Constantine: Britain’s Story Part 2 (Spearhead Lake)

Chapter 13

Britain

Matthias

Can’t wait to see you tonight, babe. I’ll be there in 20.

Reading the text message makes my stomach roll, partly from guilt, partly from anxiety. I didn’t tell Matthias about running into Liam yesterday…or that I’m using tonight’s date as a litmus test for how we’ll move forward. But I am looking forward to seeing him. I guess I’m also just nervous.

When the doorbell rang last night, I actually got excited thinking it might be him, but it wasn’t. It was just Maximus with all my clothes from Liam’s. Jess practically squealed like a pirate being reunited with their long-lost treasure while I felt a tad more somber. Seeing my suitcases all packed up, by him. It had a certain finality to it.

After the shit show that was yesterday, I was mentally prepared for an anxiety-ridden night of crying and lack of sleep, but 9:00 rolled around and I felt okay. Then 10:00, and all I felt was tired. I hate to admit, but Liam coming back pacified something that was broken inside me. It’s always been the unknown that’s eaten away at me. And well, now, I know. It’s still complete shit, and it still hurts, but just knowing he’s home comforts me. Knowing he wants this child and will be around helped soothe my subconscious so that I actually slept seven hours last night.

This morning, I let Jess unpack and go through everything from Liam’s, not wanting to relive anything, and now we’re both in my room getting me ready for the Greek Fest.

“Option one: A linen, square-neck dress by Reformation with Hermes sandals and Jenni Kayne cardigan. OR…Option two: White halter, knit dress from Dissh with Gucci heels.” Jess holds up both dresses. Linen would be cool, but wrinkly and non-stretchy. But…the knit dress will leave nothing to the imagination. My pooch will be out for all to see.

“Which one would you choose?” I ask Jess.

“I think it’s pretty obvious which one I’d choose,” she says. She’s right, one looks more coastal grandma and one screams stylish-ass bitch.

“Fine, the knit halter dress,” I say with reluctance. Jess does a little happy dance on her way to put option one back in the closet while I slip on the dress and check myself in the full length mirror. Pregnant. I look pregnant.

“You look like you’re ready for a summer night in Greece, absolutely gorgeous,” Jess says, then makes a chef’s kiss with her hand and mouth. I’m just going to have to trust her on this one. I can appreciate that this is probably the best I’ve looked in months and maybe the best I will look in months to come.

She’s done my hair in beachy waves and my makeup is subtle and glowy with a thinly winged eyeliner, making me feel a bit like Bridget Bardot. The Gucci sandals are still low enough to be comfortable, otherwise I would have nixed them. But right now, I’m just happy for the boost they’re giving my bum.

“You look great, Brit.” Damian says from the hallway where he’s holding Eden on his hip while she sucks on a frozen teething ring.

“Thanks,” I say bashfully. I feel like Damian and I have turned a corner since yesterday. We’re more relaxed and comfortable, sort of like we always have been, just now there’s no sex, matrimony, or sharing of beds. The doorbell rings, so I excuse myself as I pass Damian and head downstairs.

I open the door to Matthias looking like the Greek god he is.

“Hi.”

“Hi, darling.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, then trails a thumb down my cheek. He gives me a once over, up and down, before his dimpled smile breaks out on his face. “You are so gorgeous, my love.” My cheeks heat and my heart skips a beat. He’s never called me that before.

“Thank you. You,” I motion up and down his body, “look amazing, too.” His linen shirt is only buttoned halfway up, revealing tan skin and defined pectorals with a dusting of chest hair. “Do you want to come in, or do we need to get going?” I ask.

“We should probably get going.”

“Right.” I take a step away from the door to call out to the girls. “I’m leaving, family!” Caroline and Elodie come out from the great room for a quick hug, while Damian and Jess hang back and wave from afar, just like I instructed them to.

