Family

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Church ended and everyone sitting in that sanctuary could agree that it was a wonderful service. Beyonce remained at the alter for majority of the time. She couldn't help but cry half the time because not only was she coming back to her God, but she was finally releasing the thing that controlled her life for seventeen years.

Once service was over, the family walked out of the sanctuary and, obviously, Tina, Ray, and Pattie stopped to talk to the older men and women of the church. Beyonce, Shawn, Cadence, Solange, Brannon, and the girls weren't waiting around, knowing how long it would be.

Beyonce took Bryelle, Essence, and Joy, while Shawn took Brannon, and Cadence and Solange drove themselves back to Tina's. Nobody felt like waiting all day for them.

As soon as they all got to the house, everyone immediately came out of their church clothes. Went from dresses and suits, to jeans, sweats, hoodies, and T-shirts.

Beyonce changed into some black sweats, that might have been Bryelle's, and a regular black zip up. Then, because she hadn't had breakfast that morning, she went down to the kitchen.

Joy was down in the kitchen, sitting at the island while she ate some leftovers from the night prior. She looked up from her phone, and her eyes softened a bit when she made eye contact with Beyonce.

The two didn't speak much that day because there was still tension from the night before. Neither of them could honestly look at each other without imagining the things they confessed the prior night.

Bey shook off those nerves and took a seat next to Joy.

"Hey, Joy." She said as she leaned her elbows on the counter.

Joy looked up at her and smiled softly.

"Hey, BB." Her voice was soft and tentative. Joy was also feeling the tension of the situation they were both in. When she saw Beyonce, she could only imagine what happened with her dad. Was it only once, or did he do it multiple times?

She didn't want to believe he would do something like that to his own niece, who was just fourteen, but he did it to his own daughter. That proved that he had no limitations to who he did it with.

"Did you enjoy church this morning? I think it was pretty good." Beyonce said after a moment of silence. Reminiscing about the service that morning brought chills down her spine.

She never would have thought that she would've gotten so emotional. It was completely unexpected, but she wasn't upset in the slightest. Once she left the sanctuary, she felt an unfamiliar, yet familiar presence. A presence that made her feel like she was untouched. Protected. She knew what it was.

"It was nice. I really liked the choir." Joy replied. Beyonce hummed.

"Okay, I know I'm trying to avoid this, but we need to talk about the situation." Beyonce sighed after she had enough of tiptoeing around the heavy subject.

Joy nodded, agreeing that she was also tired of not discussing the main topic.

"At dinner, we'll tell them. Be prepared for the reactions from everyone. If you need to, sit by me. I don't want your father to have any kind of access to you." Beyonce said with a firm voice.

"What if he-"

"It doesn't matter what he's gonna try to do. Joy, he's not touching you, okay? If anything, Aunt Pattie will take you and Essence, but if not, I got you and your sister." Beyonce said, taking Joy's hand in hers. She felt it trembling and her heart broke.

Joy didn't deserve to feel this way. She was the absolute sweetest person anyone would ever meet. Beyonce, as she looked at Joy, saw herself in her. She saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.