in this game. Chris didn't know how to play and Michelle just smirked shaking her head. Kelly played instead and Beyoncé took the opportunity to get away from them.

She called to ask if her mom could make it but she was having an episode, which made Beyoncé sigh. Deep down, she knew it was a good thing because it meant she had less to stress over and less people to worry about. And God what if her mom had remembered Kelly? She never could keep her mouth shut.

Beyoncé busied herself instead with watching the kids and pretending not to look over at Ryan all the time who looked perfectly unbothered.

Ryan was having a good time now, ignoring Beyoncé though she could see her glancing over at her all the time. She couldn't tell if she was watching her or if she was watching Brooke but those eyes were never far from her. She smiled and pretended not to be paying her any attention. She was mad at Beyoncé. Who the fuck was Kelly?

Beyoncé eventually found Chris sitting and eating a burger and took a seat beside him on the white chair. They made small talk, about how the weather was perfect but Chris couldn't help noticing the way Beyoncé kept staring over at Ryan. Every time there was a lull in the conversation, Beyoncé's head would swivel to her.

"She's not gonna run away you know?" Chris chuckled.

"Whatever," she said with a scoff. There was no point in denying she was looking. Chris was the only one who knew all about their relationship so he could tell this was about Ryan.

"You finally got over yourself and got your girl back?" Chris smirked.

"Something like that," Beyoncé rolled her eyes but Ryan being called her girl made her swell with pride. She was hers, Beyonce didn't even have to question that. "But now Kellys here," she bit down on the inside of her lip.

Ryan caught her eye across the pool and rolled her eyes, a subtle smirk on her lips.

"Couldn't hide forever Bey."

Beyoncé groaned, "and why not? It was working out perfectly well." She grabbed another drink.

Everyone seemed in mostly good spirits, alcohol flowing and games being played. Kelly was over with her family still playing Spades. She was at the adult table while Ryan was with the rest of the young ones. Beyoncé cringed internally at the image. She really should've thought this one through.

Chris laughed at her. "You told Brooke yet?"

Beyoncé shook her head, "I was gonna tell her tomorrow. Any advice?"

"Nope," he shrugged. "She's gonna kill ya."

"Thanks Chris, real helpful," Beyoncé rolled her eyes. "What about you and Chelle?"

Chris looked over at her smirking. "What about me and Michelle?" He asked.

"What's up with y'all? I can tell there's something going on."

He just grinned, "she say something?"

Beyoncé shook her head.

"Then I won't either," he smirked and Beyoncé just had to roll her eyes. It was probably better that she didn't know anyway. She would just meddle and probably mess things up.

Besides, she needed to have words with Michelle. Michelle didn't know everything about her and Kelly but she knew her name and that was enough. She had no business bringing that lady to her house.

They both looked over to find Michelle talking to one of the kids and then Beyoncé's eyes roamed back over to Kelly. Kelly looked so comfortable and Beyoncé hated it. This was her family, her people. Kelly was intruding on her space. And she looked so happy to be doing so.

And she had that stupid picture of them as her lockscreen. Beyoncé remembered the date exactly, it was the day after the two of them got married. A private mini honeymoon where they'd celebrated for hours.

Ryan had seen the picture too. Beyoncé could tell the second she saw it because Ryan looked at her with a glare she hated, as if she was going to burn everything down. She'd never seen Ryan so quietly angry before as if there was something brewing beneath the surface. Secretly, it was a turn on for Beyoncé, she wondered how Ryan would fuck with this anger. But she also hated being the cause of this emotion. Ryan looked at her like she'd been betraying her.

Kelly. This must've been what she wanted. It had been so long, why did she even have that picture? Beyoncé wanted to cuss her out and she was about to when Kelly tried to talk to her again.

But then Michelle came over and they pretended everything was fine. Angie and Solange watched the small kids with cups in their hands, and Chris dipped in and out of multiple conversations.

He and Michelle looked to be avoiding each other but it seemed more playful than because anything was wrong. Beyoncé noticed but didn't say anything. She would find out eventually. Michelle with a bottle of wine was definitely a talker. The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful.

Beyoncé sidled up to "check" on the young people, casually resting her hand on Ryan's shoulder as she asked if anyone needed anything. Ryan shrugged the hand off of her, internally rolling her eyes to the back of her skull. Beyoncé kept trying to get close her.

She had been touching her intermittently throughout the day, arms brushing against each her, fingers slipping over skin. It was nothing noticeable but Beyoncé couldn't help it. She needed to be close to Ryan. Even if Ryan wasn't trying to be.

Ryan had met a lot of Beyoncé's family members over the day. Everyone seemed really nice. The only ones who acted weird were Chris and Angie. Chris clearly knew something was going on but he'd been nice about it, excited to meet her.