Matthias slips his hand into mine and I close the door. We walk the short distance to his SUV, but once we get there he pulls me in for a kiss. He threads his hands into my hair, holding the back of my head tenderly, and puts his mouth to mine. He tastes minty and smells like smokey pines. My inner thighs start to burn right as he releases me slowly.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was not to come over last night?” He whispers against my cheekbone. I just bite my lip and look up into his eyes. The dark chocolate eyes I used to drown in, roam all over me, making me buzz with suspense. He removes his hands from my head and opens the door, though. “Princess,” he says, then gestures with his hand for me to enter. I just laugh. That’s another new one.

I buckle up and watch him as he gets up into the driver’s seat. He pushes the sleeves of his linen shirt up, showing off his toned and tan forearms. His black hair is slicked back, but long enough it waves and curls slightly at the back of his shirt. He looks fucking edible, I could eat him. Jesus, am I hormonal? I went from no sex for months to now desperately craving it. He smiles in my direction, catching me staring at him and I let out a nervous laugh.

We pull out of my drive and head out to the main highway, and I can’t help the feeling of familiarity that pulses through me. Driving through the hills to the Greek Fest, it’s literally just like old times. Except now I’m a divorced, mom of two who’s pregnant with another guy’s baby. I wonder what he sees in me, honestly.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks.

“Oh, um…just, did you ever think we’d be doing this almost 20 years later?” He extends his hand across the center console to thread his fingers with mine before replying.

“Yes, I did.” He squeezes my hand gently and I squeeze back before looking out the window at the golden grasses swaying in the evening breeze and I wonder, if I’d never left, would we still be doing this?

“What are you most looking forward to tonight?” He asks.

“Definitely the pilaf and the baklava.” My answer is quick and automatic, and of course it’s food.

He laughs. “Ouch, I didn’t even make the list, babe,” he says, making me laugh, too, as warmth fills my chest.

“I am also looking forward to spending tonight with you,” I try to soothe his ego, but I also realize the words are true. I am looking forward to it.

“That’s alright, sweetheart. I know how you feel about food. I’ll always be number two in that regard.” I laugh again. “But just so you know, you aren’t number one on my list.”

“Aha! See!” I declare.

“You’re the only one, babe. It’s just you.” He turns and gives me his breathtaking smile, and I know no matter what decision I make after tonight, it’s going to be hard as hell to do it.

The Greek Fest is just getting underway by the time we arrive. Luckily, since the MS Group is one of the largest sponsors, we’re able to park in the vendor section saving us a 15-minute walk. Due to the early hour, it’s still sweltering out, so that small reprieve feels like a godsend right now.

To be honest, I was surprised when Matthias said we were going at 5:00. The last time we were here, on our first date, we didn’t arrive until almost 8:00, just as the dancing and party really started. I think he’s taking my tough nights into consideration, which I can absolutely appreciate.

Matthias comes around and opens my door, giving me a hand. As he does he says, “Babycakes,” and I can’t help but laugh.

“Okay, what’s with the nicknames?” I ask him.

I could swear a slight blush creeps up his cheeks, but he says, “Just trying to see what sticks, that’s all.”

“Uh huh, okay,” is all I say. We start walking towards the entrance and he slips an arm around my waist. There’s something about the gesture that feels possessive and I can’t decide if I like it or not.

At the entry gate is a table with several older Greek women handing out wristbands, and one drop-dead gorgeous woman checking I.D.’s. The gorgeous woman with long black hair, tan skin, and an amazing body nods at Matthias as we approach.

“Hi, cuz,” she says to him before looking me over with a discerning glare.

“Gina, this is Britain, my girlfriend. Britain, this is my cousin, Gina.” What the fuck? Girlfriend? That’s, uh, yeah, news to me. My cheeks turn crimson and my facial expression shifts, drawing an arched eyebrow in response from Gina. I work to school it into something more polite, then extend my hand to the woman.

