Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Chapter 18
Scarlett
We walked up to the restaurant, my restaurant, and Axel opened the door for me to walk inside. At a quick glance, everything seemed to be functioning the way it was supposed to. The music played over the speakers, and guests enjoyed champagne and appetizers in the lounge like they were about to attend a cocktail party. The tables were full, the waiters were ready, and the atmosphere was exactly what Axel and I had imagined.
Axel spoke to Alessandra at the front. “My parents are probably already here. They’re old, so fifteen minutes early is right on time for them.”
She chuckled then guided us to the table.
I was nervous, so nervous it felt like a frog was in my throat. The second I tried to talk, I’d probably croak, and they’d look at me with disgust. When Axel told me their opinion didn’t matter to him, I believed him. But their opinion still mattered to me.
Axel took my hand and guided me to the table.
I saw them from a distance away, sitting side by side, looking exactly as I remembered but a little less timid.
“You guys are still early to everything, huh?” Axel said as his dad stood up to greet him.
“And you’re still late,” he said with a chuckle.
The two men embraced in a tight hug.
It was hard not to smile.
His mother got up next, moving into his chest and squeezing him tightly, a foot shorter than him and petite like me.
It was hard to imagine she’d given birth to that man.
They spoke to each other quietly for a few moments, their meeting clearly emotional.
His father turned to me. “We haven’t properly met. Henry.” He extended his hand to shake mine.
I took it. “It’s lovely to meet you. Properly.” I cleared my throat, remembering our last interaction perfectly. “I know our first meeting was a bit tense. I just want you to know I’m not really the confrontational type—”
“It’s okay,” he said. “My wife and I deserved it. Water under the bridge.”
“Yes…water under the bridge.”
“My job was to have Axel learn from me, but I’m the one who should be taking a page from his book.”
I smiled. “He’s very wise.”
When Axel broke apart from his mother, he introduced me. “Mom, this is Scarlett, my very sexy wife.”
“Oh my god.” I stood there in embarrassment, unable to believe he’d said that.
But both of his parents chuckled.
“It’s lovely to meet you.” I shook her hand. “I’m excited we’re all here together this evening.”
“Me too,” his mother said. “Me too.”
“That went well.” Axel loosened his watch and walked into the closet to put it away.
“Yeah, it did.” I sat at the foot of the bed and slipped off my heels.
He came back out of the closet, his shirt gone and the belt from his slacks missing. “I can tell they liked you.”
“They just met me.”
“But I can tell. What did you think of them?”
“Well…” I stood up and unzipped the back of my dress so I could step out of it. “I guess it’s more difficult for me to forget the way they treated you. I remember watching you go through their rejection. I find this a little harder to accept.”
He regarded me for a moment, his blue eyes having beautiful depth. “I think if you love someone enough, it’s easy to accept them without reservations. Even in our estrangement and silence, I still loved them. I wouldn’t have protected them otherwise.”
“I know.”
“So I guess it’s easy for me to forgive and forget. Theo taught me that.”
“Theo?” I asked incredulously. “He doesn’t strike me as the forgive-and-forget type.”
“Well, that’s not the lesson he was trying to impart, but it’s the lesson that came across.”
“When did this happen?”
He moved to the armchair and took a seat, the top of his slacks fastened with his dress shoes still on. Both elbows moved to the armrests. “When I was angry and ended things with you, I told Theo I was done. Ready to move on. But then he asked if he could take you out. I thought it was a bluff at first. Theo is a really good liar, so it’s hard to know with him. But he continued on and said if I was done with you, why couldn’t he have you since you two…had chemistry…as he put it. That was all it took for me to pull my head out of my ass. Because the idea of you with him, or anyone else, made me sick. That was when I realized I didn’t care what your shortcomings were. I love you, and that’s all that matters. So I came back…and you were nice enough not to make me beg.”
“I wanted you so much, I would have begged.”
He smirked slightly. “Anyway, that’s when I learned that lesson. And I think it’s something you should take to heart.”