Chapter 2
Mei
Why is Mom acting so strange? I mean, she’s always been difficult to read, but something’s going on. I’ve never seen her anxious like this before. As we drive from the airport back to our apartment, she drums the steering wheel with her thumbs in rapid staccato.
I peek over my shoulder to blow kisses at my baby sister in her car seat. Penny is almost two and what I missed most while visiting Dad over the winter break. She shrieks happily and chants, “Maymaymaymay.”
My name is phonetically pronounced like the month, May, but there’s something ridiculously cute and twangy about how Penny says it. When our mother says my name, it’s clipped, as if even my name is too long for her to waste her time on.
Suppressing a sigh, I swivel around in my seat and stare out the windshield. College starts up again soon, and it’ll be back to our regular routine. Penny will go to her sitter during the day while I’m in school and I’ll be her stand-in parent at night.
Resentment burns hot in my gut. Both my parents are this way.
They’ve chosen their careers over love or their children.
No wonder they couldn’t stay married. Dad’s not even dating anyone back in St. Louis, because he’s forever on call at the hospital.
The entire two weeks I was with him, we had dinner together twice.
I spent the rest of my time alone, interacting with his neighbors more than him.
Mom is no different.
In a way, she’s worse. She leaves me to babysit at night, always claiming she’s running errands or visiting a friend.
I’m not stupid. I know she’s seeing someone.
Since she keeps it a big secret from me and won’t bring him around, I imagine there’s a reason for it, though I can’t imagine what it could be.
When we pass our gated luxury apartment complex, I frown and shoot Mom a questioning look.
“Where are we going?” I ask, stiffening in my seat.
Normally, I wouldn’t worry, but it’s how she’s acting. Something’s not right.
Mom sighs heavily as if cluing her daughter in on her life is exhausting and a total waste of time. I grit my teeth, wanting to bite out something mean, but hold my tongue. I’m eighteen now. She could kick me out on my ass. I wouldn’t put it past her.
“You’re being weird, Mom.”
“I have to tell you something,” she says in a tight voice. “I’d prefer if you’d leave the drama out of it. Not in the mood today.”
She’s never in the mood. If you ask me, my mother has the emotional capacity of a gnat. It doesn’t exist. Deep down, I know she loves me, but she isn’t keen on showing it. That’s the part that hurts.
“I’ll keep my dramatics to myself,” I grit out. “Tell me.”
Her head turns my way, and she gives me one of her weird smiles. It’s not one she typically uses on me. She saves it for patients, teachers, old people. Polite and borderline condescending.
“I got rid of the apartment.”
Several seconds pass before I can make sense of her statement. “What do you mean?”
“Moved us out,” she says with a huff of impatience. “We don’t live there anymore.”
Panic swells up inside of me. “What about all my stuff? My books? My car?”
“I nicely asked you to avoid the dramatics,” she reminds me. “Yet, here we are.”
“Mom,” I grind out. “You just randomly upped and moved us. How did you expect me to respond? Why? What happened? Are we falling behind on rent or something?”
“Don’t be silly.” She waves me off with her hand. “I make plenty of money and you know it.”
My eyes drift to her other hand holding onto the steering wheel. A fat diamond sits on a thick gold band wrapped around her ring finger. Nausea washes over me and my mouth waters with the need to puke.
“Y-You got married?” I croak out, jabbing an accusing finger at her hand.
“I did. And you will respect my decision.”
I shake my head, confused as to what happened in the two weeks I was gone. “I don’t understand. Were you even seeing anyone? This feels abrupt. Are you okay, Mom? Do you need to get on your meds again?”
I know bringing up her postpartum depression is a touchy subject, but I refuse to let it go unaddressed.
There were a few days after Penny was born, I thought my mother might end her life, or ours.
She was that shattered and barely hanging on by a thread.
Medication and therapy pulled her out of that deep, dark hole.
“I’m feeling perfectly well,” she says, irritation in her tone. “You’ll like Owen. He’s a good man. His children are nice too.”
Children?
It all slams into me at once as I come to terms with what she’s saying. Not only is she married, but her new husband has kids. I’ve been uprooted from my home, and we now live with these strangers. Could she not have thrown a text my way?
I sit frozen in place, still processing everything that’s happening. Penny chatters happily in the backseat, clearly not as traumatized as I am.
Is this new family nice to her?
Mom drives through town and then slows when we come to one of the nicer neighborhoods in our area.
My heart hammers harder and faster in my chest as we wind through the roads within the subdivision.
Any of these houses could be our new home and I wouldn’t know because this is the first time I’ve heard anything about this marriage.
She eventually slows when she reaches a stately, modern home with mature trees that offer a shield from the snow, where my car is parked at the curb. All the lights appear to be on based on the lit up windows. I’m dreading going inside.
Maybe this is all a dream.
I’m probably still asleep on the plane, about to land.
Mom hits a preprogrammed button in her vehicle, and I watch in shock as the garage door opens. She pulls inside the garage beside a Denali. It must be her…husband’s.
I think I’m going to be sick.