“Hi, Gina. It’s nice to meet you.” She takes my hand, but her shake is limp. I can’t help but feel her judging me, harshly.

“So you’re the famous Britain, huh?” Her tone hovers on cold.

I just shrug softly, “I guess. Famous to whom, though, I don’t know.” I punctuate this with a smile, but Gina just nods with her own smug looking smile, then reaches for my hand to apply a wristband.

“Have my mom or dad come through yet?” Matthias asks her.

“Nope,” she says, then reaches out to apply his wristband. “You kids have fun in there.” I go to say thank you, but she’s already turned her back to help the group behind us.

With one arm still wrapped around my waist, Matthias starts navigating us towards one of the large tented areas.

“Matthias,” I say, trying to get his attention, but his eyes are roving all around, clearly on the lookout for something. He doesn’t respond, though, caught up in his task.

I try again. “Matthias,” I say a little bit louder.

“Yes, babe?” He doesn’t stop or look me in the eye.

“Didn’t we just have a talk about labels, and how I wasn’t ready for one?” This finally stops him, pulling his attention to me.

“We did.” Uh, okay…

“So then why did you just tell your cousin I’m your girlfriend?”

“Because you are.”

“No, we literally just talked about this and I said no.” To be fair, I did lie and tell Liam I was with someone when officially I wasn’t, but that was more about burning him than me being with Mats.

“Okay,” that’s all he says. He puts on a half-dimpled smile, then starts tugging me along again. I’m not exactly mad at what he just said to Gina, but I am starting to get frustrated with how he’s dismissing me. I look around and see that a couple people are looking in our direction, most likely because they know Matthias, and I hate that my people-pleasing, good-girl mentality is making me kill this conversation. At least for now.

We arrive at a sectioned-off area in one of the larger tents that has its own separate bar and tables. So far, there’s only a couple people milling about in this “VIP” section. Certainly not anyone I know, though that doesn’t mean much. I fully anticipate knowing a total of three people here tonight. Niko, Max, and Matthias.

Matthias chooses seats for us at the center table, allowing for a decent view of the stage and dance area. “Is this alright?” He gestures towards the seats.

“Sure, it’s perfect.” I look around, making sure no one is in earshot. “We don’t have to finish talking about this right now, but I do want to talk about what just happened.” I look him straight in the eye, hopefully conveying how serious it is to me.

He just says, “Sure.” That’s it? I can’t help but feel like he’s steamrolling me. It’s something Damian used to do…and I fucking hate it. I catch sight of Niko making his way over, and decide to stifle my irritation about the situation until later.

“Britain! You look lovely tonight.” Niko steps in, placing a kiss on my cheek. I can’t help but notice how he looks down at my belly, making me feel severely self conscious suddenly. I should have worn something flowy, not this skin-tight, bare-my-soul-to-the-world dress. My cheeks heat for what feels like the twentieth time of the night.

“Hi, Niko,” I say, returning his megawatt smile.

“Matt, you, uh, didn’t mention you were bringing a date.” Niko says, giving Matthias a look, doing that read-each-other-minds sibling thing.

“Sure didn’t.” Is all he says in return. Niko just sort of nods pensively.

“Well, this is gonna be a great Greek Fest!” Niko’s voice ratchets up an octave. “What are you drinking, bro? Britain, what can I get for you?”

“Just a water for me, man. I’ve got precious cargo tonight,” Matthias says, then reaches over, placing his hand around my upper arm, stroking me with his thumb. Niko just nods solemnly, again.

“Um, I’d love a Sprite or Ginger Ale if they have it. If not, water is perfect,” I say. Niko just pats Matthias on the back before heading off towards the bar.

“Are you hungry, bubs?” Matthias asks me. Hmm, not a fan of bubs.

“Yeah, I could definitely eat, what about you?” Mats runs his gaze over me seductively.

“Yes, but I’ll be eating later.” Okay…so that’s why we’re here at 5:00. Early in, early out. I cast my gaze downward and unconsciously bite down on my lip. When I look back up, I see Niko making his way back to us.

