Chapter Eleven

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

“Explain yourself. Now,” my father demanded the second the door shut behind me. I just looked at my parents with a passive expression on my face.

“There isn’t a lot to explain, Daddy,” I replied softly. “Nick and I love each other. We got married.”

They both began talking at once and brought up every single point that Megan already had. I felt like a parrot as I repeated the exact same explanation. It had been a long time since I’d seen my father so angry. My mother just looked disappointed, which was far worse than my dad’s anger.

“What are you doing, Kelly?” she asked quietly when my father stopped yelling long enough to take a breath. “Why are you so determined to make a mess of your life?”

That hurt. Sure, I didn’t have the stable relationship my sister had, but I felt like I had my shit together. I’d had my job at SNPTR for almost three years, I’d been paying all of my bills since I was in college, I’d never been in trouble with the law, and I rarely asked my parents for anything.

I just stared at my mother, torn between giving her a rude, sarcastic response and crying, and tried to force back both.

“My life is not a mess and it really hurts that you feel that way.”

My father let out a huff of sarcastic laughter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not a mess, huh? Have you stepped back to look at it? You’re irresponsible, immature, and uncaring of how your actions impact others.”

“This has to be a joke. I didn’t raise my daughter to act so stupid.” My mom’s words were as sharp as my father’s and an overwhelming sadness washed over me.

“I don’t want to do this,” I said quietly as I shook my head. “I knew you wouldn’t be jumping for joy but I didn’t expect you both to be so callous. We’re just going to go.”

Without waiting for a reply, I pulled the door open and stepped back into the house. Megan immediately moved towards me and I shook my head.

“Please, don’t.” If she hugged me, the dam would break and I’d start crying. My sister stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry, Kel.”

I forced a smile to my face and shrugged my shoulders before looking at Nick. “Can you take me home, please?”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” he answered, holding out his hand. I took it immediately and we didn’t say anything else as we walked out the front door.

When we made it to the Camaro, Nick stopped us and tugged on my hand until I was against his chest. His embrace was firm and we stood like there for a few moments before he pressed his lips to my hair. I could feel the guilt pouring off of him in waves.

“Don’t apologize. Don’t offer to tell the truth. Just take me home, okay?” My voice was muffled by his shirt but he obviously heard me because he nodded.

The thirty minute drive home was quiet and Nick didn’t try to force me to break it. We were back inside and at the table with some leftover spaghetti when I finally spoke.

“You heard everything, right?”

“Yeah,” Nick replied with a nod. “The kitchen window was open.”

“My parents have never been so openly rude before.” I stabbed my spaghetti with my fork. “It took me by surprise.”

Nick glanced up at me. “Megan, too. She was pretty upset.”

“I’m not really hungry.” I pushed my spaghetti away and Nick instantly started eating what was left. I couldn’t help but smile and he shrugged.

“It’s good.”

I watched him eat and suddenly realized how exhausted he looked. Both he and Simon hadn’t come home until almost ten and I hadn’t even bothered to ask Nick if he’d been able to sleep at work.

“Are you tired?”

His brown eyes met mine and he nodded slightly. “I slept about two hours in between calls last night.”

“And then I made you go to meet my parents,” I said quietly. “We have four hours before we have to leave for round two. Want to take a nap?”

“I would love a nap, honestly. I’m going to need some energy to handle my parents.”

I took both empty bowls and put them in the dishwasher before we walked back to the bedroom. Nick immediately kicked off his shoes and rid himself of his shirt before falling onto his pillow. A minute later, I sat on the bed next to him and set the alarm on my phone to make sure we were up with enough time for me to change my clothes. I settled on my pillow so I was facing Nick and he offered me a completely exhausted smile.

“You’re not irresponsible, immature, or uncaring. You’re definitely not stupid. You’re the complete opposite of all of those,” he whispered as he reached up to stroke my cheek with his thumb. “You know that, right?”

“I never even considered that I was until about an hour ago.”

“Well, you’re not. I remember talking to you the first time we met and thinking ‘Damn. This chick has her shit together.’” Nick grinned and shook his head minutely. “I knew right away that you were way too good for me. No one is worthy of you, Kel.”

I shifted so I could brush my lips against his. “I feel the same way about you, Nicky.”

We fell asleep like that, our noses inches apart and breathing each other’s air, and I woke up before the alarm went off. Nick was still asleep so I was careful to get out of bed without waking him. I walked out to the living room with my phone and saw that Devin had text for the first time since the weekend in Vegas.

 

Devin:      I miss your laugh.

 

I didn’t respond. It amazed me that I was upset over him two weeks before. The ache he’d left behind was completely gone and I knew that our relationship never would have survived even if I hadn’t met his wife that day. He’d put on such an amazing front and treated me better than I had been treated in years. I let the feeling of being treated well completely overshadow the lack of love and passion.

