35. Scarlett
Why was this so much more nerve-wracking than everything else? Rhett pulled the car up to the curb in front of a cute two-story house with white siding and blue shutters. It looked real homey, like the kind of place you’d see in an ad for family friendly laundry detergent or something. But inside that cozy little place were over thirty of my newfound Parker family members, plus a few Atkins folks too - all of them waiting to meet me. No pressure or anything. Fuck.
Just as Rhett was about to get out of the car, I blurted, “You sure you’re okay with this?” Yeah, that was totally me looking for a reason to back out. Which was so incredibly unfair, since a good number of the people in that house were making regular trips to Raleigh to donate the blood products that were keeping my babies alive. And they’d been doing it for weeks now. The least I could do was to meet them in person and say thank you.
And it wasn’t like everyone in there was a stranger. I’d caught up with Laura, Ethan, and the kids a good number of times since that first meeting.
As he was getting out of the car, Rhett glanced at me over his shoulder. The smile he sent me made my heart flip. Really not what I needed right now. “Sure. If you are.”
Okay, so no backing out.
Coming around to my side of the car, he pulled open the door. “Unless you’re too chickenshit.”
“Jack ass. Make yourself useful and take these for me, why don’t you?” I handed him the two giant pecan pies I’d made. There was a little bit of magic in the way he made me feel so much better with his teasing and shit-eating grin. Wasn’t going to be overthinking that anytime soon, was I? Because as if I didn’t have enough else to think about. We’d hooked up a few times since he’d brought me home from the hospital. Okay, okay. It was more than a few times. But it wasn’t my fault he was so hot. And so good at getting me off. Still, neither of us had really mentioned it, or what it meant. Which was weird and dumb of both of us, I guess, given the situation we were in.
With Rhett’s hand under my elbow, I heaved myself from the car, really starting to feel the pregnancy now that I was deep into the second trimester.
“Deep breaths.”
“Thanks for the reminder. You really don’t have to do this.”
“I was invited. It’s a free meal. Why wouldn’t I come?”
“You’re a billionaire. Why the fuck are you looking for a free meal?”
He just winked at me in answer and handed me back one pie, balancing the other in his hand as he pushed me up the driveway. “You’re stalling. Come on.” I closed my eyes for a moment as Rhett rang the doorbell. My heart was pounding like crazy. This was it - I was finally about to meet my entire extended birth family all at once. The door swung open and there stood Oliver, with a huge smile on his face. My kid brother was definitely giving off golden retriever vibes.
“Hey, come on in!” He greeted me with a big hug and even though he’d done this before, I still wasn’t used to it. My other family, my adoptive family, were not exactly free with the affection, so this was a whole new world for me. Still, I didn’t hate it, so I gave him an awkward pat as a thank you.
The moment we stepped inside, I could hear the dull roar of a crowd of voices coming from the backyard. Jesus fuck, were there a hundred people out there? Gulp.
“Everyone’s been really looking forward to this,” Oliver said, taking the pie from Rhett. “Mom’s got a whole spread going in the kitchen and Dad has the barbecue going. I’ll take you through.”
Rhett leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear. “Buck up. You’re doing fine.”
I managed a shaky nod, clinging to the pie like a lifeline as we followed Oliver through the house.
The mouthwatering aroma of home cooking enveloped me the minute I stepped into the bright, bustling kitchen. Laura was at the stove with three other women. One was older, late seventies, early eighties. The other two were definitely the twin sisters Laura had told me about.
The big kitchen window looked out over the backyard. There were trestle tables set up under two big oak trees, with fairy lights strung across them. But what caught my eye the most was the sheer number of people out there. Way more than thirty, surely. Gulp again.
“Mom, Scarlett and Rhett are here.” Oliver placed the pecan pie carefully down on the counter, smiled at me again and said, “I’ll just let Dad know.”
Laura turned from the stove and broke into a bright smile, leaving the women to come over to greet us. “I’m so glad you made it, honey! Everyone’s so excited to meet you.”
Balancing the pie precariously in my hand, I gave her a one-armed hug in return. This at least felt a little more natural. Maybe just because I’d seen her a few more times than I had everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, the first time she’d asked to hug me had been awkward as fuck. We’d met for coffee one afternoon, just her and me. I’d told her a little about my childhood and growing up with Tyler. I’d done my best to play it cool, but she was very perceptive, so she’d managed to put two and two together.
