Chapter 32 #3
We’re here, at Edward’s family home and I’m about to meet his father for the first time and I can’t help but feel that I’m here to get his seal of approval, what happens if I fuck this up?
The black Bentley pulls into the drive and stops at the giant metal gates, a guard smiles from the watchhouse and pushes a button, the gates slowly open.
My breath catches at what I see….
A light gravel driveway lined with giant trees, rolling green hills and white fences. This place is straight out of a movie. “What are those beautiful trees?” I whisper in awe.
“Oak trees.” Edward smiles as he holds my hand in his.
The car slowly drives in and the gates close behind us.
We drive up and over the hill and past giant white stables with horses, and not the usual kind of horses you see, like sporty horses.
There are people wandering around, one person is leading a horse by its lead, another is sweeping out a stall.
There’s a tractor driving along with a load of hay on its tipper.
“What kind of horses are they?”
“Racehorses.”
“Racehorses?” I squeak.
“My mother instilled the love in us.”
“Oh. Well, that’s just.” I search for something nice to say. “Really great.” I look back out the window as another level of inadequacy hits, I don’t know anything about fucking horses. Only that they scare the living crap out of me.
Seriously…what in the hell does this guy see in me?
I feel myself begin to sweat.
We keep driving up the perfectly maintained road and pass more paddocks, this time filled with huge black cows. “These cows look like they are on steroids.”
He chuckles as he looks out at them too. “Black Angus.”
“Right.”
Of course they are…. Ugh, is anyone inferior around here apart from me?
We drive around a winding road and up over a hill and my heart stops as I see the sight over the next hill.
A castle, a fucking bona fide sandstone castle. Complete with giant circular driveway and perfectly manicured gardens. A man in a hat is watering flowers and a woman is raking some leaves under an oak tree.
“How long has your family lived here?” I ask.
“We are the sixth generation,” he replies calmly as his eyes remain out the window. “My children will be the seventh.”
I feel the blood begin to drain from my face…. Honestly, what am I playing at?
Edward at my house in Nice is just the hot guy that I met in Switzerland, he’s just a normal man who I have fallen in love with. He could be Joe Blow from the street and I would love him just as much.
On a deeper level in the background, I know that he has money, but when I’m confronted with just how much…. It freaks me out. It doesn’t reconcile, I can’t compete with this, I can’t…he dates princesses, for fuck’s sake.
What am I even doing here?
Fuck.
I feel perspiration dust my skin and I want to jump out of the car and run as fast as I can to a cheap and nasty hotel where I would at least fit in.
The car doesn’t pull into the castle, it keeps driving along the white gravel road. “Where are we going now?” I ask.
“To my place.”
“Oh…how great.” I fake another smile, of course he has his own place here…because one family castle isn’t enough.
From the corner of my eye I see the driver smirk.
Not funny, asshole.
We go over another hill and drive a few miles and another sandstone house comes into view.
It’s still huge but nowhere near the castle’s size; it has a lake with ducks swimming around and a separate garage, dark green vines are growing over it.
The same beautiful oak trees surround it and this could literally be heaven on earth.
“This is my place,” he says as we pull into the drive.
“Oh.” I bite my bottom lip to hide my smile as the car comes to a stop. “It’s beautiful.”
“Like you.” He leans over and kisses me.
“Come.” He gets out of the car and walks around and opens the door for me, he takes my hand in his and leads me up the path.
I’ve noticed that when he’s with me nobody is allowed to open my car door but him.
Has he told them that he wants to do it or is this some kind of rich-person etiquette that I don’t know about?
We walk up the giant sandstone steps and onto a veranda with heavy double doors and he opens them and pulls me inside. “Welcome to my home, Doe.” He kisses me softly. “I hope you love it here as much as I do.”
My eyes widen as my heart stops.
“Edward,” I whisper as my eyes float over the heaven. “My god, it’s beautiful.” The walls are a warm cream, the furnishings are a perfect blend of modern and antique, there are dark timber floors with giant rugs and the back wall is glass looking over the green rolling hills. “It’s kind of like—”
“Your place.” He cuts me off.
My eyes search his. “Yes.”
“We have the same taste.” He cups my face in his hands and kisses me again. “I had the same thought when I went to your place the first time.”
My heart swells, just when I think this man can’t get any better, he ups the ante.
“Where would you like the bags, sir?” the guard asks.
“Upstairs in our bedroom, please.”
Our bedroom.