Angie, however, had practically interrogated her. She was nice about it, throwing her compliments every five questions. But while Angie made her feel good about herself, the questions were a little overboard. Ryan couldn't tell if she was just nosy or if she knew something was going on between her and Bey.

The sky had been dark for a while when Angie came to pull Beyoncé with her so that they could talk in private. Everyone had at least one drink in them and Angie turned to her younger cousin and squinted.

"You messing with that girl?" She asked plainly, pointing at Ryan.

Beyoncé saw red. How the fuck could Angie tell? She panicked, cheeks heating up which only made it more obvious.

"Beyoncé!" Her older cousin scolded. "She's like—"

"I love her okay," Beyoncé's arms slumped at her sides. She felt like a little kid again. Angie was always the one to tell her off if she did something stupid.

"Oh Bey," Angie's eyes softened. Beyoncé could be so impulsive when it came to love. Everything was so intense for her emotions, the sensible decision often blurred with her passions. She threw her whole heart into people when she loved them: family, friends, and especially lovers. She didn't even think and just let them pull her in and take whatever they needed from her. First Kelly and then Shawn and then... "How'd that happen?" Angie asked.

"I don't know Ang," the younger one sighed, running her hand through her hair. "It just did I don't know. I kept trying to deny it but it's been months now and every time I try to tell myself no, she keeps coming back."

Angie looked at her, confused but understanding. She could never judge Beyoncé for being who she was, even when she didn't really understand her little cousin. "You know bumblebee, when people keep coming back it's usually for a reason," Angie raised a brow and then she just made fun of her. "And you even got your lil girlfriend here from high school," she laughed, looking just like Beyoncé's mother when she did.

"You remember Kelly?" Beyoncé blinked, surprised. That was decades ago. Angie knew nothing about the marriage or even their relationship so why was she saying girlfriend.

"Duh, you wouldn't shut up about her. It was always 'Kelly did this, me and Kelly went here, Kelly's so pretty, Kelly helped me with my homework.' You were so damn smitten, had me and Solange planning a wedding behind your back." She laughed.

Beyoncé had never said anything about being more than friends with Kelly, but Angie could tell. It wasn't that Beyoncé wore her heart on her sleeve but Angie could always tell. There was something in the way Beyoncé's words would linger and her eyes would shoot down as if she was shy when Kelly came around.

Angie had met Kelly that one summer, when she came to help out with Solange. Beyoncé needed someone to watch Solange while she worked so Angie had come to spend the summer with her cousins. Beyoncé had invited Kelly everywhere. They worked together but every time she got a free moment it was all about Kelly. She wanted to be with her all the time. This was before they'd even started having sex.

Beyoncé sighed, "you know we kind of got married secretly?"

Angie's eyes widened. "What? Beyoncé what?!"

"Keep your voice down," Beyoncé said as everyone looked in their direction. "But I don't know what to do about Ryan because she doesn't know any of this and Kelly kind of let it slip that we were married."

Angie ran a hand through her hair looking at Beyoncé with two raised eyebrows. "Just tell her the truth. It's only a problem if you still want Kelly back." She looked at the expression on Beyoncé's face, "do you want Kelly back?"

Beyoncé opened her mouth to speak but at that moment Solange and Kelly came over. It was clear they'd both been drinking and catching up. The four of them had been really close growing up so Solange was excited to see the girl who was practically another sister to her.

"Look Bey it's just like old times," Solange beamed nudging them together, all the memories flowing through her.

Beyoncé forced a smile but her heart lurched again. Every time she saw Kelly it was like seeing her for the first time. She made her brain go fuzzy and Beyoncé lost the ability to be a fully functioning human. A firework sounded somewhere in the distance.

Angie smiled at them both but she knew Beyoncé was ready to get away. "It's getting late. Don't y'all have work in the morning?" Angie asked in that way only the eldest cousin could. A quiet encouragement and Beyoncé thanked her for it.

Solange checked the time and sighed, "we have to do this more often."

"Yup we do," Beyoncé smiled at the excitement on her little sister. "You should go see mama."

Solange groaned internally, "yes Beyoncé, I'll try and go tomorrow." She knew Beyoncé wouldn't let go of this until she finally went. It had probably been a year.

"Good," Beyoncé smiled, hugging Solange to say goodbye. "I love you," she said. Then she hugged Angie and then Kelly was there too.

"I'll stop by tomorrow, Bey," Kelly announced as she pulled her in, breathing in Beyoncé's floral perfume. It was the same one she always wore. At least, she'd worn it the last time they saw each other.

Finally when everyone else left the house, Ryan was going around and clearing things away. She wasn't usually this helpful but once she started she didn't want to stop. Beyoncé told her she was a guest and didn't have to help but Ryan had used the excuse to stay outside for a little while, finally by herself and away from all the noise. There had been so many people and so much going on, she just needed a break and some fresh air to think.

