I look up just in time to catch the older gentleman studying me, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of suspicion and curiosity lingers behind his icy blue eyes.
“So much for just meeting the parents,” Hope mutters, shooting a pointed look at her mother, who simply shrugs.
“Kaden’s going to meet the rest of the family at some point. Might as well be tonight.”
Hope shakes her head, then glances at me with a hint of guilt. I offer her a small nod, letting her know I’m fine with it.
“Okay, well, let me introduce you to everyone,” Hope starts, then one-by-one, she introduces me to her father, Frank, older brother Finn, who’s holding his youngest daughter, Violet. Then, there’s his wife, Claire, and eldest daughter, Holly who appears to be the same age, if not, close to Zac’s age.
Her father rises from his seat and extends his hand out to me. I take it, giving him a firm, respectful shake.
“It’s good to finally meet the man who’s given up most of his spare time to help my daughter finish the renovations on her house.” His deep voice carries a strong, authoritative tone fit for a high-ranking judge. It’s almost impossible not to feel a little intimidated around him.
“It was really no bother at all. I was more than happy to help.”
“He helped with my school project too, Pop,” Zac chimes in. “I won because of him.”
“No, bud. That was all you,” I correct him with a small shake of my head. “You built that model house from your own ideas and hard work. I just helped hold the pieces up.”
When I glance back at Frank, I catch the faintest hint of a grin, but it’s gone before I can be sure.
“Welcome to our home, Kaden. Please, take a seat,” he offers, gesturing towards the empty chairs.
Hope leads me to a chair beside her mother, who is seated at the far end of the table opposite Frank. Zac switches seats so that he’s now sitting between his uncle and me, while Hope takes the spot directly across from me.
The food on the table is absolutely mouth-watering—roast beef with roasted vegetables, potato bake, garlic bread, and a fresh salad. Hope places the cheesecake beside the salad, and the moment she does, her father leans in and asks if it’s what he thinks it is. She smiles and nods, and just like that, the big, intimidating judge turns into a boy in a lolly shop.
“And look, Frank,” Justine says, holding up the bottle of champagne for her husband to see. “They even brought a bottle of bubbly.” She beams as she stands and pours a glass for every adult.
We all help ourselves to plates of the delicious spread, and soon the table is alive with the sound of chatter and laughter. The conversation flows surprisingly easily, with questions aimed at me—about my job, my side projects, my age, even my family background—anything that helps them get to know me a little better.
When Finn asks how Hope and I met, it’s Hope who answers.
“Remember that stranger I told you about, the one who messaged me out of the blue about Adrian, and then met up with about a year and a half ago?”
Around the table, I see a few heads nod in quiet confirmation.
“Well...that was Kaden.”
“It was?” her mother asks, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
“Yeah, he was the one who showed me the evidence of Adrian’s affair. And it was Kaden’s girlfriend at the time who Adrian was cheating with.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Justine says, her expression full of genuine empathy.
I shake my head. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It was what I needed to finally cut that woman out of my life. I just hate that it ended up costing Hope her marriage and family.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference anyway,” Hope interjects, and my gaze flicks to Frank, who’s silently nodding in agreement.
The secret is out—everyone now knows about Adrian’s multiple affairs during his marriage to Hope. Days after his confession, Hope finally had the courage to tell her parents, and from what she described, they practically had to hold Frank back from hunting him down and killing his ex-son-in-law with his bare hands. For his sake, Adrian better hope he never crosses paths with Frank ever again. Even I wouldn’t dare to take that man on.
“He’s in the past now, and I’d rather he remain there,” Hope says, taking a sip from her wine glass.
The conversation quickly shifts to a lighter topic, mostly for Zac, who had been quietly listening whenever his father’sname came up. Everyone has been careful not to reveal too much in front of the kids, and truthfully, I’d rather not let our past spoil what’s been such a good night.
“So, Kaden,” Frank says, wiping his mouth with a napkin after taking a generous bite of his cheesecake, “where did your love for building and fixing things come from?”
“I’d say it came from my dad. I loved watching him fix and rebuild classic cars while I was growing up. I admired the skill, patience, and attention to detail he brought to every project. It was fascinating to watch, and I suppose when I reached the age where I could handle tools, I decided to try my hand at building things myself.”
