Saying I Do {Interracial Curvy Romance}

Reuniting the Families {Part Two}

"Carol--" The man stops his sentence when he sees all of us sitting, but he's mostly staring intensely at Matthew. I hear Matthew murmuring a curse.

"Matthew?"

"Father." Matthew responds with a biting tone and cuts a slice of the roast chicken, picking a forkful of it and puts it in his mouth without making eye contact with Mr. Rapaport. Mostly everybody, including myself are just confined in our seats in silence. No clacking sounds from the utensils or someone clearing their throats to lessen the tension between father and son in my parents' dining room. Just dead silence.

I glance at Mr. Rapaport's eyes broaden. "Son, what are you doing here? I'm surprised to see you back home!" Mr. Rapaport replies astonishingly.

I turn my head at Matthew to see if he's making eye contact with Mr. Rapaport, but he gives him this stare that is piercing like a stab in the back with a dagger. Like, everyone has just witness the perpetrator commit a crime on an innocent individual. His vibrant jade green eyes are now in a shade of blackish green.

"Emmett, dear... Matthew arrived here earlier and he is here to plan his upcoming wedding." Mrs. Rapaport responds in behalf of Matthew.

Mr. Rapaport looks around most of us sitting in the dining room as he appears to be off-guarded. "I see." Mr. Rapaport nods slowly. "It's fantastic that you're here, sport because we have a lot to catch up--"

"Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild, thank you for the dinner, but I would like to excuse myself." Matthew stands up from his seat and walks around the table to make his way towards the door. My heart breaks for Matthew and I can't believe he's abrasive towards his father to this day. When we were growing up, Matthew and his father did not have a close father/son relationship like most fathers along with their sons because Mr. Rapaport was mostly applying himself in the office more than at the Rapaport home. I can remember there were times when Matthew would throw pebbles at my bedroom window to talk about how his dad would not find the time to spend time with him or his siblings because of their father working long hours. It really hurts a child to not a have a father spend time with them. I often wonder how this affects a child as they're feeling rejected and thought it was their fault. It is never a child's fault and I told Matthew it is never his fault and neither are his siblings. I don't care how many hours a parent works, they need to cherish every second, every minute, and every hour that they have with their children.

I move away from the table and stand up from my seat to go after him when I hear Mr. Rapaport calling my name. I turn to face him and assure, "I'll talk to him." I turn around to exit the mansion to find a figure sitting on the step of the entry entrance as his dirty blonde undercut stands out in the night sky.

"Thank goodness, you didn't leave here."

He turns his head to look up at me with narrow eyes and his fingers scratch the nape of his neck. "I'd rather look at the stars than face him."

I find a spot to sit beside him. "I know it's been four years, but while you're back here, I presume now is a good time to take baby steps to stick around. You don't have to put on a show for people to think you have the perfect relationship with your dad when it's not. Just enjoy your time here and catch up with your brothers, your sisters, my parents, my siblings, and me because I really miss seeing my best friend."

The corners of Matthew's lips turn upwards and my heart melts when he smiles because he truly deserves to smile when times are bad. His smile is so infectious like the sun bathing you with its warmth through the windows. He drapes his arm around me and pulls me closer.

"I miss my best friend, too," Matthew chuckles frankly. I gaze to observe a genuine desire in his face as he looks at me. I can feel my heart thumping when he is telling me that he missed me as I missed him as well. "I really do, Flo. I've missed you like crazy. While I was working in the office in Santa Monica, I couldn't stop and think about the times we spent together growing up here in Florida." Matthew tells me.