Fifteen minutes later, we're parked in the stone courtyard of Mr. Berkshire's family home. Although, it's not exactly my idea of a family home. Actually, I'd describe it more as a mansion. The fountain in the middle of the courtyard, a cherub spitting water out of its mouth, doesn't help anyone's case. As soon as we park, he climbs out of the car and walks to the two brown doors where he enters the home. I sit with my hands on my lap, admiring the various flower bushes surrounding the front of the house. The house is painted white, screaming wealth, and the roof tiles are a dark shade of blue. Back in Georgia, I seen these types of homes, but they were typically meant for big events. No one actually lived in them. I can't help, but wonder what his father or the rest of his family must do for business.
Twenty minutes later and i'm still waiting in the car. At this point, i'm so bored that i'm braiding a small strand of my blonde hair. I already sent a text to Skylar, asking how last night went. A second later, she is calling me and screaming in my ear. Apparently, she tried to contact me all night and all morning. She didn't know where I went. She even went as far as calling the police for a missing person report. However, she would have to wait forty eight hours. Finally, she forgives me, but only once I agree to buying her three pink drinks. I sigh and throw my head back.
"Where is he?" I press my forehead against the cool glass, eyes scanning my surroundings once more. My patience is running thin. With my purse in hand, I crawl out of the car and march towards the doors. I knock once, then twice. Nothing. All my good manners fly out the window as I push the door open. "Hello?" I slowly walk inside, closing the door behind me.
Inside, the house is even grander than the outside. The first thing I notice is a big crystal chandelier hanging above. It reminds me of the chandelier from Beauty and the Beast. From the vase of roses in the center of the room resting on the glass table, to the exotic looking carpet, this home looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale.
"Mr. Berkshire?" I call out, looking up towards the banister above, revealing the second floor. I inch towards the staircase when a shouting female rushes down.
"I will not marry him!" She screams. "You can't force me."
"We've been over this. It's the best thing for the family." An older man responds calmly. He's following behind her.
"Fuck the family! What about me?!" The dark haired woman reaches the bottom of the staircase where I stand and inspects me with a cold gaze. "Who the hell are you?" Now that she is closer, I see the purple and blue bruises painting her cheek. Suddenly, I feel like i'm in the middle of a soap opera.
"I- Uh." Gulping, I look between the man and woman. Before I can answer, Mr. Berkshire is storming down the stairs.
"You can't make her do this. She de-" He stops himself right away when he sees me. "Sawyer, what are you doing? You were supposed to be waiting in the car."
"You were taking awhile." The shakiness in my voice reveals the nerves i'm trying to bury. The woman's ice blue stare sends shivers through me. She's the definition of intimidating.
"She's with you?" She asks with distaste.
"She works for me." He answers. The woman eyes me like i'm some disgusting critter on the side of the road.
"Thought you guys finally stopped fighting. Everything went quiet. So either you guys stopped or someone ended up dead." Another, brunette green eyed woman comes from the arched entry way on the left. Though, she's noticeably paler than the other. She's smiling playfully until she lays eyes on me. Her gaze turns curious as she walks closer. "Who's this?"
"One of Roman's charity cases." My jaw immediately drops. Well, this isn't exactly the welcoming I'd been expecting.
"Izzy!" Mr. Berkshire shouts. There's that tick again. The younger dark haired girl looks between everyone with furrowed brows as if she is analyzing the situation. Without another word, the one that goes by Izzy turns on her heels and disappears to the room where the other girl retreated from. This leaves everyone speechless.
"Selene says dinner should be ready in about half an hour." Announces an older woman, retreating from the other room on the right. "Oh, Roman!" She squeals happily at the sight of the tattooed man. She scurries across the room to throw her arms around his neck. "Honey, what are you doing here?"
"Scarlette." He explains. He looks to the dark haired girl who looks to still be analyzing the situation. Scar. She must be the girl who called him here in the first place.
"Whatever the reason, i'm just glad you're here. Will you stay for dinner?" She asks taking his hands, which are twice the size of her own.
"Oh, I don't know, mom. I-" His eyes wander to me, as if only just remembering i'm still standing there. His mother follows his gaze to where I stand and immediately turns her full attention to me.