“I think I’d like to go look at the little market, then find something to eat.”

“Great, I’ll come with you.”

I nod, “Okay,” then give him a half smile. Niko drops our drinks into each of our hands and leaves without a word, just staring off at something in the distance.

“Thanks, Niko,” I say to his back as he walks off in a rush. Okay. Matthias takes the drink from my hand and sets it down on the table next to his.

Slipping my hand in his, he leads us towards the makeshift market set up inside the Greek Orthodox Church. As we walk, I notice the crowd is growing thicker. The line for food is starting to wind down and out of the tent, and the band is starting to prep on the stage. There’s little kids running around with balloons, and faces painted with butterflies, kittens, and dogs, and I smile listening to their happy squeals.

Matthias notices me watching and says, “I can’t wait till this little one is out there running around,” then reaches down to gently press a palm to the side of my belly. The combination of statement and touch feels like an intensely intimate display for this public of a place, and I fidget slightly under the pressure I’m suddenly feeling. Matthias doesn’t think twice about it and drops his hand a moment later as we continue making our way into the, thankfully, air-conditioned building.

Tables line the perimeter of the space, leaving the middle section open for people to gather. There’s a couple tables selling baked goods that instantly catch my eye, but I gravitate towards the brightly colored and hand-painted ceramics, first. Matthias trails behind me, never relinquishing his hold on my hand.

As I peruse the selection, I get a tingling awareness and look up to notice a middle-aged woman with long black hair and matching long black nails staring at me oddly. I give her a polite smile and her expression changes. It darkens, confusing me. I actually take a quick look behind me to make sure her glare was actually intended for me, but there’s no one else. She begins moving towards us, so I tug on Mats’ hand to pull his attention. He looks up at me, and I motion with my head in the direction of the quickly approaching she-wolf. When he sees her, a look of familiarity takes over his features.

He pulls me in close to him, tightly, lacing his arm around my midsection in the same possessive stance he had earlier, then leans over and whispers into my ear, “Don’t worry, bug. I’ve got you.” Okay, I like ‘bug’ even less than I like ‘bubs.’

Elvira moves in, standing in front of us, but doesn’t speak at first. She’s just mad dogging me and pretending like Matthias isn’t even here. I’m just about to turn and walk away when she finally says something.

“So it’s true then?” She asks, but looks at Matthias for the answer.

“Yes,” that’s all he says. The woman just nods her head slowly, but retains her cruel expression.

“So you’re Britain?” She says ‘Britain’ like it’s a dirty word. I’m not liking a single thing about this, but I’m even more perturbed that Matthias is letting this person speak to me like this when he clearly knows her.

“Yes, I’m Britain Palomino-Scott.” I extend my hand for a shake, but she doesn’t take it. Rude much? I drop my hand down, angering more and more with each passing second. If there’s only one thing I’ve learned about being an adult, it’s that you don’t actually have to take people’s crap anymore. “Matthias, let’s go.” I thread my fingers into the hand wrapped around my midsection, turning us to leave when she stops me.

“He doesn’t like being called Matthias.” Her scolding sends a chill down my spine. Almost like a reflex, I go to apologize, but Matthias intervenes before I have a chance.

“No, I just don’t like it when anyone besides her calls me Matthias.” Oh. Matthias says it firmly while keeping the grip on my hand tender but strong, giving me a gentle squeeze. I get a warmth in my abdomen, appreciative that he is sticking up for me, but also, that I’m the only one who calls him that. That nickname thing is starting to make a bit more sense now. He wants something that’s only his.

The woman scoffs, “I didn’t raise my son to speak to me like that.” Oh. Ohhhh.

Matthias responds cooly, “And I’d argue you hardly raised me at all.” He says it like it’s just a matter of fact. There’s no bark behind his biting words. Julie Fucking Scala.