Authors: N. E. Henderson
“Please never let me drink that much ever again,” Nikki
begs from the back seat of Nick’s car where she is laying across the seat,
covering her eyes with her arm. She got a little drunk last night…well, a lot
drunk last night. After Nick took me to the amateur fight night to watch one of
Jase’s fights last night, the four of us went to Club Blue where Nikki got
sloshed. Jase won the fight; so apparently she wanted to celebrate for her man.
I don’t think she is in much of a celebratory mood now.
We are on the way to Nick and Nikki’s parents’
house in Pasadena for a Memorial Day dinner. Perhaps I’m a little nervous, but
really, I just want to get this part of dating out of the way. Maybe that is
why I agreed to come with them as quickly as I did last night. How bad could
meeting the parents go?
Nick made his mom sound like an angel, but the way
he and Nikki described their dad, you would think the man was the devil
himself. My dad died when I was very young, so I never really had a father
figure in my life. I’ve never been able to relate to other friends and their
relationships with their dads. I have a few memories of the man, and luckily,
all are good, but when it comes to the fatherly authority, I’m clueless. I was
never grounded growing up like all my friends were for breaking curfew or bad
grades. I was never the bad kid, but my mom didn’t have a clue what was going
on in my life. I could come and go as I pleased, as long as I stayed out of
trouble. Most kids would dream of a life like that, but really, I longed for
attention from my mother.
“Why you got wasted last night when you knew we
were coming here today is beyond me. You know Dad’s going to say something
about it and that’s going to piss you off,” Nick tells his sister as we pull
into a driveway of a massive two-story house. If this is the house they grew up
in, I understand why Nick doesn’t like big houses. This place is huge and could
easily be in an architecture magazine. I hate it immediately.
Nick turns off the ignition and grabs my forearm
as I’m reaching to open the door. “If you feel uncomfortable in the least bit,
just say the word and we will leave.”
He has an apologetic look on his face. Surely, his
dad isn’t that bad. “He’s serious, Shannon. In fact, the sooner we leave, the
better for all of us. These gatherings never end happy,” Nikki chimes in as she
is righting herself up from the backseat.
“Okay, but I’m sure it’s not going to be that bad.
Surely, I can get through a few hours in your parents’ company.” I say as I
open the door.
“It’s not our parents that are the problem; it’s
our dad,” she adds as I’m pushing the seat forward so she can get out. The
three of us head for the front door. Nikki is leading the way and I’m holding
Nick’s hand as we all make it up the steps to the house. Nikki doesn’t bother
knocking and walks right in.
The first thing I notice off to the side of the
foyer is a large formal dining room with the largest table I’ve ever seen. Yes,
I definitely dislike this house, but it hits me that it’s not the house.
Something just isn’t sitting well with me. You know that feeling you get when
you are in the wrong place and all your senses are screaming at you to leave…to
get the fuck out? That’s the feeling I have at this very moment. The hairs on
the nape of my neck and arms lift, prickling over my skin.
I push the feeling out of my mind as we make our
way through the foyer and enter the kitchen. I’m sure it’s just my nervousness
at meeting his parents for the first time.
“I thought I heard you guys come in the door,” a
petite, older woman with dark hair says. She has a wide smile on her face as
she embraces Nikki in a hug. She must be their mom. She has the same stunning
blue eyes Nick and Nikki have. Nick releases my hand to give his mother a kiss
on the cheek.
“Food smells great, Mom,” Nick tells her as he reaches
for me. “This is my girlfriend, Shannon,” he says as I’m pulled in front of his
mother. She smiles again and pulls me into a hug.
I feel awkward. Isn’t it customary to shake hands
in these circumstances? I know she is only being friendly, so I return the
embrace and force a smile when she releases me. I don’t care for the touchy-feely
types.
“I’ve heard so much about you over the last two
weeks. It’s great to finally meet you. Nicholas has never brought a girl home
before,” she says eyeing her son in a loving, motherly way. “I’m Elaina Lewis,
but please call me Elaina. I hate all the formal stuff.”
