Chasing Him (Dark Love 4)

“Are you nervous?”

“Adriana… I’m thirty-three, it’s not like I’m in high school. I’ve been through a lot worse.”

I turn the handle on the door and push it open. Andy beats me to it, yelling for my parents as we enter the house. Mom is first to come out, wearing her apron. The aroma of pot roast is lingering in the air, and my taste buds go into overdrive. She wipes her hands on her apron as my dad walks in behind her. With both of them present, I introduce Julian. Being a perfect gentleman, Julian hands a bottle of wine to my mom and politely kisses her on the cheek. She seems incredibly pleased, shooting me a wink when he turns to shake hands with my dad.

My mom ushers us to the living room, both of us taking a seat on the couch. It doesn’t last long as Andy sprints into the room, pleading with Julian to come see the playroom. Of course, Julian agrees and excuses himself to follow an overly excited Andy.

“He’s lovely, Adriana.” My mom beams.

I go to say something, but Julian walks back in the room with Andy. The anxiety creeps up again, and just when I think I can control it, Amelia darts into the room and finds Andy.

They are here.

What’s the worst that can go wrong here?

Lex probably won’t talk to us, sulking with his they-have-a-plot-to-ruin-my-life attitude. Distraction will be the key to surviving the night.

Amelia is engrossed in this new Batman figurine, so it’s best to ask her a question just to clear my mind. I regret it almost immediately—this girl can talk, and I mean nonstop ramble that starts off with Batman to her trip to the museum to what she ate for lunch. For once, Andy is listening intently. His eye is on the Batman which no doubt will result in a tug-o-war later.

Charlie’s voice filters through the hall, and she enters the room with a baby carrier minus baby. Greeting everyone, she says hello to Julian in a casual way. She too looks on edge, and the reason why walks into the room carrying baby Ava. It’s impossible to be mad as Ava lights up the room with her infectious giggle. She’s almost eight months and has started to crawl. Unlike Amelia, she is a placid baby, happy to sit still and watch others. The older she grows, the more it’s obvious how much she looks like Lex. Those emerald green eyes are the dead giveaway, and poor Charlie, none of her genes carried over.

Lex is looking smug, wearing his jeans and black hoodie. He greets my parents as usual but fails to make eye contact with Julian or me.

Andy runs up and wraps himself around Lex’s leg. “Uncle Lex. Why didn’t you take me to soccer?” Andy complains.

“Sorry, Andy. I was busy.”

Fucking jerkoff. It’s one thing to be pissed off at me, but how dare he lie straight to Andy’s face.

The guilt must have hit him like a ton of bricks, his expression changing from wry to just plain old guilty. Serves him fucking right. Andy walks off with a sad face, almost in tears as he jumps into Julian’s lap and sucks on his own thumb again for comfort. The second that Lex sees Andy do that, his face falls, and pure hatred is steaming off him. The tension is so thick you can’t even cut it with three chainsaws.

My mom, also sensing the glum atmosphere, suggests we head into the dining room to eat.

Despite the nerves, I’m famished. The food is spread out on the table and looks scrumptious. I take a seat beside Julian, Lex sitting directly opposite me. It’s either that or directly opposite Julian. The kids are on the little table beside us, even Batman’s got his own chair.

We eat in silence until my dad begins the conversation. “So, Julian, Adriana tells me you travel quite a bit as a journalist. Tell me, have you ever been to Tanzania?”

“Yes, sir, about six years ago. I was part of a documentary which filmed people affected by diseases and how their current healthcare system can’t cater to the number of patients who need to be treated.”

“Please, call me Andrew.” My dad wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Quite impressive. I’ll be setting up a medical center in late fall. Would love to speak to you in more depth about what I should be expecting.”

“Of course, Andrew, I still have footage and notes.”

I look up at Lex. He has barely eaten and is swirling his food around. The conversation is probably a sore point, considering he gave up practicing medicine to become a billionaire. That’s entirely his decision and causes headaches for my dad, especially since he bent over backward to get Lex a job at the hospital.

Charlie is quick to compliment my mom. “Emily, you’ve outdone yourself again. This pot roast is delicious.”

“Thank you, honey.”

Lex finally takes a bite. “It was Elijah’s favorite.”

Everyone is quiet.

Fucking asshole pulling out a comment like that.

“Adriana mentioned it was your favorite as well,” Julian points out, challenging Lex.

Lex practically bangs his fork against his plate.