Chapter 31: White Picket Fence Dream

AVA

We drove through a beautiful neighborhood that couldn’t have been more different from Cyrus’s sleek penthouse.

“Dominic is living his white-picket-fence dream,” Cyrus said, as if having heard my thoughts.

“Not for you?”

“Maybe one day, when I have a family.”

My heart fluttered, imagining the two of us sitting on a porch, watching our kids play in the garden.

~Snap out of it. You had your first kiss two days ago. Stop picturing a life with him.~

Cyrus pulled into a cul-de-sac and parked the car in an extravagant driveway in front of a white brick house with light gray shutters and a beautiful portico. It looked like something out of a movie.

We walked up to the front door, and before we had a chance to ring the bell, it swung open. A small girl with dark brown hair and two missing front teeth jumped outside and hugged Cyrus’s legs.

“Hi uncle Cy!”

“Hey, Tilly.” Cyrus petted her head. “This is Matilda,” he told me, “Dominic’s oldest.”

I crouched down and extended my hand. “Hi, Matilda. I’m Ava. Nice to meet you.”

Matilda shook my hand overexcitedly, making my shoulder pop. “Are you going to be my aunt?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Cyrus.

“All right, that’s enough.” Cyrus turned her around and pushed her back into the house.

We walked into a stunning foyer with a wraparound staircase. Dominic walked up to meet us, followed by a beautiful short woman with voluptuous curves and shiny black hair.

She kissed Cyrus on both cheeks and then pulled me into an embrace.

“I’m Gabriela,” she said midhug. “Nice to meet you.”

I introduced myself, and she pulled me into the living room, where a little boy was sitting on the hardwood floor playing with blocks.

“This is Geronimo.” She ruffled his jet-black hair. “Nemo, come say hi.”

The boy continued playing as if he hadn’t heard us.

“He’s shy,” she said apologetically. “Nemo, don’t be rude!”

I knelt by the boy, keeping a safe distance. “That’s a wonderful house you’re building there,” I said.

The boy barely glanced at me and continued building without so much as making a sound.

“Do those doors really open?”

Still no reaction.

“Of course they don’t, silly question,” I tapped my forehead dramatically.

“They do!” Nemo yelled. “Look!”

He showed me the doors and continued by giving me a full tour of the house he’d built. I scooted closer and joined him in his game.

When I glanced over at Cyrus, I found Gabriela mouthing “I love her” at him. My heart fluttered, and sparks danced all through my body when I caught him mouthing “me too” back at her.

Once Georgia joined us, we all sat down at the dinner table. Gabriela and Dominic went into the kitchen and came back with several dishes that they spread out on the table.

Just as we dug in, the doorbell rang. Dominic and Gabriela shared confused glances, and Dominic got up to open the door.

I heard muffled voices coming from the foyer, and moments later, the living room door swung open.

The man standing in the doorway resembled both Cyrus and Dominic, but his face looked worn, and his low-set brow had a deep line down the middle, undoubtedly put there by years of frowning.

His head was completely bald, and he had a mustache and goatee. He was quite handsome, but the look in his eyes made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was angry, almost predatory.

His eyes connected with mine, and I quickly looked away.

“What is he doing here?” Cyrus hissed.

“I don’t know,” Dominic boomed from the foyer. “What ~are~ you doing here, father?”

I looked at Cyrus, who put his arm around me protectively.

“Look at this nice family dinner that I wasn’t invited to.” The man’s voice dripped with cynical sweetness. “Tilly, Nemo, aren’t you going to give grandpa a hug?”

The kids jumped out of their seats and ran into his outstretched arms. They looked genuinely excited, to my relief. That was a good sign. At least they didn’t seem scared of him.

I couldn’t help but notice the tense atmosphere the man had brought with him. Gabriela got up and kissed his cheeks. Then she went into the kitchen and came back with an extra plate and silverware.

Georgia greeted the man warmly, seemingly unfazed by his hostile attitude.

“And there’s my youngest, and his shiny new toy.” The man looked me up and down.

“Nice, Roald.” Cyrus stood up and pulled me with him. “We’ll be leaving. Thanks, Dom and Gabby.”

“Not so fast,” Roald said. “You brought her here for a reason, son. She’s ~meeting the family.~ We all know how well that went last time.

Cyrus’s chest started heaving, and I could see him fighting the urge to punch his father. I wrapped my hands around his bicep, gauging his reaction to my touch. It seemed to calm him down a little.

“Come here, sweetheart, let me look at you.” Roald extended his hand to me.

I took a deep breath, stood up, and took his hand. Instead of shaking it, he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly, his whiskers scratching my skin. I shivered involuntarily.

“Ah, yes, she’s pretty all right,” Roald said to no one in particular. “Come on, dear. Do a little spin for me.”

