Chapter 68
Roman accepted the cup of tea that had been poured for him and then looked over at Evelyn. She looked uncomfortable, and frankly, so did he. He’d given his dad plenty of warning so Esther would at least look decent. He should have known better.
But he’d had to bring her here despite his reluctance. Evelyn needed to know him, the real him. The good, the bad and the ugly. And there was nothing uglier than his family and all the damage that had caused.
Meeting his father was a good starting point. It was a serious step in all relationships so she had to know he was serious. And hopefully, this would also pave the way for them to start having real conversations.
Maybe about his abandonment issues and trust issues.
“Thank you for coming to see us, Rome,” Charles said.
He knew his father was thanking him for coming despite how things had ended at the last visit. He and Esther would never see eye to eye, but he was sure he wouldn’t have to put up with her much longer, despite what his father thought and the baby on the way. And when she was gone, he would be the one to pick up those pieces and put them back together again.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said before looking briefly at Esther. “How are you feeling?”
“Don’t pretend you care now, Roman,” Esther said as she sipped on her tea.
“He’s trying, Esther,” Charles said quietly to his wife before he turned to look at Evelyn. “Forgive my manners, it’s been a difficult few days. This is my wife, Esther.”
Evelyn’s face remained composed. She didn’t show any surprise at the news like most people did when they looked at his father and stepmother.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Evelyn said politely.
But Esther ignored her and sipped her tea again. He hadn’t thought about Esther’s reaction when he had decided to bring Evelyn for lunch, but his stepmother’s jealousy was like a suffocating force in the room. How could his father say he was okay with this? If Evelyn ever looked at another man the way Esther looked at him, he would have to kill the guy. He’d send his limbs to different parts of the world so that even in death the bastard wouldn’t find any peace. Love was a terrifying thing.
“So have you called Vivian?” Esther asked. “She’s been inconsolable lately.”
That brought a reaction out of Evelyn. He saw the way her face fell as she looked down at her cup of tea.
“I do not need to call her,” he answered.
“Is this what you do? Lie to women and use them to your end and then walk out of their lives like they mean nothing?” Esther asked.
She would have thought Esther would have more tact than to bring up another woman’s name in front of the woman he had come to introduce. But this was Esther. He shouldn’t have been surprised.
“I haven’t lied to anyone. I thought we agreed to be civil.”
“It’s the hormones,” Charles said quickly. “Lunch should be served soon. After we eat I can show you the gardens.”
“This is a family lunch. I can’t believe you would bring such a common girl to my house just because she’s opening her legs for you,” Esther said as she put her cup down on a side table.
Evelyn put hers down, too.
“Excuse me,” she said calmly as she stood up.
He kept his gaze on Esther until he heard the soft click of the door when Evelyn walked out.
“I have tolerated you because it’s what my father asked me to do,” he said through his teeth. “But if you say one more thing to Evelyn I will destroy you, Esther, baby or no baby. You’re sitting there acting as if you’re superior to her when you’re not worthy to breathe the same fucking air. That’s my only warning. Evelyn will be in this family long after we have washed our hands of you.”
Without looking at his father, he stood up to leave the room. He saw Evelyn turn to the stairwell and followed slowly behind her. What was he supposed to say? He’d already told her Vivian wasn’t his girlfriend and she hadn’t believed him. Now his own family had called him a cheating bastard. He’d been working so hard to try to rebuild the trust but he had seen all his hard work undone with a few careless words.
At the bottom of the stairs, Evelyn looked both sides before picking a direction and then headed towards the back garden. He sighed as he went to get her coat before he followed her out.
With the autumn weather, the leaves were falling and dying and most of the flowers were not in bloom. It was still a stunning picture. With Evelyn standing in it with her arms around herself to ward off the cold, the garden was no longer the only beautiful thing on this property. He walked past the swimming pool towards the entrance of the maze.
“Evelyn.”
She turned around as if she was surprised he had followed her.
“I’m sorry, I just needed some air,” she said.
He helped her into her coat and looked into her eyes. They were a bit watery like she had been about to cry and that made him angry. He should have said more to Esther. He shouldn’t even have brought Evelyn near her.
“Let’s walk,” he suggested.
He took her hand and entered the maze. It wasn’t big enough to get lost in but walking through it would give her time to compose herself and him to control his anger.
“I love my father but most of the time he makes such bad decisions,” he said when they had been walking a while.
It wasn’t too cold and the sun was shining but Evelyn’s hand felt like ice in his. He didn’t want to keep her out too long.
“What she said isn’t true,” he continued when she didn’t say anything.
“It doesn’t matter,” Evelyn said.
He stopped and turned her around.
“Of course, it matters. You are perfection personified, Evelyn. Don’t believe anyone that tells you otherwise.”
Evelyn looked down to avoid his gaze but he tipped her chin up to force her to look at him.
“I accepted Vivian’s invite to her father’s house only once to meet someone there. I swear to you, she is not and was never my girlfriend. I have not been with anyone else since the day I met you.”
But he could see the damage was already done.
Evelyn’s eyes watered again and it felt like a dark cloud settled over them. All he wanted to do was take her pain away. To put her smile back on her face and make the sun shine again. He had a lump in his throat as he lowered his lips and kissed her soft, full lips.
“I give you my word, Evelyn,” he whispered against her lips. “There is no one else for me.”
She brought her hands up to clutch his jacket as he continued to kiss her. And then she did her magic on him. She parted her lips and allowed him to taste her and all his thoughts disappeared. The speed and intensity of his response were not unexpected. As if he was starving, heat spread through him and need dripped from every nerve ending in his body.
He didn’t know how he backed her up against a tree trunk, but he lifted the hem of her dress and hooked her leg to his waist like a man possessed. Her lacy panties were already soaked. He shoved them aside and entered her so swiftly he took her breath away. The sound that came out of her lips made his balls tighten. He groaned her name, unable to stop himself from being swept up as her body welcomed him. Evelyn grabbed his hair as she rolled her hips, drawing him closer.
He didn’t care about the noise. Her unhindered enjoyment of what he did to her sent him soaring like a bird, and just as swiftly as it started, he felt himself start to fall. It took seconds for her to tighten around him and his cum to coat her walls. He twitched violently as she milked him and couldn’t help devouring her lips again as they rode out the waves.
He was still kissing her when he realised that the only way to make her believe him was to grow some balls and tell her how he felt. If he didn’t she would always believe that this was just about the sex.
“When we get home we’re going to talk, Evelyn,” he said breathlessly.