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My jaw tightens, disbelief heating my blood. I can’t believe he just said that to me, as ifhe’sgetting any awards for being parent of the year. Before I can even find the words to defend myself—which I shouldn’t even have to—Caden beats me to it. “Daria did nothing wrong,” he says tightly. I can hear his own aggravation underlining his voice, his gaze icy as he looks at my parents. “She trusted Elaine’s dad to look after her, and he screwed up. Majorly.”
My parents look none too pleased at Caden snapping at them, even if I appreciate it. Mom shoots him a cool gaze of her own and says, “I’m sorry, but I believe this is a family matter.”
Oh, this is justtoofucking good.
“A family matter?” I repeat, unable to keep the heat from my voice. I feel Caden’s hand on my lower back—not to calm me down, but to show his silent support. Eyebrows pulling together in a glare, I ask my parents, “Since when has family ever mattered to you?” My voice tightens, words hard as I continue, uncaring if we are in the middle of a party, “Did it matter to you when you kicked me out when I told you I was pregnant? Didfamilymatter when you didn’t bother reaching out for three years? My daughter doesn’t even know you. So, how are you going to look at us and say this is a family matter?”
I almost want to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and I realize in this moment that I’m not upset—I’m angry. They’re standing here, acting as if nothing is wrong—as iftheydidn’t do anything wrong. And when I see their own aggravation flicker across their faces, I know I was right to come to this party without any expectations.
“This isn’t the time or place, Daria,” Dad says tightly, his gaze flickering around to make sure no one is watching. Because God forbid a scene was created that they are at the center of.
A bitter laugh escapes me, shaking my head. My gaze meets Cody’s. He stands by Louisa, both of them watching with concerned expressions. I know my brother wants to intervene. But I also know that he knows I don’t want him to. When I glance at Caden, he’s staring at my parents with a hard expression, that muscle in his jaw jumping beneath the stubble. When he glances at me, his eyes soften a little, and it trips my heart up.
What am Idoing? Why the hell am I here? Even if there are years between us, I still know my parents well enough to know, clearly now, that the invitation to their party was just them attempting to be amicable. Saving face. A small part of me hoped that, maybe, they would apologize for what they did, for icing out me and my kid. But looking at them now, I know that was a fool’s wish. They don’t care. If anything, I think they expectmeto apologize tothem. For what, I don’t know, because I know damn well that I’m not sorry for having Elaine and building a life for us as best as I could.
“You know what?” I ask, a short, incredulous laugh escaping me as I look at my parents. “This isn’t worth it. You two—” I clench my jaw at the twin glares they send me. “I want nothing to do with you two. And neither does my daughter.”
“Of course, you don’t,” Mom scoffs, her gaze knowingly sliding towards Caden. She arches a brow and continues, “Why would you, when you’ve somehow managed to trap a man of his caliber?”
Of all the things she could have said,thatstings. I fail to suppress the wince, mortified and angry heat rushing to my cheeks.Of course,she thinks I’m with Caden because of his bank account, and her belief makes my eyes sting with frustrated tears. But I refuse to let them fall, my throat tightening with effort.
Next to me, though, I can feel Caden practically vibrating with rage. “If you think for a second that Daria is as shallow as the two of you, then it’s obvious you don’t know her at all,” Caden snaps. His voice is quiet, but each word is laced with a fury of its own, glaring down at my parents with such intense fire that I see wariness flicker across both of my parents’ faces. Good.
Dad straightens his shoulders. “Don’t talk to my wife that way.”
Caden’s icy glare turns to my dad. “Sure, right when you stop talking to my girlfriend that way,” he returns.
I’ve had enough. I knew coming here wouldn’t resolve anything and, frankly, at this point, I don’t need anything to be resolved. Truthfully, this interaction, in its own way, was eye opening. So, I wrap my hand around Caden’s bicep, feeling him relax under my touch, and to him I say, “Come on. This isn’t worth it. We’re leaving.”
He doesn’t argue at all. Before we pull away, I look at Mom and Dad, both of whom stare at me with aggravation that I’m sure comes with the fact thatI’mleavingtheirparty. My jaw tightens, emotions raging, and I tell them, “Both Elaine and I don’t need you in our lives. We’ve been doing fine on our own these last few years, and we’ll still be fine.” My lips curl in disgust. “You don’t deserve to know my daughter. She’s got plenty of people in her life who love her. Your absence won’t be noted.”
I see my harsh words land. I see them grow rigid, like they didn’t expect to lose this battle. Once again, my parents underestimated me. I’m more than happy to prove them wrong.
We turn and leave, not letting them get another word in. I see members of my extended family watching us, and I see some of them look at me with pride in their eyes. These are people that have still been present in mine and Elaine’s lives even after the bullshit with my parents. Just because I’m cutting my relationship with Mom and Dad, doesn’t mean I will be with everyone else.
Right before we reach the exit, Cody approaches, and I find myself chuckling quietly as my big brother pulls me in for a hug. “I’m proud of you,” he says, giving me a squeeze. Emotion stirs, my nose stinging, but I keep a lid on it. “You’re a better person than them.” He pulls back and shares a look with Caden before smiling at me. “But I think we all knew that already.”
I laugh, my hand finding Caden’s. To Cody, I say, “You and Louisa wanna come over for dinner this weekend?”
My brother grins. “We’ll be there.”
When Caden and I are in the elevator and the doors slide shut, I let out a breath. “Well, that went about how I expected it would.”
He shoots me a look. “What happened to no expectations?” I crack a smile and shrug, and he pulls me to him, arm wrapping around my waist. When I look up at him, there’s a reverent look in his hazel eyes that traps the air in my lungs. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
I let out a breathless laugh, my own arms wrapping around him. “I feel kinda badass, walking out like that.”
That grin comes back, teeth dragging across his lower lip. “You totally were, honey,” he murmurs, closing the gap and pressing his lips to mine. I melt into him, heart fluttering, but he pulls back too soon. “I’m sorry your parents are such. . .”
I crack a smile when he trails off. “Stuck up, pretentious assholes? Unapologetic, blue-blooded snakes?”
Caden blows out a breath. “Yes, to all of the above.”
“Don’t be,” I say with a shrug, leaning into him. “What just happened. . . It feels like I’m finally cutting them off. For good. And honestly, I already feel lighter.”
It’s true. I honestly don’t feel like I’m losing out on anything by leaving my parents behind, once and for all. In an ideal world, I would have a great relationship with them, and they would be doting grandparents to Elaine. But in my reality, that’s not the case, and I’ve had years to come to terms with that. What I told them is true, too—both Elaine and I are surrounded by people who love us and care about us. Bianca, Tina, Cody, Louisa, Caden, and even his friends—they’ve all become our family. They’re more than I could’ve asked for.
When Caden and I step out of the elevator and make our way to the entrance, I feel his grip on my hand tighten when we both spot the gathering of photographers outside. No doubt waiting for him. It would be our first encounter with the paparazzi, and next to me, Caden lets out a breath.
