“It’s going to be fine,” I tried to reassure her.
“Yep, just take a deep breath and know that we’ve got your back, whatever you need, even if it’s a quick getaway, we’ve got you.” Jaxyn smiled and winked at her.
I stuck close by Sadie’s side, and Jax and Ky followed close behind us as we made our way over to where her parents stood, chatting amongst a small group. Our approach came from behind them, so it wasn’t until the bald guy talking to her dad and another older dude facing us looked up, that her parents turned and noticed their daughter. Both of her parents’ faces registered shock.
“Sadie,” her mother smiled tightly, “what a surprise. We weren’t expecting you to make it today.” From her tone it was obvious the surprise wasn’t a pleasant or welcome one.
“Mom, Dad,” Sadie acknowledged the two of them. “I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine. This is Andrew Reid, Kyden McCabe and my best friend Jaxyn McCabe.” Her mother’s eyes passed quickly over Jaxyn and me, but lit up when they reached Kyden.
“So wonderful to have you here,” she said looking only at Ky.
Mr. Pierce reached out and shook my hand and then Jaxyn’s. “I believe I’ve met your father,” he said when he reached Kyden. “Good man, your father.” Ky just nodded and Mr. Pierce turned to the other men standing in the group. “I believe you gentlemen know of Mr. McCabe and his father, Senator McCabe from Massachusetts, as well.” At that point they all stepped forward to introduce themselves to the senator’s son, barely paying any attention to the rest of us. It seemed that Kyden was the only welcome one, but he was barely hiding his annoyance. I suspected the only reason he was bothering to be polite and make conversation with them, was for Sadie’s sake. She stood there awkwardly while both her parents ignored her. I took her hand in mine. Her mother caught that and I saw the disapproval in her eyes.
“Sadie?” A soft voice spoke and Sadie’s head snapped around to see her youngest sister standing behind her with a mix of surprise and awe on her face. She didn’t even wait for Sadie to speak before she launched herself at her sister. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she cried. Sadie held her tight, and her body trembled slightly.
“Mia,” their mother snapped. “Calm yourself. You’re going to make a scene,” she chided them quietly.
Mia glared at her mom. “Well maybe if you hadn’t kept my sister from me, I wouldn’t have to make a damn scene.”
Mrs. Pierce’s jaw tensed, and her eyes quickly scanned the people around to see who was observing them. Mr. Pierce stepped in.
“Well gentlemen, why don’t we go find ourselves some more drinks and we’ll let the ladies talk. Sadie, so good to see you, dear.” No hug or anything, just a few insincere words before he stepped away with the other men.
I looked at Sadie hesitantly, but she nodded, indicating that I should go with her father. Ky kissed Jax on the cheek, and I was surprised to see the scowl on Sadie’s Mom’s face as she watched. I didn’t like Mrs. Pierce, and I wasn’t comfortable leaving Sadie to face her alone, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I reluctantly dropped her hand and followed her father.
Chapter 16
Sadie
I couldn’t believe how grown up Mia looked. Gone was the little girl from my memories and in her place, a beautiful young woman stood tall in her dress and heels before me. Her hair was cut off at her shoulders, as opposed to the long curls that had hung down her back last time I saw her. She filled out her little black dress in a way no seventeen year old girl should, or maybe that was just the overprotective sister in me. Her eyes had lost the innocence of childhood too. Life in this house did that to you.
I didn’t want to talk to my mother, I wanted to sneak away to some quiet corner of the house so I could have time with my sister. I had so many questions for her, like how she was really doing, that I wanted to be able to ask her without my mother listening in, but there was no way she would allow it. As soon as the guys were gone, and just the four of us stood there, my mother leveled her cold gaze on me for a moment before turning it on my sister. “Why don’t you take Sadie’s friend to find a drink and something to eat while I have a word with Sadie.” She wasn’t asking.
“No,” Mia refused, surprising both me and my mother. My mother didn’t like to hear no.
