Chapter 34
JULES
“Ican’t believe you’ve never watched Notting Hill,” Chris called from the bedroom as I made my way to the kitchen to grab us some popcorn.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” I shouted back.
“The idea of a Hollywood actress falling for a nobody sounded way too fake.” I heard him laugh, and it made me laugh too.
I was halfway to the kitchen, barefoot and wearing his shirt over the short shorts I’d had on under my dress, when I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart jumped to my throat.
There were two people sitting on the living room couch.
“Fuck!” I yelped, nearly tripping. One hand shot out to the wall to hold me upright, while the other clutched the oversized shirt tight over my body. The older man stood up quickly, like he could somehow help me from across the room.
“Oh…” the woman next to him chuckled gently. “I’m sorry, dear.”
My face flushed as I regained what little composure I had left.
“Chris!” I yelled toward the hallway. He was already halfway down it, probably had moved the second I screamed. He entered the living room and froze.
“Mom. Dad.” He sounded as shocked as I was. I looked at the woman again. Those eyes were definitely his. His mother. Of course. “What are you doing here?”
Relief washed through me. We weren’t about to be murdered by strangers.
But then dread quickly followed. Because those strangers were Chris’ parents, and I was currently half-dressed and very, very exposed.
Chris didn’t look thrilled to see them. Judging by his expression, this was definitely not a planned visit.
“You’ve been avoiding your mother’s calls for weeks,” his father snapped, “and having that Vanessa person send messages like she’s some kind of fan club secretary.”
Okay. So that’s the vibe. Got it.
This was clearly a family moment. I slowly backed away. But Chris reached out and grabbed my arm, firmly enough that I gasped.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he said without looking at me. “They’re leaving.”
Chris and his dad locked into an intense staring contest. The kind that made it hard to breathe. From everything I’d heard—and dreamed—about Chris’ relationship with his dad, this made sense. And as someone with my personal brand of father-related emotional baggage, I knew better than to step in.
“Honey,” his mom finally cut it, thank God, “if you were busy with your lady friend, you could’ve told me. I would’ve understood.”
“Mom!” Chris groaned, like an embarrassed teenager. I tried not to laugh. Failed, obviously.
His mom looked at me and gave me a shy wave.
“Hi,” she whispered and waved.
I smiled, returning the wave. “Hi.”
His dad still had fire in his eyes.
“You’re not going to offer us a drink? Introduce your friend to your mother? Try to be a decent son once in your life?”
Chris inhaled slowly, visibly trying not to explode.
“You’re one to talk.”
His grip on my arm tightened.
“Ouch!” I winced, twisting slightly. His eyes snapped to me, and he immediately let go.
“Shit. I’m sorry,” he murmured, turning to fully face me. “About the arm. And… them.”
“I’m Lisa,” his mom said gently. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Chris looked at me. I was smiling, silently asking if it was okay to respond. He rolled his eyes and stepped aside. I quickly adjusted the shorts to make them look a little less revealing, then stepped forward and took her extended hand.
“I’m Jules. Nice to meet you, too.”
I glanced at his dad. He gave me a nod. “Bob.”
I offered a polite smile. Respecting his space. Chris moved slowly toward the couch opposite theirs and sat down with all the enthusiasm of a sulking teenager. Arms crossed. Jaw tight. I waited for his parents to sit back down before easing onto the couch next to him.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, sounding calmer. “I was going to call you. I’ve been busy with work…”
“Vanessa told me you’re not working together anymore, so we had to come.” I snapped my head toward Chris. My eyes locked on him, silently asking a question I didn’t dare ask out loud: What happened?
He’d dropped out of the movie, stopped working with Vanessa… Should I be worried? The questions piled up in my throat, but I swallowed them all back down. I turned back to his parents, forcing on my best mask of a pleasant and composed girl.
“What happened there? Got tired of dancing around to pay the bills?” Bob said, soaked in condescension.
Lisa and I both turned our heads toward him, matching expressions of annoyance.
Someone needed to tell him to knock it off.
But Chris didn’t even blink. He didn’t react at all.
Like he was well-practiced in taking those kinds of hits.
I looked at Lisa, waiting to see if she’d say something.
She didn’t. That silence told me more than enough about what Chris’ childhood had looked like.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll call next time.” He said to his mother. Not a word to his father. Not even a glance.
“It’s okay, honey. I just wanted to see if you’re okay,” she said softly, looking at him before turning her gaze on me. “Which you clearly are. Look at this adorable lady.” I felt my cheeks flush. Chris caught it, and a subtle smile curled at the edge of his mouth.
“I suppose she’s the reason for the end of the engagement with that actress,” Bob added with a smirk. “That we learned about in some magazine.”
“Bob!” Lisa hissed, elbowing him in the ribs. Finally.
“I was never really engaged. And Mom knew that.” Chris answered.
