Chapter 33
Eden
“I’m about to go have dinner with my parents.” I have Rip on speaker while I put on my shoes. “Will you come pick me up later?” I add a little lip gloss and look at my reflection in the long mirror, suddenly feeling like a loser for not having my own car.
“I think I can manage that,” Rip says.
“I’ll call you after.”
“Mmhmm,” he says.
The phone goes quiet. It’s like pulling teeth to get the man to talk. When I peek out the window, I say, “Motherfucker. Shit. Damn. Fuck.”
“Thorny,” he says with a laugh.
“My sister’s van is here.”
“You want me to come over there?”
“Um, no. I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” I end the call and step out of the house. I’ll give this family dinner less than two hours. Since Sylvie is here, I won’t be discussing Rip in front of her.
The house is loud when I step through the front door. The baby is crying, and I can hear a loud cartoon in the living room. My stomach grumbles at the smell of my mom’s cooking.
Sylvie is in the kitchen, but her back is to me while she tries to console her baby. The only good thing about this dinner so far is that her husband isn’t here. And that makes me wonder why she’s here since she likes to brag about how she cooks dinner for her family every night as if that’s some life goal.
“Hey, Dandy,” my dad says as he walks into the kitchen with Timothy holding his hand.
Tim drops Dad’s hand and runs to me for a hug. I pick him up and kiss his neck. He shrieks in laughter. That gets his mother’s attention. She looks me over in disappointment, and I turn away.
“Are you kidding me, Eden?” she asks.
“Hello to you, too, Sylvie .” I put my nephew down, and he runs out of the room. The baby in Sylvie’s arms finally settles, and she leaves the kitchen.
“I don’t want to talk about anything in front of her,” I whisper.
“Tough shit,” Sylvie says as she comes back into the kitchen and places the baby monitor on the kitchen island.
I roll my eyes.
“The town’s been buzzing with the news. You’re dating a mobster now?”
“He’s not in the mob,” I say.
“He’s a criminal,” she whispers.
“What are his crimes?”
Her eyes widen, and she looks from me to my parents. Mom’s lips are pursed shut, and other than my dad’s jaw clenching, he does not react.
“List them,” I insist.
“You can’t date him. Tell her she can’t date him, Dad. This is a disgrace. This is just like the time you and your friends got drunk and—”
“Will you shut the fuck up, Sylvie ?” I finally snap. “Just shut the hell up. I won’t take orders from you or discuss my relationship with you. Focus on your marriage, because from where I stand, it’s a shit show.”
“Eden,” my mom admonishes. “There are kids here. Watch your mouth.”
“I’m leaving. I’ll come back tomorrow when she’s not here.” I point at my sister and turn my back on my family, but Dad intercepts and throws an arm across my shoulders.