They disappear up the huge staircase and I smile as I look around.
“A penny for your thoughts?” he asks.
“I think it was stupid of you to bring me here.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m never going to want to leave.”
He cups my face in his hand before kissing me softly. “That was my plan.”
“What else is in your plan for today?”
“First…. We go meet my father in the main house.”
Oh crap…anything but that.
“Great.”
Stop saying great…. You sound like a frigging idiot.
EDWARD
“Shall we go?”
“What…now?” Her eyes widen.
“Why not?”
“I’m just…going to freshen up.” She glances up the stairs.
“Okay. Last bedroom at the end of the hall is ours.”
She nods before taking off up the stairs at double speed. I walk over to the window and stare out over the view as I feel the tension leave my body.
It’s always so good to be home.
I head into the kitchen and check the fridge to make sure it’s been stocked. I do a walk-around just to make sure everything is in order; it’s been a few months since I’ve been home. Fifteen minutes later Alora still hasn’t returned, what is she doing up there?
I find her in the master bedroom, standing in front of the mirror close to tears.
“What’s wrong?” I frown.
“Does this look okay?” She looks down at herself.
“It looks perfect.” She’s wearing a flowing pink dress, her thick dark hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail and she has a fresh face, without makeup.
She spins and then turns to the bathroom and then goes back to her open suitcase and then spins again. “What are you doing?” I frown.
“Freaking the fuck out, Edward,” she stammers. “I feel stupid, I’ve brought stupid clothes and I packed stupid things and I made a present for your dad and now that I’m here, it’s just so ridiculously stupid.”
“What do you mean, you made a present for my father?” I drop to sit on the bed.
She picks up a large square red tin, the kind you see in antique stores. “I won’t give it to him.” She shrugs as if embarrassed. “I don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“What is it?”
“I baked him some shortbread.”
“When did you have time to bake shortbread?” I frown, confused.
“I got up at 3 this morning and did it while you were sleeping, I wanted it to be fresh for him.”
Oh….
My heart swells, and if I didn’t love this woman before, I sure as hell do now.
“How are you so perfect?” I take her into my arms and kiss her.
“Should I change?” Her eyes search mine.
“Don’t you dare. I love you exactly the way you are.”
“I mean my clothes, Edward. Focus….”
“Alora.” I take her hands in mine. “Just be you. My father is no idiot, he will love you if you just be yourself.”
“But this house is just so fancy and…I’m out of my depth here.”
“Listen to me.” I place my finger under her chin and bring her face up to meet mine. “I fell in love with you because of who you are, not what you have.”
Her eyes well with tears.
“Show yourself to my family, the real you. Not who you think they want you to be.” I wipe her tears with my thumbs. “Alright?”
She nods. “Okay.”
I pick up her old red tin and I put it under my arm and we make our way downstairs and out through the front door as we hold hands, and I want to run to my father’s. Because for the first time in my life I have someone worthy to introduce to him.
Someone I’m proud to call mine…and what she sees in me, I’ll never know.
We arrive at the front door and I hand her the red tin. “You ready?” I ask.
She nods again, perhaps too nervous to speak.
I push the door open. “I’m home,” I call.
My father comes around the corner and his face lights up when he sees us. “Ah, my son.” He laughs, he pulls me into an embrace. “It’s been too long.”
“Dad.” I smile. “This is Alora Sorenson.”
“Hello, my dear.” He smiles.
“Hello,” she says timidly, with shaky hands she holds out her red tin. “I….” She swallows the lump in her throat. “I made you a present.” She passes it over.
“You did?” He frowns as he looks down at it.
“Open it.” I smile.
He opens the tin and unfolds the white tissue paper and his mouth falls open. “You made this?”
“It’s probably not very good,” she whispers. “Umm….” She points into the tin. “This is macadamia and this side is lemon, and this row is traditional English shortbread.”
“Alora got up at 3 this morning while I was sleeping because she wanted it to be fresh for you,” I tell him.
His eyes meet mine and an unexpected emotion fills me.
“Well…. Alora.” He smiles. “This is the most thoughtful present I have received in a very long time.”
She smiles softly and honestly…how is she mine?
“Shall we go and make some tea to have with it?” my father asks as he holds his hand out toward the kitchen.
“Okay.” She walks in front of us.
“Alora loves English tea too, Dad, don’t you?”
“I do,” she replies.
My father’s eyes meet mine. “Finally.”
ALORA
If heaven were a place on earth, this is it.