“Mia, take this young lady –”
“I said no. I’m not leaving you alone with Sadie so you can run her off again. I want to stay with my sister.”
My mother inhaled a deep breath and let it out, getting control of her emotions before addressing Mia again. “I will not ask you again Mia. If you wish to speak to Sadie at all, you will do as I’m telling you, right now.”
Mia sighed, giving in, but she looked at me worriedly. I gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand, and then looked at Jax. “Go ahead and go with Mia.” She looked about to argue with me. “I promise it’s fine. I’ll come find both of you in a few minutes.”
When it was just me and Mommy Dearest, I straightened my shoulders and tried to appear cool and confident as I looked at her, even though I was anything but on the inside. Without saying a word, my mother turned and walked toward the doorway that led into the hall. I knew without being told that she wanted me to follow her. When were out of the room and out of earshot of the guests, my mother turned and looked at me with disdain. “Why are you here?”
“I have a right to see my sisters. You can’t keep me from them forever.” I didn’t rat out Cait and Leila and tell her that they came to me.
My mother snorted, “I’m not keeping you from anything. You made your choices. If you’re ready to start behaving like a member of this family instead of an embarrassment to us all, and set a good example for your sisters, then you are welcome to take your place in their lives. I had hoped after that boy died you would come to your senses and finally try to make ammends.”
Her words cut like a knife, the way she so casually referred to Clayton’s death. “If you’re expecting an apology, you won’t get one from me Mother. I won’t ever apologize for loving him. I won’t apologize for being who I am. If you still can’t accept me, that’s fine, but I’m not a scared teenager you can threaten anymore, and you have no right to keep me from Mia. Cait and Leila are already old enough to decide for themselves, and if you try to stop me from seeing Mia, I’ll show you just how embarrassing I can make things for you.” My voice came out much stronger and steadier than I felt.
My mother just narrowed her eyes at me. “How dare you!”
“No, how dare you Mother! You should never have kept me away from them. I didn’t deserve that and neither did they. Whether you like it or not, I am a member of this family. You can’t just sweep me under the rug and pretend I don’t exist just because I’m not who you want me to be.”
“What do you want? Do you need money?” She asked sharply, as if that’s what this was all about.
I shook my head. “I don’t need or want anything from you. I’ve been taking care of myself for six years now just fine. All I want is to see and be able to talk to my sisters.”
“Yes, I see that you’ve traded up, although that scruffy musician isn’t much of an improvement. Money can’t change the fact that his background is less than desirable. As always, you disappoint me. You bring him and that criminal’s daughter into my home. Those are not the kind of people you should be associating with. You belong with someone like Mr. McCabe. He comes from a nice, respectable family, although his taste in friends leads me to believe that he too, has questionable judgment.”
“I didn’t trade anything Mother. Clayton died. Do you not understand that? He lost his life serving this country, and yet you still speak of him like he was trash. He died with more honor than you will ever have, and you know nothing about my friends. They are more my family than you have ever been, and Kyden and Jaxyn are married. He belongs with her.”
“Hmph,” my mother huffed. “You say that you’re no longer a child and yet your behavior and att
itude is just as troublesome and immature as ever. You haven’t grown up at all, you’re still so naive. It’s really no wonder that he would have chosen her over you. Such a fortunate girl she is.”
It took everything I had to remain composed and not lose it on her. It was impossible to have a conversation with her, and arguing wouldn’t do any good. Her arrogance and prejudice ran so deep that it would be impossible to ever make her understand that Kyden was actually the lucky one, that Jaxyn was the best person I’d ever known, that she saved him. It also wouldn’t do any good to try and change her opinion of Ace either. I’d been down that road before and wasted countless breaths trying to make her see Clayton in a different light. It was pointless. She would never change.
