Family Affair by Elle M Thomas
Chapter 17
Declan
“I am not sulking.” My protest is weak. I am sulking.
Liv laughs at me while Mase shakes his head in the rear-view mirror of his car.
“I don’t see why we need chaperoning.”
Liv spins in the front passenger seat to face me. “Because our dad doesn’t know about you and Anita, and she wants to keep it that way.”
“Great, so now she’s ashamed of me!” I snap at my sister-in-law, knowing I’m being an arsehole.
“Maybe she thinks you’re ashamed of her as you run as fast as you can whenever our dad is around.”
I like Liv, love her, but she’s pissing me off and I am already in a foul mood.
“What the fuck has it got to do with anyone else? He isn’t even her real dad.”
Liv is ballsy and not one to back down from confrontation, not that she courts it, but she looks taken aback by my tone and I imagine the words themselves. She quickly recovers but it’s my brother who speaks first.
“Declan, watch your mouth. You do not speak to Liv that way, ever, not even when you’re pissed off that Anita would only allow you to pick her up if we came too. This is your doing, yours and hers, not ours, and whether you consider their dad to be hers or not, she considers him to be precisely that and so does he.”
I sulk a little more but know he’s right and I owe Liv an apology. Before I can voice it, she reaches over, taking her arm from beneath the seatbelt and gives Mase a peck on the cheek.
“Babe, thank you for defending me, but there is no need, really.”
Mase looks sceptical. “Livy, put your arm back under the seatbelt.”
Liv complies then turns her attention back to me again. “Dec, I love you, please remember that, but know that if I wasn’t pregnant and on my best behaviour, I would come back there and punch you really fucking hard. You chose to shag some nameless caterer, not knowing she was the nearest thing I had to a sister at our engagement party and when you discovered who she was, ignored her. Then, you decided to go back for seconds at our wedding, in our honeymoon suite no less.”
She leaves that hanging there, the fact that she knows that. Mase spins to look at her, shocked at her knowledge of that fact. She looks between us and rolls her eyes.
“I am not a fucking idiot. So, back to my point; you shagged her and fucked it up several times over and then decided you were going to make a go of it or whatever you’re both doing, so if people don’t know or she tries to keep it a secret, that is on you, not me. So, sort yourself out, stop with the pouting and sulking routine and bitching at me or pregnant or not, you will be going to visit your mother whipped.”
I stare at her, knowing she can throw a punch. Remembering when she punched Mase and almost broke her hand.
“You are scary, Liv,” I accuse while she simply shrugs as we turn into the road where Anita lives.
Liv has barely made it out of the car when Mase’s seatbelt is flying off and he is turning towards me.
“What the fuck is the matter with you? I warned you not to bring this to my doorstep or to fuck with my life, mine and Livy’s, and here we are.”
I’m unsure if he expects me to answer, apologise or offer some kind of explanation. I do none of those things, but just sit there and stare at him.
He shakes his head, roughly runs a hand through his hair and then frowns, looking scarily like our dad.
“And if you ever take that sullen tone with my wife again, I will be the one punching you, not her.”
I know what’s expected now and without reservation I do it. “Sorry.”
He nods. “Just sort your shit, both of you and if you’re taking her to meet the family, you might want to consider breaking the news to Nigel about the two of you.”
I’m the one nodding now. “What if he forbids her to see me. I don’t think he likes me.”
Mase laughs. “Of course he doesn’t. He can see what you’re like and as a man he gets it. I don’t think he likes me very much either, but that’s where I have the advantage because he had to accept me and Livy when he came back into her life.”
“Thanks. Don’t tell Liv I said this, but I think he sees Anita as a little girl still. His little girl.”
“I think you’re probably right, but the girls are here now, so let’s play nicely.”
Anita climbs in next to me and waves towards the door, almost ignoring my presence. Liv and Mase wave too, and when I look, I see the parents standing to wave us off, to wave the girls off. Anita’s mum is wearing a big grin and looks genuinely friendly and warm at the sight of us going out together. Then I shift my gaze to Nigel who is glaring at me with a huge scowl for good measure. Maybe it’s too soon to go public with Anita.
The sound of Liv’s phone going off distracts everyone as Mase pulls away from the house.
She laughs. “Your dad has messaged to say he wants to meet up next week.”
Mase shrugs but neither me nor Liv are taken in by his innocent reaction. “All of us?”
“I’m surprised you don’t already know,” she accuses but there is still humour in her voice. “He wants, and I quote, to discuss security around the baby.”
I hold back a snigger as I realise, like a little boy in the playground that Anita’s dad isn’t going to scare or intimidate me because not only is my dad bigger, but my dad could snap her dad in a dozen different ways.
Anita is looking between me, Mase and Liv. “Security around the baby?” She’s confused.
“He’s very security conscious,” I tell her.
She nods but is still a little clueless. Mase laughs.
“Mason…” Liv’s tone is serious. “I won’t be fucking tagged or chipped.”
I can hold my laughter in no longer and Mase joins in with me.
Liv glares between the two of us while Anita looks at me with a look of total horror and confusion.
“Cupcake,” I say, pulling her hand into mine. “I’ll explain later.”
She nods and moves closer towards me while Liv continues to stare at Mase, repeating her objections.
Anita
I have no clue what the hell has just gone on between Mase, Olivia, Declan and Mr Harding senior who isn’t even here. To be honest, I’m not really that bothered by it either because I am far too preoccupied with the frosty atmosphere between me and my dad.