"Who is this?!" She squeals happily. "You haven't brought a girl over in forever! She must be special." Smiling, she takes my hands and gives them a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry for my son's manners. I'm Charlotte Berkshire, but you can just call me Charlotte." She shares the same dark brown hair and tan skin appearance as the two other girls. Though, her eyes were very similar to Roman's. They share the same warm brown shade. She grabs the older man by his shoulders. "And this is my husband, William Berkshire." She leans in close to whisper. "You can just call him Will." I laugh softly, embarrassed by the sudden attention and introductions. The man nods, but his expression is as cold as the first girl's.
"Mom-" Roman attempts to interrupt, but his mother simply shushes him and returns to introductions.
"This is my youngest, Scarlette." The girl analyzing finally smiles and steps forward to shake my hand.
"Pleasure to meet you." She looks about my age. Maybe a little older. Her personality definitely differs from her sister's. I shake her hand, looking to Roman every now and then. His gaze is full of frustration and his body is tense. Who meets their boss's family? Especially when they are just an intern? This morning was awful, but this moment here has to be the most awkward situation i've ever been a part of.
"Where's Isabella? Have you met Isabella?" She asks me.
"Oh, she met Iz all right. They're gonna be the best of friends." Scarlette teases.
"Did she say something terrible? I'm so sorry, dear. She just has so much on her plate. She tends to lash out. I hope she didn't upset you."
"It's alright. I know i'm a bit of a surprise." I reply, looking between everyone. "I didn't mean to intrude on your family. I was just-"
"You could never possibly intrude. You're Roman's girlfriend. Now you're family." She's smiling bright while I carry the expression of clear mortification. "What's your name again, sweetie?"
"Her name is Sawyer Calloway. Ms. Calloway to me. She works for me, mom." Roman announces harshly. My cheeks flush in embarrassment. What was I expecting him to answer with? But did he have to be so harsh?
"Oh." Charlotte's smile clearly falters. "Nonetheless, you two should stay for dinner. Selene is making spaghetti!" Again, she's smiling wildly and looking to her son with hopeful eyes. "Won't you stay?"
"I can't. I have to get Ms. Calloway back home." He looks to me as if he's looking for a free get out of jail card. Not happening.
"Spaghetti sounds lovely. Thank you." I smile warmly.
"Tell Selene to add another two plates to the dining table, Scarlette." She's glowing as she wraps her arm around my shoulders. "Now, tell me where did you get such a beautiful dress from?" She leads me through the left arch way to the living room. From one room to the next, it continues to get better. "Come on, Roman or ill pull out the baby photos." She turns to me with a bright look in her eyes. "He had the cutest little tush as a baby." I look over my shoulder to find that Roman looks beyond annoyed with a hint of blush to his cheeks which brings me to laughter.
**********
Half an hour later and the baby album is out. Charlotte and I are sitting on the blue family couch as she flips through the pages. Scarlette had offered me water when we first sat down and hasn't been seen since. Wiliam returned to his office awhile ago. And Mr. Berkshire sat across from us in the blue love seat. Every now and then, he chimes in, begging his mother to stop. However, there is no silencing Charlotte. She simply giggles and continues on. A part of me wants to end this torture for him, but admittedly, he did have such a cute tush as a baby.
"He didn't want to walk as baby. But not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to. He always loved to be a mama's boy." She smiles fondly, clearing reminiscing. My eyes find Roman's who looks how I imagine I looked this morning, embarrassed.
Again, she flips the page to reveal an entire page dedicated to the little boy I found on that keychain. He's all smiles in each of the photos. There are a couple with the rest of the Berkshire family, but most are with Roman.
"Ezekiel was such a precious baby, much like his fa-" In the blink of an eye, the photo album is slammed shut and in Roman's hands.
"Dinner should be ready, don't you think, mom?" Underneath that caring tone is a hint of a warning. Like last time, he didn't want to speak of the boy in the pictures. Sighing, his mother stands and gives his cheek a gentle pat.
"My baby." She smiles once more back to me then retreats from the room. The silence between us stretches an uncomfortable amount of time. Who would make the first move? I clear my throat and smile.