“Lewis?” I question looking at Nick. He didn’t say
he had a stepdad. The way he spoke about the man, it gave the impression his
parents were married to each other.
Nick shrugs his shoulder. “I’ll explain later, but
I decided to go by my mother’s maiden name a long time ago. I had it legally
changed when I turned twenty-one.”
“And you?” I ask turning to Nikki. She shrugs her
shoulders in the same way as her brother, as if it’s no big deal.
“I’ve always done everything Nick does since I can
remember, so when Nick did it, there was no questioning that I would do the
same.” She walks to the refrigerator and takes out a bottle of water. Do they
hate their dad that much that they don’t want to share the same name? Surely,
the man can’t be that bad. Right?
Nick tightens his hold on my hand, causing me to
look up at him only to find his face is set in an expression of anger. His
nostrils begin to flare. He’s looking behind me, and as I turn to see what’s
caused his change in mood, I hear a shrill voice. A voice I’m all too familiar
with, a voice that I have never been able to forget. This can’t be happening.
Please God, tell me this is a nightmare and I’m going to wake up any minute
now.
“It’s about time
−
” He stops
mid-sentence when his eyes met mine. He wasn’t expecting me, and I certainly
wasn’t expecting to ever see this monster again. “Shannon.” It’s not a
question, but a statement. He knows exactly who I am and what he did to me.
My heart starts to race at a rapid pace. The
thumping echoes in my ears as each beat bounces off my chest bone. I take a
step back on reflex, only to back into Nick’s hard chest. My body freezes. I’m
rooted to the ground when it hits me. Lewis, his mother’s last name is Lewis.
She is married to James Lewis, Judge James Lewis. Oh God, no. No…no…no…no…no.
He’s Nick’s father. This isn’t a nightmare. This isn’t some sick joke someone
is playing on me. This is real. Beads of sweat start to form across my forehead
and on the back of my neck.
“You know my father?” Nick questions, jerking his
stare from his dad down to me. His eyebrows are knitted inward. He’s somewhat
shocked. I think his mother and sister are too. How do I fucking explain this?
I think I’m going to be sick. A wave of nausea washes over me. I swallow,
trying to keep the vomit I feel rising up in my throat at bay.
“I…” There are no more words I can get out. They
are lost in my throat. I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t know what to do.
I can’t take my eyes off the evil monster that stands before me. I want to run.
I have to bite down on my bottom lip in order stop the tremble I feel forming
on my lips.
The bastard smiles and then breaks eye contact
with me to answer Nick’s question. He knows what I could say even though I
won’t, but he isn’t going chance it.
“Shannon used to work for me, back when I was an
attorney. If you would have ever come by my office, you would have known that.”
He turns his eyes back to me. They are sinister and cold grey eyes. “What’s it
been now…ten years?”
“Y
−
yes,” I finally choke out. It comes out as almost
a whisper. Get control of yourself. Do not let the sick fuck see your fear.
Don’t give him that satisfaction again. I take a silent deep breath and exhale
slowly, calming my bubbling anxiety.
“Small world, I guess,” Nick says as he tightens
his hold on my waist. His tone is clipped, and he’s not happy to learn this
fact. If he only knew the rest; something I’ve never told anyone. I don’t know
if I can tell him either.
Nick’s mother is looking between her husband and
me. She has a strange look on her face, as if she is trying to figure out the
pieces of the puzzle. I doubt anyone would figure out what that man is capable
of. Everyone I knew that worked for him adored him. I remember people used to
say what a wonderful man he was and how caring he was for other people who have
been misjudged.
“Why don’t we all gather in the dining room for
dinner?” his mother suggests while leading Nikki in that direction. Judge Lewis
gives me a sinister look, and turns, following his wife and daughter. Nick
turns me to face him. I try for a weak smile.
“Are you okay? As soon as my father walked in the
room, your face paled and you looked like you wanted to pass out.” He’s holding
both of my wrists and rubbing his thumbs over the surface of my skin. Somehow,
it has a calming effect on me and I relax a little. Well, as much as I possibly
can in a situation like this.
