Chapter Twenty-Three .2

“Aiden Anderson. Niko Moreno. Wyatt Wright. Dominic Owens,” he named. “I did my research, Odette. I know everything about them,” he said. “I’ve allowed you to have your fun, playing the part of their whore. You can come sign the papers whenever you’d like. You have 12 days until I ruin them,” he threatened.

I bit back a sob, shaking my head. “There’s nothing that’ll make you change your mind?”

“No. Jesus, Odette. You’re spineless. If you cared for them in the slightest, signing the restraining order would be easy. At least have the courage to leave them, leave them in peace before you fuck up their life,” he spat. “You call me crying about how much you love these men but won’t make a simple sacrifice for their and your own good,” he chuckled. “12 days,” he reminded firmly before the call ended.

I was sobbing into my hands. Charles would never understand; even if he took the time to hear me out, he was basking in my downfall.

They were going to hate me. If I was honest and told them everything, they’d try to fight it, be pissed that I kept it from them, and in the end, I’d still sign, and we’d all be heartbroken . If I took the coward’s way out and left without telling them, they’d hate me and be saddened. The upside to the coward’s way out was that they’d never know about Charles, the house, or their reputations at stake. Either way, I had to save them from myself.

“How was your day, Cari?o?” Niko smiled as I entered the house. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

I smiled, taking comfort in his arms. “It was good,” it wasn’t exactly a lie because, besides my breakdown in the auditorium, it was generally a good day. “I spent most of the day studying for finals,” I added.

“You’ll do wonderfully, as always,” he assured, winking as he let go.

I followed him into the kitchen, where he cooked a feast. “Are we expecting company?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I couldn’t decide what to make. Although, Reesia is dying to see you. I think they’re all curious to see if you’re still alive after the club. You practically left in a body bag,” he laughed.

Placing my hands on my cheeks, feeling them heat up. “They watched the whole thing?” I blushed.

“You put on quite the show, Babydoll,” Aiden chimed in, giving my ass a slight tap as he entered.

I winced, flinching away from him. “That’s still bruised,” I scolded.

He simply hummed in satisfaction, pleased with their work. He wrapped his arm around my waist, kissing my neck. “You okay?” He questioned.

There was no way he could tell what was on my mind. I looked up at him, eyes wide as I replayed my earlier phone conversation. “Yeah,” I smiled. “Just tired. We got like three hours of sleep,” I thought of an excuse.

“You still take too long to answer when you lie,” he tsk’d, softly shaking his head at me. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Doll?” He pulled me over to the counter stools and sat next to me.

He looked calm, ready to solve any issue I could’ve expressed. He seemed so happy as he ran his hand up my skirt-covered thigh.

My lips pressed together. I should tell him. This was my opportunity. They had all been so happy lately. I wanted to hold onto that happiness for a few more days before I destroyed everything. I sighed. “Graduation is just coming up a lot faster than I anticipated,” I admitted.

Tilting his head to the side, he nodded once. “You’re worried about Charles?”

I wish I had the fucking spine to tell them. Charles was right about me but utterly wrong about them. I was spineless. “More than you know.”

“Don’t be. He’ll make lots of friends in hell—”

“Aiden,” Niko snapped. “Dial up the sensitivity a smidgen, huh?” He threw his hands up.

Aiden rolled his eyes; his distaste for my father made me giggle. I knew he was a disgusting, horrible, evil man more than anyone. I didn’t want to feel sad about his euthanasia, but he was still my only family... it was confusing. Borderline Stockholm.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be here for you,” he promised.

My chest tightened. I wanted to keep them. I knew it was selfish of me, but everything I was made of craved them. The reality was, in 12 days, I would be entirely alone. Legally, I would be forbidden to see any of my professors. Charles would be dead. I’d be graduated, interviewing for engineering jobs I’d been applying to. The proposals wouldn’t stop. My closest friend was Reesia, and after what I was bound to do to her friends, she’d understandably want nothing to do with me. My next best companion was Anna, who was hardly a friend outside of volleyball.

