“Ready to eat?” She turns and walks into the kitchen without giving him a hug.
Noted.
Neither of us answers as we follow her. My nerves are about to explode when I spot Gran sitting at the table.
She lights up immediately when she sees Cal, and I envy their relationship so much. I crave it.
“Callum!” she says with her raspy voice.
He goes to her, wrapping her up in his arms. And he whispers something to her that I can’t make out, a special moment that only the two of them share.
He pulls away, and her attention falls to me. I have never wanted someone’s approval as much as I want hers right now.
She tries to sit up but doesn’t move much. “Becca, you look beautiful, honey. Cal and I have already spoken.” She nods her head in understanding. “I’m glad to see him smiling again.”
I take a deep breath and relax as best I can. “Thank you. I’m glad too.”
As if she sensed she wasn’t being talked about, Cal’s mother walks up to the dining table and sets a side salad in front of each of us. Cal’s father walks into the room and grabs a seat at the table without as much as a word to any of us.
“How have you been, Becca?” his mother asks.
Ugh, I wish we could drop the act. She’s only being nice because of my money, and that is so annoying. I’m sure she has some messed up idea that I’ll give her some.
I add absolutely no enthusiasm to my words. “I’ve been really great. I recently invested in a large property. Just opened up a few new Chambers Hotels locations. I started dating your incredible son again, so I’ve been amazing actually.”
I pick up the fork and take a bite of the simple salad.
Her smile is made of plastic as she settles into her seat. “That’s wonderful. We raised a good one.”
Swallowing my bite, I set my fork down. “Did you?” I ask. “Didyouraise a good one? Or did she?” I glance at Gran.
Well, in my defense, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. But I meant every word.
Fuck, this isn’t going to end well.
“Excuse me?” His mother scoffs.
I avoid looking at Cal, although I can feel his stare on my head. He might be upset that I said it, but it’s the truth.
“I mean, you didn’t reallyraisehim. You owned the house he lived in, and you purchased the food he ate—most of the time—but you didn’t make him who he is today. That was all Gran.”
She drops her fork, and it clatters against the table. “How dare you, you littlebitch!”
There she is.
If I have ever had one talent my whole life, it is the ability to pull someone’s true colors out, to force them to let their inner demons show.
Cal immediately defends me. “Don’t ever speak to her like that again.”
Picking up my fork, I give her another moment to shine.
She stands up from the table. “I gave birth to Cal. I clothed him and fed him—”
I cut her off, lackadaisically playing with my salad with my fork. “Correct. Good job. You also destroyed his self-confidence, you made him feel worthless, you broke the boy you claim to have raised.” I lock my gaze with hers, readying my words to fire. “You told him he was garbage, that you should have aborted him. How dareyouclaim any ounce of the goodness that is in him!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Stella enter the room, who definitely just let herself into the house.
“He is the kindest, most thoughtful man I have ever met. He is sweet, protective, and handsome. He deserves the most out of anyone in the world. And I somehow got lucky enough to say that I love him.”
