Chapter thirty-five
As much as my grandmother had assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of, I was tense. The week had gone by faster than I would have liked, and I was there getting ready, or at least trying to, meet Thomas's family. I had bumped into his sister on the day of the nightclub, but the rest, I had no idea who they were.
A quick search for the surname Lennox on the internet revealed a traditional New York family in the field of law. All Harvard graduates had an impeccable record dating back to the great-grandparents of Thomas. They usually pursued their careers in the traditional family firm, but Thomas' brothers had chosen other areas of the law. Would they be there too? I couldn't say.
“Helena!” my grandmother shouted. “Your boyfriend has arrived.”
I straightened my hair for the millionth time and left the apartment's small bathroom, going into the living room, where I saw Thomas standing. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers in one hand.
“Wow!” I was surprised. “They're beautiful.”
“I brought it for your grandmother.” He came closer and handed it to her.
“Oh, dear.” She was a little embarrassed. “He didn't have to.”
“You deserve it.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we?” He held out his hand to me, and I smiled.
I entwined my fingers in his.
“Take care, Grandma.”
“No problem. Enjoy!”
I waved to her and left the apartment with Thomas.
“Flowers for my grandmother?” I commented as I put on my seatbelt when I was already in his car.
“Doesn't she deserve it?”
“Of course, he deserves it, but...”
I stopped talking when he reached out and pulled an even bigger bouquet from the back seat than the one he gave to my grandma.
“Wow...”
“You deserve it too.”
“Thank you, Thomas!” I sniffed the roses, filling my nostrils with the scent. “They're beautiful.”
“No more than you.”
“I didn't know you were so gallant.”
“You still have some secrets about me that you'll discover little by little.”
“Oh, I want to know.”
“Here...” He leaned over me and grabbed my thigh, bringing his mouth to mine.
“Tho...” His tongue plunged into my mouth, and I couldn't say anything else; I just returned the kiss.
My fingers tangled in his hair, and I pulled harder, making the contact between our mouths even more intense. The desire that came over me while we were together was almost uncontrollable. I had to agree with Holly; Thomas was quite a man. Just thinking about him made my legs wobble.
He tried to pull me onto his lap, but before we did something inappropriate for children at the door of his building, I stopped him.
“Hold on.” I pushed his chest, grabbing the collar of his shirt. At the same time that a little rationality led me to push him away, my desire was to pull him back.
“Helena...” she muttered softly.
“We can't do that here.”
“I know.” He pulled himself together, and we settled into our seats.
“Where are the girls?” I put the bouquet on my lap and fixed my hair, which he had pulled.
“They've already gone to my parents' house.”
“Ah...” I tensed up again.
“Don't worry about it.” He stroked my hand affectionately.
“Sounds easy to say.”
“They have no reason not to like you. I haven't taken a woman home since Daphne died. They know that if I'm introducing you, it's because you're important to me.”
I nodded. I should be worrying for nothing; there was no reason to be tense, but at the same time, I was getting more and more involved with that man every day, and the possibility of it all coming to an end at once frightened me.
For a long time, I had no man; no one else was a priority in my life apart from my grandmother. But being with Thomas and thinking about my relationship with the twins had changed all my perspectives. I wanted that man and the whole family.
It was crazy to think that I was agreeing to become the mother of two four-year-old twins, but I got excited about the possibility every day. Those little ones and I could do a lot of good for each other.
Thomas drove to the outskirts of the city, and we soon left the tall buildings to see fences and mansions. It was a quieter, more secluded area, far from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. We passed through an electronic gate, and he parked the car in a space next to several other luxury vehicles. He had more cars than anyone needed, and I knew that his family was large enough for each vehicle to correspond to a member.
“Can I leave it here?” I put the bouquet on the seat when I opened the car door.
“Yes.” He turned around and held out his hand to me.
“What a beautiful house!” It was impossible not to exclaim when I saw the building from the outside.
It was made of light brick, with tall columns at the entrance and a staircase leading up to the main door. It had three floors, with white windows and a light gray roof that gave the place a modern, sophisticated look.
“Yes, it is.” Thomas agreed.
“Did you grow up here?” I was curious.
“No.”
“Ah!”
“When I was a child, my father ran the firm, and we lived in an apartment similar to mine. It was only when he decided to retire that my mother convinced him to move to a bigger, quieter place, away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.”
“Are you thinking of living somewhere like this one day?”
“Maybe...” He bit his lower lip, looking more thoughtful. “The twins like it here, but I don't know if it will stay that way when they're fifteen or twenty. It may be that when I get to my father's age, the need for peace will speak louder. Why do you see yourself in a place like this?”
“Well... It wasn't a perspective I had.”
“But do you like Manhattan?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you move there?”
“Rent is very expensive, and so is my grandmother's medication. I had to make a choice.”
“I understand.” He stared at me and pulled my hand, kissing the back of it.
We didn't have time to say anything more because the front door opened, and the twins came running.
“Daddy! Helena!”
“Be careful not to get hurt, girls.”
