Page 29 of Never Till Now

“Cabin my ass, Charmer!” She shakes her head. “I’m very curious to see what the little getaway looks like on the inside.” She undoes her seat belt. “Let’s go. We know Mallory is probably going to chew us out for being the last ones here.”

I smile and follow her up to the door. The giant balloon is almost the same size as my niece. I shouldn’t be surprised Lauren agreed to come. She did say she has a soft spot for children. Maybe I’m overthinking too much. We can still have fun together and stick to the other rules.

“You’re here!” Mallory bombards us and throws her arms around Lauren. “Is that for me?” Her eyes light up toward the balloon.

“Yes, it is, birthday girl!” Lauren hands over the gift. “You only turn seven once.” She reaches into her large purse and pulls out a stuffed dinosaur. “This is for your brother.”

We make our way in and I shoot a warning look in the direction of my mother, whose eyes are full of bombarding questions. All eyes are on us. A wave of energy flows through me and I can sense nerves starting to radiate off Lauren without turning my head. She doesn’t flinch this time when I place my hand on her lower back to guide her forward. I feel her back expand as she takes a deep breath before stepping out of my touch. My sister smiles and goes straight for a hug.

“I’m Kelsie. Thank you for coming tonight. It means a lot to my daughter.”

“She had me at ice cream cake.” Lauren laughs.

I let the girls get acquainted and head to my parents by the kitchen bar. They quietly sip their wine, eyes squinted with soft, knowing smiles. Whatever they’re thinking, I don’t want to know. I can already read their thoughts about settling down and pumping out grandkids. I know if I want to keep this thing with Lauren, I need to lay down ground rules with my parents. Fast. I give my mother a kiss on the cheek and give my father a nod.

“She’s beautiful,” my mother chides. “Naturally beautiful, unlike the others we’ve seen leave our lobby.”

“A smart one too,” my father boasts. “Quick wit is a trait I truly admire.”

“Your younger brother is coming back in town tomorrow with his girlfriend from Italy.” My mother smiles with an implication that I’ve yet to settle down with someone and give her more grandbabies.

“Look, she’s nothing more than a friend and I don’t want you to scare her off with wedding suggestions or implying she give you grandchildren.” I hold my mother’s eyes with a pointed look. “She’s new to the city and not one for big family events. She came for Mallory, so behave.”

“Got it.” My mother gives me a dramatic thumbs-up. “Your relationship is still too early, and you don’t want me to ruin things.”

“Not too early. Just friends.” My father clears his throat in that tone to signal someone’s arrival.

I turn to see Lauren making her way over to us. She holds out her hand to shake my father's. By the rise of his eyebrows, she must have given a proper firm shake.

“Good to see you again, Mr. Wheaton.”

“Call me George, my dear.” My father points behind him. “Mr. Wheaton is behind me playing with his great-grandchildren.”

“I’m Helen,” my mother chimes. “Mallory doesn’t stop talking about you.”

“I don’t think I’ve done anything to leave an impression. I can’t imagine what she even says about me.”

“All good things, dear.” My mother smiles. “May I get you a drink?”

“A coffee would be great,” Lauren replies.

Lauren goes off with my mother as I scan the room for my sister. Her face is glued to her phone as her mouth droops. Whatever she’s reading isn’t partyworthy. I take a seat beside her on the couch and hand her a glass of wine. Even with makeup, the circles under her eyes look dark. Her phone screen clicks off and she takes a shaky breath. I keep quiet and let her make the choice to start talking or not.

“I don’t want to ruin Mal’s birthday,” she starts. “I just got the paperwork from the lawyer. Benson is completely terminating his parental rights.” Kelsie looks up at the ceiling and blinks before chugging a fifty-dollar glass of wine.

My gut caves in as the air leaves my lungs. That fucking asshole. How can someone never care to see their children again? How can you not wonder what new things they’ll learn, what they’ll look like, how they’ve grown into their own? I feel my nails start to indent my palms from clenched fists. I wish I was at the gym tonight to get my frustration out. I shake my head and finish off my drink.

“Fucking hell, Kels. I’m sorry it’s ending this fucking shitty.” My brain tries to rack up something more meaningful, but I fail. “At least you have family to stick by you.”

“Max said I need to take up kickboxing in case I ever see that prick again.” She smirks. “Maybe I’ll have him show me a few moves.”

“I’m sure Max and I would rather get to him before you do.” The bastard used our family name for success and publicity and is now running for the high life of models and his yacht.

“I don’t doubt that.” Kelsie stands. “I need more wine.”

The evening passes with ease. I give Lauren a tour of the chalet. Just like my penthouse, if she was blown away by the extravagance, she didn’t show it. She wore a humble smile the entire time and made easy, light conversation with everyone. After presents and a second piece of cake, we hit the road. Dark sky surrounds us with the glow of the dashboard. Much like our drive up, we’re quiet for the first bit.

“Your family is fun. I can tell how much you all love each other.” She’s first to break the silence.