“Mother!” I pull out my brightest smile and tug Grey inside. I let his hand go and run my sweaty palms down my jeans. Could this be any more embarrassing?
She merely crooks her perfectly red painted lips into a smirk. I swear I can feel my soul burning under her bright blue stare. “Olivia,” she says through shiny, white, gritted teeth.
I gulp and shift my eyes onto Grandmother, who is eyeing Grey with a toothy smile. “Grandmother Millie. It’s so nice to see you!” I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her. She sighs contentedly and gently rocks me back and forth. I close my eyes and soak in the soothing aura she surrounds me with as she rubs my back.
“Olivia, it is so nice to see you.” Her voice wavers. “You have grown so big! And you’ve brought a boy with you.” She whispers the end and shakes her frail hips slowly.
“Gammie!” I gasp and pull back to catch her winking at me before waggling her gray eyebrows at the said boy. If only she knew he wasn’t just a boy to me.
I roll my eyes as she waves at Grey, who smiles in return and waves back. I laugh behind my hand and shake my head. If only he knew how scandalous she can be, he wouldn’t be waving back. I tuck my hair back and walk over to my father.
“Missed you,” he says softly, his glasses gleaming under the sparkling chandeliers’ light above us. I walk into his arms, and he sighs like, until now, he hasn’t been breathing. I glance at Mother, who narrows her eyes at me in irritation. I look away and hug him a little tighter.
“We saw each other last month, Father.” I laugh. “For your birthday, remember?”
He shrugs and pulls back, regarding me with adoration. “Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you.”
My mother claps her hands together. “That’s enough reuniting, don’t you think?” she says, and I pull away from Father to find her smiling like the Cheshire cat.
“But I have someone to introduce—”
“We should really get some refreshments,” she says, slicing through my words. “I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies before you came.”
“But, Mother—”
“I had Louise squeeze a few lemons to wash it all down,” she says cheerfully.
“But—” I begin to say again, gritting my teeth in growing frustration.
“And then we can go outside before everyone else arrives—”
“Cheese and crackers, Elena. Let her speak,” Grammie says, throwing her hands up in the air.
I stifle a laugh and walk backward to link an arm around Grey’s. I’m surprised he’s been so quiet. I hope he isn’t nervous…totally doubtful, right? I mean, I haven’t seen him nervous before, and because of my family? I barely hold back a bellow of laughter at the thought.
“Thank you, Gammie.” I smile appreciatively, and she blinks at me in that sweet grandma way. I feel my face flush red, and I take a deep breath before announcing, “Everyone, this is Grey. Grey, this is my grandmother, Millie, my father, Leo, and my mother…whom you have already…met…Elena.”
“Hello everyone.” He flashes a sparkling smile that takes me aback. He turns to Gammie, who is approaching him and waves a finger at her. “I see you eyeing me, Ms. Doesn’t-look-her-age. I think Olivia meant great-aunt.” Suck up.
“Oooh, I like him,” Gammie coos and chuckles whole-heartedly as she takes him in her arms. She shakes him side to side and sneakily glides her hand down his leather jacket to grip his hips. “And a nice set of poppers. Oh my.”
“Grandmother!” I gasp. She is too shameless!
Grey waves a hand to dismiss me as she pulls away, beaming up at him with shining blue eyes. “It’s fine, I get it all the time. You of all people shouldn’t be surprised I have star quality.” I roll my eyes and grin as he winks at me. Gosh, he can be so full of himself. And with my grandmother, nonetheless.
“Cocky,” I whisper under my breath, clearing my throat as he walks over to my father and holds out a hand.
“Grey Wyler. The love of your daughter’s life,” he jokes. Father looks like a piece of paper, pale and stiff. “I’m guessing I can just go ahead and call you dad?” Arrogant son of a—
“Lots of…tattoos and…and the leather jacket…” he mumbles, regarding Grey with a perplexed expression. I knew this would happen. My father wears polo shirts and ironed pleats, and he’s only been exposed to other men who dress the same as him, some even dorkier. Of course he is taken aback and uncomfortable. He was shy before, but now that he’s taking in Grey’s attire, it’s growing worse—fatal.
I step forward and clear my throat. “Father,” I breathe out, exasperated.
“Sorry, sorry…Mr. Westerfield to you.” He places his hands in his pressed slacks, staring Grey in the eyes. The room falls silent, too silent. I shift back and forth on my feet.
Jesus, Father…
“I think we should head to the parlor now,” Mother interjects into the thick silence in the extravagantly decorated foyer. “I’ll have Louise bring the cookies and lemonade. Come now, everyone.” She saunters toward the parlor without a response from any of us. There’s my mother for you.
I sigh and walk over to Grey, linking my fingers through his. “I’m sorry about my family. They can be…eccentric.”
He chuckles and leans down to whisper, “Trust me, I grew up with eccentric, and they aren’t that. A little peculiar, but not crazy or anything.”
We enter the parlor, where classical music is on low. I can just hear Grey’s snarky, rude comments roaming around in his head, desperate for an escape. Luckily, he keeps up the charade that he’s politely pleasant and grins. I take a seat in one of the crisp floral couches with Grey. Louise enters with a shiny silver tray of warm cookies and a pitcher of lemonade.
“Louise, this is—” I begin to say as she comes over to me.
