Eruption - Chapter 7
Friday
I opened up one of the last boxes. On top was a small frame.
I smiled and turned it over. It was a picture of James and Rob.
James was smiling brightly and Rob was giving the middle finger to the camera.
I couldn't believe this had been taken two and a half years ago.
James didn't look any different than he did in the picture.
I wasn't sure if I looked any older either, but I felt older.
Rob joked around with me all the time, but I knew he didn't mean it.
He had become one of my best friends. He was like the brother I never had.
He teased me enough to make it true. And James' sister was like the sister I never had.
I truly did fit into James' life. With everyone but his parents, that was.
"Do you need help finishing up?" Ellen asked and sat down next to me on the couch.
"No, that's okay." I set the picture down on the couch, leaned back, and smiled. It was crazy how James and I could pick up our whole lives and move within a few days. Ellen had been wonderful helping us pack and unpack everything. I relied on her as much as James did now.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Ellen asked.
I ran the back of my hand against my forehead. I knew I was a mess. All day I had been delaying getting ready to go to James' parents. Just thinking about it made me unbelievably nervous.
"Dear, I know you're worried. Just be yourself." Ellen put her hand on my forearm.
"If they wanted to know me, they would have done it months ago. No, years ago. They don't want me to be me. They want me to be someone else." Isabella.
Ellen squeezed my arm and then stood up. "I laid out a dress on your bed. How about you go get ready and I'll finish unpacking. James will be back soon and he won't want to be late."
I knew that better than anyone. It was strange how quickly the apartment had been transformed into our home.
I already felt comfortable here. James had been right.
And I'd never tire of seeing the new view.
Our first apartment had been between his office and NYCU.
We didn't need to be near my school now.
And it was really nice to be so close to Central Park.
I sighed and stood up. "You're right. Thanks for all your help this week.
I don't know what we'd do without you." It was strange going to meet James' mother when Ellen really seemed to fill that role.
"Go on and get ready." She waved her hand in the air, shooing me away.
***
I drummed my fingers against the kitchen counter.
When I had come back out after my shower, Ellen was gone.
She had picked out a sundress that was a little more sophisticated than the other ones I owned.
It was white with a modest neckline and a lacy skirt that stopped a few inches above my knees.
I had put on the diamond necklace James had gotten me last Valentine's Day, which made the outfit look even fancier.
And I chose white heels instead of sandals.
Hopefully it would be fancy enough. I looked around the kitchen at the shiny stainless steel appliances. It was odd being here alone.
I looked down at my phone. Normally when I was nervous about something, I'd call Melissa.
But she had avoided me all week. She hadn't even stopped by to see the new apartment even though I kept asking.
When she'd decided to move to New York after graduating, I had pictured spending a lot of time with her.
I thought I'd be getting my best friend back.
I hadn't even gotten to spend any time alone with her to talk about her dating Tyler.
Hopefully I'd be able to pull her aside tonight.
James had said there wouldn't be more than 30 people or so at the party.
It was just supposed to be close friends and family, and I'd know most of them.
I was pretty sure his parents were the last people in his life I hadn't met.
The thought just made me more nervous. And I couldn't stop thinking about all the things Mason had said last night.
I quickly answered my phone as soon as it buzzed. "Hey, James."
"We just pulled into the parking garage. Do you want to come down?" He sounded tense.
"Yeah, I'll be right down." I was in the elevator before I even hung up the phone.
The car was waiting near the elevator door.
James was standing by the open door, staring down at his phone.
He was dressed in a navy blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath.
The top few buttons were undone and he wasn't wearing a tie.
He looked casual and I instantly felt more relaxed.
I'd need to thank Ellen for picking me out a perfect outfit for the occasion.
He smiled when he saw me and put his phone back in his pocket.
"So they haven't canceled yet?" I asked.
"Not yet." He kissed my cheek and gestured for me to get in.
I climbed in, scooting to the middle seat so he could slide in next to me. As soon as our seatbelts were buckled, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"I like this," he said, running his opposite hand along the lace of my dress.
I smiled to myself. If he liked the lace on this dress, he was going to love the wedding dress I had picked out. "It's okay for tonight?"
"Absolutely." He grabbed my hand and ran his thumb along my palm. "Are you nervous?"
I looked up at him. Even if I tried to sugarcoat it, he'd be able to read how I was feeling. "Yes."
"Don't be." He gave me a small smile. "It's going to be fine, I promise."
"What if they don't like me?" I laughed awkwardly. "That's a stupid question. They already don't like me."
"It won't change anything."
"Yes it will. I don't want to be the reason that you're not close to your parents, James."
He lowered his eyebrows. "They're the reason I'm not close to them. Just be yourself. I fell in love with you. If they don't like you, it's their loss, not the other way around."
I took a deep breath. I couldn't go into this with preconceived notions about them if I expected them not to have them either. I just needed to pretend them avoiding me for the past couple years hadn't happened. This was a fresh start, just like the new apartment. They were going to be my family.
