Want You Back - River Laurent Page 0,17

been disappointed when we stopped dating and reverted back to friendship.

“Mother, did you hear what I said?” I said, my tone harsher than I intended. I softened it. “I’m bringing the woman I’m going to marry home.”

She sighed. “Okay then. I’ll have the guest room ready.”

I ignored her lack of enthusiasm. That would change when she met Charlotte. “Thank you.”

We spoke some more as I caught up on everyone. My father was busy in the law firm as usual. From my mother’s tales, my sister Mary had grown into a carbon copy of my mother. She filled her days with charity work and lunches with her friends.

I shook my head and failed to understand why she would choose that kind of life when she was so bright. She’d been accepted to the bar three years earlier and worked for Jack’s family firm before she abruptly resigned. If I got a chance, I would talk to her.

When I disconnected the call, it was to find Charlotte leaning on the doorway, a worried look on her face.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I walked in and you were on the phone. I couldn’t help but overhear. Are you sure that it’s okay that I’m coming home with you?”

The naked vulnerability on her face tore me apart. “Come here.”

She padded across the room, and sat down on my lap. I wrapped my hands around her waist protectively.

“I promise Its okay. Right this moment, Mother is getting the guest room ready for you,” I said, worrying about how much of the conversation she’d heard.

She let out a sigh and the worried look left her face.

“They’ll love you,” I said. I had no doubt that once my family met Charlotte they would love her as much as I did. How could they not? She was kind, gentle, funny and loyal as hell.

I kissed her deeply and then patted her ass. “You’ll be late for work.”

She cupped my face and kissed me. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said.

* * *

When she left, I fished out my laptop and bought two tickets to New York. We would arrive at five in the evening. Perfect time to freshen up and socialize before dinner.

Charlotte

“Hey, relax, you’ll break the arm rest,” Alex teased as the plane cruised down the runway ready to take off. “It’ll get easier once we’re in the air.”

I relaxed my grip on the arm rest and shot him a reassuring smile. I wasn’t worried about the plane falling. My source of nervousness was the frightening fact that I was going to meet Alex’s family in the next hour and a half.

It had been just the two of us for so long. Of course there were friends but those were people Alex had met in Ohio, not his circle at home. Nausea swirled in my stomach. If it were up to me, we’d not have left Ohio.

Which was wistful thinking. Love required that you meet your boyfriend’s family and get on like a house on fire. The problem was that I’d never played families except with a doll I’d been given by one of my favorite foster mothers.

I didn’t know what families did or how they related to each other. In a moment of inspiration, I turned to Alex. “Can I ask you something?”

He covered my hand with his. “You can ask me anything, you know that.”

I inhaled deeply. It was a stupid question to ask. “How do people act in a family?”

He stared at me blankly. “I don’t understand.”

I swallowed hard. I’d told Alex about my background, but I don’t think he understood it. How could he when he’d grown up surrounded by people who loved him.

“As you know, I didn’t have a sibling.” Lack of a sibling was the hardest thing I faced when growing up. I’d always thought my life would be perfect if only I’d had a sister or a brother.

“It was just mom and me.” And most of the time, she was so out of it, she even forgot who I was. I remember once, we were on the couch and she’d been dozing.

Then she’d woken up, startled by something and stared at me, as if shocked to see me there.

“Who are you?” she’d said and before I could answer, she fell back asleep.

“I know Chaz,” he said.

“And I never spent enough time in foster care to find out how real families behaved.”

Alex looked thoughtful. “You mean like what people do on a day to day basis?”

“Not really, no.” That