I would be very alone.

Aiden’s promise should have brought comfort, but it only made me feel guilty. I hated lying to them because I was also lying to myself. I knew how this relationship would end, yet I didn’t have the courage to admit it. I was going to hang on to them, our bubble, and their safety for as long as possible.

Smiling the best I could, I nodded at Aiden. “Thank you.”

He narrowed his eyes for a moment but didn’t comment.

“Where’s Wyatt and Dominic?” I asked, straightening in the stool. I didn’t see them when I came in.

Niko opened his mouth to respond, but Wyatt’s voice outside the kitchen interrupted him. “In the living room!”

“Dominic fell asleep after he got home after work,” Aiden jokingly widened his eyes in astonishment.

The thought of the sleepless man actually getting rest for once made me smile. “Really?” I matched his enthusiasm. “I guess there’s a first time for everything,” I joked.

Feeling peckish, I grabbed the bowl of pretzels Niko had out and began making my way to Wyatt for an interrogation.

He was sitting on one of the sofas, looking extra comfortable in gray sweats and a t-shirt, glasses on. God, I loved when he wore his glasses. When I caught his eye, he was scrolling on his phone, and he smiled. “Hi, Baby,” he grinned. He saw my smirk and cocked a playful eyebrow at me. “What?”

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you, Professor Wright,” I kept my tone playful as I straddled his lap, plopping a pretzel into my mouth.

Caught off guard, he placed his hands on the small of my back and widened his eyes. “Oh? And what might that be about?” He questioned, genuinely curious.

“Is there somewhere you need to be this Saturday?” I hinted.

Confusion flashed for a moment before realization dawned, and he looked caught. “Aiden!” He scolded.

“I didn’t say a word!” Aiden called back.

“Me neither,” Niko chimed in.

“None of them told me,” I clarified. I pulled out my phone, where I’d listened to all my voicemails earlier in the day. I clicked on one particularly long and unexpected one. I held the phone between us as it played on speaker. The kind, southern, familiar man’s voice filled the room, and Wyatt practically groaned.

“Hey, killer! It’s Pops—Chester; my apologies; all the kids call me Pops, the force of habit. Now, I know you’re busy being a celebrity and all, but I wanted to invite you to our family reunion. It ain’t much, but we have a big get-together with friends and family once every couple of years or so. My boy and my bonus sons denied my invitation, said they was busy... now I think we both know that’s a load,” he chuckled and I smirked at Wyatt, who was turning slightly pink.

“I know they wanna keep you all to themselves, but his mama and aunties wanna meet you. He calls his mama a few times a week talkin’ bout you—”

“Okay, alright, that’s enough—” Wyatt tried to take my phone, embarrassed. I held it behind me, shaking my head at him.

“She wants to meet ya real bad. I’m afraid if y’all don’t come out to the farm, she’s gonna come pay you a visit. Anyway, even if you ain’t brave enough to face the family, I’d really appreciate it if you talked some sense into those boys. They ain’t never missed a reunion, and lots of folks wanna see ‘em. I make a mean burger, and my old lady’s potato salad is famous, and we’ve got good drinks, good people, and good music. Alright, killer, I hope to see you all on Saturday.”

Wyatt was blushing. A lovely shade of pink tinted his nose and his cheeks. It was incredibly cute, and I couldn’t help but feel giddy at his reaction.

“Why are you blowing your family reunion off?” I started with a smile. “Obviously, everyone’s excited to see you, and you love your family. You all need to go.”

He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

I ate another pretzel, staring at him, waiting for him to respond. It wasn’t complicated. I’d be over every weekend if I had a family like that. He was so incredibly lucky, and I wanted him to realize it.