I tucked my phone into the pocket of my shorts and looked down to find Simba sitting in front of me with his tail wagging. I scratched behind his ears, slipped my feet into Megan’s flip flops, and hooked him up to his leash.

The dog and I walked around in the hot sun for about ten minutes before turning to go back inside. Simon and Megan were coming down the path as Simba and I rounded the building and he tugged on the leash to try to get to my sister.

“Hey, brat,” Megan said with a smile as we met at the door. I returned her smile with a small one of my own.

“How was the rest of lunch?”

Simon let out a small laugh and shook his head. “Tense.”

“Mom and Dad are in time-out.” Megan pushed the door open and I followed behind her. “They’re not too happy with me right now, either.”

“I’ve got to go get some sleep, Megs,” Simon said quietly and she kissed his shoulder with a nod.

“Go ahead, baby. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”

Simon waved to me before disappearing into their bedroom and I turned my gaze on my sister.

“Don’t fight with them over me. It will blow over eventually.”

My sister shook her head as she kicked her shoes off. “They went too far. I know I didn’t respond very well to the news myself but I really hope that you didn’t feel like I insulted or attacked you.”

“You didn’t, Gan.” I gave her a tight hug. “Thanks for having my back.”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I told you… I’m always on your side.”

“And I appreciate you more than I could ever tell you.” I sighed and gestured towards the bedroom. “I need to go get ready to meet his parents. Should be about as fun as him meeting ours was.”

She wished me luck and we broke apart to go into our separate bedrooms. Nick was still asleep on the bed and I got ready quietly so he could sleep as long as possible. I was completely ready to go and feeling a bit queasy when the alarm went off on my phone.

“Nick,” I said quietly as I sat next to him on the bed. I ran my hand down his scruffy cheek and said his name again.

Being a firefighter meant that he was a lot easier to wake up than I was. His eyes fluttered open and he nodded slightly. “Yeah. I’m awake.”

“I’m sorry. I wish you could sleep longer.”

“It’s okay,” he replied as he sat up. “If I get too much sleep and look too well rested, my dad will accuse me of being lazy.”

I chuckled quietly and shook my head. “This should be fun.”

Nick stood and scratched his bare chest lazily as he looked me up and down. “You look beautiful, Kelly.”

I smiled and glanced at the lilac colored summer dress I’d put on. “Thanks, Nicky. Is it suitable for meeting the parents?”

The sleeveless dress went almost to my knees and didn’t show an ounce of cleavage. I’d paired it with a pair of white, heeled sandals, and left my hair down straight.

“It’s perfect. I really want to pull it off of you, though.” He took a step towards me and I shook my head.

“Later.”

He grumbled as he went into the bathroom and I couldn’t help but smiling as I rolled my eyes. Sometimes he was like a big child.

We passed through the empty living room and walked out to the Camaro. Nick held my door until I was inside and then he took his spot behind the steering wheel. As we drove towards Henderson, I asked him about his siblings and he smiled.

“I think they’re all going be there except for Angela who goes to USC and probably has summer classes. I have Delia, who’s twenty-four, Angela is twenty, Miles just turned seventeen, Stephen is thirteen, and my littlest sister, Helena, just turned seven.”

I was exhausted hearing all of that and suddenly very thankful that it was just Megan and me. “So you and your baby sister are twenty years apart? That’s crazy.”

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “Helena starts out pretty shy around me since she doesn’t know me as well as the others. But once she warms up, I’m her favorite.”

“What all do your parents know about me?” I asked as we approached the city. “I don’t need to justify the whole Devin thing with them, do I?”

Nick chuckled and shook his head. “They know your name and your age, Kel. That’s probably the same as what they know about me, honestly.”

I inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. After how it had gone at my parents, my anxiety had only tripled. When we pulled up in front of a large home in the suburbs of Las Vegas, I felt like I was going to be sick. Nick parked along the curb and shut off the car before glancing over at me.

“If you feel uncomfortable at all and just want to leave, squeeze my knee, okay?”

I nodded gratefully. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

We both got out of the car and Nick came around to take my hand in his. He gave me an encouraging squeeze before leading me up to the front porch and ringing the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard on the other side, and I leaned into Nick slightly as we waited.

When it opened, a woman with the same dark hair as Nick smiled. She didn’t look much younger than me and I decided she was probably Delia.

“Welcome home, troublemaker,” she said as she looked at Nick. He just shrugged his shoulders and reached out to give her a one-armed hug.

“It’s what I do.” When they broke apart, he looked at me. “Kelly, this is my sister, Delia. Delia, my wife, Kelly.”

That wife word was going to take some getting used to.

I smiled and offered her my hand, which she shook immediately. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too, Kelly.” She stepped back so we could walk inside the house and Nick pushed the door closed behind us.

The house was huge. The entryway alone was the size of my bedroom. The white walls felt cold against the beige tile and it didn’t seem lived in at all. A large staircase was off to the side and different portraits and artwork lined the walls.

