Page 98 of The Bratva's Christmas Bump
“Don’t you see how great an opportunity this could be for me? Imagine the contacts I’ll make in the music industry.”
“Is that what this is about?” The pies clatter as she shoves them into the oven. “You want to be famous?”
“Not that kind of famous. I like being freelance, but yeah, I’d like to play somewhere more substantial than a hotel lobby or a restaurant.”
“And for that, you need to miss dinner with your family. Again.”
“I wouldn’t be missing the whole thing. I’d just be late. I don’t want to pass this up, but I don’t want to upset you either. Please, Mom.”
“Why are you here?” She faces me suddenly, scrunching a tea towel between her hands. “You’ve clearly already made up your mind so what’s the point of discussing it. All my preparation for dinner is just useless, pointless! What’s another ruined dinner, hmm?” She tosses the towel onto the counter and stomps out of the room. I rise to follow her just as Dad stumbles in the door and hurriedly closes it against the cold.
“It’s barking out there,” he grumbles. “Hollie! What a surprise.”
“Hi, Dad.”
“What brings you here?” He peels off his gloves while stamping his snow-covered boots on the mat.
“I have a job interview tomorrow and thought telling Mom face-to-face would go better than over the phone.”
“Ah.” He nods knowingly. “You will miss dinner?”
“Only a part of it.”
“How did she take it?”
I motion to the empty kitchen. “She always acts like every Christmas is the last one we will ever have.”
Dad chuckles softly. “When you get to our age, you worry it will be. It starts with missed dinners, then a call once a week, and then suddenly, you haven’t seen your loved ones in a few years because everyone is just so busy. It’s not personal, Hollie. She’s just…”
“Moody?” I mutter.
“Your marriage scared her.”
“Scared her?” I lift my gaze to his as he peels himself out of his coat. “Why?”
“It was a huge life event and you didn’t include her. Now all she has is the holidays to make memories with you until you decide you’d rather make memories with your new family.”
“Oh, Dad. It’s not like that.”
“I know. And deep down, she knows it too. But she’s worried.”
Before I can reply, rapid knocking at the front door draws my attention so I slip from my stool and move past my dad. “If she were honest with me, then I could tell her that.”
“Your mother is anything but honest.” Dad chuckles, turning on the hot tap and shoving his cold hands underneath as the door knocks again. “Could you get that?”
“Mhm.” Trudging into the hall, I mull over his words. If she's really worried about missing out on other great life events, maybe it’s time to tell her I’m pregnant. If she’s the first to know, then it might soothe my absence tomorrow.
“Yep?” Opening the door, I expect to see Toto standing there shivering in the cold, eager for the bathroom so his dick doesn’t fall off.
It’s not Toto.
Vinnie’s beady, dark eyes glare down at me and it takes me a second too long to recognize him.Dangerblares through my mind as our gazes lock and despite the sharp burst of panic in my mind, only one question makes it through clearly.
How?
I slam the door closed but instead of the satisfying clack of wood on wood, the door doesn’t close and Vinnie grunts in pain as his foot jams in the doorway.
“No!” I shove hard at the door again, but Vinnie throws his entire shoulder into the door and it bursts open, sending me stumbling back into the hallway. My feel catches on the rug and I fall, hitting the ground hard. I scramble up immediately but as I lunge away, his fist tangles in my hair and he yanks me backward.
