Page 52 of Dear Adam
“Hello, Alyson,” she says curtly. She nods toward the other end of the table where there are…threeplace settings. Even without knowing I was bringing a guest, the number the table is set for is strange. My parents aren’t the type of people to set a place for my brother as though he was with us in spirit. That could only mean…
On cue, the heavy front door opens and light footsteps echo down the hall.
“Hudson!” Dad cries when he enters the room. Panicked, my gaze darts between my parents and Levi. His jaw is flexed, but other than that, he looks as cool as a cucumber. He reaches a hand over to still my bouncing knee and then stands up to shake Hudson’s hand.
“Good evening,” Hudson says to all of us. He’s wearing a navy pinstripe suit and loafers without socksagain. I’m not sure if it’s the thought of how sweaty his feet must be or how my parents were planning on setting me up for dinner with Hudson this evening that makes my stomach churn. Hudson takes the open seat on my left so I’m wedged uncomfortably between him and Levi.
“Thank you all for coming,” Dad says, picking up his wine goblet. Not glass…goblet.Because I forgot we’re not in the twenty-first century and normal things like solo cups are inappropriate at old southern money-fueled family functions. “We invitedmostof you here today to talk about this year’s charity gala.” Levi grips his thigh under the table, and his knuckles turn white. “It’s coming up at the end of summer, and we expect everyone, who’s been invited, to attend.” Dad looks pointedly at me when he says this. “As you are all aware, this year will be a little different with the absence of Adam.”
‘He could be awake by then,” I chime in, and Mom shoots me an icy glare.
“Yes,” she agrees. “Hecouldbe. But even if he is, he’s going to need his rest. Now, if you’ll please let your father finish without any more interruptions…”
Dad clears his throat then continues. “As I was saying, this year is going to be a little different. We were hoping Hudson would be so kind as to fill Adam’s seat at the table.”
“I would be honored,” Hudson says, beaming.
“Great!” Dad exclaims, clasping his hands together in front of his round belly. “It’s settled then. You’ll be Alyson’s date.”
“Excuse me?” Levi and I say at the same time.
“Mydate?” I add, disbelief coursing through every vein in my body. How could my own parents try to fill Adam’s void withHudson?And use Adam’s absence as an excuse for me and Hudson to get together, no less. What little appetite I had vanishes. I push away my plate and stand.
“Please stay seated, Alyson!” Mom cries. “Where are your manners?”
“I’m not going to the gala as Hudson’s date. I thought it was obvious I’m seeing someone when I brought Levi here tonight. You’re asking me where my manners are while treating Levi like he’s invisible since we’ve been here.”
“It was a family dinner, Alyson,” Dad hisses through clenched teeth. “How were we supposed to know you’d be bringing someone else?”
I ignore his question and blatant disregard for common decency. “Levi is my boyfriend, and you can like it or not. Hudson and I are not and never will be together, regardless of what excuse you come up with next to try and make it happen.” My cheeks flame, and my palms burn from digging my fingernails into them.
Mom coughs nervously, looks to my Dad for backup, then says, “Alyson, in our defense, your dad is right. Wedidonly invite you.”
Dad nods in agreement. “Frankly, it was rude to invite a guest to a family dinner without our consent.”
“Yet you invited Hudson to a family dinner withoutmyconsent,” I point out. I’m trying my best to spare everyone's feelings and show my parents there’s a better way to handle things then how they do, but if I have to stay through one more second of this absurdity, I’m going to lose it.
“Hudson, we really do apologize for our daughter’s behavior. If you can please look past whatever this is she’s going through and see her to the gala, it would mean the world to us,” my mom says gently to Hudson, patting his hand.
“You cannot be serious,” I mutter. “I’ll be at the gala for Adam’s sake, but I’m going with Levi.”
“You most certainly are not,” Dad sputters. “If it wasn’t for Levi, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in to begin with.”
“That’s not fair and you know it,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Let’s go,” Levi rasps through a clenched jaw.
“If Adam hadn’t been gallivanting around, doing God knows what withhim—” he jabs a finger in Levi’s direction, “—then Adam wouldn’t be in a coma right now.”
“It was a freak accident,” I say, tears welling in my eyes. “For you to throw accusations around and show animosity toward the one person who’s been there for me through all of this shows just what kind of person you are.”
With that, I grab Levi’s hand and march down the hallway, tears blurring my vision.
Chapter twenty-four
Levi
Whenwepullup,Aly’s cottage is bathed in the deep purple aftermath of a spectacular sunset, and I hate that I had to miss watching it with her. I want to watcheverysunset with her.
