Page 80 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Abby

My palms nearly slip from the steering wheel as I make the final turn and pull up to the gate. I’m a mess. My hands are sweaty, my legs are shaking, and my pulse is racing like I just ran a marathon.

Chill out, Abby, they’re going to think you’re trying to smuggle a bomb inside.

The guard checks his roster when I give him my name and waves me through. I slowly meander up the paved driveway, trying to delay the inevitable.

“Holy shit,” I mutter as the house comes into full view. I feel like J. Lo’s character in Monster in Law when she sees Viola’s home for the first time. This place is massive, complemented by sprawling gardens and colossal white columns supporting the edifice. A circle drive surrounds a large marble fountain with a statue of a Romanesque woman holding a vase situated in the center. What the hell was I thinking agreeing to come here? I can’t do this.

“Shit!” Chloe chirps from the back seat.

“Ugh,” I groan. It’s been so long since I slipped up and said that in front of her, I’d forgotten it’s still her favorite word. Great. Now that we’re about to meet Virginia’s equivalent of the Rockefellers, she’s gonna start cussing again. “Chloe,” I begin in a soft, but stern tone. “That’s not nice. Please don’t say that word.”

“Shit,” she clucks, giggling.

I sigh in defeat. Maybe she’ll forget when she sees Jacob.

He’s out front waiting on us when we pull up. I’m not surprised. He tried like hell to come and get us and bring us all the way back. I fought tooth and nail to get him to just let me drive us up, insisting it was pointless for him to make the nearly ten-hour round trip when I had a perfectly reliable vehicle and GPS. Now, if I was still driving dad’s old truck, I may have considered it, but that’s not the case. I’m more than capable of finding my way here, to the biggest mansion I’ve seen in real life. I shrink back from the looming monstrosity as it towers over us and completely obscures us beneath its shadow.

Jacob opens my car door as soon as it’s in park, and I squeak in surprise as he pulls me from it before I even have a chance to shut off the engine. He picks me up and spins me in a circle before placing me back on my feet. His hands come up to my face and he kisses me. Passionately. Dear Lord, I hope none of his family is watching us. His tongue slips into my mouth, tangling with mine. He finally pulls away and the knot of dread in my stomach turns to butterflies at the excited gleam in his eyes.

“I missed you so much!” he croons, kissing me again. “I’m so glad you’re here. Everyone’s waiting to meet you.”

“I should probably turn my car off and get Chloe first,” I weakly attempt to joke, the butterflies quickly morphing back into a leaden ball of anxiety.

“Right, yeah,” he begins, flustered. “Of course.” He reaches in and shuts off my car, handing me the keys before opening the back door. He moves so fast, his entire aura vibrating with excitement, that I can’t keep up.

“Dacob!” Chloe exclaims when he dives in to retrieve her from her car seat.

“Chloe Bug!” He scoops her up and twirls her much like he did me, only holding her more securely to his body. He kisses the top of her head and places her on his hip, pulling me into his other side. My breath hitches as we step up to the front door. His home is beautiful. Well, his parents’ home, to be more accurate. He no longer lives here, but his brownstone is being renovated, and since the whole purpose of this trip is for his family to get to know us, he thought it best to just stay here for the weekend rather than at a hotel. Besides, he’s staying here for the duration of the reno, so it just made sense. At least that’s what he tried to convince me.

The ornately carved door makes a whooshing sound as it opens into the foyer. A dazzling crystal chandelier hangs from the lofty ceiling, casting twinkling beams of light from the early evening sun around the cavernous entrance. Pristine white marble floors stretch out across the expanse, and my gaze follows them until they hit the grand staircase. Whoa, it’s like stepping into a scene from Gone with The Wind. The staircase splits, each side leading to the next level, which is open and visible from below. I swallow hard and instinctively step back, but Jacob’s arm wraps around my back, preventing me from getting too far.

“What’s wrong?” He searches my face, concern flashing in his eyes as they bounce between mine.

“It’s just... I…” I stammer, unable to find the right words to express what I feel. I’m so overwhelmed and intimidated, my body is shaking. I knew they were rich. I knew his father was powerful and they lived a much different life from what I live in my tiny little country home with my grandmother, but I didn’t expect this.

This isn’t wealth acquired from several terms spent in the senate. This is old southern money rich. This is generation-after-generation, family-legacy, making-money-off-of-money rich.

Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into? What am I supposed to say? Your family is so rich, I’m uncomfortable being in the same room with them. I look down at my clothing, suddenly feeling inadequate in my best summer dress and strappy wedge sandals I found on the clearance rack at Macy’s. It’s unseasonably warm for October and this was the nicest thing I had to wear. I knew I couldn’t show up in my typical wardrobe of jeans and a t-shirt, but now I’m not sure it matters. Either way, I’ll look like a pauper next to these people.

“I... I…” Continuing to stumble all over myself, I try to pull out of Jacob’s grasp.

“Hey,” he soothes, cupping my face with his free hand, gently holding me in place. My hand comes up to his wrist, gripping him for support. He looks deep into my eyes, the icy blue depths as refreshing as cool, clear water on a hot summer day. “It’s alright,” he assures me. “I know you’re nervous, but there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already told them so much about you and Chloe. They’re going to love you.” He speaks with conviction, as though it is fact simply because he wills it to be true. “I love you. And that’s all that matters.”

With that, my shoulders relax a bit and the tension begins to leak out of my stiff muscles. The knowledge that he loves me and our little girl fortifies me. I’m still scared about what they’ll think of me, afraid they’ll think I’m a gold digger, a piece of trash who only cares about Jacob’s money. But I can’t let those insecurities keep me from giving this a chance, giving them a chance. They are Chloe’s family just as much as my family is. I’m doing this for her. I can do anything for her.

Jacob brings his lips to mine and presses a gentle kiss to them. He strokes his thumb over my cheek before dropping his hand to mine and entwining our fingers.

“You ready?”

I nod even though I’m filled with uncertainty, my stomach tied in knots over meeting his parents. His very rich and powerful parents. He gives me a reassuring smile and leads me through an arched opening set off to one side of the opulent staircase. We stride into what I can only assume is the drawing room. I’ve never been in one so I can’t be sure, but isn’t that what they call rooms like this in houses this big?

A stunning woman in black dress slacks and a sleeveless, pale pink blouse sits stiffly on the edge of an antique loveseat with red and gold upholstery and darkly stained wooden legs. The elaborately carved piece looks like it belongs in a royal museum. The furniture’s beauty is overshadowed by the smartly dressed woman who is now uncrossing her ankles and rising from her seat in a motion so fluid, it’s almost as if she’s floating. She strides toward me with a dainty hand outstretched and an unreadable expression on her perfectly made-up face. Her makeup isn’t overdone, but it’s clear she uses only the good stuff, not the drugstore brands I occasionally slap on. Her shiny blonde hair falls in a stylish bob that barely grazes her shoulders. Icy blue eyes shine beneath black coated lashes and lids dusted with a neutral shadow with just a hint of shimmer.

Jacob has her eyes.

And so does Chloe.

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