One More Time

So far, I wasn't impressed. Like, not at all.

“I'm ready,” I said, opening the door and waiting for Adam to follow me out.

He took one last look around Raya's place before exiting the apartment. I locked the door behind us and followed him down onto the street.

“Your chariot awaits,” Adam said, opening the car door for me.

I glared at him, wanting to tell him I had two hands capable of opening doors myself, but I let it go. He probably thought he was being chivalrous, but his attitude was nothing but condescending. H

e made me sick. After tonight though, I might never have to see him again and his asshole, sexist attitude wouldn't matter.

But, if Malcolm still wanted this baby, this would be his uncle. No need to piss him off. He was practically family and all. Ugh.

“An Acura, huh?” I didn't mean to say it out loud, it just happened to pop out.

“What was that?” Adam asked, sliding into the driver's seat beside me, and buckling up.

“Oh, nothing,” I said. “I'm just surprised you don't drive a more pretentious car like a BMW or something.”

Adam laughed and started the car.

“I mean, not that Acuras are bad cars,” I said. “hell, it's still better than anything I could afford.”

Way to not piss off the brother, Casey, I thought to myself. I really should learn to keep my mouth shut.

“I guess Malcolm never told you,” Adam said.

His voice was softer than I'd expected, and I saw a flash of something in his eyes that resembled sadness. I had no idea, but I saw it, and then it was gone, like it had never been, as Adam got himself back under control again.

“Told me what?” I asked.

Adam sighed as he glanced over at me, a contemplative look on his face. He seemed to be studying me, trying to decide if he could confide in me. Finally, he gave himself a little nod, apparently deciding that he could.

“While Malcolm was lucky enough to grow up a Crane, I didn't discover who my father was until a few years ago,” he said, his voice tinged with bitterness. “Oh, he'd been sending money all these years, but it wasn't much. My mom practically had to beg for every penny she could get from the old man. I may work for him now, but I'll never be Malcolm. I work a shitty customer service job, while he's training to be CEO. I make decent enough money though, so I can't complain, I just wish... ”

He trailed off and that sad, or regretful flash in his eyes returned. He fell silent and look out beyond the windshield, the look on his face saying he was somewhere else. Another time or another life, perhaps. The only thing I knew was that he wasn't there in the car with me at that moment.

“You wish what?”

“Nothing,” he snapped, breaking himself out of his reverie. “Forget I said anything.”

I didn't care enough about Adam to push the issue. If he didn't want to talk to me about it, that was his choice. That was fine. I stared off out the window, lost in my own thoughts and problems. I didn't have much in the way of room to take his on too.

Part of me though, wanted to feel bad for Adam. Even if I didn't like him. Yet, he still had it easier than I ever did simply because his father was a Crane. Shitty customer service job or not, he still had money, and at the end of the day, he had a warm house he could go home to. He no longer had to worry about where his next meal was coming from.

Adam drove us into Beverly Hills. It shouldn’t have surprised me in the least that someone like Malcolm and his family would live there – and yet, on some levels, it did. Maybe, because I'd forgotten exactly how wealthy he was. When we were together, it was easy to think of him as just a person, and not a billionaire. He was usually just so down to earth and easy going. He didn't seem like the usual uptight rich assholes I had to deal with when I worked at Obelisk.

The car stopped outside a wrought iron gate, and Adam entered a passcode into the security keypad beside the driveway. The gates opened, and he guided the car down a long driveway that led to a stunningly gorgeous mansion. It was enormous and looked like something one of the Real Housewives would live in. “Ready to meet the infamous Crane family?” Adam said, his voice as dry as sandpaper.

He sounded about as excited as I did to finally meet Malcolm's family. Maybe under different circumstances I'd be excited, but Malcolm wasn't expecting me, and I wasn't sure how well this would go over with him. After all, he'd never mentioned introducing me to his family before.

There was probably a reason for that, I thought to myself

I knew I wasn't the sort of girl he usually dated. Iwas from the wrong side of the tracks, as the old saying went. He'd be dating down to be with somebody like me. Dating well below his station, or some snooty shit like that.

But what were they going to think and say when they found out he was going to have a child with somebody so beneath his station?

“Do we have our story straight?” I asked Adam, peering over at him as we sat in the car, staring at the ridiculously large mansion before us.