Cyrus took my arm and yanked it out of Roald’s hold. “She will do no such thing. Come here baby, we’re leaving.”

“Noooo,” Nemo whined. “I still have to show Ava my Ferris wheel!”

Cyrus picked up my purse and maneuvered me toward the door. “Sorry, Nemo. Grandpa ruined everything again.”

Suddenly Georgia’s voice cut through the tenseness in the air. “Sit down, everyone. Gabby made us a lovely dinner, and we’re all going to eat it as a family.

“And everyone is going to be pleasant, or at at the very least, ~civil~.”

Cyrus bore his eyes into Roald’s. “Disrespect her one more time and we’re out.”

We all sat down and began eating, an uncomfortable silence hanging over us like a rain cloud.

“So, Ava,” Roald finally said, making Cyrus tense up beside me. “What do you do? If that’s not too forward a question for you, Cyrus.”

Cyrus narrowed his eyes at him.

“I work as an illustrator at Brentstone and Sons Publishing.” I suddenly felt very nervous about saying the company name. I was talking to the boss. The boss’s boss. The founding father.

“Interesting,” Roald drawled, circling the rim of his whiskey tumbler with his middle finger. He had a flashy gold ring with the letter B on his pinky finger. It gave me the creeps.

“And now you’re having dinner with your boss and his family.” He took a long swig of whiskey and peered at me over the rim of the glass.

“Roald…,” Cyrus growled. All his muscles were tense, as if he could snap at any second.

I shrunk a little beside him and inched my hand onto his thigh, hoping to release some of the tension. Cyrus grabbed it, rolled his neck and shoulders, and relaxed a little.

I straightened my back. “I’m not here with ~my boss~. I’m here with Cyrus.” I sounded much more confident than I felt.

“Don’t skip over his last name like it wasn’t the very thing that drew you to him,” Roald spat.

Cyrus slammed his fist into the table, making the dishes and silverware clatter. “That’s enough!” He stood up, pulling me to him. “We’re out of here.”

Blood was rushing through my veins so quickly that I felt like I was going to pass out. Suddenly Dominic’s voice boomed through the room.

“Everyone, sit down! Dad, dial it back, ~now.~ Ava is our guest. I will not have her be disrespected at our dinner table. Let’s not lose our heads here.”

Roald put his hands up in mock surrender.

“Last chance,” Cyrus growled through his teeth. He was starting to look increasingly feral. I wondered what would happen if he was pushed over the edge, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

The rest of the dinner went surprisingly smoothly. There was lots of pleasant chitchat, and Roald ate in silence, which I was grateful for.

I could feel Cyrus starting to relax a little again, and I leaned into him. His muscles instantly softened at my touch, and he stuck his nose in my hair and inhaled deeply.

“I’m sorry I brought you here tonight.”

I smiled at him, wanting to kiss him more than anything. I decided to hold off on that, however, given we were at the table with the devil himself.

“All right, kids.” Gabby clapped her hands together. “It’s bedtime. Go upstairs.”

The kids got up and blew kisses at everyone from the doorway. I was pleasantly surprised to find Nemo blowing me a kiss as well.

“I’ll show you my Ferris wheel next time,” he whisper-yelled to me.

“Can’t wait!” I mouthed back and winked at him.

“I’ll tuck them in!” Georgia squealed excitedly and followed them upstairs.

Gabby smiled warmly at me. “What made you move out here, Ava?”

“Yes, Ava,” Roald chimed in darkly. “Please, enlighten us.”

Cyrus bared his teeth at him, looking borderline rabid.

“I was just looking for a new beginning, I suppose,” I said, staring at my hands.

“I’m sure Timothy Klein had nothing to do with that,” Roald sneered.

I whipped my head up, feeling the color drain from my face.

“Ah… Bet she didn’t let you in on that little detail of her past, did she, son?”

I looked up at Cyrus, who was giving Roald a death stare.

“She’s dated her boss before. They were engaged, even. Weren’t you, sweetheart?” Roald smirked evilly.

I looked down again, the world spinning around me. I felt like I was going to pass out.

“But it fell through at the end, so here you are, trying again. You found a man with even more assets too. And it almost worked! He didn’t even bother looking into your past.”

He turned to Cyrus. “I raised you better than this. I told you not to trust women like her. But she still got her hooks in you. I wonder how she did that.”

He trailed his eyes over my body, making me feel nauseous.

Cyrus suddenly lunged forward, and he would have hit his father had it not been for Dominic catching him.

“Don’t go there,” Dominic told him. “He’s not worth it.”

I took a deep breath and faced Roald head-on. “I wasn’t playing Timothy. I’ll tell you what really happened.”