“Baby,” he cleared his throat, his blush fading as he considered his next words. “I love my family, but as you heard, they aren’t the best about minding their business. They can be... loud and a little crazy,” he looked down quickly before looking back at me. “Honestly, I want you to go. I think you’d have a lot of fun.”

My smugness was gone as I pondered the idea of attending. Meeting his family... Wyatt was asking me to meet his family.

“But I know you probably wouldn’t want to go, and that’s okay!” He added quickly. “I’d love it if you went, but I didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable situation.”

He was right. I was a chronic overthinker. If they invited me and I said no, I’d feel awkward about it. And the thought of meeting his family was intimidating.

“If the four of us go, my whole family will bombard us with questions about you because Pops told everyone about you, then Mama told the aunties and cousins... we just didn’t want to deal with it, so we decided not to go,” he explained. It’s really not that big of a deal. I’m sorry that my dad called you like that—I’ll talk to him,” he gently shook his head.

“Wyatt,” I deadpanned. “I’m glad that he called me; I’m not bothered. I actually thought it was really cute,” I admitted. “So what if you have to answer a few questions? You need to go. I appreciate the consideration for privacy, but you can’t use me as a scapegoat to get out of this event,” I lightly scolded.

His eyes traveled between us, and he gripped my ass gently. “This is hardly fair with you straddling me,” he rasped quietly. “You’re very persuasive.”

“So you’re going?” I giggled.

He rolled his eyes. “We’ll go if you come with us,” he bargained.

I widened my eyes. “An ultimatum?” I grinned.

“Protection,” he corrected. “You’ve met my dad, and he adores you. My mom has been begging to meet you... you wouldn’t leave us to fend them off for a whole day, would you?” He manipulated, a slight smirk growing. He leaned in, gently kissing me. “Come,” he urged.

I sighed, leaning back away from him. “You can’t do that,” I scolded.

“What did I do, Baby?” He defended but couldn’t hide his mischievous grin. He propped his knees up behind me, trapping me between his legs and chest. He trailed a lingering kiss up my jaw. “I’d never do anything to persuade you,” he teased. His lips touched mine again, and my eyes fluttered shut. “Even if you’d do anything I ask with a kiss,” he whispered.

Devil.

“Before you let Wyatt convince you,” Niko interrupted while leaning over the back of the couch. He was smirking, looking between the two of us. “We’ve been friends forever, so our parents are close. My parents were invited, too,” he chimed. “Just so you have all the facts before Wyatt stirs your brain and coerces you into going.”

I cringed. Wyatt’s parents and Niko’s parents—that was a lot. “That’s a lot of pressure,” I deadpanned.

Aiden exited the kitchen and lingered with his arms crossed. “Odette,” he gave me a pointed look. “For your sake, I’ll be incredibly blunt,” he glanced at his friends, who also looked intrigued. “Wyatt’s family is the biggest bunch of foul-mouthed hillbillies. They’re nosey, touchy, and downright crude and intrusive,” he informed.

Wyatt sighed before nodding in agreement.

“With that being said, they’re also good people,” Aiden continued in a more optimistic tone. “They’re kind and very accepting.”

“Well said—” Niko was cut off.

“Now Niko’s parents are much different,” Aiden began again.

Niko perked up. “What’s wrong with my parents?” He defended immediately.

Aiden pressed his lips together as if buffering what he was about to say. “They’re kind of snobs. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very kind, but they hated me for years because I wore a baseball hat the first time I met them... when I was 13,” he gave me a look.

Niko’s shoulders dropped slightly. “Fine, they’re a little bit snooty,” he admitted. “But look at her!” He gestured to me. “I’ve never seen her in jeans... have you? They’re cut from the same cloth when it comes to being snobbish—sorry, Cari?o, I mean that most endearingly,” he said quickly.

“I am a snob,” I agreed, nodding. I wasn’t offended. I had extravagant taste; that wasn’t something to be ashamed of. I held my hands up, stopping their conversations. “So basically, Niko’s parents will size me up, and Wyatt’s family might tackle me,” I concluded.

