Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
How perfect was this? He couldn’t have planned it better himself.
Having his parents here right after he asked Lexi to marry him and she accepted was the best ending to the day.
Okay, maybe not the best—having her and Jonah move in with him was the best—but this was a close second.
Wrapping his arm around Lexi’s waist, Connor felt like he was on top of the world. His face almost hurt from smiling so wide.
“Of course,” his mother said with a serene smile. “It’s lovely to see you again, Lexi.”
His father mimicked her sentiment.
“It’s nice to see you both,” Lexi said after a moment, but he could feel the tension in her body. He knew she must be nervous.
“We just got back from Pennsylvania,” he told them. “We took the kids to one of those indoor water park resorts.”
“It was so much fun!” Annabeth chimed in. “Me and Jonah shared the room with the bunk beds, and I went down the biggest water slide!”
“That sounds wonderful,” his mother said as she smiled down at her granddaughter.
“Then we took a train ride. It was only an hour, but it was so cool! Jonah loves trains, and I thought he was going to talk about them the whole time, but he just kept looking around and inspecting everything. I can’t wait to tell everyone at school about our trip!”
“Mommy?” Jonah asked, tugging gently on Lexi’s free hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Okay, let’s go home,” she said softly. Turning to Connor, she gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but we need to go.”
“Oh. He can just use the one in…”
“It’s been a long drive, and he’s tired,” she quickly interrupted. “Enjoy catching up with your parents.” Then she turned to them. “It was nice seeing you both again.”
And now her voice was as stiff as her body was.
“We’ll see everyone tomorrow. Have a good night.” And without even acknowledging the plans they had, she turned and walked away, dragging their luggage behind her.
Connor watched until they were out of sight, and only his mother’s words made him look away.
“I can see you’re smitten with that girl again,” she said coolly. “I suppose you paid for this little getaway the four of you went on.”
“Mom…” he warned and then remembered his daughter was standing there. Looking down at Annabeth, he smiled. “You have school in the morning. So why don’t you go in and take your shower and put on pajamas, and I’m sure Grandma will read with you when you’re done.”
“Okay!” She hugged both grandparents before running into their cabin.
“You didn’t even lock the door, Connor?” his father asked. “That’s dangerous.”
“It’s fine, Dad. We have security cameras everywhere, and this section is just for the owners.”
“Still…you can’t trust everyone. You never know what people will do. They all know you come from wealth and might use their relationship with you to…”
“No one’s using anyone,” he said firmly, not liking the direction this conversation had immediately taken. Letting out a long breath, he considered that maybe he was just tired from the drive and overreacting. “So why didn’t you call and let me know you were coming?”
“We wanted to surprise you and Annabeth,” his mother said. “Although it turns out we’re the ones who were surprised. Why didn’t you tell us you were back with that girl?”
Damn.
“That girl has a name,” he said stiffly.
“And I don’t feel the need to keep you up to date with my personal life considering I’m an adult.
You may have had control over my life when I was younger, but we all agreed that you were done with that.
You made a mess of my life with your own selfish ambition.
I won’t allow you to ruin things with Lexi a second time. ”
Pausing, he let out another long breath, hating how quickly his mood had changed.
Glancing over his shoulder, he almost willed Lexi to be there, but it was probably for the best that she had taken Jonah and gone back to their cabin. He’d hate for her to have to stand here and listen to his parents being snobs.
Again.
“No one’s ruining anything,” his father said, seemingly unfazed by his son’s obvious distress.
“It’s not like you’re going to marry this girl.
Have your fling or your fun, whatever you kids call it these days.
You’re a powerful man, Connor, and you need a wife who will work beside you and understand your world, not someone who will sit back and just take your fortune. ”
“You mean like Rachel did?” he asked sarcastically.
“You do realize she only married me because of the family fortune. She didn’t work; she spent every damn day asking me to buy her things.
And for the record, Lexi hasn’t asked for anything.
Not once. So maybe don’t paint her as some gold digger when you don’t even know her, and clearly you didn’t spot one when she was right in front of you. ”
“We know the type, dear,” his mother added.
