CHAPTER THIRTY: THE CALDWELLS
ZANDER
My parents’house looks almost exactly the same as when I was a kid. They replaced the wood siding several years ago with vinyl, so it’s a sharper, cleaner gray and they also had new windows installed with white frames instead of the old brown ones, but besides those changes, it’s the same. Parking the rental car I got at the airport, Rylee and I make our way up the cement walk to the front step, my heart racing with nervous energy.
I glance at Rylee as we approach the front door. “Are you ready for this?”
She doesn’t look at me but nods, “I think so.”
We haven’t spoken much since leaving Denver. She slept for most of the flight, her body still gravitating towards mine in sleep, head on my shoulder, but there’s definitely still a lot of iciness between us. I’m not surprised. I know she’s still mad at me, but I hope my family doesn’t pick up on it.
I want them to have a good first impression of her - of us. I want them to like her, because I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I just have to get her to forgive me first.
Why did I wait so long to tell her the truth? I was always going to, but time just flew by and I got lost in the whirlwindof being with her. It just kind of slipped my mind, which is no excuse. I fucked up, big time, and I’m lucky she’s here with me now.
“Thank you for doing this,” I murmur. “It means so much to me.”
She lets out a long breath and looks up at me fully. “I’m going to try, Zander, but if I think for even a moment that you’re bullshitting me again, I’m gone.”
“I understand.” She’s not going to have to worry about that. I’m not going to risk losing her again.
I open the front door and we walk inside. The entryway is small, with a linoleum floor, arched ceiling, and beige walls. There’s a colorful woven rug just inside the door to wipe our feet on, and a small table with a decorative vase of fake fall foliage that my mom loves to change with every season and holiday.
“Hello?” I call out. “We’re here!”
I hear them rushing through the house before they appear. Lauren, Paige, and Rosie come hurrying around the corner from the living room into the entryway, swarming us like busy bees. They’re all here without their families so we can have a quieter dinner together before getting hit with the full-blown chaos of Thanksgiving tomorrow. Of course, “quiet” is a relative term when you have this many siblings in the same house, to say the least.
My sisters all look so alike, people sometimes mistake them for triplets. They have the same dark brown hair and share my emerald eyes, which we got from Mom. Lauren is the tallest of the three and slimmer with long, straight hair. Paige is the shortest with a bob cut and curvy figure, and then petite, pregnant Rosie has short, curly hair.
“Oh, my gosh! You must be Rylee!” Lauren shoves past me to reach Rylee and immediately wraps her in a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you!”
Paige and Rosie each grab me and kiss my cheeks before moving past me to Rylee and surround her like excited hens flocking around a new chick. Rylee gazes around at them with wide eyes and I quickly step in to save her.
“Hey, now,” I growl, wrapping an arm around Rylee’s shoulders and pulling her into my side. “Don’t overwhelm her!”
Paige chuckles and waves her hand dismissively. “Oh, come on now, Zander. We’re just curious about the girl you’ve gone gaga over. We have to make sure you’re treating her like a gentleman.”
Rosie giggles and elbows me in the arm. “Look at you, being so protective and chivalrous. What a good guy. I’m so proud!”
God, this is embarrassing. My sisters are all adult women who are married with careers and children (Rosie’s is still on the way), but when they get together like this, they can be overbearing, bossy, and noisy.
It’s fucking annoying.
“Will you just give her a second to breathe,” I grumble, irritated. I want this weekend to be perfect. Convincing Rylee to come with me in the first place was a goddamn miracle and I’m not about to let my crazy sisters blow this chance for me to make things right with her.
Lauren waves her hand dismissively at me. I tower over these women, but none of them give a shit. They still treat me like their little baby brother.
“Stop hogging her, Zander,” Lauren replies sharply. “We just want to talk to… oh, my God! Is that a cat!”
The three squeal with excitement when they notice the carrier that Rylee’s clutching in her hand.
“Uh, yeah,” Rylee chuckles, slipping out from under my arm so she can get the cat out. “This is Gizmo.”
“Oh, he’s so cute,” Rosie gushes, reaching out to pet him, but he hisses and ducks to avoid her hand. My sister just giggles.
“How is he with dogs?” Paige asks.
Rylee’s brows shoot up. “Uhhh… not sure. He’s never really been around any.”