“No!” Wyatt widened his eyes.

“I wouldn’t let them do that,” Niko scoffed.

“Exactly,” Aiden smirked.

They all spoke at once, making me laugh. I trusted Aiden and was grateful for his bluntness. “I’ll think about it, okay?” I decided.

Wyatt seemed content with my answer and gave me a little tap on the ass. “If you do go, I will be using you as a human shield to get away from my cousins and aunties,” he chuckled.

With a sarcastic roll of my eyes, I turned to Aiden again. “What about your parents and Dominic’s? You’d warn me about meeting them, too, right?”

Aiden nodded. Niko slightly tensed before turning to look at Aiden as well. I didn’t think much of it. “They won’t be there. My dad doesn’t come around much, and Dominic’s parents are dead,” he said nonchalantly.

I widened my eyes, feeling guilty for my question. Aiden mentioned that his mom passed away when he was young but never mentioned his dad. I was glad Dominic wasn’t in the room—dead parents were obviously a touchy subject, and I didn’t want him to have to think about such sadness.

Wyatt and Niko glanced at Aiden with a look I didn’t quite understand before they nodded in agreement.

“Sorry, I didn’t think that through before asking,” I mumbled.

Aiden chuckled, brushing my apology off. “Don’t be. It was a valid question. If I were you, I’d ask the same.”

After careful consideration and lots of back-and-forth, I decided to go. Meeting families was way out of my comfort zone, but so was going to the club. I figured it would be similar to that—just hopefully less nudity. I’d be nervous and get stares for the first hour, then any attention would die down.

Wyatt wanted me there, and they all did. In their own ways, they assured me the reunions were always fun. Although I was nervous to meet Wyatt and Niko’s families, I couldn’t help but feel intrigued by them myself. I had my own preconceived notions about them, what they’d look like, and how they’d act.

I’d never met them besides pops, but I thought highly of them. They raised such caring, affectionate men.

Everyone there (besides children for obvious reasons) knew that my professors liked to... share . While they’d never brought another woman home, their preferred lifestyle wasn’t a secret.

At Aiden’s suggestion, I dressed somewhat more casually than I typically liked. He insisted that Wyatt’s relatives weren’t exactly accustomed to heels and pearl necklaces. He told me to wear whatever I’d be comfortable walking around in grass. So, naturally, I wore a knit beige button-up sweater, matching brown plaid skirt, thick socks, and black loafers. My hair was tied back into a black bow, and I decided not to carry a purse.

It was a cute yet casual outfit. I wanted to impress their parents, and hopefully, I wasn’t over- or underdoing it. My professors assured me I looked lovely, giving me all the confidence in the world.

They dressed casually as well, in jeans and sweaters. The air had a bit of a bite today, but the sun was supposed to occasionally peek out.

Wyatt’s parents’ house was small, but the land around it was vast and went on for miles. Hay and corn fields surrounded the house and a small barn. Gravel crunched under our shoes as we walked from the car to the house. I could see dozens of people sitting at large tables behind the house—I assumed that was where the reunion was happening.

Overall, it was very cute. It was like they picked up a chunk of land from the south and moved it up here with them. I’d never seen anything like it in person.

“It’s the big guys!” Children running up to us while laughing broke me from my thoughts. Five or six children, all under ten, surrounded my professors and me.

“Uncle Wyatt! I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Lift me up, lift me up!” A boy clung to Dominic’s arm while he effortlessly curled him a few times.

“Me next!”

Niko crouched next to the growing pool of kids. “Hey guys, you’ve gotten so big!” He grinned.

“Who are you? You’re new. Do we know her? Are you Uncle Aiden’s girlfriend? Ooooo!” A girl started singing while making kissy faces at the two of us.

Aiden put a sarcastic hand over his heart. “My girlfriend?” he repeated. “Look how pretty she is. Do you really think I could pull her?” he joked while making a silly face at the group.

