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8 Drena
I should have known today was going to be a day that would overstimulate me, overwhelm me, and over all of the damn things. Like yesterday, this morning started off great. Waking up with Kade is becoming quite the treat. One I want to have a repeat performance on the daily. The only downside after our session in the waves was him telling me he had a dinner to go to this evening, but he’d be at my house as soon as it was over. And while that makes me happy, still, this routine we’ve settled into has me spoiled.
“Finally, you’re here.” I straighten my dress, trying not to fidget as my mom greets me. I guess Kade having his plans worked out after all. Mom called during my break, asking to meet for dinner. The minute she said the name of the restaurant, my excitement fizzled out and died. I’m not the type of person who has the means to pay for an expensive meal or the dress to wear. I had to dig deep into the back of my closet to find something appropriate for the ridiculously expensive restaurant. The only problem with the little black dress is it hugs my curves a little too well.
“Sorry, Mom, I told you I’d be a few minutes late when we spoke on the phone.” Lilian James is never frazzled, and right now, she’s emulating Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. Minus the over-the-top dresses and hair haphazardly done. Tonight, Mom looks the part of her sophisticated self. Gone is the mom who used to wear cut-off jeans turned into shorts. She’s in an off-the-shoulder dress that's cinched at the waist and flows out toward the floor. Her hair is in a tight chignon, whereas mine is down and to the side in soft waves.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re here now. Shall we go in?” I barely hold the need to roll my eyes at her antics.
“Lead the way.” I take in the dark mahogany wood double doors, elaborately decorated with brass handles. The hostess greets us right away. I look down at my dress and notice her own. Yeah, I’m really underdressed. The nerves I’ve held back since stepping out of the Uber have me ready to toss my cookies. The only reason I’m able to hold back is because I’d probably get kicked out after using their planters or fish tank as a barf bag. Then Mom would be embarrassed, and another lecture would ensue.
When Mom tells the hostess she already has a table, she nods and holds her hand out in a way where she’s offering for us to proceed. My eyes go every which way, unable to look at the back of my mom's head. I’m too confused as to why she’d pick one of the most expensive places to eat in our area when she knows I’d much rather eat at a different place. A restaurant where I can be comfortable in a tank, shorts, and sandals. An atmosphere with live music, the water off the back deck, where I can sip on a margarita without feeling out of place.
“I have something to tell you.” Mom stops so abruptly I can barely put the brakes on my own feet before crashing into her.
“Okay?” She turns around to look at me. There’s concern written on her face. Surely, she’s not going to tell me devastating news in a public place.
“Well, I should have told you, but, well, it just happened.” She starts walking again, keeping the anticipation going. I follow her lead like a pig to slaughter. The only difference is I’m in human form and there’s a lot less noise surrounding us. We round the corner to find a small grouping of tables. My gaze lifts, and I see a man in a three-piece suite standing next to the table. “I’m married.” She walks up to the man, and he wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her in close. As if she didn’t just drop a bombshell and leave me floundering.
“Excuse me?” My hand goes to the back of a chair, holding myself up while trying to grasp the news she delivered.
“We’re married. This is Jasper Callahan,” Mom introduces her husband.
“It’s nice to meet you, Audrena. Your mom has talked about you so much I feel as if I already know you,” Jasper says. His words don't come off slimy, yet the revulsion is rolling off me in waves.
My suspicions are confirmed when he shakes my hand, he lingers, and I’m pretty sure he dragged the tips of his fingers along the palm of my hand on purpose. “I can’t say the same.” I’m receiving a pointed glare from my mother’s direction. Too damn bad. She didn’t have the decent courtesy to so much as give me a heads-up that she was getting married. Nor did she invite me. So, my mother can deal with it, or I can walk out the restaurant door and not look back.
“Audrena.” Her mom tone is out in full effect. I lift my shoulders and shrug them. I’m already trying to come up with a plan to leave this farce of a dinner. Maybe I can use the restroom and call for a hired car, or maybe Kade will be finished early, and he’ll pick me up.
“Lilian, it’s okay,” Jasper cajoles. He has no idea the hell she’ll give me later.
“Jasper.” Her voice is low and hushed. Jasper must do or say something I’m unaware of because the ramrod-straight position she was in has settled down.
“Ah son, there you are. Meet my new wife and her daughter Audrena,” my mother’s new husband states.
“What the fuck do you mean do you mean your new wife?” Kade’s voice, the voice I know so well, this can’t be him, right? I turn around because Jasper is looking over my shoulder. Apparently, no one thought it was a good idea to state this was a family affair. Meeting my mom’s husband is one thing; meeting his son? Well, that’s another thing entirely.
My eyes have got to be deceiving me.
There’s no way that’s Jasper Callahan’s son.
My stepbrother is Kade.
The man I’ve seen naked. The man who has seen me naked. The man who had his mouth, hands, and cock on me and in me. The man who I’m already falling hard and fast for. I pinch the skin between my thumb and pointer finger hard, but unfortunately, this isn’t a dream. I do the only thing a woman can do in this situation. I run.
“Excuse me. I have to use the restroom.” I have no idea where I’m going. The restroom could be behind me, to the side of me, or in the front of the restaurant. I’m quick on my feet, which is saying something. Heels are my arch nemesis. The only plus side of tonight is that I chose a platform style; otherwise, I’d fall flat on my face at the pace I’m walking. That’d really be the icing on the cake, especially since I can hear my name being called through the restaurant. This isn’t my fault. Never in a million years did I think a plot out of a movie would play out in real life. I know down to my core the second my mother finds out the truth, this is only going to go from bad to worse.
Too bad the only man I ever felt a semblance of love with is turning out to be the one man I can’t have. Damn, life really isn’t fair.
9 Kade
“Drena,” I call her name, but she’s already booking it. I look from my dad to her mom, shake my head, and go after her. Fuck whatever it is they have to say. It’s not on my list of priorities to deal with two grown adults acting like they didn’t shake the ground Drena walks on. It’s clear she and Lilian have a decent relationship. I mean, she answers her calls and texts. Unlike myself. The only reason I responded to my own father's phone call was to make sure he didn’t go around jacking shit up in my life again. I don’t know her mother, since I only met her moments ago. What I can tell is that Drena doesn’t like to be blindsided, and that’s exactly what Jasper and Lilian did.
“Her name is Audrena,” one of them says behind me. I’d turn around and spout that she prefers to be called Drena and doesn’t like anything formal, along with a slew of other subjects neither one of them seem to know or care about. Except I wouldn’t be able to go after her, and she’s all that fucking matters. Drena is scurrying in between tables. It’s obvious she has no idea where she’s going, nor does she care. My eyes are locked on her back, watching as her dress keeps sliding up her thighs, and if she’s not careful, she’ll be giving the people looking at her a show. A bob and weave, and I see she’s slowing down, which is perfect for what I have in mind.
“Excuse me, pardon me,” I tell a waitress, barely missing her and the tray above her head. Christ, what a damn clusterfuck this is turning out to be. I finally gain on Drena. For someone so much smaller than me, the woman sure can move. Which is saying something given my time in the military. We’re taught to be fast on our feet. Yet the fiery woman who has me rushing after her is moving faster than I care to admit. Fuck, you’d have never seen me chasing a woman, not ever.
Drena is different.