“I didn’t come here for your approval. I don’t need or want it. You have no say in my life or who I choose to associate with. You expect me to be ashamed of them, embarrassed about bringing them here, but you’re the only one I’m ashamed of. I’m going to see my sisters and then we’ll be gone. You won’t ever have to speak to me again and you can go back to pretending you only have three daughters, but whether or not I see or speak to Mia, Cait and Leila after today, will be up to them, not you.”
“You have no right to come into my home and speak to me like this. You disgraced this family and ripped it apart. You act like you have a right to see your sisters, but all you’ve done is cause them pain, especially Mia. We have a court order to keep you from them for a reason. You don’t need to cause any more damage to this family.”
“That court order is crap and you know it. You’re the one who ripped this family apart with your narrow minded judgment and intolerance. You can’t stop me from seeing Cait and Leila, they’re adults, and Mia will be soon as well. I may not have a fancy lawyer to fight your court order, but I can sure as hell make it an ugly, public, embarrassing fight if you insist on enforcing it.” I didn’t realize just how much I meant that until I said it. I would not go away quietly this time. I don’t know where my strength came from, but I was glad that I had found it, and now that I had, I was not backing down. My mother must have seen the resolve and determination on my face.
“As far as I’m concerned, you are no daughter of mine. You’re right that I can’t stop Caitlyn or Leila from having contact with you if that is what they wish, although I don’t understand why they would. Mia is still young, impressionable and enjoys testing my limits and pushing the boundaries that your father and I set for her.” She looked at me as if it was entirely my fault.
“The last thing she needs is more of your influence, so today you may stay and speak with her as long as you do not create a scene and are careful about what you say to other guests.” In other words I better not air our family drama. “After today you may speak with her on the phone or exchange emails, but just know that any messages between the two of you will be monitored and if at any time I disapprove of the content, I will put an end to all communication between you two. Any visits after today will need to be preapproved. No more showing up on a whim and disrupting our lives, and you are not to bring uninvited guests into our home again. Do you understand?”
I didn’t like her putting restrictions on my relationship with Mia, but it was the most I could hope for. I just nodded. Satisfied that I had agreed to her terms and she retained her semblance of control over me, she turned on her heels and stalked back toward the ballroom. I followed after her. As soon I stepped back into the room, I spotted Jaxyn and Mia standing with Caitlyn, so I made a beeline for them.
Jaxyn watched me approach with a worried, questioning a look. I gave her a reassuring smile and she relaxed. “How’d it go?” She asked when I reached them. Mia and Caitlyn both looked at me, waiting to hear my response.
“About as well as could be expected. She’s not happy I’m here and things aren’t going to change between us, but,” I looked at Mia, “she won’t stop me from being in your life anymore.”
Mia threw her arms around me. “I’ve missed you so much,” she choked out. “You can’t leave me again.”
I held her tightly. “I’ve missed you too and I’m so sorry that I left you. I hope you know that I didn’t have a choice. I never wanted to be away from you.”
She looked up at me and stepped back. “I know. I was only a kid, but I still understood why you left. I’m not angry at you. I know whose fault it all was.”
Caitlyn cleared her throat. “We don’t need to get into this now. We should just be thankful that Sadie is here and not dwell on the past. What’s done is done.” She looked up at me. “Are you staying?”
“We’re staying until tonight. Tomorrow morning we have to go back to Boston, but we can talk on the phone and I’ll be back when I can, if that’s what you guys want.”
“Of course it’s what we want. I wish you could take me with you,” Mia said solemnly.
“I wish I could too,” I told her truthfully, “but we can talk whenever you want.”
Just then I felt a warm body come up behind me and strong arms wrap around my waist just before he whispered in my ear. “Are you alright?”
I let myself lean into him as I turned my head to look at Ace over my shoulder. Ky was with him. I smiled and nodded. “I’m okay.” I looked to see Mia and Jax smiling at the two of us while Cait just watched intently. “You’ve already met Caitlyn, but this is my sister Mia. Mia this is Ace and Kyden.”
Mia’s eyes were wide and excited, but she was trying to keep her cool. “It’s so nice to meet you guys. I’m sure you get this all the time, but I’m a big fan.” She stuck her hand out to Ky first and he shook it and smiled at her.