I couldn’t help but laugh as the four greeted and played with the kids. Who knew they’d be such softies? Especially Dominic. The kids were basically using him as a jungle gym, climbing up him and making him lift them into the air.

“What’s your name, bud?” A kid with a strangely deep accent eyed me down.

I bit back a laugh as I squatted down to his level. “My name’s Odette—”

“What are you doing with the uncles? You’re a girl,” he crossed his arms at me.

Maybe their parents weren’t the ones I should’ve been nervous about. Children had no filter and could be ruthless. I smiled. “Well, I’m their friend, and they wanted me to come and meet all their super cool relatives. Don’t you have friends that are girls?”

I felt my hair being touched and turned around to see two little girls trying to braid it. I smiled and turned back to the boy, who looked taken back. “Ick! Hell no, girls have cooties,” he all but shouted. “Do you have cooties? Are you gonna infect them with your girl germs?” He pointed a finger at me.

I widened my eyes. “Absolutely not! In fact, I used extra special soap today that gets rid of all cooties,” I assured.

“Uncle Niko, did she use the special soap?” He cocked a speculating eyebrow behind me.

Niko chuckled. “Come on, man, do you think I’d expose you to... uh—”

“Girl cooties,” I reminded.

“Girl cooties!” Niko laughed at the childish phrase. “Does she pass the inspection?” He asked, playing along.

The boy seemed to think for a dramatically extended amount of time before he gave a single nod. “I guess if you say she’s alright, she’s alright, bud,” he smiled at me, showing his missing front tooth.

“You’re so pretty! Can you come play with us?” One of the girls asked while braiding my hair.

“I bet she’s real good at tag with those giraffe legs—not in those things, though,” a little boy commented, pointing at my loafers.

I nervously chuckled, looking up at my professors for help. The only time I’d been around kids was when I was one. I didn’t particularly like or dislike them; I was indifferent and didn’t know how to relate to them.

Wyatt crouched next to me. “She’s very good at tag,” he encouraged. “She can’t right now; we’ve gotta go see Mama and Pops, but she’ll find you later, okay?” He said, signing me up for a game of tag. I didn’t know if it was just a ploy to get me out of it now or if he was serious.

“ Okay, Uncle Wyatt,” the girl let go of my hair, and she and her friend ran back behind the house where the rest of the people were.

“Please!” I caught the end of one of the boys begging Dominic and Niko to go with them, pulling at their hands. “You have to see it. We’ve been working on the fort all day, dudes,” he added.

Wyatt and I stood. Dominic sighed but smiled at the kid before turning to us. “I think Niko and I are going to go find a table,” he slightly widened his eyes as if saying he didn’t even want to try arguing with the boys.

Wyatt chuckled. “Good luck,” he said as Dominic and Niko were dragged away with the crowd of kids.

“You have so many... nieces and nephews?” I questioned. I didn’t think he had siblings.

Wyatt shrugged. “Second cousins. I’m so much older than they are; they’ve always called me uncle,” he explained.

“That’s not even all of them,” Aiden muttered, gesturing for me to follow him inside. “Don’t be nervous; they can smell it,” he smirked.

I sarcastically rolled my eyes as we entered the house. “Watch it or I’ll infect you with my girl cooties,” I joked.

He discreetly palmed my ass. “God, I hope so,” he flirted.

I sent him a wide-eyed look and swatted his hand away, noticing how many people were in the house. “Aiden,” I warned. Now was so not the time. In response, he sent me a mischievously innocent smile.

It was a small, open floor plan. They had a living room, kitchen, and a hallway where the bedrooms were. The furniture was dated, the carpet had a couple blue stains, the curtains were grandmotherly white lace, and it smelt amazing. A mixture of home-cooked turkey and cinnamon filled my senses as I watched what must’ve been ten women all arguing, laughing, and running around a small kitchen.

