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Saturday afternoon, we head to Surrey to have dinner with my mother at her home in the country. When my father passed away, my mother inherited all of his property, which included an estate in Surrey and a house in London. She mostly stays in Surrey, surrounded by her flower gardens and a small pond.
It’s about an hour away, so we leave mid-afternoon and enjoy a leisurely drive through the countryside.
When we arrive in Surrey, I reach for Kennedy’s hand. “Sweetheart, I need to make a quick stop on the way to Mum’s house.”
“Okay,” she says with some hesitation, looking a bit perplexed.
“It won’t take long, I promise. I just need to take care of a bit of family business.”
Bruce drives us to the destination, and when he pulls up in front of a sprawling old estate, Kennedy tenses in her seat. “This was your grandfather’s house. Why are we coming here?”
“It was,” I say. “Now a relative is living here. I just need to pop in for a sec. I won’t be long. You wait in the car.” I kiss the back of Kennedy’s hand, then lean forward and kiss her on the lips. “Ten minutes, sweetheart. That’s all.”
I exit the car and walk up to the front door and ring the bell. The housekeeper answers the door.
“Hello, Emma,” I say. She worked for my grandfather for decades. We know each other well.
“Connor, what a pleasant surprise! We weren’t expecting you, were we?”
“No. This is an impromptu visit. I’ve come to have a quick word with my aunt. Would you mind summoning her, please?”
“Of course.” Emma steps back and motions for me to come inside. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the sitting room? I’ll let Ms. Murphy know you’re here.”
“Thank you.” I kill time while waiting by perusing the collection of family photographs that line the bookcases and fireplace mantel. Angelica never married and has no children of her own. These photos showcase all of her nieces and nephews, as well as their children.
“Connor, how nice to see you. I didn’t know you were back from the States already.”
I turn at the sound of my aunt’s breathy voice coming from the open doorway. Apparently, she wasted no time coming. “Angelica.” There’s no warmth in my greeting. No smile on my face.
“I was just about to have afternoon tea,” she says, nervously smoothing her skirt. “Would you like to join me?”
“No. This isn’t a social call.”
She appears apprehensive, as well she should be.
“I’ll make this quick,” I tell her as I head in her direction. I stop a couple of feet from her and face her head on, looking her directly in the eyes. “If you ever say another unkind word about Kennedy—my futurewife—I will make sure you regret it. Am I being perfectly clear?”
We both know I hold all the cards here. She lives in this house because I allow it. She has no income other than the generous monthly stipend I provide to her.
Angelica swallows hard. “I don’t know what you’re—”
I lift my hand, cutting her off. “I don’t want to hear any excuses.” I walk past her, out into the foyer, and head for the door.
“Connor, wait!” she calls as she hurries after me.
But I ignore her because she has nothing to say that I want to hear. If she can’t be civil to Kennedy, we don’t need her in our lives. Kennedy will always come first.
My heart is a little bit lighter as I leave Angelica’s and return to the car. I slide in beside Kennedy and kiss her. “Did you miss me?”
She laughs. “Hardly. You were barely gone five minutes.” Then her expression sobers. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, perfectly fine.” I link our fingers and rest our joined hands on my thigh. “It was just a bit of overdue family business.”
We continue on our way to my mum’s house, and when we arrive, Bruce drives us up a paved lane to the front of a sprawling estate. He passes the tiered fountain in the center of a circular drive and deposits us at the front door.
As she gets a good look at the place, Kennedy’s dark eyes widen. “Connor, it’s stunning.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I lean toward her side of the car and peer out her window. “This place is special to me. It’s where I grew up.”
