Page 6 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate

Her little sister, Trixie, chimed in from the backseat. “I like Aditi, she’s pretty.”

“She is,” Alix agreed.

“I was worried about you,” her mum said.

“I messaged you that I was okay.”

“Still. You know how important this dinner is to me. I really really like Dirk and he was so kind as to invite us over for a big family dinner.”

Alix refrained from pointing out that she would never see her mum's new boyfriend as family or that with them there, it wasn't a family dinner for Dirk and his adult children either.

For now, it was better to bite her tongue andhope her mother came to her senses before she sold their home.

They arrived at Dirk’s house which was a mansion compared to their static home. Off street parking, beautiful ruby brickwork, large windows, and a double door. Nothing said wealth as a large front door. It was in a good part of town too which confirmed what Alix has been worrying about all this time. This was a wealthy man which meant he would always have more power in the relationship. If her mother was lucky, he wouldn't use it against her but no matter how Alix looked at it, if they got married, her mother’s well-being would always be in the hands of this man.

She followed her mum to the front door, carrying the bottle of cheap wine they brought as a gesture more than a gift. Everything about this made her feel uncomfortable but she was just going to have to put up with it.

After all, she loved her mum and this was clearly important to her.

The door swung open and Dirk himself appeared with a big grin on his face.

“Hello, you gorgeous thing!” He embraced Alix's mum and kissed her on the mouth, lingering for longer than necessary.

Alix wished she could be anywhere but here. She gave Dirk an awkward hug on the way in and followed him into his house.

The hallway led to an open living area with white leather sofas in front of an oversized TV. Two younger versions of Dirk rose up to greet them and Alix didn't need to exchange a single word with them to realise they were uncomfortable too.

“Jonas,” the tallest one introduced himself. He looked to be somewhere in his late twenties but it was hard to tell.

“Levi,” the other son said, looking quite a bit younger with his spots and boyish face. He was likely somewhere around eighteen, although it was hard to say with boys around that age.

She shook both their hands politely. “Alix, nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Trixie!” her little sister announced, bouncing over to them to shake their hands too.

Her mum came over to greet the sons. “I’ve heard so much about you two. It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’m Dianne. Gosh, you two are handsome. You take after your father for sure.”

Alix genuinely wanted to throw up. Instead, she offered the bottle of wine to Dirk. “Thank you forhaving us over for dinner.”

Dirk’s gregarious smile didn't really suit him. “Of course. It’s only right to have a proper family dinner now your mum and I are getting married.”

Delusional. This would never be a proper family. Alix tried everything she could not to roll her eyes at the whole thing.

Another man came in from the garden, looking a bit older than the other sons. He introduced himself as Nate and shook everyone’s hand, including Trixie’s.

“That’s all your boys. Where’s your daughter?” her mum asked.

“She’s somewhere,” Dirk said, looking around.

“She’s on the loo,” Levi chimed in.

A door opened behind Alix and she turned, preparing herself to meet the third sibling. Her mouth dropped when she made eye contact with the tall dark-haired beauty from last night. Veronica was even more beautiful than Alix remembered and it made her stomach clench.

Recognition and surprise flashed over Veronica’s face but disappeared quickly as she recomposed herself.

“You must be Veronica,” Alix's mum said, oblivious to the tension hanging in the air.

Veronica gave her a wide smile but it wasnothing like the smile she had last night. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

---