Chapter 50 Dinner, Secrets and Brothers
"What are you doing here?" Wilson asked, confused.
Amanda's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know what to say. She was still thinking of the right word to say when Madam Xi bailed her out.
"Do you know her? She is Rowan's girlfriend."
Wilson shifted his gaze from Amanda to his mom and to Amanda and then to Rowan. "She is your girlfriend?" He asked Rowan.
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Rowan snapped.
"No, of course not. I was just wondering…ermm" Wilson stuttered. The information had thrown him off balance.
"Honey, do you know Amanda?" Madam Xi asked.
"Yes, I do…" Wilson started but Amanda interrupted him. "We met at the mall today." Wilson understood what Amanda was trying to do, so he played along.
"Yeah, we did and I was hitting on her and then she told me immediately she is in a serious relationship." He eyed Amanda. That was the opposite of what happened. "I didn't know she was referring to Rowan. What a small world." Wilson scratched his head.
Rowan smiled. The thought of Amanda claiming she is in a serious relationship with him made him blush and happy. He turned to Wilson "You better not try that again"
"I see you both have great taste just like your father, but he won't try it again. Will you?" His father asked.
"No, he will not want to be hitting on his brother's pregnant girlfriend." Madam Xi remarked.
Surprised, Wilson asked Amanda. "You are pregnant?"
"Yes, she is. You should be happy for your brother." Madam Xi said.
Wilson became uncomfortable and it was obvious. "Wilson! What is it?" His father asked?
"Nothing. Errhm she doesn't look pregnant." He stuttered. "I'm sorry"
"I didn't know pregnant women now wear the pregnancy tag on their forehead so they look pregnant. '' Rowan snapped.
"Don't take it personal, I had no idea she was your woman or was pregnant." Wilson said. "If I have my way with her, I am sure I would make her change her mind. Take away the money and I would be the better choice" he added, grinning.
"Wilson!" Madam Xi snapped.
Rowan already raised his hand, his fist tight, ready to punch him in the face but Amanda stopped him, pleading with her eyes.
Their father sighed. " Alright boys. Enough of that. This is not the reason we are here."
"Can we at least have a peaceful dinner" Madam Xi added.
The tension in the room seemed to ease as their parents intervened. Amanda had a sigh of relief, and Rowan slowly lowered his clenched fist.
"Of course, we're here to have a nice dinner," Rowan's father said with a warm smile. "Let's not get caught up in unnecessary arguments."
Madam Xi chimed in, "We should focus on enjoying the evening and getting to know Amanda better."
Amanda quickly handed over the gift to Madam Xi. "This is for you ma" she said, trying to overcome the awkwardness.
As they all gathered around the dining table, the atmosphere gradually lightened. The chefs had already set the table. They all served themselves from the different varieties on the table.
"So, Amanda, how have you been coping with Rowan. I know he can be tough sometimes." Mr. Xi asked.
Amanda smiled, "you can say that again."
"Am I tough?" Rowan asked jokingly. "Do I need to say that?" Amanda teased.
"Rowan is just tough on the outside, he has got a really soft heart." Madam Xi intervened.
"Thank you mom," Rowan responded.
"That is why you fight all the time," Wilson said, ruining the happy mood.
"And you are such a joy killer" Rowan exclaimed.
"Boys!" Mr. Xi snapped.
Amanda looked at everyone like a detective. She knew from their interaction that she was not the reason for the way the two brothers related. She was still stuck with believing that Wilson was a brother to Rowan. "How is he from the Xi family?"
"How did you meet Rowan?" Madam Xi asked Amanda trying to change the tensed atmosphere.
Amanda focused her gaze on Rowan for a while. Rowan was expecting her to say what they had rehearsed before then but Amanda started otherwise.
"He mistook me for somebody else." Amanda's response took everyone by surprise, especially Rowan. He had expected her to stick to the rehearsed story, but her deviation piqued his curiosity.
"What do you mean, he mistook you for someone else?" Madam Xi asked, her interest piqued.
Amanda decided to keep her response vague. "It's a long story, but we had a bit of a mix-up when we first met."
"I would love to hear that story. It definitely will be intriguing. Right?" Mr. Xi asked.
"No, dad. You don't want to." Rowan said. Mr. Xi didn't relent. He gestured to Amanda to continue.
"Like I said, it was a long story but I will give you the summary. He mistook me for somebody else, I think there was a mix up somehow, then he realized his mistake. He apologized and we became friends. That was three years ago." Amanda explained.
"So he asked you out and you started dating?" Madam Xi asked.
"No!" Amanda exclaimed. Rowan stared at her, curious of what she would say. She was not following the scripts and Rowan wasn't comfortable with it.
"It wasn't that straight. We were friends and then I really liked him and was waiting for him to ask me out but he never did. " Amanda explained.
Rowan looked at her with an intrigued expression, wondering what her true intentions were in her unexpected narrative.
"Is that true?" Madam Xi asked, her gaze on Rowan.
"Technically, but I did ask her out" Rowan defended himself.
"After I almost gave up" Amanda chimed in almost immediately.
"I was taking my time, I needed to be sure I was ready. I love you too much to break your heart." Rowan added. He was no longer trying to save himself from the impeding wrath Amanda was driving him into. He spoke the truth about their relationship.
Amanda had been doing the same, although sarcastically. All the while, she was talking about how their relationship truly is. It took a long time before Rowan catched on but he eventually did.
"That is so sweet" Madam Xi said, holding her husband's hand. "You remind me of your father."
"He took after me. What did you expect?" Mr Xi added.
"Was that before or after you got pregnant? Wilson asked unexpectedly. " he could have proposed because of the pregnancy."