“Listen,” Mom says once the car is shut off. “There are things you don’t understand. I want you to trust me. I’m doing this because I need to. Can you please respect my decision so we can move on in peace?”
I give her a clipped nod before exiting the vehicle. I’m disgusted and my mind reels with unanswered questions, but I’m not going to throw a fit like some unruly child. She’s been disappointing me my entire life. It shouldn’t surprise me now.
Since I miss Penny, I quickly unbuckle her and pull her out. She rests her head on my shoulder, still speaking in her cute little voice, though it’s hard to understand what she’s saying. I follow my mother through the garage and into the house.
The first thing I notice is the smell.
And it’s not a bad one.
Almost immediately, my stomach growls as I inhale the savory scent of what smells like cooking meat.
“We’re home,” Mom calls out. “Owen? Addison? Cason?”
A guy comes sauntering in with a pretty blonde at his side. They’re both around my age or maybe younger. It’s hard to tell for sure. But, the guy is definitely too young to be married to my mother and have a house like this.
“This is my daughter, Mei,” Mom says to them. “Mei, these are your stepsiblings, Cason and Addison.”
Cason smirks and gives me a lift of his chin in greeting. Addison wriggles her fingers at me, smiling broadly. With their golden hair, bright blue eyes, and perfect, shiny teeth, they remind me of otherworldly beings. Like fairies or angels or aliens.
“Hi,” I grumble. “Nice to meet you.”
Penny reaches for Addison and my chest caves in on itself. I want to cling to her, but she’ll throw a tantrum. It’s best to give her what she wants. Even though I’ve been gone for two weeks, she still wants this new sister over her old one.
Hysteria rises in my chest as my eyes water. Addison takes Penny and then they walk away, Cason trailing after them. I remain frozen, swallowing hard to get rid of the emotion clogging my throat.
“Dinner’s ready,” a deep voice booms from around the corner in what must be the kitchen. Everything is unfamiliar and I hate it.
Where are my things?
Footsteps thud over the hardwood floors and then a man strides into view.
I shouldn’t be stunned by the fact he’s the older, masculine version of his children.
Everything about him is…perfect. Like how you’d imagine Gabriel the archangel to look like.
Muscles straining a tight dress shirt, tanned skin, an easygoing grin that’ll make you blush.
Heat chases away my misery and I’m disgusted with myself. This is my mother’s new husband. Why is my stomach fluttering and my heart racing?
Because he’s gorgeous.
“This is Mei,” Mom says, gesturing at me. “I need wine.”
She disappears, already quite at home in this mystery house. I remain rooted in place, stunned by the beautiful man in front of me.
He approaches slowly and offers a strong, veiny hand toward me. I awkwardly take it in mine, trying not to be affected when a zap of what must be static electricity buzzes at our connection.
“We’ve all been dying to meet you,” her husband says, voice warm and jovial. After spending two weeks with Dad and then an icy car ride with Mom, it’s jarring to feel so welcomed by someone I’ve just met. “I’m Owen Monahan. Your mother has told me so much about you.”
I pluck my hand out of his and force a smile. “Unfortunately, I learned about you not even ten minutes ago.”
His smile falls. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“Yup.”
“Okay. Wow.” He lets loose a rush of air. “Um, sorry about that. I wish Jin would’ve warned you.”
His words are kind, bordering on embarrassed. It softens me to him for some strange reason.
“We’re typically an afterthought in Mom’s head,” I say bitterly. “Sorry. I don’t want to take this out on you.”
He steps so close I can smell his cologne. It’s clean and crisp and obviously expensive. Better than any guy I’ve ever inhaled.
Not that I go around filling my lungs with another man’s scent. This would be a first.
Burning heat races over my flesh, no doubt giving away my thoughts. I peek up at this man beneath my lashes, wondering if he can see my humiliation. Navy blue eyes bore into me, a small frown tugging at his full lips.
My mother kisses those lips.
Naturally, the first man I’ve had an intense, visceral reaction to would be claimed by my mother. It tracks for my life thus far. Penny and I get the leftovers.
“Hey,” he says, voice rumbling and low. “It’s going to be okay. I realize this is abrupt and strange. But, I promise we’ll do whatever we can to make you feel welcome.”
At least he’s nice.
Mom doesn’t exactly date, much less marry, but I didn’t expect a man like Owen to be her type.
“Come on,” Owen says, gesturing toward where the kitchen must be. “I made steak and baked potatoes. You have to be starving after your flight.”
His hand moves to the small of my back and he guides me toward the kitchen. I suppress a shiver at his touch. Because his hand is so large, it splays across most of my lower back, teasing at the top of my ass. This time, I feel heat much lower.
Shameful.
Owen shows me into the kitchen and then points at a stack of plates where Cason is already snagging one. Mom is rapid-fire texting with one hand and has a full wineglass poised near her mouth in the other. Addison is blowing raspberries on Penny’s cheek.
I don’t know this world.
Not this nice family or even this house, but the circumstance. The situation my mother has put me in. I’m way out of my depth and gasping for air.
Get it together, Mei.
Breathe.
Owen gives me a quick, reassuring wink and all air is sucked from my lungs.
So much for breathing.