Chapter 44
CHAPTER 44
GAbrIEL
L eah has been quiet all morning, and I’m at a loss with how to draw her back. Without mother’s party, I would have returned her to the car, driven back to our apartment, and reaffirmed our strong bond. I knew this party was going to be a disaster. Family get-togethers are always intermingled with family drama. At this moment I want to murder my older brother for making her feel this way.
My breath catches, as Leah steps out of the bathroom. Her makeup and hair are perfect, while her royal blue dress gently skims every curve.
“You look beautiful,” I say before I can stop myself.
Leah’s eyes lock with mine, but they are missing their usual sparkle. We made love last night, slowly. She allowed me to worship her body. But this morning, it’s as if a barrier has gone up between us and I don’t know how to break it down.
“Thank you,” she says, moving over to the bed and collecting her clutch bag.
“Leah. ”
“No, Gabriel, let’s just get through today. We can talk later,” she says, heading towards the door.
My agitation towards my brother grows by the minute. How dare he do and say what he did to this wonderful woman? Who the hell does he think he is, interfering in my life like I’m some na?ve child?
The party is already underway by the time we make it downstairs. Party goers weave their way through the hallway to the back of the house, where the marquee has been erected.
I take Leah’s hand in mine as we reach the bottom step.
Turning her to face me, I cup her cheek, capturing her gaze.
“Ignore my brother. His thoughts are not mine, nor Caleb’s or the rest of my family’s. You are here as a guest of my mother and me. The child growing inside you is mine. You’re not inferior. You are a queen, my queen. Don’t let that arsehole wield any power.”
I exhale slowly when Leah’s eyes soften, and she places her hand over mine, leaning into my palm.
“You’re right. Sticks and stones and all that,” she says. “We made a choice, and it’s our choice. Elijah can have his opinion. That’s his right. He made me feel vulnerable yesterday. I should have trusted in us and our agreement. I’m proud of my past and my family. I know he’s your brother, but I’m not going to let some privileged ass make me feel less. I’m sorry for pulling away. That was unfair.”
Her words are like a blow to my stomach, her trust means more than she can know. My anger towards my brother however has skyrocketed, but now is not the time. I’ll deal with him later.
“Come on,” I say, leading her through the house. “Let’s get this over with.”
Elijah and his wife, Darra, stand on the opposite side of the marquee, holding audience with several old family friends and hangers on. I’ve kept my distance, not wanting to create a scene, but I watch them as they work the room. You’d never know by looking at them. They can scarcely tolerate being in the same county, let alone breathing the same air.
I was only in my early teens when Elijah went to university. Every holiday he’d return with a swathe of university friends. Darra hanging off his arm, staking her claim. In retrospect, she had Elijah in her sights and was determined to keep him. During their final year, she got her way, falling pregnant with Lottie. Elijah put on a brave face as his Olympic dreams went up in smoke as he struggled to create a business to sustain him and his new family. My father telling him, if he was old enough to bring a child into the world, then he needed to man up and provide for his family. In true Elijah form, he showed the rest of us what was possible. Not wanting to follow in our father’s footsteps, Dad bankrolled his startup. Frazer Technologies and Security has become one of the leading Security and Cyber Tech companies in the world. But my brother was no longer the quick-to-laugh, fun-loving man I remember from my youth.
I turn, realising Leah is missing.
“Kat, have you seen Leah?” I ask my sister, who was deep in conversation with her last I saw.
“She went inside to use the bathroom,” Kat replies, patting my arm. “Don’t worry about her. She’s fine.”
I kiss my sister on the cheek and leave the rest of the party behind. It’s only when I go to walk around the corner, I hear a conversation that makes my blood boil.
“Have you heard?” a voice says from the hallway.
“No, what?” another answers .
“Apparently Gabriel has got himself an older woman...works for him. It’s so cliche. Attractive, but clearly beneath him, socially. A gold digger, if ever I saw one.”
There’s a sniff, followed by giggles.
