“Our fathers’ are the same age then.”
A smile graces her face once more, and before I can ask my next question, she tells me to turn right at the next set of traffic lights. Her parents’ house is just at the end of the street.
Less than five minutes later, I’m pulling up to a gated house, or rather, a mansion. Hope taps in the code and the gates slowly glide open. As I drive through, I’m instantly struck by the sheer size of the property, the house itself looking almost as big as my apartment building.
“Jesus,” I murmur under my breath, and Hope lets out a small chuckle beside me.
“That’s pretty much the reaction I get every time I bring someone here.”
I raise a curious brow at her. “How often do you bring people over?”
“Why?” she smirks. “You getting jealous?”
“Maybe,” I toss her a playful wink. “But it might just be a little awkward if you’d brought another man here right before me.”
“Don’t worry—the last man I brought to this house turned out to be the biggest disappointment of my life and a total sex addict. But he gave me Zac, so I can’t completely regret it.”
The knowledge that I’m only the second man she’s invited to her parents’ home draws a wide, satisfied smile from me.
I park beside a white Range Rover, and moments later we’re at the front door, armed with a bottle of French champagne and a baked lemon cheesecake we grabbed on the way here.
We barely have to wait, because within seconds, the front door swings open, revealing a slender, middle-aged woman with velvety red hair, smiling warmly in the doorway.
“You made it!” she exclaims, hugging her daughter tightly before facing me. She glances my way, smiles, and leans towards Hope as if whispering a secret to her.
“Oh, my, honey. He’s quite a handsome one.”
“Mum!” Hope groans, rolling her eyes.
Shaking my head, I let out a breathy chuckle. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. McKenna. I’m Kaden,” I say, leaning in to press my cheek gently against hers.
As I begin to pull away, she holds onto my arms and pulls me in for a heartfelt hug.
“That’s how we greet each other around here. And, please, call me Justine.” she says with a grin, and I respond with a smile of my own.
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” I extend the bottle of champagne to her. “This is for you.”
She takes it, her eyes lighting up. “French champagne—my favourite! That’s so kind of you.”
“We also brought Dad’s favourite baked lemon cheesecake,” Hope adds, tapping the top of the box she’s holding.
“Oh, perfect! We were just going to have chocolate pudding for dessert, but a cheesecake is so much better.” She stepsback, holding the door open for us. “Come on in—Zac and your dad are already in the dining room waiting.”
I step back and let Hope go in first, then follow the two women towards the dining room. As I walk, my eyes take in the enormous space—expensivedécor,polished marble floors, and… plenty of plants, clearly the work of their daughter.
An entire wall is devoted to family photos—snapshots of their whole lives captured in black wooden frames. I spot several pictures of Hope as a little girl, and before I can stop it, a warm smile tugs at the corners of my lips.
Thankfully, there aren’t any photos of Adrian on the wall, even though he was part of this family for years. I suppose, at some point, they realised he wasn’t worthy of a place among those memories. And honestly? I’m more than okay with that.
We step into the dining room, and the second I cross the threshold,I’m instantly taken aback by the number of people gathered around the table.
At the head sits an older gentleman with thick salt-and-pepper hair, presumably Hope’s dad. Next to him is a man who looks like a younger version of him, a small toddler perched on his lap.And across from them, a blonde woman of similar age, perhaps mid to late thirties—sits, with a little girl and Zac beside her.
As soon as Zac sees me, he jumps out of his chair and barrels towards me, enveloping me in a hug like we haven’t seen in each other in months.
“You came,” he says, gazing up at me, his arms still wrapped around my waist
“Of course. I promise I would.”
