As we pull up to my house, my stomach drops. I know how judgmental and unfair my parents can be, especially when it comes to people who aren’t as well off as we are. All I can do is hope they are nice and willing to at least get to know him. Shawn grabs my hand and I look over at him.
“You okay? You seem like you’re in another world.”
I shake myself out of the zone I was lost in. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.”
We get out of the car and walk in. “Mom? Dad?” My mother comes into the room, dressed to perfection as always. She walks up to me and gives me a hug, making sure not to wrinkle her clothes or let a hair fall out of place in the process. My dad walks in behind her and wraps me in a big hug.
“Welcome home, Cece.” I can tell just by my mother’s tone that she is unhappy with me.
I pull away and stand next to Shawn, “Mom, Dad, this is Shawn Matthews.”
My dad steps forward and offers Shawn his hand. “Hello, Son.” My mother doesn’t make much of a move, she just smiles and offers him a polite hello.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, your house is beautiful.”
“Thank you, dear.” My mother then turns to me. “Cece, we are going to the club tonight around six.”
She turns and walks out of the room and my father follows her. I guess that’s the best I can expect from them. Hopefully, after they get to know Shawn, they’ll be more accepting of him. “Sorry about the less than friendly welcome. Unfortunately, my parents aren’t the warm and fuzzy type.”
Shawn pulls me close to him and puts his hands on my hips, “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can charm them at dinner.”
He wiggles his eyebrows at me, making me laugh. The only thing I can think is that I hope they give him a chance to charm them. Shawn isn’t rich—strike one. His father isn’t someone influential—strike two. And he didn’t go to an Ivy League school—strike three. To me, none of that crap matters, but to them, it’s everything. They’ve never understood me, or the fact that I don’t find happiness in all of those trivial things. It’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go away for school and live on campus. I’ve only been back home less than an hour and I already feel like I’m suffocating.
“Hey.” I look up at Shawn, smiling when I realize I just zoned out again. “You back on Earth now?” I laugh and nod. “Okay then, Cece, do you want to show me where to put the bags?”
I punch him in the arm and give him a dirty look. I lead Shawn up the steps and into my room. My mother told me on the phone that there is no way we will be staying in the same room, so I walk him down the hall to show him the guest room, “I need to grab a shower before we go to dinner.”
“Okay, babe.” He leans down and gives me a kiss before going to lie down on the bed.
The entire time I shower, all I can think of is everything that could possibly go wrong tonight. Even though my parents and I aren’t close, it still matters to me if they like the person I’m dating. I feel like, if they just give him a chance, then they will love him like I do. Did I just say I love him? I’ve never been this serious about anyone before and I really care about him, but is it love?
I hurry to finish scrubbing my body and washing my hair. My mother will most likely flip out if I’m not ready on time. Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around myself and head into my bedroom.
I hear a knock on my door and it makes me jump. “Who is it?”
“It’s your mother.” I can almost hear her trying to listen and figure out if Shawn is in here, too. I bet she even has her ear pressed against the door. “Come in, Mom.”
She opens the door slowly, and once she sees I’m alone, she steps in and closes the door. She sits down on my bed. This can’t be good. “Cece, how serious are you about this boy?”
My jaw drops. She has barely said two words to him and I can hear the disdain in her voice. “I care about him, Mom. He really is a great guy, and if you would actually give him a chance, you would see it, too.”
“Cece, let’s be serious here and drop the rebellious act. You know he isn’t someone you will end up with in the long run, so why lead him on?” I can’t believe she is actually saying these things right now! “I mean, really, his father does construction for a living and his mother is, for all intents and purposes, a babysitter. What kind of future can he give you without a good background?”
“Ugh! I can’t believe you! You had Daddy look into him? Shawn is a great person and you don’t even know him or his family to judge them. Unlike you, I don’t think money is everything. He treats me right and makes me happy and that’s what matters!” She is such an ass sometimes and I swear if she calls me Cece again, I might just scream!
“Lower your voice, young lady. All I’m saying is, there are much better choices out there for you. Like Scott Jameson for example, now there is a boy who has it together.”
“Mother, for the last time I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in Scott.” Scott is the son of one of my father’s business associates. He’s an over-privileged, trust fund baby who thinks he can do no wrong. Even just looking at him makes my skin crawl, and my parents have been trying to get us together for the longest time. While I have no interest at all, he thinks I’m just playing hard to get. “If you don’t mind, I would like to finish getting ready.”
She gives me one of her, ‘this discussion isn’t over’ faces and then leaves. I swear she makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs sometimes. Holly always jokes that it’s amazing I turned out normal after living in this house. When we were in high school, she only came over a few times because of how my parents are. It really sucks because we always wanted to come here since her house was always so crowded, but it was just easier not to.
I always loved going over to her house. Her dad is great and he always made me feel so welcome. He is everything I wish I could have had growing up, but it is what it is and I have to deal with it. I’m sure most people would think I sound like a spoiled rich girl, but that’s not it at all. I know I am privileged to have as much as I did growing up, but money in no way replaces love. Unfortunately, love is the biggest thing my family has always lacked.