“I’m surprised,” another voice says. “His mother spoke to mine a couple of months ago. She was hoping to set us up on a date, but then the next minute it’s all off.”
“No, his mother spoke to mine.”
I grimace. What the hell was my mother thinking? As if any of these brain-dead socialites would spark my interest. I’d die of boredom within five minutes.
“Apparently, he whisked her off to Monaco. I hope she enjoyed it, because it won’t last.”
A flood of giggles follows the comment as a third voice enters the conversation, and I groan inwardly. I can see why women feel like men are treating them as commodities when they stand around discussing them.
“Total gold digger. Probably thinks she’s won the lottery.”
I’m about to step past the door frame when a hand rests on my chest. I look up to find Leah standing next to me, listening to the vipers spew their poison. My heart stops as she shakes her head. This is not what she needs after Elijah’s outburst last night.
I frown, until I recognise the set of her jaw, along with the air of calmness she’s exuding.
Leah smiles and I return it. It’s like she can read my mind.
“Bubble,” she whispers. “I’ve got this. They’re mine.”
She reaches up and presses a kiss to my cheek.
My chest swells. I know she heard their catty comments. I’ve explained how I hate this part of my life. I grew up surrounded by these people. I couldn’t stand them then, and it’s even worse now.
Before I can stop her, Leah steps forward. “Who’s a gold digger?” I want to laugh as Leah feigns her innocence .
The three women pause, observing the new arrival. “We’re having a private conversation.” One of them says, her disdain for Leah clear in her voice.
I step forward into their line of sight, their mouths dropping open as they gawp at me like goldfish. Leah straightens her shoulders and I struggle to hide my smirk. Look out ladies, you’re about to get the Leah treatment. I recognise this stance. It’s the one she uses when dealing with annoying clients. Crossing my arms, I lean against the wall. This should be fun.
I vaguely recognise the dark-haired woman who recovers first. “Gabriel... or is it, Caleb? I never could tell the difference.” Her laugh is as fake as her cleavage, which is hard to miss as it’s practically falling out of her dress. “Lovely to see you again.” She giggles at her own joke, stepping towards me. I want to laugh as Leah rolls her eyes, stepping in her way.
Oh, I like this side.
“It’s Gabriel. It could be considered quite insulting when they have clear and distinct personalities, especially for someone who professes to know the family so well,” Leah says.
The women pause, not sure what to do or say next. “I knew it was Gabriel,” another says, clearly not helping her friend.
Their eyes dart to mine, but I mask my features. I’m known as the grumpy twin, so why not play to my strengths?
“Gabriel, darling,” Leah says, linking her arm through mine. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. “These ladies are concerned I’m only after your money.”
Leah turns to me, her face feigning shock.
I decide to play along. “Is that true? Are you only after me for my money?” I ask her innocently .
Leah looks back at the women, who are now standing their gawping at us, colour running high in their cheeks.
Leah lowers her voice. “It’s not Gabriel’s money I’m after.”
She pauses. “I’ll let you into a little secret, ladies.” Leah leans forward, and I wrap my arms around her waist. She looks at me over her shoulder before turning back to the bitches in front of us. “This man really knows what to do to make a woman scream. I’ve never had so many —”
I pull Leah away, leaving the women staring after us, open-mouthed.
The three women look past Leah, and at me in horror, before their eyes drop to my crotch, their cheeks darkening. Leah laughs, following their gaze with her own. My blood heating.
“What are you doing?” I whisper in her ear.
“Igniting the rumour mill,” she whispers, her eyes twinkling. “Now you’ll have them queuing up, wanting some of your big, orgasm-inducing —”
I slam my mouth down on hers, silencing her.
“Er... um... enjoy the party.”
They call after us, before backing away and scattering.
I tighten my grip on Leah’s waist. “Are you being a naughty girl, Leah Walker? Am I going to have to punish you?” I ask against her lips. “Just so you know, they are getting nowhere near my orgasm-inducing cock. That’s all yours.”