It had been upsetting for both of us, because I knew that her one hope for me had been that I’d had a good life with a loving family. That giving me up had been the right thing to do. She was such a good talker though, and a really amazing listener, which meant we were able to talk it all out. At the end, she’d asked if she could hug me and I’d said yes. The feel of her arms around me, such a mom hug, had almost brought me to tears.
After that, the hugs felt easier. So here we were.
“Can I introduce you to my sisters? And Ethan’s mom?”
“Sure. I mean, yes, that would be great.”
All three women were waiting patiently, smiling at me
“Scarlett, this is my sister Becca. And this is Diane, her twin.”
Becca stepped forward eagerly. “It’s so wonderful to see you, sweetheart. Can I…Can I hug you?”
Oh shit. Could I do this? I really wasn’t the hugging type, and all of this was already fucking with my mind. I wanted to run away, but because I was too chicken shit to just say no, I’d rather not, I said, “Um, sure. Of course.”
I had just enough time to plonk the second pie on the counter before she was wrapping her arms around me. To my huge surprise, her hug was comforting, like being cuddled by the kind of aunt who always snuck you extra cookies. I found myself relaxing slightly as I returned the hug. “It’s great to meet you, too.”
Diane was next, her hug just as warm and genuine as her sister’s. “We’ve heard so much about you. I’m just thrilled we get to be part of your life now.”
I could tell she meant it, which had my throat clogging up and my eyes stinging a bit. Jesus, don’t lose your shit now! It’ll be so awkward! Part of me still couldn’t quite believe this was all real - that I had this whole other family who seemed to genuinely care about me. I blinked back the tears that threatened, giving Diane a shaky smile. “Thank you. I’m really glad to know you both.”
“And this is Ethan’s mom, Nancy.”
She pulled me into a surprisingly strong hug, but I noticed she was shaking a little as she held me. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, dear. Welcome to the family.”
“I brought a couple pies to contribute,” I said, gesturing to the pies. “Hopefully, they’ll go well with the rest of the food.”
“Are you kidding?” Becca smiled. “We can never have too many pies in this family!” As she whisked the pie away, I felt a tiny surge of pride.
Laura was standing next to the back door and, if I wasn’t very much mistaken, was feeling just as nervous as me. “How do you feel about meeting a few more people?”
“Uh, yeah, fine, of course.” I didn’t mean to do it, but as we walked through the back door and down the steps, Rhett’s hand was right there. So I grabbed it, holding on like it was my only lifeline in a raging sea of my own panic.
The yard was packed with people - more than I could easily count - and a dull roar of chatter filled the air. For a split second, I considered turning around and bolting right back inside the house. This was too much, too overwhelming.
But then Laura cleared her throat, and all eyes turned towards us. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet, Scarlett.”
It was like being thrust into an alternate reality where I was the long-lost princess finally returning home. Only this was no fairy tale - this was real life, and I had no idea how to process it all.
Laura gave my arm a reassuring squeeze before stepping forward to begin making introductions. One by one, I was presented to aunts, uncles, cousins, and what felt like a small army of second cousins. Each new face brought another warm hug, another kind word of welcome.
“We’re so happy you’re here.”
“It’s so good to see you!”
“You look just like your mom!”
It was all amazing, and really lovely, but I was way too fucking introverted for this. Trying to be discreet, I eased closer to Rhett, huffing out a breath of relief when he put his arm around me and pulled me in. Seriously, he was definitely my emotional support billionaire these days.
After everyone had said hello and introduced themselves, a weird, awkward quiet fell over the crowd. Like, now the big job was done, they’d all met me and now no one knew quite what to do with me. Awkward as fuck.
I stood there, feeling shy and unsure of what to do or say next. But then a little girl - maybe five or six years old - detached herself from her mother’s side and ran over to me.
“Are you really my cousin?” She gazed up at me with wide, curious eyes.
I’d lost track of who was who, but I was pretty sure she belonged to Ethan’s brother’s son, so a cousin of some sort? This family tree was huge and confusing. But this little girl was cute as a button, so I said, “Yeah, I really am. What’s your name?”