“Yes. I was a little shocked at first. I wasn’t
expecting my former boss to be your dad.” He’s searching my eyes. It looks like
he is trying to decipher if I’m telling him the truth. It’s partly true. I was
shocked.
“Are you sure? We can leave if you’re
uncomfortable.” Just tell him you want to leave. He’s giving you an out. You
should take it and run like hell.
Instead, I
snap at him. “Nick, I said I’m fine, so drop it.” Fuck. I instantly regret
snapping at him. I shouldn’t take this out on him. I haven’t had these feelings
in a long time. I didn’t know how to deal with them then and I still don’t.
“Fine, but I can tell something is bothering you
and you are going to tell me later,” he says as he pulls me to the dining room.
His family is already seated. Nikki has a sour look on her face. She is staring
straight ahead at a wall while her dad is talking. I think he is reprimanding
her, but I’m not sure. We come in on the tail end of the conversation.
“Finally, what took you both so long?” Nick’s dad
asks; he’s looking directly at me. No, fuck face, I didn’t say a damn thing to
him.
“Shannon and I were having a conversation.” Nick
sounds annoyed as he takes a seat.
Elaina is still looking at me the same way as
before in the kitchen. Does she know what her husband is capable of? Do they
all? Surely, they wouldn’t be sitting at a dinner table with him if they did.
Taking my napkin off the table, I place it in my
lap. I begin to gather food on my plate, starting with Beef Wellington and
ending with a spoonful of roast potatoes. I have no appetite, but I’d rather
stuff my mouth than talk or look at the man sitting at the head of the table. I
can feel his eyes on me every few minutes; it makes my stomach turn and chest
tighten.
“Nicolette, can’t you wear clothing to my house
that covers up those awful tattoos? You used to be so beautiful. I don’t
understand why you enjoy embarrassing me.” Nick’s father’s comment brings my attention
away from my food. God, did he just say that to his own daughter?
“I’m going to wear what I want, Dad. If I wanted
to cover up the art on my body, then I never would have gotten them,” she
responds with a tight lip before shuffling a forkful of food into her mouth.
Nick takes a deep breath, and then slowly blows the air out as if he’s trying
to calm himself. He looks like he wants to say something, but doesn’t.
The inked artwork displayed on Nikki’s arms isn’t
as visible as the first day I met her. The tail end of one tattoo is poking out
of the short sleeve of her shirt and she has a small tattoo on each wrist. On
her right wrist, the name “Jason” is spelled out in black ink, ending with a
line wrapping around her wrist to draw the shape of a heart on the inside. It’s
colored-in with deep red ink. On her other wrist are small hearts travelling
her wrist like a bracelet. They also wrap around to the inside of her left
wrist, which has a date scripted. I have no idea what the date represents.
Other than those, nothing else is visible. She looks stunning. Even when she
has all her ink on display, she is beautiful, probably even more so with all
the color.
The dinner is nothing like I expected before I
arrived. No one has said a single nice thing since we sat at the table. Judge
Lewis finds a way in every discussion to criticize either Nick or Nikki. I can
tell Elaina doesn’t like it, but she never interrupts her husband, nor does she
defend her children. Way to be a great mom!
“Mom, thank you for dinner, but we have to be
going,” Nick says as he pushes himself back from the table. Hallelujah! His
sister follows suit immediately, looking relieved to be getting out of here. I
guess I can’t blame them. Hell, I wanted to run out of here an hour ago myself.
As I stand up from the table, I cut my eyes to
Nick’s father. He’s sitting back in his chair at the table and drinking a glass
of wine. He looks right at me, over the rim of his glass, every time he takes a
sip. Nikki doesn’t speak to her father after she tells her mom she’ll call her
next week. She quickly exits the room and I follow her as quickly as my feet
will take me. Nick doesn’t linger and we all make our way back to his car. As I
sink down into the passenger seat, I look over at Nick. He looks like he’s
brooding.