Beyoncé and Brooke both took showers, Brooke spending extra long because she had a lot on her mind after her heart to heart with her cousin earlier. He'd helped her put her mom's actions into perspective, and told her what he thinks she should do after she had the baby. He was also helping with her business idea. He thought she should start it before she finished college, and she agreed despite her parents both telling her to wait until after college.

Once everything was a little more tidied, Ryan went to take a shower as well, loving the feel of Beyoncé's soaps on her skin. She's missed how that made her feel, to smell Beyoncé on her even in the moisture of the shower.

When she got out and dressed into her pyjama set, she joined the mother and daughter on the sofa watching tv. Beyoncé and Brooke weren't really talking, Beyoncé was eating the last slice of cake and thinking to herself as she watched whatever was on the tv.

It had been a long day and they all needed a reset after all that talking and eating. The house had been full and there had been so much going on. Brooke had never been used to having that many people in her house, but being an only child, she always loved it. Still, she needed some time to unwind and recover.

It was surprisingly comfortable for all three of them to sit in silence. They were relaxed with each other and there was no pressure to talk. Beyoncé put on a movie. It was a thriller but the only one paying attention to it was Beyoncé. Brooklyn didn't really like the movies and Ryan was too busy thinking about Beyoncé and the way she'd acted with that woman and what it all really meant. Besides, she'd seen this film.

"Goodnight y'all," Brooke said yawning and finally standing to give her mom a hug. Then Ryan got one too, Brooke almost bumping into her.

"Damn your titties grew," Ryan couldn't help noticing. Brooke was tired and pregnant but the titties were really tittying. She wondered how big they'd get in the end.

"Right!" Brooke grinned. Even Levi had commented. "And it fe— never mind," she said remembering her mom was right there.

"Night Ry, night mom," she disappeared trudging up the steps and into her room.

Beyoncé and Ryan glanced at each other.

Both of them were tired but they wanted each other. Silence spread over the room, the only sound being from the tv in the background. The dim lighting didn't help the atmosphere as they both heard their own breath as it passed through their lungs.

Beyoncé gave it 5 minutes before she started inching closer to Ryan.

"Did you have a good day today honey?" Beyoncé asked, nervous about her reply. She wasn't ready to talk about Kelly yet so she hoped Ryan wouldn't bring it up yet. She also hadn't spent much time with her over the day, she'd just been watching her, trying to think of excuses to go over. She didn't even know if Ryan was feeling better after the thing with her parents from earlier on.

"Yeah," Ryan nodded. She wished the circumstances were different but it was nice to meet all of Beyoncé's family. Brooke's aunts were sweet and funny, and her cousins were also pretty good company. She'd even played with the little kids for a while.

Beyoncé slid her hand over to Ryan's leg eager for the contact, skin pressed against skin..

"Y'all's flight got cancelled so tomorrow you'll have a chance to rest." Beyoncé said, her hand sliding up and slightly into the leg of Ryan's shorts.

Ryan nodded. She didn't really care about that but she had so many questions stirring in her mind for Beyoncé. And Beyoncé's hand was inching closer and closer.

"How are you anyway? You seemed stressed," Ryan noted wondering if Beyoncé would explain on her own or if Ryan would have to ask directly about Kelly.

Beyoncé sighed, "I'm fine. You know, there was just a lot going on." Beyoncé had been rushing around all day, trying to host and make sure everyone was having a good time. But Ryan got the sense, her stress was more to do with that woman.

"Mm," Ryan hummed. Beyoncé looked like she needed extra help relaxing. And Ryan wanted answers more than she wanted to argue.

So she let Beyoncé climb on top of her, leaning down to kiss her face. Ryan reached her arms around her easily, holding her around her waist as she moaned into the kiss.

Ryan felt her body shudder in response. It was like Beyoncé had been needing this all day. And so had she. Their bodies melded together, in the sweetest kiss they'd shared all weekend.

She stifled a moan as Beyoncé's hips rolled into her and her lips ghosted the skin on her neck. Beyoncé was about to whisper something when a scream broke them both from their trance.

"Mom are y—" Brooklyn screamed looking at the scene in front of her. What the fuck was going on?

—————-

[A/N]Ahhh okay. Thoughts?? This has been coming since chapter 1. Finally Brooke found out. What do yall think? How's she gonna act? What's about to happen?

Anymore thoughts on Kelly? I didn't fully explain the backstory but she's gonna show back up in the next chapter

Thoughts on Bey? How she was acting?

Anyone else? Any other thoughts? The day went smoothly tbh. Thoughts on Chris and Michelle? Angie? I wanted to add her in so you could see the similarities between how Bey treats Solange and how she treats Brooke