“Yes, yes… the PR thing,” Lisa confirmed.
“How ridiculous does your job have to be that you have to fake being engaged to someone?” Bob muttered, his disgust plain.
This was a bloodbath. I shifted on the couch, trying not to let my posture scream how much I wanted to clap back.
Every instinct in me wanted to say something.
Anything. But this was his father. For once in my life, I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“I’m glad you found someone, honey,” Lisa said, all butterflies and rainbows, while her son was getting verbally slapped across the face five feet away.
She was really sweet, but as a mom myself, it was freaking hard to be on her side right now.
“So, Jules, tell us about yourself…” she added, turning her curious eyes on me.
“I’m…”
“Are you in the ‘entertainment’ business as well?” Freaking Bob interrupted again, complete with air-freaking-quotes. What was this man’s problem? Seriously. And again, no one seemed as bothered as I was. Maybe they were too tired to keep fighting him.
I gave him the fakest smile I could muster. “I wish. I’m an ad executive.”
“Ah… that sounds like a real job,” Bob said, laughing. Alone.
“Oh… here in Boston?” Lisa chimed in, like nothing was happening around her.
I took another deep breath. “No. I live in New York.”
“She’s actually much more than an ad executive, Mom,” Chris said suddenly.
He’d been mostly staring at his feet until then, but now he leaned forward, hand warm and steady on my thigh.
He looked his mom straight in the eyes. “She’s an amazing writer.
A great big sister. The funniest of friends.
” Then he turned to me, those ocean eyes locked onto mine, and the anger and tension in my body vanished. “And the best mom.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lisa’s eyes sparkle at the word.
“You have kids?”
I gave Chris a small smile. God, I wanted to kiss him right then, but held it in. Later. I turned to Lisa and nodded.
“Christopher… do you know what you’re doing here, son?” Bob’s voice had dropped the sarcasm. No more snarky tone, no mocking. Chris finally looked at him. “The lady has kids,” Bob continued. “She surely has no room in her life for fleeing fun.”
“I know that,” Chris replied, and I could feel him getting nervous again.
“Bob,” Lisa jumped in. “This is the first lady friend Chris has ever introduced to us. I’m sure she’s not a fling. Look at them.” She threw her arms open, pointing at us. Her smile stretched wide. “They’re clearly in love.”
“Except he didn’t introduce her to us, Lisa,” Bob snapped, his voice rising again. “We broke into his house so you could talk to your son. Can’t you see? He’s never going to grow up.” His tone cut the room open again. Lisa visibly shrank, folded in on herself. Done intervening.
I swear to God, if he said one more thing.
Then he turned to me. And I welcome it. Because that was my cue.
“You should know this, child,” he said, full of condescension.
“You have no future with this one. And it’s your job to protect your children.
He could never beat the responsibility of being a father.
The man literally kills every plant his mother sends him.
” He laughed at his own line, and I braced myself to stand.
I was ready. I could feel the words bubbling up.
But Chris stood first. He stepped in front of me, blocking my view.
Reflexively, Bob rose to face him. I almost reached for Chris.
I wanted to hold him back before he did something impulsive.
I could take the hits. But I also knew better than to get in the middle of someone else’s family war.
I glanced at Lisa. Her eyes were glassy, brimming with tears that refused to fall. I felt for her. This couldn’t be easy.
It made me want to call my father and apologize.
“If I don’t have what it takes to be a good father, it’s because I had a shitty one to learn from. Now get the fuck out of my house.” Chris didn’t wait for a response. He turned and walked away. From the hallway, his voice rang out louder. “And leave your keys on the coffee table!”
The door slammed shut. Lisa flinched at the sound.
Silence.
I stood slowly. Lisa followed, pulling her purse open and retrieving the keys.
She placed them on the coffee table right in front of us, carefully.
My eyes drifted to Bob’s. And God, I wanted to say so much.
To be as terrible as he’d been. I knew how.
I was good at that kind of damage when I wanted to be.
But… I saw something in his face. A flicker.
Not guilt, but the kind of regret that comes when you realize a little too late, you’ve gone too far.
Said too much. And maybe didn’t even mean to.
Yeah. I knew that feeling all too well. So I took a breath and said:
“I feel I have the right to say this. As someone with a son who loves unconventional things, and a father who never supported my dreams either…” His eyes met mine.
Focused. Listening. “With our kids, it’s really as simple as this—they’re their own person.
They’ll do what they want, not what you think is best. And our job, Bob, is actually to support and love them.
Unconditionally. It’s that simple, sir.”
I gave him a soft smile, then turned to Lisa and offered a nod before heading toward the hallway. But halfway there, I stopped. There was one more thing. I turned back to him.
“And by the way… if you’d seen my kids’ eyes when they’re around Chris, you’d never question whether he could be a good father.”
Then I turned again and walked away.