After the Sky Fell Down (46 page)

Over the past few weeks,
she and Jace had grown even closer and when he said to her, “I think you should meet my family,” she didn’t know how to react.  She was nervous.It was a big step in their relationship, but she thought she was ready for it.

She was trying not to let the rift with Luke affect her, but it was always there in the back of her mind.  The last time she’d seen him had been at the run and she missed him.

Sarah was spending the night at her parent’s house.  Her parents liked Jace and were glad she seemed to moving on, so when she asked them to watch Sarah so she could have dinner with Jace’s family, they were all too happy to oblige.

She went into her room, gathering up her coat and purse when she heard a knock on the open door of her bedroom.  She spun around and her heart leapt as she saw Jace leaning against the doorway, looking slightly arrogant, yet cute, knowing how good he looked in a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater. 

“You really shouldn’t leave your door unlocked.  The riffraff might get in,” he laughed, walking over to her slowly, causing her heart to flutter.  He slid his arm around her waist and leaned down kissing her neck and breathing in deeply. “Mmm, you smell nice.”

“Thank you,” she said wrapping her arms around him as well.

“How about we skip the family dinner and just stay here tonight,” he whispered seductively in her ear, leading her over to the bed and gently laying her down, continuing the assault on her neck. 

“Hey, stop that,” she laughed, although she didn’t want him to.

“No,” he said moving up to her ear.

“C’mon Jace,” she giggled. “We’re going to be late.  What kind of first impression would that give your family?”

“Fine,” he groaned as he climbed off of her, helping her to her feet. 

Much to Jace’s dismay, she put on her coat and grabbed her purse and they left the apartment. 

****

“So are you ready to meet my crazy family?” he asked as they drove.

“To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about.  They’re going to love you,” he assured her.

“If you say so,” she replied reluctantly.

“I do say so, so just relax.”  He reached over and squeezed her hand, just like Ben used to do when he was trying to reassure her and she felt herself involuntarily reach up and clutch the crucifix. 

“So, how much have you told them about me?” she asked.

“Just that I met you at a party and I really like you,” he smiled, squeezing her hand again.

“Do you they know I have a daughter?” she asked nervously.

“Yes, they do.  I told my aunt and uncle.”

“And what do they think about that?”

“They’re fine with it.”

“Do they know about Ben?  Do they know I’m not just some floozy who got knocked up and abandoned by her boyfriend?” she asked quickly.

“Yes, I told them.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t want them to think I’m some harlot or anything like that.”

“Would you relax? They would never think that.”

“I just worry about what they’re going to think of me.”

“They’re going to love you.  Now just breathe and try and have a good time, okay?”

“I’ll try,” she said uneasily.

Jace pulled the car into the driveway of a large colonial style home a few minutes later.  It was a beautiful house with gray-blue siding and white shutters.  A cobblestone pathway led from the
driveway to the large oak front door. She held onto Jace’s hand as they walked up to it.He knocked just to be polite and opened the door without waiting for an answer.

As she stepped inside, she was hit with the unmistakable aroma of garlic and marinara and her stomach instantly began to growl. 

“It smells really good in here,” she whispered to Jace.

“My Aunt Juliana’s an amazing cook, so I hope you brought your appetite,” he said helping her out of her coat and hanging it beside his on the coat rack.  “C’mon,” he said taking her hand and leading her down the hall and into the kitchen, which was full of steaming pots and a gathering of people.

“Jace!” they all seemed to exclaim at once. 

A large, heavy set woman with the same dark hair and eyes as Jace came over and embraced him in a bear hug.

“Hi Aunt Juliana.  Kathryn this is my aunt, Juliana, and this is Kathryn, the girl I was telling you about.”

“It’s so good to meet you Kathryn.  Welcome,” Juliana said enthusiastically, wrapping her in a hug as well. 

“You too,” Kathryn said trying not to sound too shy. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course.  We’re glad you’re here,” Juliana responded with a smile and headed back over to the stove to stir a large pot.

“Who you got there?” an older man shouted out to Jace.

“This is Kathryn,” he said, suddenly making her feel as if a spotlight had appeared on her. “Kathryn this is my Uncle Tony, Grandpa Giovanni, Uncle Sal, Aunt Helen, and my cousins Joe, Kelly, Raquel, Tommy, Gia, and Sam.  And that’s Sam’s girlfriend Stephanie,” Jace said pointing to each of his relatives.  Kathryn felt completely overwhelmed and knew she would never remember all of their names.

“There will be a quiz later,” someone she believed was Uncle Sal bellowed with a laugh and Kathryn just smiled meekly. 

“Nice to meet you
all,” she said and they all smiled back.

They walked further into the kitchen and then into the living room, where she sat next to Jace on a floral covered sofa. 

“They seem nice,” she whispered to him.

“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” he said putting his arm around her.

She sat quietly listening to Jace catch up with his family.  They had made her feel so welcome, but she still felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb, with her blonde hair and blue eyes among a sea of dark brunettes.  It’s not like she wasn’t used to large family gatherings.  She’d practically been a member of Ben’s family, where she was completely comfortable and could be herself.  It had been like that for so long that she had forgotten the steps it had taken to get to that point.  Here she was starting all over with a new group of people who seemed very different than Ben’s quiet, reserved family.  Jace’s family was noisy and fun loving like he’d told her and they laughed almost as loud as they talked.

“You’ve got yourself quite the looker Jace,” Grandpa Giovanni said sitting next to her on the couch causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment. “Ah, don’t be embarrassed Kathryn,” he said.

“C’mon Grandpa,” Jace said lightheartedly. “You’re making her uncomfortable. Can’t you see that?” 

