Chapter 38
I thought my house was spectacular but it’s nothing compared to the houses here in Old Town.
The street we’re on is lined with homes that are too big for their own good. Balconies on all sides of the houses. Front lawns decorated with fountains and sculptures. The people who live here are definitely not hurting for cash, that’s for sure.
Sadie has been quiet the last half-hour of our drive, and as we pull up to an enormous mansion, I notice her leg bouncing up and down as she stares out the window at the monstrosity of a home.
I can’t believe she grew up here. Her parents are obviously the type of people who flaunt their wealth.
There’s a fucking marble fountain on their front lawn that probably costs more than my house for god’s sake.
Why in the world was Sadie going to be homeless if she comes from this type of money?
Knowing Sadie, she probably wouldn’t accept their money even if they offered, and based on what she’s told me, I doubt they’d offer anyway.
Reaching over, I place my hand on her thigh. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
She turns her head to face me and scoffs. “You don’t know that. You don’t know my parents. Margaret and Douglas Wilson have the ability to make grown men cry. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen. Many times.”
Laughing, I lean over the center console in my Yukon and grip her chin. I plant a kiss on her lips and pull back to search her eyes.
“Just take a minute. Breathe. Some hot yoga instructor taught me that in stressful situations, the first thing to control is your breathing.”
Sadie laughs then closes her eyes. I can see the tension leak from her body with each breath she takes. Her leg stops bouncing and her shoulders relax. Finally, she opens her eyes again and shakes her head.
“You must have one amazing yoga instructor.”
I let go of her chin and reach for my door with my other hand. “The best.”
A valet driver meets me as soon as I step out of my vehicle. I hand him my keys and then rush over to open Sadie’s door before she can. As soon as she takes my hand and steps out, I lose my ability to breathe.
Sadie is dressed in a tan colored cocktail dress that stops just above the knee.
There’s nothing flashy about the dress but Sadie puts any model on a runway to shame with the way she wears it.
It hugs her curves perfectly and even though it’s modest, barely revealing any cleavage at all, my dick is aching in my slacks.
She’s an absolute goddess—and she has no idea.
“You look absolutely breathtaking, Sadie.”
She looks at me with a small smile. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself, Cap Daddy.”
I groan. “I’m guessing there’s no way you’re going to forget that nickname.”
“Not a chance.”
We make our way across a bridge—yes, a fucking bridge—that’s covering a pool of water. It’s like a goddamn moat. Who needs this shit?
I notice Sadie fidgeting with her necklace so I give her hand a reassuring squeeze and attempt to lighten the mood.
“Think we should go for a swim before we leave? Maybe they have some pool floaties we could use.”
Sadie chuckles quietly. “Ha. My parents would absolutely love that.” Sarcasm drips from every word, and I can tell she’s getting more nervous the closer we get to the door. Once we’re over the water, I pull her aside and take both her hands in mine.
“Look at me.” Her eyes bounce from the front door to me. “We don’t have to be here. We can leave right now and nobody would know.”
She doesn’t say anything at first. Simply stares into my eyes, trying to decide what she wants to do. Finally, she shakes her head. “No. We came all this way. I can’t let them have that much power over me anymore. I can do this.”
That’s my girl.
“Fuck yeah, you can.”
We turn and make our way up to the house. Before we can even knock, the door opens for us. A butler stands just inside, ushering us in. “Good afternoon. Please make your way to the back patio for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.”
We both nod and Sadie leads the way. The house is just as ridiculous inside as it is out.
The floors are marble and I swear I even see speckles of gold throughout.
Crystal chandeliers hang in every room, along with what I assume is very expensive artwork lining the walls.
I can’t even tell what half of them are paintings of.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, I lean down and whisper into Sadie’s ear. “That painting over there looks like one Sophia made last week.”
Sadie snorts, and I give myself a little fist pump, extremely proud of myself for making her laugh again.
Once we’re finally outside, I tug on Sadie’s hand and lead her to an empty table at the far side of the patio. Hopefully we’re far enough away from everyone that Sadie can catch her bearings. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s still uncomfortable.
“You okay?”
Sadie’s eyes scan the sea of people mingling about. Her eyes land on someone and she immediately turns toward me so her back is facing the crowd.
“I’m fine.”
I don’t believe her but I also don’t push. A waiter walks by with champagne flutes and I grab one for each of us. I hand Sadie hers and she downs it in one gulp.
