well. It was full. I mean chock full of food.
“I didn’t know what you liked so I thought we could share.” My heart fluttered. It was such a couple’s thing to do, sharing a plate.
Twenty Two
Seeing Lily with my parents only confirmed the reality of my feelings for Lily. She belonged with us. With me. Pops knowing about the truck only made me smile. The dealer is one of his high school buddies. He probably called him the minute he found out it was for Lily. Pops and his friends are like a gaggle of old ladies gossiping over cigars and whiskey.
My mom’s warmth immediately put Lily to ease. Even though she’s my step-mom I don’t ever think of her like that. Grayson and I bonded over our lost parents when we were younger. Him losing his dad and me losing my mom. We took to each other right away, making a blood bond uniting us when our parents married. Right then and there we decided titles didn’t matter. We were family and that’s all that mattered.
Eleanor was crushed when I told her I wanted to go to continue attending boarding school. At first she thought it was me rejecting her but later she realized it was just my preference to get out of under Pop’s overprotective wings. My mother died when I was too young to remember but I was in the house at the time. A wanderer. Some guy with a mental illness made his way out to the house. He broke in, stole some money. What he didn’t realize was that my mom was just as overprotective as Pops. She tried to confront him but he shoved her. She tripped and fell. Her head hit the edge of the coffee table and she never woke up. It was a tragic accident. Pops was so in love with her. He purchased a condo in Boulder shortly after, whisking us away. The memories were too much for him.
He would never let go of The Double Diamond and he knew I wanted to keep what little memories of her I had. That same summer I found out about Lily’s parent’s death and the arrangement Pops made with Gramps, he told me he had put The Double Diamond in trust for me when I was younger. “It was like fate knew,” he said to me. I started rebelling after that. Trying to run from a future I knew I would later embrace whether Lily wanted it or not. She was my responsibility but she was also my love. Love? Yeah, love. I loved her. I love her, with all my being. I want to protect her and take care of her. If she thought I loved her she might take it the wrong way and think I was just trying to manipulate her into marrying me.
When Pops started in about money I wanted to pull Lily away. If she hadn’t already known she would have found out sooner than later anyways. The man has loose lips when he’s drinking. I laugh out loud. “My parents really know how to party.”
“Oh really, darling. We’re just having a bit of fun. You know how stressful things can get with your father.” Eleanor put her hand on my cheek. I smiled at her, taking her hand and pressing a kiss on top.
“I know mom. Don’t ask Lily too many questions so she can refuel. Eat, Lily.”
“Of course. He’s right dear. You must try the quiche it’s one of my favorite recipes.”
“Mom never attends an event empty handed. She probably stayed up half the night drinking white wine, swaying to Billy Holiday while she made those things.” I grabbed one from her plate and popped it in my mouth. “Mmm, best yet mom.”
“Oh you! Really.” She loved to be flattered.
“Mmm. These really are very good Eleanor.”
“Please, call me El.” She hands her a napkin. “I’m so glad you like them. I’ll have to teach you how to make them someday.”
The day went pretty quickly. I introduced Lily to some of my colleagues. The guys caught up with us sometime after lunch. They wanted me to check out some steer during the Reining competition. Lily stayed behind, saying this is where she thought she might meet the kind of clients she and Kenny thought they needed.
I got waylaid by some old clients wanting to catch up. I left Lily with my mom and her friend, Jayne. They looked like they were in cahoots about something. Those