“Lila.” She studied me for a moment before her face split into a sunny grin. “I’m glad you’re here. We can be best cousins!”
Did my heart melt? Hell yes, it did. “Aaw, thanks. I’d love that.”
“Can you sit next to me for dinner?”
“Yep, absolutely.”
There was nothing like an adorable preschooler to make you feel more comfortable, I guess.
Laura laughed. “Perfect timing, because by the way Ethan is looking at me, the meat is ready.”
As everyone began lining up to fill their plates, I felt a gentle bump against my shoulder. It was Rhett, his warm presence reassuring me as always. “All okay?”
Not sure why him looking at me like that had my heart flipping over, but here we were, I guess. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He quirked his brow, nudging me forward in line.
“I mean, sure, there are a lot of people here. And they all keep sneaking glances at me. And I’m the center of attention, which is exactly where I looove to be, as you know.”
“You’re babbling. Feeling a bit psycho?”
“More than a bit. Does it show?”
“Only to me. To everyone else, you’re the epitome of cool, calm and collected.”
“Har har.”
His smile faded and his eyes grew serious. “No, it’s true. I mean, there are tells. You’re more fidgety, you’re constantly taking deep breaths to calm yourself. And you don’t know where to look half the time, because everyone’s looking back at you. But like I said, if I didn’t know you, I wouldn’t notice. Beef or chicken?”
“Huh?”
He gestured to the trays of meat laid out on the table.
“Oh. Um, chicken. Thanks, Ethan.” My heart almost melted at the way Ethan smiled back at me. What a revelation, having a dad who was happy to see me.
We piled our plates up and headed back to the long tables.
Now my mind was mulling over what Rhett had said moments before. It was a little disconcerting how well this man knew me. And how adept he was becoming at calming me down. Holding his plate in one hand, he pulled my chair out with the other. “Thanks for that.”
“Like I always say, it’s worrying when you’re polite to me.”
Just like that. Lifting my mood, while also bringing me back down to earth. I could kiss him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason. “
Over dinner, everything went really well. I managed to chat with a few people and have fun with Lila. Then, just as I was sliding into what felt like a real comfort zone, my phone pinged.
Glancing at the screen, I saw it was from my mom. My stomach clenched instinctively. With an apologetic smile, I excused myself from the table and made my way inside, ignoring Rhett’s questioning look.
Once in the quiet living room, I opened the message. I read it twice, my heart sinking. Even after all this time, all these years of therapy and hard work on myself, this shit still cut me so fucking deep.
Mom: Scarlett, I can’t believe you’re going through with this. How could you do this to us? After everything your father and I have done for you, you’re just going to abandon your real family to chase after those strangers? We took you in and gave you a good life. The least you could do is show us some loyalty. You wouldn’t believe how upset your father is.
What in the ever-loving fuck was I meant to say to that? It just seemed so deeply unfair and unnecessarily hurtful. Opening old, partially healed wounds just so they could feel good about themselves. As though their choice to adopt me was an act of charity. I was just some stray dog they took in off the streets. Fuck. Tears pricked my eyes as that familiar feeling of never being good enough sliced through me.
The sound of footsteps made me turn. Rhett stood in the doorway. “Everything okay? Thought I’d better come check on you, since?—”
“Jesus Christ, I’m not a baby! I don’t need you checking on me all the damn time!” Oh fuck, that was awful and now I was embarrassed. I turned away, slipping my phone back into my pocket and folding my arms. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s fine. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just…nothing. Don’t worry about it. It’s just dumb shit I should have got over a long time ago.”
He was silent for a long moment, then he said softly. “Do you need a hug?”
“Maybe a little one, yeah.” He turned me gently to face him and wrapped his arms around me, tucking my head under his chin and ruffling my hair gently. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. I squeezed my eyes shut, barely holding back the tears. “Just a bit tighter.”
Rhett’s arms squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. Enough so that I didn’t shatter into a million pieces. His heart beating under my cheek was soothing, so I started counting it out, regulating my breathing until I could pull in air more naturally. Finally, I felt like I could stay upright without his arms around me, so I pulled back.