Wyatt held and squeezed my hand, sending me a comforting glance as he led us further into the house.

An older woman with gray tied-back hair and an apron’s mouth dropped open when she noticed us. “We’ll, I’ll be damned!” She exclaimed loudly, throwing the towel she was holding down on the counter. We had everyone’s attention now. “Look at you!” She sang in a southern accent as she walked up to us, wrapping Wyatt in a huge hug.

“Hey, mama,” he sounded nervous as he returned the hug. For such a short woman, she seemed to have quite the grip on him, and I smiled.

“I’m so happy to see you, son. Your Daddy didn’t think you’d come, but I told him—I said you’d come because you always do,” she said, giving his cheek a small tap before wiggling a finger in front of his face.

She turned to my other professor and wrapped him in a bear hug as well, making Aiden ‘oof’ from the force of it. “Hi Baby, you’re looking fit!” She complimented. “Where are my other boys?” She asked while still hugging him.

“They got kidnapped,” Aiden deadpanned.

She waved him off and finally turned to me. “As long as they’re here,” she said. “I have been waiting to meet you,” she greeted me, wearing a massive smile she could hardly contain. “My God, you’re even prettier in person than on the TV. Margaret, look at this young lady!” She called over her shoulder.

I blushed and laughed nervously. “I’m Odette, it’s nice to meet you,” I stretched my hand to her.

She whacked my hand out of the way. “The hell am I supposed to do with that? C’mere, sugar, we hug in this house,” she lightly scolded before wrapping me in a massive hug.

Strangely, it made me want to cry. I didn’t. But I could have.

After a few seconds of her squeezing me, she let go and grabbed my shoulders. “Goodness, you’re nothin but skin and bone. Don’t you worry, Mama will fatten you right up. I swear, everyone leaves ten pounds heavier every time we have a reunion,” she bragged.

“Boys, why don’t you go fix the TV or hit something with a hammer,” she waved them away before pulling me further into the kitchen and pushing me down onto a stool by my shoulders.

“The TV broke again?” Wyatt asked but was already making his way to the living room.

Aiden winked at me before he left out the back door, probably mingling with the seemingly hundreds of people.

“I’m glad your husband called me; thanks for inviting me,” I said, watching her begin to chop away at cilantro.

One of the women, probably in her late thirties, widened her eyes at me. “We’re all just surprised you were brave enough to show up. Our family can be... a lot,” she chuckled. “But you probably know all about crazy families, Miss Billionaire,” she joked.

Mama gave her a hip bump. “We were asked not to bring that up, Tracy,” she scolded. “Sorry, sugar,” she said sympathetically.

I widened my eyes, glancing at Wyatt, who was messing with wires on the back of an ancient TV. “No, it’s okay,” I held my hands up. I’d been on every local news outlet for weeks; Wyatt’s family had every right to be curious about me.

Mama got a stern look as she began aggressively chopping. “I just think it’s awful to put you in that position—we all do. You can’t buy or sell love. Not for any amount of money,” she ranted.

“Well, most people can’t,” I tilted my head. “Charles—my father—has always done whatever he wants,” I shrugged. “Is there anything I can help with?” I asked, feeling useless as they ran around the kitchen.

“Yes!” A woman holding a Baby walked over and plopped him in my arms. “Hold Junior for a sec; I can’t hardly move around, let alone cook with him in my arms,” she said.

I widened my eyes, somewhat panicking, as I stared at the baby. “Oh, I—uh...” What the fuck do I do with this?

I was impartial to kids, but I didn’t like babies. They were fragile, cried, pooped, peed, and puked everywhere. I didn’t know the first thing about how to hold one, especially one this tiny!

Support the head? My heart was hammering as my mind ran a mile a minute, thinking of any way to get rid of him. I was the absolute last person in the world who should be holding a baby. I was clumsy!

We were so high up... what if I dropped him?!