I can feel Leah’s grin against my lips and love the fact the twinkle has returned to her eyes. Whatever Kat said to her has undone some of the damage Elijah inflicted.
“I hate gold diggers,” she says, laughing. “And money does not equal class.”
“Here, here,” comes a voice behind us. “I don’t know about you, Gabe, but I think I’m in love.” I spin to face the one person at this party I can stand apart from family. “Are you going to introduce us?”
I step back from Leah and pull the woman before me in for a hug. “Pen,” I say, kissing her cheek. At almost my height, there’s little to no bending down.
“Hi Gabe, and this beautiful woman must be Leah,” she says, stepping around me before enveloping Leah in a hug of her own.
“Hi,” Leah squeaks, trying to catch my gaze, taking in the Amazonian-sized woman in front of her.
Pen is quite something. Standing at six foot, her newly dyed black hair matches the ebony of the dress she’s wearing. In true Pen style, she’s dressed to shock. I wonder if Pen is where Harper gets her inspiration. The dress is floor length, with an open front split almost to her navel. It’s covered in ebony sequins that shimmer as she walks. A chunky chain hangs between her breasts. Her slender figure allowing her to execute it flawlessly.
“I’m Penelope—Pen. Welcome to Frazer World, Leah. It’s about time someone put those crazy bitches in their place.” Her gaze scowling after the fleeing guests.
Leah coughs to hide her laugh. “Thank you. I think.” Leah says before adding. “I love your boots.”
Pen grins and pulls up the bottom of her dress. It’s my turn to roll my eyes. Only Pen would pair a classic designer dress with biker boots.
“Comfort is key, and I’m tall enough,” Pen says, linking her arm through Leah’s. “And heels are so bloody uncomfortable.”
“Aren’t they just?” Leah nods, accepting Pen’s arm.
Oh, no. These two together could be bad for my health—mental health, that is.
“I can see us becoming firm friends,” Pen adds. “I like Leah, Gabe. You’d better not screw this up. ”
“You’ve only just met her,” I point out, but when she glares, I raise both hands in surrender. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I say drolly.
Pen wraps an arm around Leah’s shoulder.
“Did Gabe tell you I taught him to game, when he was a moody, non-communicative teenager?” She laughs, shooting me a grin. I roll my eyes as she continues.
“I went to university with the grumpy bastard and beauty queen over there,” she says, tipping her head in Elijah’s direction. He and Darra having now moved inside. “I came home with him during the holidays, and I’ve been a visitor ever since.”
“You were at university with Elijah?” Leah asks, her brow wrinkling.
Before I can think too much into her response, another voice appears. It truly is the day for it.
“And me...don’t forget me...and you’re like a bad smell, aren’t you Penelope? We just can’t seem to get rid of you.” Darra swans over, a little unsteady on her feet. I reach out to prevent her from ploughing into Leah.
“Don’t start, Darra,” I hiss quietly, taking her arm and pulling her away.
“Start what, Gabriel? Making a scene?” She pulls her arm out of my grip. “I’m his wife, the mother of his child. She’s just —” Darra doesn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she staggers back across the room, whispering something in Elijah’s ear. Something that has him looking across the room at us. His expression hardens. I hear Pen sigh and my heart goes out to her. She and Elijah were best friends. An odd pairing.
Pen shakes her head, her eyes betraying the sadness I know she keeps locked inside. A look passes between us before she returns her attention to Leah, as if the past few minutes never occurred.
“Yes, for my sins. Elijah wasn’t always this way. He used to be fun and lighthearted, more like Caleb.” She pauses before adding with a chuckle, “But less of a tart. Now he’s just?—”
“Who are you calling a tart?” Caleb says, sweeping Penelope up into a bear hug, swinging her around.
“You, dear boy,” she says when her feet finally touch the ground, her hand pressed against the centre of his chest. “How is your love life? Any woman caught your attention for longer than five minutes?”
A look passes over Caleb’s face before he plasters on his usual grin.
“Why would I deprive the female species of this?” he says, waving his hand up and down his body.