I finish getting ready and then head down to the guest room. When I walk in, he’s just pulling his shirt over his head. He has on a pair of black dress pants, and a light blue shirt. I love when he gets dressed up. Don’t get me wrong, he looks good in everything, but I love him like this. “Good enough to rub elbows with the rich and famous?” He smirks at me and I can’t help but laugh.
I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his neck, “I really don’t care about all the rich snobs who will be there. You’re more than good enough for me.” I stand on my tip-toes and kiss him before I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I turn around and my dad is standing there.
“Your mother asked me to come tell you that we need to leave.” He turns around and walks back down the hallway. Just great. I couldn’t be dreading this night any more.
Chapter Thirteen
Shawn
When we walk into the club, I have to work at not letting my jaw hit the floor. This place is really nice. Everyone here has some sort of expensive name brand on and enough jewelry to probably double what I paid for my truck last year. Christen squeezes my hand and I look down at her. I know she is nervous about me feeling out of place, and now I see why. I smile down at her, letting her know I’m fine and try to get a hold of myself.
As ridiculous as it sounds, I feel like they all know I’m wearing a shirt I picked up from Wal-Mart for eight dollars. I honestly don’t care what these people think of me, but I do care what her parents think. Even though I know they don’t have the best relationship, I also know she really wants their approval. We walk into the dinner area and are shown to a table by a waiter in a suit. Hell, even the waiters are dressed better than I am.
When we sit down, I notice five chairs which is strange considering there are only four of us. An awkward silence sets in as we all look over t
he menus. Half of the crap on here I have never even heard of. When I see someone sit in the empty seat at the table, I look up and see a guy about my age. I look over at Christen, and when she notices him, her face drops. Who the hell is this guy?
Christen’s mother smiles at him, “Scott, dear, it is so nice to see you. How is Stanford?”
He gives her a cocky smile, and I can tell already he thinks way too highly of himself. “It’s easy, really. People who say it’s challenging are really just imbeciles.”
Her parents start to laugh that rich, fake laugh. “You have always had a good head on your shoulders, son, I’m glad you are doing well.”
He turns his gaze to Christen, who is still avoiding eye contact and staring at her menu. “So, Christen, when are you going to make the switch? To an Ivy League, that is.”
Even though he makes it clear he’s talking about schools, I know from the sideways glance he shoots me, that he is talking about our relationship. This guy has been here a minute and I’m already ready to drag him out of here by his collar. Who the hell does he think he is?
Christen looks up and narrows her eyes at him, “I’m not making a switch to anything, Scott.”
That’s my girl. I see the annoyance in her mother’s eyes as she looks at her. Her mother continues to talk to Scott and tries to keep Christen involved in the conversation, completely ignoring my existence. I can tell no matter what I do at this point, there is no way I am ever going to win her mother’s approval. This douche is the only kind of guy she will ever approve of, which is ridiculous because even an idiot could see that Christen despises him. The fact I know she can’t stand him is probably the only good thing happening right now. I can’t sit here anymore and listen to him, so I excuse myself and take a walk to the bathroom.
Even the bathroom in this place is probably bigger than the first floor of my house. I’m just getting ready to head back to the table when the door opens and Scott walks in. I walk past him, not wanting to start anything because I’m already heated from how the night has been going. When we pass each other, he throws his shoulder into me. Even though it hurt less than getting bitten by a fly, it’s just enough to push me over the edge.
I grab him by his shoulders and throw him backward, sending him flying into the elaborate wall of mirrors behind us. The mirror he hits cracks in multiple places. The door to the bathroom opens again, and when I look back, Christen’s dad is standing there. He surveys the scene and then gives me a look of disgust before heading back through the door. I walk around the club for a few minutes to calm down before going back to the table, expecting everyone to be pissed off, but find that no one has any idea what happened. Why hasn’t he said anything?
The rest of dinner is a blur, and I can’t really concentrate on the conversation, not that anyone but Christen has tried to involve me. When we get back to the house, her parents go their separate ways without a word and the both of us head upstairs. Christen follows me to my room, and I’m still debating on whether I should mention what happened with Scott or not.
She closes the door behind her, and before I can say anything, she crushes her mouth to mine. Her hands wrap around my neck and her fingers grip my hair. I spin her around and back her toward the bed, wanting to have her now and not giving a damn if her parents are home or not. She lets go of me just long enough to pull her shirt off. I lower my mouth and kiss a trail down her neck and across her chest. As much as I want to take it slow and enjoy every minute of it, I need her now. I rip the remainder of our clothes off in less than a minute, then pick her up and toss her further up the bed. I leap on top of her and bury myself deep inside, loving the gasp she lets out when I do.
