Chapter 32

Sophia

“Good evening, Sir.” I smiled gently at the old man standing in front of me. He was beaming with authority, making me address him with the utmost respect.

“Good evening.” He greeted us back, offering me his hand, which I gladly accepted. “It’s Alan for you. We are family now, after all.”

“Evening, Dad,” Kieran said curtly, and I didn’t miss the coldness in his voice.

So, the impression I had about their relationship when I first saw them together wasn’t that wrong. I remembered thinking the same at Ellie’s wedding reception, but it wasn’t exactly the day when my mind was at its clearest.

Alan led the way to the dining room, with Kieran and me following behind. I used the chance to look around and admire the exquisite interior. I had to admit it was cozier than Kieran’s; it had that ‘woman’s touch,’ a warmth of sorts, and it got me wondering…

We sat down at the table set for three people, and the atmosphere made me slightly uncomfortable. Questions would be asked tonight, questions I’d answer untruthfully.

A woman in her 40s exited from what I guess was the kitchen and served us with entry. It was creamy mushroom soup, and even the smell of it made my mouth water.

“So, tell me, Sophia, how did you and Kieran meet?” Alan spoke after a few bites, and I almost choked when the soup slid down the wrong pipe. “I suppose it was through your siblings.”

I had no idea how much Alan knew about Kieran and me; therefore, I wasn’t sure how much I could say and not raise any suspicion. Luckily, before I could answer, Kieran jumped in, but what he said didn’t help at all.

“Actually, Dad, Sophia, and I met before Philip’s engagement.”

“Do tell.” He had Alan’s full attention.

“One evening, Sophia showed up at my door and slapped the hell out of me with no introductions,” Kieran stated before he reached for the glass of white wine.

Alan blinked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, and he turned his head to the other side to look at me while I was shooting angry glances at Kieran.

“Is it true?” he asked.

I nodded in confirmation, but I didn’t expect his reaction. Alan tilted his head back and started laughing so loudly that the entire dining room resonated with his laughter. I looked at Kieran, and he was smirking slyly.

“Well, son, it looks like you found your match with this one,” Alan commented, following his son’s lead, reaching for the wine.

My gut told me it was the moment Kieran’s father changed his opinion about me. Until then, he was surrounded by some kind of tick energy I couldn’t put my finger on or recognize with certainty. Only when it was gone did I notice the difference.

The server entered the room again, carrying plates with the main course. It was grilled chicken in a cheese sauce with many side vegetables. My portion was loaded with vegetables, considerably more than the other two, and I glanced at Kieran. Did he tell the cook something?

During dinner, Alan asked more questions about me and Ellie, where we were from, how we lived, and if our parents were around; he was basically interrogating me, but I couldn’t blame him. He had the right to know about his daughters-in-law. It wasn’t his fault that I had to keep some things secret.

I failed to understand why Kieran jumped in to answer instead of me or threw remarks every time Alan’s question came close to the target. But we never spoke amongst ourselves. I was still mad at him, and I ignored him throughout the ride, disregarding his attempts to make me talk by asking me about my day, if I rested, what I ate for lunch, and what Ellie said. If he was making an effort on any other occasion, I would have welcomed it; hell, I would’ve been thrilled, but not like this.

At the moment when the dessert was being served, Kieran’s phone started ringing, and he pulled it out of his pants pocket only to return it right back when he saw the caller ID. His stance went rigid, his jaw tightened, and I was quite certain it was his ex-fiancée calling. The atmosphere around the table changed instantly; it grew colder and somehow artificial as all of us pretended not to notice it.

Not a whole minute passed in silence before Kieran’s phone rang again, and this time, he excused himself to take the call, leaving his father and me to stare awkwardly at the deliciously looking cheesecake I had lost all appetite for.

“It’s safe to say we both know who called him,” Alan spoke, and I raised my gaze to look at him.

A wrinkle of worry cut deep between his eyebrows, and his eyes bore into mine.

“Do you know who Nora is?” He asked directly, and I appreciated some transparency for a change. I liked the old man.

“Oh, I met her already.” I returned the same way, not hiding the displeasure in my voice.

“How much do you know about her?”

“Enough to realize what kind of person she is.”

“My son is not a sharing type,” Alan started to say something but halted in the middle. It was hard for him to speak out what he intended.

“I know.” I sighed. “He’s not… the easiest to ‘handle’ and he does things at his own pace. That’s why I’m not pushing him about this,” not anymore, at least, I thought, but kept it to myself. “He’ll tell me about her when he’s ready.”

“Yes…” Alan confirmed, shutting his eyes and leaning back in the chair. “Kieran is hard-headed and stubborn. He doesn’t trust women easily as he’s been hurt more than once. That’s why I was so surprised when he announced the engagement. I was even more surprised to learn it was you, Philip’s sister-in-law. And I was also worried about you.” He admitted it, and a chill ran down my spine, making me shudder. This man was looking right into my soul, and I wasn’t sure whether I liked the feeling or not. In front of him, I was bare. “And I also prayed. I still pray for you to have enough strength to stay with my son when he crosses all the lines; I pray for you to not leave him.”

Hearing this from a father, when I missed my own so much, even though it has been years since I lost him, broke my heart and left me speechless, barely containing the tears that flooded my eyes, and I blinked a couple of times trying to chase them away.

“If there’s anything you need, Sophia, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m here for you.”

A lone tear escaped my eye, and I hurried to wipe it away. It was more than I could ever expect to hear from a man of his status. I came here prepared to be drilled in the worst possible way, but what I got instead were acceptance and support.

I could see he had more to tell me, and maybe he would have if it wasn’t for Kieran, who barged into the dining room carrying his well-known gloominess with him. Neither Alan nor I commented on him being out of the room.

“Were you two gossiping about me?” He surprised me with a question that sounded too giddy.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I smirked and spoke directly to him for the first time after he pulled that stunt earlier today. I felt a sad story was hiding behind my husband’s proud and domineering façade.

Not long after, Kieran suggested we head home so that Alan could have a rest for the day; I agreed and followed. Just before we were about to exit, I turned to Alan once again.

“Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Alan. I hope you will visit us soon.” I thought of inviting him over for dinner once Ellie and Philip returned.

“Of course. I would love to.”

Maybe I wasn’t in this alone. Maybe I could have had an ally to help me find a way to Kieran’s heart.

And it seemed like Alan wanted it just as much as I did.