We all groan.
Pen shoots Leah a calculating look.
“Aunty Pen.” I watch as Lottie catapults her way across the room and into Pen’s arms.
“Hey, munchkin. Have you grown again?” She asks, sweeping my niece into an enormous bear hug. “If you keep growing at this rate, you’ll be as tall as me soon.”
“You always say that,” Lottie says, rolling her eyes. “We had to go clothes shopping. My trousers were ankle biters.” There’s pride in Lottie’s voice.
“Well, you have to grow sometime,” she adds, giving her a squeeze. “How’s your programming assignment going?” Pen sits on the arm of the nearest chair to make herself Lottie’s height.
Lottie scrunches up her nose.
“That well, huh? Well, you know where to find me if you need me,” Pen says, running her hand over Lottie’s hair.
“Thanks Aunty Pen. Dad’s been busy,” Lottie adds, and my heart goes out to my niece. Her mother is too busy doing lunch and whatever else she does to fill her time. My brother hides in his office .
“You have my number,” Pen says. “Use it, please.”
Lottie nods, but there’s a sadness in her eyes. I set a mental note to ask her why she hasn’t called Pen or me.
Before I can think, Lottie moves towards Leah and wraps her arms around her waist.
“I see you met Leah. Did you hear? She and Uncle Gabe are having a baby.”
A hush falls around us as everyone turns to stare. Leah’s eyes drop to the ground, and I step forward, wrapping my arm around her and my niece.
“I know, it’s wonderful news, isn’t it? I’m hoping I get to have lots of cuddles,” Pen says extra loudly. Then looks around her. “Nothing to see here, people.”
The nosy crowd turns their nose up at her, making her smirk even more.
“Oh, Pen, I’m sorry,” Leah says, and I squeeze her gently.
“It’s fine. Ignore them,” I whisper against her ear.
“Did I say something wrong?” Lottie says, her eyes flicking between us.
Pen pats Lottie’s cheek. “No, munchkin. It’s fantastic you’re so eager.”
She turns and smiles at Leah.
“I’m the pariah, but Mrs F loves me,” she says.
“That I do. Are you creating carnage, Penelope?” my mother says, coming up and pulling Pen down for a hug.
“As always,” she says, hugging my mother back. “Happy Birthday, Franny,” she adds, her voice wavering.
“It’s lovely to see you, my darling. It is a shame you couldn’t make last night,” Mum adds, patting her cheek.
Pen smiles at her. “I know, but I had to work.”
“You work too hard.” The affection in my mum’s voice is hard to miss.
“It’s only hard if you hate your job,” Pen replies.
Everyone knows she loves what she does .
“Are you still doing business with that slave driver of a son of mine? Is he working you too hard?”
Pen laughs and places an arm around my mother’s shoulders. “He couldn’t if he wanted to.”
Mum huffs. “He’s still being a grumpy bastard, then?”
Leah begins to choke.
I grab a glass of juice from a passing waiter and hand it to her.
“It’s okay, Leah, I’m under no illusions about my children. Speaking of sons, has my eldest apologised to you?”
Leah squirms.
“I raised him better than that. I’m sorry.” I watch in amazement as my mother steps up and pats Leah’s cheek. “And you can stop looking smug,” she says, looking directly at me. “Don’t think last night’s discussion is over.”
I’m amazed how a woman who stands at just five foot two, can be as foreboding as my mother, but she has it in spades.
“Not any of your business, mother,” I add, wrapping both arms around Leah’s waist once Lottie steps away.
“Then make sure you look after Leah, or there will be consequences. Your bank balance might be greater than mine, but you’re still my son,” she says before turning and leaving us to socialise with some of her friends.
“I feel like someone dropped me into an episode of the Twilight Zone,” Leah says, leaning back against me.
My arms instinctively tighten around her.
“I often feel the same way.”
My gaze catches my friend’s, and she grins at me. I return her smile, and her eyebrows almost reach her hairline.
“Leah has that effect on me.”