AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart stuttered as blood roared in my ears.
“I wouldn’t count on it.” The words rolled off Xander’s tongue with smooth conviction.
I knew he was only deflecting the question, but God, it hurt—to hear him so flippantly dismiss Asher’s suggestion.
“You’re not hungry?” Poppy nudged me, noticing my untouched food. It all smelled so good, but now I had a pit in my stomach.
“I… I have a bit of a stomachache,” I whispered. It wasn’t a complete lie.
Would they ever accept us?
Would we ever be welcomed into their families?
I glanced up, my eyes colliding with Xander’s again, and he frowned as if he felt the change in me. My lips curved into a small smile, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes, the reality of our situation pressing down on me.
Surely, he had to know hearing those words would hurt?
“Excuse me,” I announced, standing, the crushing weight of everything too much to bear. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Better hurry, Peyton,” Aaron called after me. “Before Dad eats all the ham.”
Laughter filled the air as I slipped out of the room and hurried down the hall.
Frustration vibrated through me. I’d known today would be hard, but I hadn’t anticipated to feel so… so out of my depth. I cared about Xander; I cared about him a lot. I wanted nothing more than to give us a real shot. But being here, surrounded by my friends and their parents, to hear him talk like that, it seemed impossible to have faith that things would work themselves out.
Inside the bathroom, I locked the door and pressed my head against the wood, inhaling a ragged breath. I wanted someone to talk to about everything so badly. To reassure me that everything was going to be okay. That Xander and I could survive this. I needed him. I needed him in a way that terrified me. He was my buoy, keeping me afloat in a sea of darkness.
The vibration of my cell phone pulled me from my thoughts, and I retrieved it from the pocket in my dress.
Ellis: Are you okay?
Such a loaded question.I quickly typed a reply.
Me: I don’t know… this is harder than I thought it would be.
Ellis: I didn’t mean what I said. You know that, right?
Me: Yeah.
Ellis: We’ll talk about this later.
Pocketing my cell,I rinsed my hands and stared at myself in the mirror. I’d been so excited to see Xander today, to dress sexy for him and enjoy the heated glances across the room. I hadn’t anticipated how insecure it would make me feel. Instead, I felt like his dirty little secret.
The thought punched me in the chest.
When I rejoined the table, Lily shot me a questioning glance. “Okay?” she mouthed, and I nodded, slipping into my seat. Xander’s stare was heavy, but I didn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t.
Reluctantly, I picked at the heaps of food on my plate, trying to stave off any further concern from Poppy or anyone else. When I was done, I pushed it forward slightly, pretending to listen to the many conversations going on around the table. Kaiden commanded most of Xander’s attention, discussing the football game airing later.
“Okay, okay, pipe down,” Jason stood, clinking a fork against his bottle of beer. “I’m pretty sure it's tradition to say a few words before the food, but I’ve never been one to do things by the book. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I feel blessed to spend today with my family. Because that’s what you all represent. I have known Cameron and Asher for the best part of thirty-five years and thank my lucky stars every day for their friendship. And now, our kids are growing up, ready to fly the nest and I realized that this is the last year we might all be together.”
The women around the table were misty-eyed as my friends looked a little embarrassed at his heartfelt words.
“And I know Asher was joking earlier about needing a bigger table next year, but I want you all to know that our table will always be big enough for you and your future… partners.” He swallowed over that last word.
“Okay, Dad. I think we got the message.” Poppy chuckled.
“I think it’s very sweet, babe.” Felicity pulled her husband down into his seat and leaned in to kiss him.
