Did he invite people from his work? The couple behind him look like the picture of perfection and class on the outside, but I swear the hair on the back of my neck stands up.
In one sentence, every ounce of luck I’ve had runs out.
“Mia, sweetheart, Adam’s parents are here.”
Chapter 34
Adam
“Well, isn’t this a lovely event?”
That voice has my entire body stalling halfway down the stairs. This cannot be fucking happening right now.
No. This isn’t real. I do not hear my father’s voice. But when I look down, my eyes lock with Mia’s and my heart drops into my stomach.
“Oh, there he is. Come on down, Adam.”
Great, he’s using his politician voice.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I’m not entirely sure what emotion fills my body first as I see my parents standing there with their fake showboating smiles. Rage is probably the answer, but this paralyzing fear kicks in right after.
“Adam.” Mia’s panicked voice rips through my chest, and despite the small shake of her head telling me no—I have to get to her.
Racing down, I take Mia’s hand in mine and angle her behind me. “What are you doing here?” There’s zero warmth in my voice, and with Mia now behind me, Patrick gives me a concerned look. “Is everything okay here?”
“Of course—” Dad starts, but I don’t let him finish his bullshit.
“No, it’s not. You weren’t invited and you’re not welcome to stay.”
My mother places a hand over her heart. “Adam, this is silly. We’re here to celebrate our grandchild. Don’t you think we can all save face and talk about this later? Mia, I know you’re new to this family, but this is not Reyer behavior for throwing parties.”
“Now, hold on—” Patrick starts, but this is for me to handle.
“Don’t speak to her. You don’t have the fucking right to look at my wife. But since you brought it up, she’s not a Reyer. I won’t be burdening her or our child with that name.”
Their facades crack, but like fucking whiplash it comes back, and I see the fight calling in my father’s eyes.
“Yes, now that you mention it, I saw that little name change of yours.”
Ah, so that’s what’s brought them here. His fucking pride’s hurt because I erased his last name. There’s bound to be another angle I’m not seeing, but at this point I don’t care.
Mia squeezes my hand tightly and when she faces my parents head on, she doesn’t freeze. She holds her head high and in her calmest voice says, “It’s time for you to go. You’re not welcome in our home.”
Another chip at their ego, and this time they don’t fully recover. The fake politician bullshit act my father typically has in public is nearly gone. I’m sure he thought their appearance would be intimidating enough that I’d roll over and be just as compliant as I was as a kid.
The tension in the air is damn near suffocating, but I won’t fold. I won’t back down.
Patrick takes one step…and it’s one slightly in front ofme. “Well, I believe we can all agree that this beautiful shower doesn’t need a scene, so why don’t we move outside?”
A beat of silence passes, and I know damn well it’s so Harrison Reyer can count down in his head. “I thought your hospitality would be better than this, Patrick. Asked to leave our own grandchild’s baby shower. With no chance to even speak to our daughter either. I wanted to meet her fiancé.”
“The hell you are. Stay away from Cal?—”
The door behind us opens, and this entire situation goes from fucking bad to a motherfucking nightmare.
The smirk on my father’s face makes me sick. “Oh, look, there she is. Calliope, perfect timing.”
