I hug him back begrudgingly, but also so damn thankful for my brothers. “I love you too. Please try your best to get her to come to dinner tonight.”
“I’ll try. You know Penelope. She’s fucking stubborn.”
“Fits right in.”
“I want to meet this guy though. So you can bet your ass I'll be there.”
I roll my eyes, give him one last squeeze and push him away playfully. “You better be nice. I really like him.”
“I can tell. I will. Unless he hurts you or P.”
“He won’t.”
We say a quick goodbye, and I head back to my house, hoping like hell I'm doing the right thing.
I’ve never let anyone in like this before. I’ve never trusted anyone I wasn’t related to so fast.
It would destroy me if I'm wrong.
I’m nervous, actually fucking nervous.
I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell, standing outside Lola’s beach house in my usual three-piece suit.
I considered toning down the professional look to meet my sister, who came from the same background as I did, according to Lola. More than likely, her attire until at least her teen years was tattered t-shirts and thrift store jeans.
But I decided against it. This is who I am now, and I’ve worked hard to get here.
The door finally opens, and I can’t stop the grin from spreading over my usually stoic face when I see Lola. She’s dressed in all pink today. Her camisole is a lighter pink than the knee-length skirt she’s paired with white heels. Her blond hair has been left down. She’s fucking beautiful.
I notice that even her lips are a light pink as she kisses me and takes a deep breath. She pulls away, a grin playing on her pretty lips. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually show.”
“I don’t shy away from much.” Except commitment. Real feelings. Talking about the past.
All things this dinner implies.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
She gestures for me to come in, and I do. As I start to look around, we’re quickly joined by a fast, dark headed boy, running away from a pretty, well-dressed brunette woman chasing him in a navy blazer.
“Baz! Stop!”
The child giggles and wraps his little arms around Lola. “Aunt Lola! Save me!” He’s still laughing as the woman I'm assuming is his mom stops chasing him, puffing the hair out of her eyes.
She turns to Lola. “Sorry, Lola. He’s not having it tonight.”
Laughing, Lola looks down at the boy, mussing his hair with her hand. “That’s okay. We don’t need to be so formal, right Baz?”
The boy scrunches up his nose. “Uncle Asher said he’s not wearing a damn suit. I’m not going to either!”
I see pink rise to his mother’s cheek, but I'm pretty sure she’s fighting her laugh. “Sebastian, that’s a ‘no no’ word.”
Lola laughs and cups his face in her hands. “What are we going to do with you?”
His little shoulders kick up. “I don’t know.”
Lola turns to me. “Hayden, this is my nephew, Sebastian.” She turns his little shoulders so he’s facing me. “We call him Baz.”
I look at the little boy and smile. He’s cute, but even when he’s not talking, you can tell he’s a handful. “Nice to meet you.”
He smiles a crooked little grin and then looks up at Lola. “He’s wearing a damn suit.”
I smirk as his mother moves to him, covering his mouth playfully and holding her other hand out to me. “It’s really nice to meet you, Hayden. I’m Vivienne.” She looks over at the boy with adoration in her eyes, dropping her hand from his mouth and laughing as she feigns frustration. “And this little monster is mine.”
Baz growls, “I’m a monster!” Then he laughs and runs quickly out of the room.
Lola shakes her head, placing one hand on her hip. “That kid.”
Vivienne laughs and groans. “He’s something.”
“He’s a Sterling. Good luck.”
Vivienne laughs at that. “I’m going to go put the jacket back in the closet. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Lola nods. “It’s really no problem.”
Vivienne leaves, and once again I'm left with Lola. I quickly grab her waist, tugging her to me. “He’s cute.”
“Too cute. And he knows it.”
I laugh. “You want me to take off my suit jacket?”
Her eyes slide down my torso and then back up to my eyes. “I’m a sucker for a man in a suit, but definitely later.”
Part of me wants to skip the dinner and get to that later part, but I know this is important. “Did Penelope show?”
Her eyes are worried, and she bites her bottom lip, looking down at the floor. “Not yet. I’m not sure she will.” Her head lifts, and she takes one of my hands in hers. “But everyone else is here, and I'm excited for you to meet them.”
Meeting the family is a big deal. I didn’t have role models growing up, but I get social norms. I know that meeting her mother and siblings is a big step, one I’ve never taken with a woman before, but I'm not nervous about that.
The only thing that has my palms sweating is the fact that one person close to her shares my DNA.
“I’m ready when you are.”
She tugs my hand, instructing me to follow her into the kitchen and dining room. I hear the laughter before we enter, and when we do, everything stops in a semi-cliché sort of moment.
An older, yet still stunning, woman is standing at the stove talking to a gentleman around her age and a young handsome man, both sitting at the kitchen bar.
“Mom, Tony, Ash,” Lola motions toward me, “this is Hayden West.” She turns to me with a warm smile. “Hayden, this is my youngest brother, Asher.”
The younger man nods his head, not cracking a smile, but grunts a “hey” to me.
Lola looks slightly annoyed, but quickly moves to the man next to him. “My stepfather, Tony.”
The older man smiles and gives a cheery “Hello.”
And then Lola turns to her mother, who has something boiling on the stove. “And this is my mom, Nora.”
The pretty woman wipes her hands on her apron and walks over to me, her eyes studying me intensely. It would be nerve-wracking if she didn’t seem so kind. Nora has a sort of bright light around her, one that instantly makes my body relax. Her hands move to my face, and my eyes widen, wondering what she’s looking for. “Hayden.”
I nod. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She smiles, not releasing me. “My God.” Her hands fall to her mouth as she shakes her head, and then she turns to Lola, letting her hands drop to her sides. “How did you guys not see it?”
Lola looks slightly embarrassed. “Mom?”
She only smiles and then looks back at me. “The first time my boys brought Penelope home, I looked into her eyes and fell instantly in love.” I swallow the thick lump in my throat as I listen to her. “She was special. I could tell even then. I saw the pain in her young eyes, but I also saw the fire. I knew she’d be part of our family.”