“I’m sorry Kathryn,” he said with a smile. “I’m not really a creepy old man.”

“I…I never thought that,” she laughed, hoping she hadn’t offended Jace’s grandfather.

“So Kathryn,” Jace’s Aunt Helen chimed in, much to Kathryn’s relief. “Juliana tells us you have a little girl.”

Kathryn shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she felt everyone’s eyes suddenly upon her.  She hadn’t expected to talk about her daughter and explain her situation.

“Yes, I do.  Her name’s Sarah.”

“And how old is she?” Helen smiled.

“She’s almost fifteen
months.”

“Do you have a picture of her?” Helen continued.

“Of course,” Kathryn said pulling out her phone and opening to a picture of Sarah at the park. “Here she is.”

“Oh, she’s precious,” Helen sighed passing the phone to Gia. “What a beautiful little girl.  And she has such gorgeous eyes.”  Helen looked up at Kathryn as if checking to see if they shared the same eyes.

“She gets those from her father,” Kathryn said thinking of Ben.

“Does he live around here?” Gia asked glancing up from the phone.

Her heart began to pound and she felt Jace grab her hand.

“Sarah’s dad passed away,” Jace said and the look of horror and embarrassment on Gia’s face made the entire room uncomfortable and everyone grew silent.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.  I didn’t know,” she continued and then turned to Helen. “I didn’t even know she had a daughter.  You know I never would’ve said anything if I’d known,” and then she turned back to Kathryn. “I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kathryn said gripping Jace’s hand harder and he pulled her closer. “He died before she was born.”

“I am sorry,” Gia said honestly, standing up and walking over to the couch to hand Kathryn her phone back.  As she took it, Gia leaned in unexpectedly and gave her a warm hug. “She really is a beautiful girl,” she said, pulling back and looking straight at Kathryn. She could see tears glistening in Gia’s eyes and she smiled once before taking her place back at the counter.

“Dinner’s ready!” Juliana’s voice called into the silence.  Everyone seemed grateful for the announcement so t
hey all could be saved from the awkwardness of the moment.

Like a cattle call, everyone stood up and began marching towards the dining room, but she and Jace held back for a moment.

“I’m sorry about that.  I thought they knew. Are you okay?” he asked as he held onto her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb.

“I’m fine,” she said, and surprisingly she was.  He looked at her doubtfully though. “Really, I am.”  She reached up and kissed him softly and he leaned over and hugged her.  “Now, let’s go eat.  I’m starving.”

Jace held onto her waist as he led her to a large mahogany dining table.  He pulled out a high-backed chair for her and Kathryn sat down, Jace sitting next to her a moment later.  Everyone began scooping out spaghetti with the largest meatballs she’d ever seen, along with salad and bread sticks. 

By the end of the meal, Kathryn felt relaxed and comfortable.  There was no more talk about Ben or Sarah, but Kathryn could tell Gia still felt awful about bringing it up by the somber look that never left her face throughout dinner.Jace’s family had been nothing but nice to her and by the time they were eating their dessert of cannolis, Kathryn was joining in the conversation, even teasing Grandpa Giovanni some. 

It was nearly nine o’clock by the time they left.  She had never been much of a hugger, but Jace’s family obviously was and she walked around hugging everyone before they left.

“So…you survived,” Jace laughed as they drove back.

“I did,” she responded happily.

“What’d you think of my crazy family?”

“They’re a little loud,” she laughed. “But they’re really nice and they can cook.”

“Told you,” he said squeezing her hand again. “So, do you want me to take you home?”

“Do you want to take me home?” she teased.

“No, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions.”

“Assume all you want.  Sarah’s at my parent’s house for the night, so I’m free.”

“Wanna go back to your place then or mine?”

“Yours,” she responded quickly. “I think I need a change of scenery tonight.”

He looked over at her and raised his eyebrows with a smile.

“Then my place it shall be,” he said in a deep voice with a fake British accent.

“Y
ou’re such a dork,” she laughed and he just smiled and continued driving.

****

“Were you expecting company?” Kathryn asked as they entered the apartment, noticing how clean and spotless it was as they walked into the living room.

 
“I was hoping you might want to come by tonight,” he said smiling at her and then reached down and kissed her hand, causing her to blush. “What? Am I embarrassing you?  I’m not my grandpa,” he joked.

“Thank goodness for that,” she responded sarcastically.

“Ouch. That hurts. That’s my grandpa you’re talking about,” he said pretending to be offended.
“I’m just not into eighty year old balding men with liver spots and dentures.”

“Hey, that’ll be me someday.  But until then, I guess you’ll just have to settle for my gorgeous face.”

“I think I can handle that,” she said walking over and hugging him.  He squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

“You’re so short, I feel like I’m going to pull a neck muscle someday leaning down to kiss you,” he laughed, and her heart ached suddenly.  Although they’d been together a couple of months, he’d yet to really joke about her height, and now that he had, she thought of Ben, who had made it his goal to tease her for being short and for a moment she felt resentful towards both of them .  She quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind though.  She was not going to ruin this with Jace.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said stretching her neck to look up into his dark eyes.  As she stared at him, she felt her knees get weak and electricity seemed to flow between them.  He tenderly began stroking her cheek with his finger
tips.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” he whispered to her, never breaking his stare from her eyes.  Her cheeks reddened and she looked away.  He slowly reached up and undid her hair so it spilled over her shoulders in thick waves.  He gently cupped her face with his hands and leaned in and kissed her softly.  She closed her eyes, her whole body filled with warmth and desire.  He pulled back and she opened her eyes breathlessly, her heart racing.