"You did have quite the tush as baby." Immediately, the tension in his eyes fades away, replaced with delight.
"She tried to get me into pageants. Real ones. With the crowns, sashes, and all." I erupt into laughter, bringing my hands to my cheeks. So the perfect god that is Roman Berkshire has embarrassing stories from his past. Why does that make him more attractive? Life just isn't fair.
"I can imagine it now! Baby Roman with a tie and diaper, running that stage and telling everyone what to do." I throw my head back, laughing. "Did you at least win?"
"Third place." He answers, laughing as well. "After that, my mom was certain that it was rigged and she never brought me back." At that, we both broke into uncontrollable laughter. His mother is undoubtedly hands on and I knew that after almost an hour of knowing her. She clearly put her children above all else. Anyone can easily see that she loves them all unconditionally. Is this how a mother is supposed to act? Because I can't remember a time when my mom cared enough to make a photo album or beg me to have dinner with her. Isabella makes an abrupt entrance, looking between us briefly.
"Mom says dinner is ready." She states before leaving once more. Shaking his head, Roman leads me to the right arch way across the hall, his hand resting comfortably on my lower back.
The wooden table is long enough to fit twelve people. Above there's a mosaic painting of Aphrodite, another crystal chandelier hanging from the center of it. The room is painted white with gold accents. At the far end of the room, a big glass window, that takes up most of the wall, invites the night life. The sun has gone down, but the twinkling lights from the chandelier illuminate the room. At one end of the table, sits William and at the other end is Charlotte. Scarlette, Isabella, and another dark haired dark eyed man sit beside each other, talking among themselves until they see we have entered. Charlotte stands, beaming as she welcomes us.
"Please sit. Selene will bring in dinner any second now." Roman pulls out a chair for me, an action he doesn't think twice about, then takes the seat beside me. I lower myself into the chair, smiling awkwardly at everyone. "Oh, this is my oldest, Elijah." She gestures to the grinning man who sits across from me.
"Pleasure to meet you, gorgeous." There's a devilish glint in his cocoa colored eyes, one that stirs something within me. In the back of my head, that protective instinct, I'm warned not to trust him. Beneath the charm, grin, and dashing good looks is danger. But, I still find a way to smile.
"Nice to meet you too." Beside me, Roman's tension encases me. Apparently, he has the same feelings about his brother as I do. To break the tension, I turn my attention to the china displayed in front of us. "You have such beautiful china, Charlotte." I admire.
"Thank you. They were passed down for generations in my family. These were my mother's most prized possessions. She wouldn't dare use them, but I find them a lot more beautiful when they are being used by my family. Feels a lot more sentimental, don't you think?"
"I couldn't agree more." I reply.
"Mom, you don't have to kiss her ass. She isn't family." Isabella chimes in, silencing everyone. "Well, it's true. This isn't the beginning of Amelia and Roman again, okay? Lucky for her."
There's that name again. Amelia. This mysterious woman is nowhere in sight, but she has some kind of important role in Roman's life. First James mentioned her and insinuated that Roman was the bad guy of their story. Now, Isabella mentions the woman again as if i'm somehow lucky not to be her. I'm naturally curious about the story between the two, but by the looks of it, Roman might explode at any second. So, I decide not to ask about the woman. Anyways, Isabella is obviously attempting to push his buttons as a way to distract everyone from her own problems that are displayed as bruises across her face. I genuinely feel sorry for her which is why I don't take any of her harmful words to heart. Beneath the table, I take Roman's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. He looks to me with a questioning look and I smile softly in return.
An older Mexican woman, no older than forty, enters the room with dinner. Following behind her is a younger Mexican woman, holding plates of her own. They pass out the plates of fresh spaghetti and garlic bread. I notice, from across the table, that Scarlette tries very hard not to meet the wanting eyes of the younger woman. Her father tries twice as hard not to meet the eyes of the older woman. Most importantly, I notice the way Elijah's eyes focus on the younger woman's behind.
This family definitely has its secrets. Dinner is served.
Who's your favorite member of the Berkshire family besides Roman?
Who's your least favorite?
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