Christen wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper into her. I can’t hold back any longer. I grab her hips, using them as leverage, and start slamming myself into her. She’s being really loud and I’m pretty sure no matter how big this house is, her parents can hear us. Her fingers scrape down my back, setting my skin on fire. I can tell by the way she’s acting she’s close, which works for me because I can barely hold back. She screams my name as she lets go, and the sensation of feeling her muscles tighten around me is too much and I immediately follow.
***
The next day, Christen comes into the room just as I’m getting out of the shower. “Hey, babe, I was gonna come find you when I got dressed. What’s up?”
“Nothing. My mom wants me to go with her to get a dress for the party at the club on Friday. Will you be good here for like an hour or so?”
“Yeah, no big deal.” I hate the thought of being here without her; I can totally understand the way she was talking about being miserable here.
She leans up and gives me a kiss, “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
I hear the door shut and wander downstairs to try and find something for lunch. I’m just walking into the kitchen when Christen’s dad walks out of his office.
“Did they leave already?”
I look around, surprised he’s actually even speaking to me. “Um, yeah, they left a couple of minutes ago. I know Christen has her phone, though, if you need them.”
“No, that’s fine. When you have a second, can you come into my office?” He turns and walks back into the office before I can answer.
I grab a bottle of water and then head to see what he wants. His office is just as nice as the rest of the house. The walls are lined with bookshelves and there is a large oak desk in the corner with two chairs in front of it. He’s sitting with his back to me, but must have noticed me coming in. “Have a seat.” He turns around to look at me, and I have a feeling this conversation isn’t going to be a pleasant one. “We need to talk about the relationship between you and my daughter.”
“Okay. I just want you to know, Mr. Daniels, I really care about her.” I figure that maybe I can try to show him what she means to me.
“While I’m sure that may be true, this whole situation is not going to work. As I understand it, you are going to school as a pre-med major, and from what I have been able to find, you’re having a hard time paying for it. My wife and I are prepared to offer you an incentive if you agree to part ways with our daughter.”
What? I’m completely blindsided by this and I honestly have no idea how to react. He’s been looking into me? “Sir, I don’t want your money. I care about Christen and I’m not willing to walk away from her.”
He seems unfazed by my reply, “That’s what I thought you might say. My wife thought you would jump at the offer for money. I, on the other hand, thought you may need a little more persuasion. That’s why I did my homework.”
What the hell is he talking about, he did his homework? Does he know about the fighting? Is he gonna call the cops?
“Your father owns Matthew’s Construction, right?”
My anxiety rises as he reveals more and more knowledge that he has dug up about me and my family. “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“As you know, I have a lot of connections in this town. I know right now your father’s company isn’t doing very well, and he and your mother are barely getting by. Now, being the influential man that I am, I can either decide to be a great help and encourage all of my contacts to hire your father, or I can tell them to never consider a bid from him again. You can either put your family in a great position or you can send them into poverty. Not only that, but I’m sure it would greatly upset them if they found out what you have been doing to pay for school.”
I can’t believe this is actually happening right now. I know Christen’s parents don’t approve of me, but I didn’t think they hated my existence this much. “Why are you doing this? You barely know me, and you know nothing about my family.”
“I may not know you, but I know your type. My daughter is destined for much more than a middle-class lifestyle, and if she can’t make the right decisions regarding her future, then I will make them for her.”
I shoot up out of the chair, “Who are you to judge me and
decide what is right for her future?”
“I am the man who holds your family’s future in my hands. Think about my offer, and if you accept it, I expect you to be gone tonight.” He flips open the laptop that’s sitting on his desk, seemingly dismissing me. I just stand there like a statue, still trying to digest what just happened. After a few minutes, he peeks over the top of the screen, “You can go now. You have a lot to think about.” Without a second glance, he continues to type, completely ignoring my existence.
I want to say something to him. I want to scream and break everything in his office, but I don’t. I know by doing so, I will only reinforce his opinion of me as nothing but an uneducated loser. I walk back up to the guest room and sit on the bed, trying to figure out what the hell I can do now. My phone beeps in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I see a text from Christen.
Christen: Hey, babe, almost done! I want to go out to dinner tonight, just us! I have something I want to tell you
I look at the text for almost five minutes before I pull up Carter’s number and dial it. Thank God he answers after a couple rings. “Hey, when are you driving back home?”
“Tomorrow morning, why?”
“I need a ride, but is there any way you would consider leaving tonight?” Carter and Madison only planned to come down for half of the break because she’s still sticking to her ban on doing anything in his dad’s house. It drives Carter absolutely insane, so their visits are usually never more than a few days.
“Aren’t you supposed to be staying the rest of the week with Christen? What happened?” I really don’t want to get into this on the phone, and I can already hear Mads in the background asking what’s going on.
“Listen, I promise I’ll explain when I see you, but I really need to get out of here tonight. Any chance you will leave early?” Please say yes.
“Let me talk to Maddy. It should be fine, though. Are you okay?”
“Not really, but I’ll make it.”
Fight For Me Page 7