I knelt down to hug them, and they both came to me, vying for space to wrap their arms around my neck. I kissed each of them on the forehead, and they snuggled up to me like two sly kittens.
“How are my princesses?”
“Good,” replied Mary.
“Setting up a block with Grandma.”
“Oh, you were playing with a building block?”
They said yes.
“What fun.”
“Yes, of course,” agreed Mary.
I stood up, holding each of their hands, and stared at the couple of gentlemen in the doorway, together with Thomas's younger sister. I took a step towards them, and they took another three towards me.
“Hello, Helena.”
“Hi, Mrs. Lennox.”
“You can call me Genevive, dear.”
“Thank you.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you.” The woman gave me a hug that surprised me. It took a while for me to let go of the girl's hands and reciprocate.
“It's my pleasure.”
“It's so nice to see my son with such a beautiful and kind woman.” She stroked my cheek as she looked at me. “My granddaughters spoke very highly of you.”
“I'm glad.”
“Let's go in, dear.” The man gestured for us to pass.
“Of course.”
“Welcome.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Lennox.”
He just smiled at me, but it seemed sincere. Thomas's family's receptiveness soon made me feel less tense about being in front of them. I was thinking that they might look down on me and judge me for my humble origins, but that wasn't the case. My boyfriend was right, the fact that he and the twins liked me seemed enough to make me welcome.
“So that's the saint?” another man asked as he appeared in front of me. He looked a lot like Thomas, but he wore a full beard that was well-groomed, unlike my boyfriend's goatee.
“Saint?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the comment.
“Tyler...” Genevive reproached him.
“Only a saint could deal with my older brother.”
“Funny.” Thomas closed his face.
“I'm Judge Tyler Lennox, Helena.” He extended his hand to me.
“I bet she doesn't care about that,” grumbled the younger sister.
“I'm just introducing myself, prosecutor.”
“We're not in court, Tyler.” She twisted her lips.
“Good,” said Thomas.
“Come and have a look.” Anne pulled my hand, and I let myself be dragged by the girl, escaping the family presentation.
She only stopped dragging me when we were in front of the coffee table in the huge, beautifully decorated living room. As stunning as that house was, I wondered if it didn't seem terribly empty when the children were away.
As it was always me and my grandmother, I wasn't used to a big family, let alone all that luxury. Every day that I spent around Thomas made me more certain that the two of us belonged to completely different worlds. I just hoped, over time, this wouldn't become a problem.
“Sit down ! ” Anne pointed to the fluffy carpet.
But before I could settle down, their grandmother approached.
“Girls, let's have lunch first, then you can play with Helena.”
“Ah...” they muttered in protest.
“There's bonbon pie for dessert.”
“Yay!” They cheered.
“But only if they eat it all.” Thomas was firm.
The girls looked at each other and nodded.
“Let's go into the dining room.” Grandma held out her hand for them to go with her
The girls ran off and left me as if they hadn't even remembered I was there. I laughed to myself. I was used to children, so I knew how they behaved.
“They're a comedy,” his sister commented to me.
“I love children.”
“Thomas said you're a teacher, but you don't have children, right?”
I said no.
“Studying and looking after my grandmother were my main priorities in recent years.”
“What's it like dealing with both?”
“Well... I love them, and I think they love me too.”
“Sit down, Helena!” Mary waved for me to settle down in the chair between her and her sister.
“They certainly love you.” Deborah smiled. “They're planning to have more after...”
“Let's take it easy.” Thomas interrupted the conversation by placing his hands on my back and guiding me to the chair his daughters had already reserved for me.
“Okay.” Deborah giggled.
“You said you live with your grandmother,” their father brought it up. “Your parents...”
Thomas glared, but I didn't mind the question.
“My mother keeps disappearing and showing up at the most inopportune moments, while my father, she never knew who he was.”
“I'm sorry.”
“That's all right. I'm used to it.”
“Did you study at Columbia?”
“With a full scholarship.”
“Apparently, she was an exemplary student.”
“I had to work hard because my grandmother wouldn't be able to pay for university for me.”
The man opened his mouth again, but before he could ask another question, Thomas stopped him.
“Dad, that's enough!”
“I admire those who make up for a lack of opportunities with effort.”
“Thank you, sir.” I smiled at him, pleased with his comment.
I hadn't grown up in a beautiful house surrounded by luxury and refinement like them, but I had always done my best to achieve my goals, and I was very proud of the person I had become.
“Helena!” Anne tugged on my arm.
“Hello?”
“Are we going to swing?”
“Do you have a balance sheet?”
“Grandpa put it in the garden.”
“Of course, we're going, but we have to wait until lunch is digested; otherwise, you might get sick.”
“Iest?o?”
“Digestion,” I corrected her so that she would learn the correct pronunciation of the word.
“What is it?”
“Digestion is when our body absorbs nutrients from food after we have chewed and swallowed.”
“Ah...”
“Demola?”
“A little bit.”
“Tendi.”
“Let's eat! ” Mary jumped up and down in her chair when a waitress started serving the dishes.
Thomas and I looked at each other and laughed as he reached under the table to take my hand.