My Guardian Angel

Chapter 49

The greeting the couple got when they walked in was something Cassie will never forget.

Almost immediately when they walked through the door, they were bombarded with people! Cassie wasn't sure which people were Ben's parents were until a woman screeched out, "Benny! Oh move, move!"

A short woman came pushing through the crowd and hugged Ben tightly around his torso. "Hi, mum," he chuckled with absolute joy as he squeezed her.

A taller man with silver hair appeared and Cassie had to do a double take. This was very obviously Ben's father. "Hello, my dear, you must be Cassie," he politely greeted. "Very good to meet you."

Cassie noted that his eyes were trying to gauge what she was getting at by dating his son. They weren't quite judgmental, but observant.

"I-It's so nice to finally meet you, sir," she nervously said as she shook his hand.

"Please, call me Tim," he kindly told her.

"Hey, dad," Ben smiled as he gave Tim a sweet hug. "I see you've met Cass. Mum, this is Cassie. Cass, this is my mother Wanda."

Wanda came up to Cassie, looking skeptical. Cassie understood this, of course she did, and didn't take any offense to it. "It is lovely to meet you, Wanda. Ben has told me so much and I've been so looking forward to meeting you."

It's almost like Wanda wasn't expecting Cassie to be so sweet because she seemed taken aback. However, she remained with a stern look as she spoke. "Dinner is nearly ready. Ben, introduce your guest to your friends and wash up before we eat."

As Wanda walked past Ben, he made a point by saying, "She isn't my guest, she's my girlfriend." Wanda only gave him a glance before continuing back towards the kitchen.

Tim put his hand over his son's shoulder. "Don't worry, son, she'll come around. Just give her some time. It's a bit of an adjustment than what we're used to." He gave a kind look and smile to Cassie before going after his wife.

Ben shook his head as if to get out of a nightmare. "Um, right, Cass..." He took her arm and gently pulled her over to him. There was a tall, handsome man standing next to Ben. He gave Cassie the first genuine smile since she's got here. "This is my best mate since primary school, Tom Hiddleston."

"Ah, the mystery girl from Mexico. Finally, it is a pleasure." Tom extended his hand and Cassie took it. She expected a handshake, but he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "You are all Ben can talk about nowadays. It's quite a refresher from his normal boring chats about his curriculum."

Both men laughed and it even pulled a chuckle from Cassie. Tom was already making her feel like she wasn't a complete outsider.

"Come, I'll get you a drink and introduce you to the other mates," Tom said as he held out his arm to her. She looked to Ben who only gave her a smile. She hooked her hand into Tom's elbow as he leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Don't worry, I know alcohol is - unfortunately - out of the question."

She looked up at him with a shocked expression that he could only laugh at. "Oh, Ben and I tell each other everything." They started walking into another room. "I do want you to know that I yelled at him for the way he was reacting. I was actually surprised, considering he had wanted kids for years."

He led her out into the vast backyard, where everyone seemed to migrate to. There was a bar set up on the other side of the lawn.

"Really?" She asked. "He truly made it seem like it was never a part of his plan." She glanced back to see Ben speaking with a few people and laughing.

Tom scoffed. "Oh, please. The man's been broody since we were kids ourselves! Always talked about having a wife and a large family. I think that all changed once Valarie came into his life. She was a piece of work."

Once they got up to the bar, he waved to get the bartender's attention. "I'll have a G and T, the lady would like..." He looked to Cassie.

"Oh, just a club soda with a lemon if you have it, thanks. Was Valarie the one that cheated?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah. Cheated, came back to him repeatedly and begged for his forgiveness. He took her back every time until we all had to have a sit down with him. Call it an intervention if you'd like. We all told him what we thought about her and their situation and he couldn't be more upset with us. Well, a few months went by and he called me to say he was done. I think the only piece of information he's kept from me is who you were in Mexico...and what that woman had done to turn him so bloody cold."