“Oh, I know who he is,” she cuts me off with a strained smile. Oh no. I widen my eyes when I realize what she’s going to do even before she does it. She isn’t going to, though, is she? “You’re the infamous Grey. She’s told me all about you when she came last month.”
“Good things, I hope,” Grey says with an air of confidence, gently nudging his shoulder with mine. I smile at him, cringing on the inside.
“She told me about how you broke her heart.” Her faux smile drops, and she leans down and harshly whispers, “Si la lastimes de nuevo, y me refiero a jamás de nuevo, no dudaré en arrancarte la cabeza y dar de comerla a mi pitbull.” (If you hurt her again, and I mean ever again, I will not hesitate to tear your head off and feed it to my pitbull.)
“Louise, have you started on the scones? Our guests will be here any minute,” Mother says in an authoritative tone.
Louise straightens and says cheerfully, “Coming, Mrs. Westerfield.” She gives Grey one last look of murderous intent before turning on her tennis shoes and storming into the kitchen, muttering wicked things in Spanish.
Oh God.
It’s quiet between us before he laughs and nods. “Well, she’s a ray of sunshine.”
“To be fair, you did break my heart,” I defend myself. “I tell her everything. I couldn’t not confide in her.” I chew on my lower lip and flick around a charm on my wrist. The image of me curled up on my bed, crying and ranting to her about how he ripped my heart out of my chest like the bastard thief he was, flashes through my mind, and I re-adjust in the couch and smile half-assed.
When I look into his eyes, he looks genuinely apologetic. “I’m sorry. You know that, right? I will never hurt you again.” The raw emotion behind his voice sends a chill through my spine, making me sit up and glide my hand toward his. His lips twitch at the action.
“I know that.” Emotion hints through my words as well. He smiles, and I see how much he wants to lean down and capture my lips against his. Trust me, I want the same thing, maybe even more. But we remember that we aren’t alone and those three are quieting down from whatever chatter they descended in.
Someone clears their throat, and we turn our heads to find Mother smiling at us with the creepiest grin. I shift closer to Grey, gripping my hand in his. I swear I see her flinch. She probably mentally stabbed Grey just now…I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Olivia, do you mind if I talk to you before our guests arrive?” she inquires, raising her dark eyebrows. The way she said it leaves me no room to say no. She speaks this way a lot.
“Of course, Mother,” I reply with an equally large grin. She blinks graciously and stands, patting down her crisp, white dress. She begins to leave the room, her six-inch Louis Vuitton’s echoing off the walls. I suck in a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for this. A lecture, a screaming match—I saw it coming. I’ve been training for this on the ride here.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Grey says, rocking his jaw back and forth.
“It’s cute you think that,” I say with a sad smile. He frowns and tugs at my hand, a plea nearly tumbling from his lips. I straighten my mouth and admire his protectiveness. Too bad he can’t protect me from her. “I’ll be back, okay? Have Louise take you to your room. Request for the one closest to my room.” I peck his nose.
He raises a brow. “I don’t think I’ll make it there before she ‘accidentally’ throws her pitbull at my head.”
I laugh but then remember Mother is waiting for me. And she does not appreciate waiting. Not one bit.
“I’ll be back soon, I swear.” I stand and nod at his nervous expression before turning on my heels and leaving the room. I catch Mother turning a corner and follow her. I turn another corner and see her curly, dark brown hair as she enters Father’s study. I ball my hands as I reach the entrance. You can do this, Liv. I curl my hand around the golden doorknob and push the door open.
I step inside and immediately find her behind Father’s cherry oakwood desk. She has her arms crossed while tapping her foot impatiently. The contortion of her face takes my breath away in the worst way possible. I can practically see the steam billowing out of her red-tipped ears.
“Mother, before you say anyth—” I begin to say.
“How dare you disobey your mother?” she barks, an icy chill wrapped around her words. “I specifically told you not to bring that wretched boy here, and yet you deliberately go against my orders and bring him anyway!” She walks around the chair and snipes at me. “Do you know how foolish you’ve made me look? Bringing that toxic boy to a family event?”
“I’m sorry you feel this way, Mother, but I like him a lot, and I wanted him here. I didn’t think there’d be a problem once you saw how amazing he is,” I say with a true smile. But she scoffs so loudly, it was as if I suggested she give up a pair of her expensive Prada handbags.
“He really must be fantastic in bed to have you this fooled.” Did she really just say that?
“Mother…I’m still a virgin.” Not that it’s any of your business.
She looks at me, shocked. “I’m honestly appalled. I would have thought he already got into your pants to have you disobeying me.”
“Well, he didn’t…not in that way.” My cheeks blush, and I shake my head. “But that doesn’t matter. He’s here now, and I want him to stay.”
“Who cares what you want?” she spits, her veins throbbing against her forehead. “That boy is no good. A delinquent. A fighter.” How does she know that? “I’ve pulled up some information on him.” She smirks. “Do you want to know what else I know about your little boyfriend?”
“No, Moth—”
“He’s been arrested four times before he turned seventeen, the last time because of drug dealing and putting someone in a hospital after nearly killing them. He’s been expelled from two schools and has been in a mental institution when he was a child for two consecutive years.” She stops walking in front of me and smiles like a wicked witch. “Still think you know him?”