My knuckles brushing against James' lips pulled me out of my own head. I smiled up at him. "I'm sorry about how much this has been weighing on you. I know that I was annoying you, pushing your parents to meet me."
He kissed the back of my hand again. "Nothing you do annoys me. I just want you to be happy."
"I am." I rested my head against his shoulder. And nervous, excited, angry, and anxious. I needed to calm down. James' cologne always seemed to soothe me. He continued to stroke his thumb against my palm. It didn't take long for me to calm down.
As soon as we pulled up to his parents' house on the outskirts of the city, though, I could feel myself getting tense again.
"I thought it started at seven." James looked at his watch.
We were half an hour early, but the gate was already open and there were tons of cars parked along the long driveway.
It looked like there were going to be way more than 30 people inside.
I had already seen the outside of the house.
It was more of a mansion than a house really.
And I had been nervous about what I was going to say when it came into view because James didn't know I had come here one day and seen it already.
At least I could still be surprised when we got inside.
Luckily he was too distracted to notice my silence.
It was hard not to stare at the immense building though.
It was made up completely of gray stone and reminded me of an estate that had been turned into a museum back home.
No wonder James wanted a bigger place if this is what he was used to.
Our new apartment would make him feel claustrophobic soon enough as well.
"They said they wanted to meet you one on one first, without everyone else around." Now James sounded tense too. "Maybe I got the time wrong."
That was doubtful. James was rarely ever wrong.
And even if he was, he never admitted it.
I pulled my eyes away from the house. "It's okay.
I'm sure I'll still have plenty of time to talk to them.
" But my heart wasn't in my words. Maybe they had told us the wrong time so they wouldn't have to talk to me at all.
Ian pulled the car around to the front. James quickly got out of the car and put his hand out for me. He didn't look tense anymore. He just looked pissed. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me to my feet.
"James." I grabbed both sides of his face. "It's okay. But please, please don't leave me alone in there."
He smiled and gave me a quick kiss. "I don't know what my parents are up to. I'm not letting you out of my sight."
I laughed. "You make it seem like they're planning something evil."
"We should get inside." He interlaced his fingers with mine and walked me toward the door.
His words made my heart beat even faster. I knew his parents didn't really want to know me. But it didn't seem like they were trying to get rid of me. They were throwing a party for us. We had just gotten the time wrong. Everything was going to be fine.
We walked up the front steps, which were a matching gray stone. A man standing outside the front doors grabbed the door handle, but paused before opening the door when he saw us. A huge smile spread over his face. He let go of the door handle. "You must be Penny," he said.
James squeezed my hand. "Eric, this is Penny. Penny, this is Eric. He's worked for my parents for as long as I can remember. And he's a good friend."
Eric walked down the few steps that separated us and stuck out his hand.
I immediately shook it. "It's so nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Penny. James has told me so much about you. You are just as lovely as he said."
"Thank you, Eric." If everyone was this friendly inside, I had nothing to worry about.
James clapped Eric on the back. "The party was supposed to start at seven right?"
"No, it started at six. A last minute change. You didn't know?"
James laughed, but it wasn't his normal contagious one. It sounded forced. "I must not have gotten the memo."
"Well, you two better get inside. Everyone's waiting for you." Eric ran back up the steps and opened up the door for us.
I heard classical music playing as we stepped into the foyer.
The floor was marble and it led toward an ornate twisted staircase.
It really did feel like I was in a museum.
There were even old portraits hung up on the walls around us.
I looked up the ceiling, where an enormous chandelier hung.
"I can't believe this is where you grew up.
" I almost tripped when I felt the resistance of James' hand on mine.
He had stopped directly in the middle of the foyer.
"What's wrong?"
James was just staring straight ahead. I turned to see what he was looking at.
"You can't be serious." Rob was standing by an older couple in the foyer. Someone else was directly in front of him, but he was blocking my view. "He'll never forgive you. You do realize that right? You can't do this. Please don't do this."
"She's still part of this family, whether you like it or not. I believe James knows that better than anyone," the woman I didn't recognize said.
"Won't you just listen to me for one second? You haven't even met Penny. Is this really how you want to meet your future daughter in law? This is supposed to be the start of your relationship, not the end."
"Enough," the older man said. He looked a little like James. He must be his father. "You will not treat a guest in our house like this."
The woman, who I assumed was his mother, cleared her throat and nodded toward James.
Rob's face was red when he turned around. He looked directly at me. He looked more sad than upset. His eyes landed on James and he shook his head.
James' grip tightened around my hand.
A hand wrapped around Rob's arm, pushing him to the side. Isabella was standing there with a smug look on her face. She looked me up and down and then whispered something to James' mother. Both women laughed.
"Hippopotamus," I whispered. When we had first moved to New York, James had always made me promise to tell him if I was ever uncomfortable.
That was our word. Whenever I said that, he knew I wanted to leave.
I had never used it before. When we had chosen it, we thought that whatever the situation, it would make us laugh. Neither one of us was laughing now.