He knew he wasn’t going to convince them of anything right now, and he was too tired to even try.
But he did need to convince Lexi that they were fine—the two of them.
Soon.
Now, preferably.
“Why don’t the two of you go into the cabin and spend some time with Annabeth? I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Going after Lexi?”
Glaring at his mother, he said, “Yes.” And without another word, he stormed off.
I feel like a damn child…rebelling against my parents…
Turning the corner, he didn’t breathe easily until he knew they were out of sight. When he got to Lexi’s cabin, he lightly knocked as he let himself in. She was walking out of Jonah’s room and paused at the sight of him.
And it was hard not to notice the deer in headlights look
Dammit.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “Is Jonah asleep already?”
Nodding, she walked toward him. “I didn’t even get to finish getting him into his pajamas when he just fell back on the bed and was out like a light.” She glanced around. “So, um…”
“Can we sit and talk?”
She still looked tense. “Are your parents with Annabeth?”
“They are. Please, Lexi.” He motioned to the sofa and almost sagged with relief when she begrudgingly agreed and went to take a seat. He sat beside her, but not too close because he didn’t want it to feel like he was crowding her.
The silence was deafening, and he knew he needed to get them talking.
“Obviously, that was awkward for you,” he began carefully. “I had no idea they were coming to visit and…”
“And you didn’t tell them we were dating,” she finished for him.
And that’s when he realized how much he’d screwed up.
“I find it interesting how you talk about how you put your parents in their place after your divorce and then talk to me about this glorious life we’re going to have, but you still never thought to mention our relationship to them.
” Her smile was sad. “I get that you’re not as close to them as you once were, but if I’m as important to you as you claim, you would have told your family about us. ”
“I honestly haven’t spoken to them much since Annabeth got here,” he said quietly, realizing how lame that sounded. “Between the resort, moving to the rental and then moving back, and then…you…I didn’t want to give them an opportunity to ruin it.”
She didn’t respond.
“Then, as things progressed, it was more important to make sure the kids were okay with us. Remember, they were our toughest critics.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Connor.” Pausing briefly, her mouth opened and quickly shut, like she was trying to choose her words.
“Okay, here it is—the kids weren’t our toughest critics or even our biggest challenge,” she said with just a hint of annoyance.
“Everything’s fine and well because we’re here at the resort and surrounded by our friends who love and care about us.
But the outside world? Your family? What did you think was going to happen when you told your family we’re dating again, huh?
Did you think they were suddenly going to be thrilled because you put them in their place? ”
“Actually, I did.”
The snort was her first response. “Then you’re lying to yourself. Leopards don’t change their spots. You may have convinced them to back off, and they may have agreed, but that was only going to last until you started dating again. Then they were going to spring right back into action.”
He wanted to argue; he really did, but…she was right.
“You’re right,” he murmured. “I…guess I was just hopeful, that’s all. I talk a good game and just thought we’d all move forward like I wanted to. But their attitude just now was…” His shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Holding her gaze, he honestly had no idea if she was going to accept his apology or tell him they were through.
But that wasn’t an option.
Grasping both her hands, he said, “Tell me I didn’t just ruin everything. Tell me we’re going to be okay. Please.”
Slowly, Lexi pulled her hands from his, and it felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“I need time to think, Connor,” she said quietly but firmly. “I’ve spent far too many years dealing with feeling inadequate, and three minutes with your family is threatening to undo all the progress I’ve made.”
“Then I’ll tell them to leave,” he countered. “I’ll go right now and tell them to pack their stuff and go.”
But she was shaking her head. “They’re your parents. They’re always going to be your parents. And if you and I are going to have a future, I want it to be one where you’re not having to choose between us.”
“Lexi, I…”
“You need to go, Connor,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I need to be by myself right now.” Another pause. “And please don’t pressure me on this. We both have to go back to work tomorrow, and I’d appreciate it if you gave me some space.”
What choice did he have?
Solemnly, he got to his feet. He wanted to kiss her cheek, to hold her, but he doubted she’d welcome either of those things. Instead, he said goodnight and let himself out.
Back at his cabin, he found his parents waiting for him and his daughter half asleep on the sofa.