“It’s nice to meet you too Mia.”
She turned to Ace next, who stepped out from behind me. Only when she stuck her hand out to him he ignored it and instead pulled her into a hug. “I’m really glad to meet you Mia.”
She looked at me over his shoulder with huge eyes and an excited grin as she opened her mouth to let out a silent squeal and then smoothed over her features as he pulled away.
“What about me, do I get a hug?” Leila was walking over with my cousin Andrea. I rolled my eyes. “At the very least you can introduce me to your other friends.” It was obvious from the way her eyes lazily skimmed over Ky that he was the only one she was interested in meeting.
“Ky, Jaxyn this is my other sister Leila and my cousin Andrea, and this is Ace,” I said for Andrea’s benefit, even though I was sure she knew who he was. This time Jax was the only one who stuck her hand out. The guys only acknowledged them with a nod. I bit back a smile. It hadn’t taken me ten minutes to figure out that Leila was still a diva, and I remembered Andrea and her being quite the pair. I suspected they still were. Andrea was only months behind Leila and Cait in age, and as my mother’s sister’s only child, she often tagged along with the twins.
My mother chose that moment to once again call attention to her and my father in the center of the room. The string quartet in the corner, which had been playing softly, barely background music before, now began playing in earnest, and without a word, my father swept my mother into a waltz. Ace leaned over and whispered, “Why are they dancing?”
I shrugged. “Because it wouldn’t be a party without dancing, or so my mother believes. Don’t worry it won’t last long and then we’ll be led into the dining hall for the main course.”
“Good. I’m hungry and those little things with the red stuff on top that they’re carrying around on the trays are disgusting. I was too afraid to ask what they were.”
“Duck liver pate with a wine cavier.”
He shook his head. “I know you warned me, and usually I like trying new things, but that’s just awful.”
“Just avoid anything you don’t know what it is, eat lots of the bread. The bread is always good.”
“There’s a couple servers with some little puffy cheese tart things and those are pretty good,” Mia offered, “and there’s also a few with cranberry and cream cheese crostinis, they’re really good. Oh
her, right there, she has the cheesy bite things and the guy over there has the cranberry ones.” She pointed out two servers to him.
“Okay, I’ll go give them a try. Will they look at me funny if I take like ten? I need some food.”
“Who cares if they do?” Mia smiled.
Ace grinned back. “I like her,” he said to me and then went off to snag the hors d’oeuvres.
Other couples had joined my parents in the center of the room. They all moved so gracefully. I could still remember the day my father set my feet on top of his and taught me to waltz. Not every memory was bad, but the good ones were so overshadowed by everything that happened later that it was hard to feel anything but bitterness. It was odd to see the love and adoration on my mother’s face when she looked at my father. It was hard to believe she was even capable of truly loving anyone, and yet she did, love my father completely. It was just too bad she couldn’t find it in herself to love her children that way. I can’t remember even once seeing that look on her face when she looked at me, not even as a young child. I sometimes wondered if the only reason she had kids was because my father wanted them.
My parents worked their way toward us and when the song transitioned into a new one, my mother suggested Mia dance with my father, and so he led my little sister across the floor, leaving my mother standing with us. Andrea’s gaze scanned the room, until she found what, or who, she was looking for, and then, with a sway of her hips, she sauntered over to Carsen. I cringed and looked at Leila for her reaction, but she didn’t seem to care. It was bad enough for one of them to be involved with him, but both was disgusting. A guy I didn’t recognize came over and asked Caitlyn to dance, and from the blush I saw on her cheeks, she was most happy to accept.
Ky asked where the bathroom was and instead of letting me show him, my mother told Leila to escort him. I frowned at her but didn’t argue. I wasn’t sure what she was playing at, but I didn’t like it. Then it was just my mother, Jaxyn and me standing there, at least until Ace came back.
Chasing Ever After Page 16