“Where’s everyone?” Nick asked his sister and she gestured behind her.

“Outside. I was supposed to stay in here to wait for you.” She looked at me with the same brown eyes Nick had. “My father is a cold man. Don’t let him get to you, okay?”

I nodded quickly. “Okay.”

“Well, come on then.”

We followed Delia through the house and it felt more lived in once we got out of the entry way. The kitchen we walked through smelled heavenly and was very homey, as if a lot of time was spent in there.

Delia opened a sliding glass door in the back and Nick kept my hand in his as he stepped through first. The large, cement patio was covered and had misters going to keep it cool. The huge backyard had emerald green grass and beautiful shrubs that probably thrived in the desert. There was a large, wooden swing set with a young girl at the top, and two boys were kicking around a soccer ball in the yard.

The three of us walked to where some expensive patio furniture was and a man and woman were sitting in two of the chairs. They both stood when they caught sight of us and the older woman smiled when her eyes landed on Nick.

“Nickolas.”

He dropped my hand so he could move forward and accept the tight embrace from his mother. She placed light kisses all over his face and shook her head as she looked at him.

“You need a haircut and a shave.”

Nick just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “When I have a moment to spare, I’ll do both. I promise.” He looked at his father, who was watching their interaction, and he held out his hand. “Pop.”

It was weird to see father and son shake hands but I didn’t question the dynamic. Nick immediately stepped back when his father released him and he grabbed my hand in his.

“Kelly, this is my father, Argus, and my mother, Elma. Ma, Pop, this is Kelly.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Christos, it’s nice to meet you.” I extended my arm to his mom first, and she shook it enthusiastically.

“Please, call me Elma.”

His father lightly shook my hand but didn’t say anything for a moment as his eyes bored into me. No one dared break the silence and I resisted the urge to squirm uncomfortably. My grip was tight on Nick’s hand for the second time that day but he didn’t even flinch.

My husband looked like the perfect mixture of his father and mother. His eyes were the same as his father’s and his hair as dark as his mother’s. He had the same smile as Elma but everything else on his face was his dad. The fun personality he had, though, definitely did not come from the patriarch.

“So, you are my son’s wife.”

I swallowed as I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Sit,” he commanded as he gestured to a chair at the patio table. “Let’s talk.”

I glanced over at Nick and he offered me a small, encouraging smile and we took two seats opposite where his parents were. Delia dropped her hand so she was touching my shoulder.

“You guys want something to drink?”

“Water would be great,” I replied and Nick nodded beside me.

“Water. Thanks, D.”

Nick’s father cleared his throat, commanding attention. “What do you do for work, Kelly?”

“I work as a physical therapy assistant for a rehabilitation facility in New Hope, sir.”

“I see,” he said with a nod. “I take it you have some sort of college education?”

“I do. I received my undergraduate degree from UNLV. I majored in nutrition and minored in sports medicine.” I held Argus Christos’ gaze with my own. I didn’t want him to know that he intimidated me.

He grumbled and glanced over at Nick. “At least you have some education, unlike my son.”

“Nutrition?” Elma asked with a small smile. “That sounds interesting. Nickolas told me that you are a vegetarian. Is that something you started because of your schooling?”

I nodded my head and returned her smile. “Yes, ma’am. I converted to full vegetarianism after my twentieth birthday once I studied the benefits of animal protein versus plant protein.”

I thanked Delia when she placed a bottle of water in front of me and took a seat between me and her mother.

Where Elma attempted to personalize the interrogation, Argus didn’t even bother trying.

“Are you financially stable?”

“I am. I have been financially independent since college.” I looked over at Nick and he was frowning at his father.

“Pop.”

His father glared at him before looking back at me. “How long have you known my son?”

“A year now.”

“And during that year, did you know that he was already engaged to someone else?”

I didn’t respond for a moment as I stared at my father-in-law. I wasn’t sure what the correct answer was so I decided to go with honesty.

“I did not.”

Argus returned his angry gaze to Nick. “You didn’t tell the woman you loved that you were supposed to marry someone else? That is suspicious.”

“Look,” Nick said as he ran his free hand down his face. “I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell her because my intention wasn’t to fall in love with her. She’s been one of my very best friends almost since the moment we met and that friendship transformed into more. Besides, do you know how hard it is to tell people that you’re in an arranged marriage when we live in the twenty-first century?”

I watched Nick’s face as he spoke and I couldn’t help but smile. The words he spoke were so heartfelt that I had to remind myself that he wasn’t really in love with me.

When he was done justifying himself to his father, he turned and caught me staring. He didn’t say anything but just smiled back and let go of my hand so he could drop his arm across my shoulders.

“I think we’ve had enough with the questions,” Elma said as she stood from the table. “Let’s go inside and eat dinner.”