Laughing, I reach out to hand her mine. “Would you like mine too? You seem thirsty.”
Sadie swats my arm and she releases her first real laugh of the day.
“Stop it. I just needed something to calm my nerves.”
I’m about to ask her if she’d like me to go get her something besides champagne to drink when a female voice interrupts us.
“Oh my god, you’re here! I didn’t think you’d actually come.”
Sadie takes a deep breath and then plasters the fakest smile I’ve ever seen on her face. She turns toward the woman who’s wearing a white dress to greet her.
“Hi, Willow. Of course, I’m here. I texted you and told you I would be.”
Willow waves Sadie off. “Right, right. Of course. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Her sister’s tone is more flippant than sincere, and by the strained smile on Sadie’s face, I know she noticed it too.
“I’m happy to be here. Congratulations. You look beautiful.”
Sadie is too nice for her own good. But the way she says it, I know she means it. Her heart is pure and she loves her siblings, even if they don’t deserve it.
Willow looks over her shoulder, down at the back of her dress. Without so much as a thank you, she turns her head to look at Sadie.
“Thank goodness you did show up. My zipper got stuck and it ripped a little hole near the bottom of my dress. I need you to fix it for me real quick. I don’t need people noticing and thinking I’m trashy for wearing a ripped dress.”
Is she fucking serious? That’s why she’s glad she’s here?
She hasn’t seen Sadie in how long and she has the nerve to demand her to help mere minutes after we get here? I find it hard to believe she doesn’t have a housekeeper or someone else who could’ve helped her with this.
I grind my teeth together to keep from saying something rude and putting Sadie in an even more awkward situation.
Sadie, the angel she is, nods once. “Of course. Let’s go inside.” She squeezes my arm and looks up to me. I squint my eyes and give her my best are you sure? look and she smiles. “I’ll just be a couple minutes.”
“I’ll be here.”
I watch the two of them weave their way through the people until they make it inside. They aren’t gone for longer than thirty seconds when an older couple, dressed for a ball, walks up to me.
It doesn’t take me long to figure out who they are.
The man has a very unimpressed look on his face while the woman on his arm is the spitting image of Sadie.
She has the same color hair, minus the purple streaks, and same eyes as her daughter, but they don’t sparkle nearly as much as Sadie’s. Her dad is the first to speak.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Douglas Wilson and this is my wife, Margaret. And you are…”
I set my champagne flute onto the table and reach my hand out to introduce myself. He stares at my hand for a moment, clearly not wanting to take it, but eventually relents and shakes my hand.
“I’m Niko. I’m here with your daughter Sadie. It’s very nice to meet you.”
A lie has never tasted so sour coming out of my mouth. There’s so much I want to say to these two but I know how hard it is for Sadie to be here. I don’t want to make matters worse, so I bite my tongue.
“Hmm.” That’s all he says. No pleasantries. Not a word about his daughter. Just a fucking humming sound. Asshole.
I grip his hand harder because, fuck this guy. We stare at each other, not saying a word.
Sadie’s mom finally speaks, breaking the tension, and her dad releases my hand. I don’t miss the way he shakes it at his side. Good. I hope that fucking hurt.
“We didn’t know Sadie was coming. How long are you in town for?”
I’m not sure how much Sadie wants them to know, so I spare them the details and try to shift the conversation to myself.
“Just the day. I have to be back in Green Bay tonight. I have a meeting in the morning.”
Douglas’s eyebrow lifts. “Meeting? What is it that you do for work? I assume you’re not some hippy yoga instructor like my daughter if you actually have a meeting to attend.”
I focus on my breathing like his daughter taught me because I’m seconds away from telling this motherfucker off. After a couple of breaths, I respond. “I play hockey for the Green Bay Bobcats.”
Sadie’s father scoffs. “Of course you do.”
I’m about to ask him what the hell he means by that, but Sadie walks up with Willow and gently places her hand on my bicep, grounding me and keeping me from losing my cool.
“Mom. Dad. Hi. I was helping Willow with her dress.”
I wrap my arm around Sadie’s waist protectively, and both her parents take notice. Sadie’s mother gives her a tight smile.
“Hi Sadie. You look…nice.” The way she says “nice” is more of an insult than a compliment. These fucking people.
Nice? She looks fucking stunning.