AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Be more understanding!
Inhaling and slowly exhaling, I move back into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind me.
Paige is dressed apart from one boot, which she is in the middle of zipping up. Her gaze when she lifts it to mine is unhappy and her face is blotchy from crying. I swallow back my concern because I don’t want to let this go. I can’t. I know that I hurt her, that what happened was wrong and she’s forgiven me, at least I thought she had.
“Why are you doing this now when our relationship is so new?” Her voice is hoarse with tears as she drops into the chair by the window. “They never liked me. Right from the first they didn’t really want to let you take me to the beach house. You had to argue with them. They blame me for you taking a semester off. For screwing your timetable up.” She runs her fingers through her hair. “I know they’re your parents, Seth, which makes me feel bad, it’s just,” she holds my gaze, trying to appeal to me, but I don’t say anything, “why would I want to be around people I know don’t like me?”
I know I’m being unreasonable after the last dinner we all had together, but something is making me force the issue, which I hate. “I’m going to dinner with my parents this evening and I really want you to be with me.” I grab up a sweatshirt. “I’m heading out to practice.” I add over my shoulder, “Sofia is out front with Jaxon.”
Heading out, I say a distracted goodbye, drawing Jaxon’s gaze, but I quickly leave the apartment. The elevator takes forever to get to the ground floor but when it does, I stride out, bumping into Dylan on his way in.
Dylan grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop. “What’s going on with you?” He glances back to the elevator before focuses on me. “Argument with Paige?”
“Leave it.” I tug my arm free and sigh when I’m alone on the sidewalk.
Not for long though. “I’m not leaving anything. We’ve been friends for years, so talk to me. You’re going to kill someone on the ice in the mood you’re in.”
“Fuck,” I hiss a curse. “I want Paige to have dinner with my family tonight. She refused. End of story.”
Frowning, Dylan rubs at his jaw. “Let me get this straight. You want Paige to go out to dinner with your family after the disaster of the last time? And you’re pissed about it? Do I have that right?”
“I’m not in the mood, Dylan.”
“Duly noted, but…do you really blame her for wanting to protect herself? Last time your family treated her like shit. I don’t blame her for refusing.” He shakes his head. “You shouldn’t either.”
“I’m well aware how last time turned out, and I do get her reasoning, but hell Dylan, they’re my family. I want them to meet the girl I’m in love with. I want to put the past behind us. I don’t expect her to get along with them as I do her family because both of our families are completely different. I’m just afraid the longer we leave it the worse it will be. Except Paige won’t listen and refuses to go.”
Dylan sighs. “I get where you’re coming from but Paige has been through hell this past twelve months. After last time she needs to be able to breathe and your family suffocate her. Give her time and she’ll come around. It’s still fresh in her mind.” Dylan disappears into the apartment building while I’m left wondering if I’ve just been a complete ass to Paige. In fact, I know I have.
Instead of going back up and clearing the air, I continue onto the rink where I know I need practice after the other night when I’d allowed Paige to distract me. Although it was my thoughts as opposed to the actual woman.
My cell buzzes loudly from my back pocket and palming the thing, I decide to let it go to voicemail until I know what I’m going to say to my mother. I know she’ll never apologize to Paige, even if I ask her too, and I have a bad feeling that unless she does, there is always going to be some animosity between them.
66
Paige
My cousin, Sofia, is always a bubble of fun and after my argument with Seth, she manages to make me smile. She’s older than her brother, Jaxon, by eighteen months and likes to remind him of that any chance she gets. Of course, if Ryan was here then he’d be reminding them both that he was the eldest with a smug grin on his face. Ryan is the flirt of the three siblings and certainly loves the ladies that he meets at Kenza, the nightclub he manages with his father. Jaxon is more laid back and I’d even go as far as saying he was shy. Sofia is in between her brothers. She can be shy around men she’s attracted to but so easy going and fun around family and others.
Even now I’m trying to keep a straight face. I’m resting my elbows on the table and have my face cupped i
n my hands while holding her gaze. Sofia wears a large grin on her pale face, trying to get mine to match hers. My lips twitch and Sofia makes me jump when she suddenly snaps her fingers. “Tell me what is going on between you and that gorgeous hunk of a boyfriend.”
Rolling my eyes at her hunk comment, I counter, “Only if you tell me what is going on between you and that hunky Shane Fletcher.” I let the amusement reach my eyes now because Sofia has a soft blush creeping on to her face. I’d wanted to ask as soon as I’d known she was here, but I’d waited until Jaxon went to his room to give us some girl time.
“You first,” she mumbles.
“He wants me to have dinner with his parents, who I really don’t like.” I sigh. “After last time I’d be happy to never see them again.”
“Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.”
“I feel bad the more I think about it,” I admit. “His mother was horrid to me, but at the end of the day so was Seth that evening, and look at us now…well, before he left in a snit.” I slump down and rest my face on the table. “I love Seth, Sofia. I mean I really, really love him, and I can see myself growing old with him. I don’t want to hurt him like this because they are his family.”
“Yes, but his family were hateful toward you, so you have every right. I also can’t believe that Seth doesn’t give you more time.” Sofia frowns. “Unless, he just wants to get the first dinner over with now that you’re an official couple. That would make sense, instead of prolonging it. Get it over with.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “Why do you have to make sense?”
“Because I’m the clever one.” She smirks.
