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Whatever happened between last night and this morning is still a blank slate. I’m desperate to fill it in, but I have no idea where to even start, short of asking Darcy’s dad. Winding down the window, I breathe in the fresh air and sigh. I’ve got enough to think about now without worrying about that.
We pull into the parking lot of the airport and I grab my phone off the seat as I crawl out. I snort when I check it. Ten missed calls from Mom. I’m not calling her back since I’ll see her the moment I walk through the Arrivals door. It’s not exactly the biggest airport in the world.
I walk inside and glance around, tensing when I see Dad standing with their bags. Mom is pacing back and forth nearby, while my father stands there, the trolley overloaded with luggage, and a lei hanging around his neck. I shake my head, amazed by the volume of what they’ve brought with them. Jeez, you’d think they were here for a month, instead of just four nights—the shortest amount of time they could get away with without seeming like parents who didn’t care.
Not that Mom was shy when it came to hiding her feelings from me. She only cared about what everyone else thought of her. She was insistent on being here for as little time as possible, and made it clear to me that she didn’t agree with my decision to marry Darcy. I was used to that, though, because there wasn’t much my mother did agree with about my life choices.
“God, Lennon, it’s about time,” Mom frowns. “We’ve been sitting here for hours, waiting for you. If you were going to be late, you should’ve called us.”
“You could’ve caught a cab,” I frown, not sure this is entirely my fault, and I wonder if she didn’t, so she’d have something to whine about. Her eyes widen in shock. You’d think I’d just suggested she hitchhike naked to the resort.
“A cab?” she gasps. “Why offer to pick us up in the first place if you weren’t going to honor your commitment.”
“I didn’t offer,” I point out. “You asked. Or more accurately, you assumed. Demanded. Insisted. And it’s a cab I’ve come to collect you in, anyway—”
“Oh, so this is my fault for thinking my only son might want to pick his parents up from the airport, after they flew halfway across the world to attend some slapstick wedding he threw together in five minutes.”
That hurt, but I roll my eyes and do my best to tune her out, because if I listen to her shit for much longer, I’m going to do or say something I’m going to regret. While Mom frowns at me, I take a handful of their luggage off Dad and lead them out to the cab, not bothering to turn back to check whether they’re following me or not.
The drive back to the hotel is quiet. None of us say a word, but I’m good with that, and to tune out the silence, I listen to the radio. After they check-in and she has the porter take their luggage to the room, I lead them to the restaurant, where I’d made a booking for lunch. My mother had insisted on trying out the food before the wedding reception, and I’m bracing myself since I know she’ll criticize it. Nothing ever seems good enough, and she loves to make sure everyone knows it—especially me.
“How… quaint,” she says, looking around and frowning as we walk through the entrance. I swear, she clutches her purse a little tighter as she passes someone she clearly deems to be unsavory. I groan, just about at breaking point with her foul attitude.
“It wouldn’t hurt you to smile and be pleasant for a change,” I say when she scowls at the maître d’ showing us to our table. I grit my teeth for the umpteenth time. I’ve had enough of her already, and she’s only been here an hour. Well, a little longer if you count the time I made her wait at the airport.
My father chuckles at my comment, and she cuts him down with a glare. I squeeze my eyes closed and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. This is going to be painful. I’d wanted Darcy to join us for lunch, but my mother insisted on it just being the three of us. She hadn’t seen her little boy for so long, and all that bullshit.
Lunch drags on, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I’d never admit it to her, but I’m having a good time in their company. Mom has relaxed, and even Dad is managing to have a conversation with me. It’s been so long, I’d almost forgotten what his voice sounded like, and I don’t know how things got so bad between him and me.