When I told them I was going out with Liv to visit her mother-in-law, he was suspicious, although my mum said several times, how lovely. When he found out that not only Mason, but Declan was going too and it was a bit of a family get together, his suspicion heightened to the point that the hour before I left the house felt like an interrogation. He actually followed me around the house to continue discussing why I was going.
When I didn’t commit to anything beyond Liv suggesting that Mrs Harding, although she’s no longer Mrs Harding I realise as she is no longer married to Dec and Mase’s dad, might be in line for some catering, he turned his comments and questions to Declan. He doesn’t like Dec, that much is clear, but then, I guess he doesn’t need to, not really. Before I left, he had gone so far as to suggest that Dec was likely to ply me with alcohol and take advantage of me before moving on to his next victim. That is the term my dad used, victim. I assumed that someone like Dec would be a father’s worst nightmare, but when I was with him the one thing I never felt like was a victim.
“You’ll love Charlotte, she is so sweet and is absolutely besotted with her boys.” Liv laughs with the last two words.
“And why wouldn’t she be? She’s our mother, and we, well at least I am, I am a blessing.” Mase sounds slightly affronted at Liv’s laughter at his mother’s apparent adoration of him and his brother, but mainly him.
“Hey, I am a blessing too, and was a far more attractive baby than you.”
Liv rolls her eyes at Dec who is deadly serious in his own belief of how attractive a baby he had been.
“I look forward to meeting her, regardless of who was the most attractive,” I say, genuinely looking forward to meeting the woman who had managed to raise these two attractive, strong willed and very confident men again, not that our brief introduction and my sister’s engagement party and then her wedding counted as meeting properly.
“Well, now is your chance, Cupcake,” Dec says, pointing out of his window.
I am agog at the sight of the huge house and grounds we are pulling up in front of.
“This is your home?” I whisper for no reason beyond the fact that I am in a state of shock at this mansion I have been invited to. I know Mase is rich but assumed that was from his business rather than him having been born into it. That thinking has always been confirmed in my mind by the knowledge that whilst Dec wasn’t living hand to mouth, his brother had invested money in the club to allow Dec to run his own business.
“No,” Dec says as the car comes to a standstill and Mase is already out and rounding the car to help Olivia out.
I turn to Dec, and he continues. “This wasn’t our family home. Mum lives here with her current husband, Tommy.”
I nod, remembering that his mother has been married several times since her first marriage to Mase and Dec’s dad, Jimmy.
My door flies open and Mase stands there with an arm around Liv. “Come on you two, Mum’s on the prowl.
We both follow Mason’s gaze to find Charlotte looking perfect in every way heading towards us.
~~~
Once in the house, any initial nerves I felt are gone. Charlotte is lovely and her husband, Tommy is funny and very friendly, immediately putting me at ease. There are a few other people there and from what I can gather they are stepchildren and grandchildren of Charlotte’s. Everyone seems to love her, and I can see why as I watch her interactions with the children and adults.
The sound of voices from the hall is followed by a couple, the man is carrying a toddler and the woman is clearly pregnant and with them is a girl, an older girl of maybe eleven or twelve years.
“Uncle Mase,” she squeals, hurtling towards Mase.
“Oi, never mind Uncle Mase, we all know I am the cool uncle and your favourite,” Dec calls wearing a big grin for the little girl who possibly hasn’t seen him.
She releases Mase and hurls herself towards Dec who is already bracing himself for the impact of her hug.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming. Mum said you might not turn up.”
Dec turns towards the little girl’s mum who I remember is Bethy, his sister. “Cheers, sis, you know I struggle to turn down one of Mum’s afternoon teas.”
Bethy smirks but does roll her eyes while Mia remains attached to Dec’s side and Charlotte is positively beaming at her youngest son.
“Anita,” Charlotte calls to me. “Would you like to see the sunroom? Olivia, you should come too as you designed it and literally changed my life.”
Liv is already on her feet. I have heard the story of the sunroom but have never seen it so am happy to go and take a look. Plus, with all of the people in this room viewing me with interest as they perceive me to be Dec’s plus one, I am glad of the opportunity to leave the room for a while.
Dec smiles as his mother reaches for me and with one arm already linked with Liv’s, she repeats the move with the other arm that links with mine and we are off to the sunroom.
The room that Liv renovated is beautiful and although I may not know Charlotte very well, at all even, it is very her; simple, classic, elegant and clean cut. She doesn’t stop singing Liv’s praises as she tells me how much she loves this room, although her description of the old room is beyond hideous, and I assume she is exaggerating.
“Tommy has some photos on his phone…” she begins as we are joined by Tommy who has overheard what his wife has said judging by how quickly he gets his phone out to show me hideous images of bright oranges, reds and strange shades of yellow.
“Wow!” I have no other words to convey how awful the room that is barely recognisable as the one I am standing in is shown to me in a series of images.
“Well, that’s one word for it.” Tommy laughs then turns to his wife. “Imelda and her clan have just arrived.”
“Oh, I am pleased. Maybe it’s time to build a few bridges, hey, Olivia?” Charlotte says to a nervous looking Liv.
I have no idea who Imelda is or why there is beef between her and my sister. Charlotte is already leading Liv back towards the large lounge where everyone is assembled.
Tommy looks across at me and offers a genuinely friendly looking smile. “Shall we?” He gestures to the doors that lead back to the house.
I am unsure why, but I feel as though I need a moment. “I, erm, bathroom,” I stammer.
With another smile, Tommy directs me to a nearby bathroom that doesn’t require me to go back to the lounge just yet.