Maya
I am on my way to meet Conrad’s mom for coffee before going shopping. Joshua is driving me since Conrad is at work.
“Maya, are you okay? You seem stressed?” he asks.
“I may be regretting my choice of agreeing to attend an event with Conrad this weekend.” I sigh.
“Why are you regretting it?”
“Because his father will be there who does not like me. His ex-girlfriend too and my old boss who also hates me.”
I should have said no, but I know he attends a lot of events, and I will need to get used to them eventually. I chose to start now, which I am wishing I never did, but it is the least I can do after everything Conrad has done for me.
“Oh, I can understand why you are stressed, but you shouldn’t be. Those people don’t matter. You will be there with Conrad, who will take good care of you. The only people who matter are you and him. Don’t let other people ruin things for you.” He says softly.
“I know you are right, Joshua. It is just going to be hard. I can only hope I will make it through the entire night.”
“You will. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He replies, smiling at me in the mirror.
I return the smile, “Thank you. That means a lot, Joshua.”
“You are welcome. You go and show them it doesn’t matter what they think. Walk in with confidence by Conrad’s side and show them you and Conrad are strong and made for one another. They will give up, eventually.” He says.
“I will try my best. At least Mrs Ackley will be on our side.”
“Yes, she will be. Everyone else will see the truth soon enough.”
Joshua is a wise man and always knows the right things to say to me. We come to a stop outside of the coffee shop where I am meeting her. Joshua gets out of the car first to come open my door for me and make sure there is no sign of Callum. He opens the door for me once he makes sure the coast is clear.
“Thank you.” I smile, climbing out.
“You are welcome. Enjoy your day, and call me when you are ready to be picked up.” He says.
I say goodbye and head inside. I glance around and see Conrad’s mom. I find her, but she isn’t alone. I looked closely and realized the person with her was Conrad’s sister, Chelsea. I haven’t met her because she works in London. I didn’t know she was home. I don’t think Conrad does either because he didn’t mention it.
I become nervous. What if she doesn’t like me? I don’t need another person telling me I am not good enough for Conrad. I wish she would have informed me, and I could have prepared.
I take a few deep breaths and stroll over to the table. Mrs Ackley stands to greet me, and to my surprise, she hugs me.
“Hello again, Maya. It is good to see you again.” She says.
“Hello, yes, you too,” I reply, hugging back.
We part after a moment, and Chelsea stands up.
“Hey, Maya, it is nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me joining you?” she asks.
“Hello, Chelsea. It is nice to meet you, too. No, not at all.”
She looks like Conrad. She is beautiful with her long dark hair and eyes. I think every member of the Ackley family is good-looking. They must have great genes.
We shake hands before the three of us sit down at the table.
“Chelsea surprised us last night by showing up. She is here for a week and will also attend the event this weekend. Conrad doesn’t know she is here yet.”
“I want to surprise him.” Chelsea smiles.
“I am sure he will be happy to see you. I know he misses you. He mentioned you haven’t been home in six months. It will be a lovely surprise for him.” I reply.
We order our coffee, and Chelsea takes the time to get to know me a little.
“My mom says you are worried about the event this weekend because of my father and Bridget?”
I nod, “Yes, neither of them is a fan of me or my relationship with Conrad.”
I am not going to lie to her.
“Don’t worry about them. My father will get over. As for Bridget, I was never a fan of her. Everyone thought she was great, but my gut told me otherwise. So, please, don’t let her get to you. She is just jealous and desperate. Mom told me she has never seen Conrad happier than he seems with you.” She gushes.
I thought all of his family loved Bridget.
“I will try my best not to let anyone get to me. All I want is for Conrad to be happy. He makes me happy, too.” I beam.
Chelsea claps her hands, “Cute! My brother is a good man and deserves a good woman who will love him like you do.”
“He is the best. He has changed my entire life and showed me the world is not all bad.” I say softly.
“And you have changed his by what I have heard.” She smiles.
I blush at her words, which make them laugh, and I do the same. Any nerves have disappeared. Chelsea seems to like me and isn’t judging me in any way.
“Do you know what type of dress you are looking for, sweetie?” Mrs Ackley asks.
I shake my head, “I have no idea. I am not used to these events.”
“You will be fine. We will help you find the perfect dress. One that will blow my brother’s mind and turn him to goo when he sees you in it.” Chelsea winks.
I laugh, “Nice plan.”
They will know better than me what to buy. I will be keeping an eye on the price. Conrad gave me one of his cards to get what I needed. He told me to spend what I needed and not to worry about a limit, but I would make sure it wasn’t too expensive.
“We have the perfect place to go. It is a beautiful boutique that is not too far from here. The dresses they sell you can’t find anywhere else, so there will be no chance of anyone else showing up with the same one.” Mrs Ackley smiles.
“It isn’t too expensive, is it?” I ask nervously.
“Prices range, but Conrad told me it doesn’t matter. You have to get whatever dress you like. He knows you will try to find the cheapest one because you don’t like spending his money, but he told me firmly not to let you do that.” She laughs.
I shake my head, “I should have known. I feel guilty spending any of his money.”
“You shouldn’t. He has more than enough of it. He wants to spoil you, and sometimes letting someone do that for you is perfectly okay.” Chelsea says.
I sigh, “I know, but he has already done so much for me.”
“Because he loves you, sweetie.” Mrs Ackley reminds me, squeezing my hand over the table.
“I know he does. It is just hard right now because I am not working.”
“It is hard to adjust to new things like this if you aren’t used to them. You are used to taking care of yourself and being independent, which is great, but there is nothing wrong with needing a little help sometimes.” Mrs Ackley smiles.
“It is. I have been taking care of myself for so long; it isn’t an easy thing for me.” I reply honestly.
“You will never struggle with Conrad. He has always been so kind-hearted. My brother always takes care of the people he loves.”
“He is an amazing man,” I say proudly.
They nod in agreement just as our coffees arrive at the table. I really hope the dress I like is on the less expensive side. Yes, I know Conrad had millions, but it doesn’t make me feel less guilty when he spends his money on me. I don’t know if it is something I will ever get used to. I guess a part of me will need to, as long as he doesn’t take it too far.