The trip to Portland was so much more comfortable in Lex's car than in mine. The luxurious Mercedes fended its way through the roads with ease, contrary to my old car, which rattled like it was about to fall apart at any time.
When Lex had picked me up at my place, I had spotted a few wrapped packages in the trunk of his car, next to his small suitcase. Because it was the tradition, him giving me presents wasn't a big surprise, but I was dying to know what he'd gotten. As for myself, I would have to find a moment to give him a couple of his presents in private, because some were definitely not family-friendly.
The gifts hadn't been the only surprise, as I'd found him perfectly shaved. He'd gotten rid of his signature stubble, and seeing him like this had been a shock. He looked different than usual but just as dashing. I wasn't sure if he'd done it in an effort to look younger or if it was to look as neat as possible. Regardless, I was enjoying seeing him in this new light, even though I preferred him with the short beard. Kissing him was a new experience too.
Using the three hours drive, I told Lex a few things about my folks, mentally preparing him for the next few days. Between the excitement because of Christmas and the one from meeting my boyfriend, I was sure my parents would act like overcharged batteries.
I also used this opportunity to make Lex listen to a few songs, trying to find out what kind of music he liked the most. Turned out he enjoyed when there was a clear rhythm, like a regular beat, and didn't like singers screaming. Women's voices were also something that came up as his preferences. Pop wasn't working out for him that much, but he enjoyed softer types of rocks. To my surprise, White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane was his favorite one of all the songs we'd tried. I started a playlist for him on my Spotify, and a side one that I titled 'SLEX', which was self-explanatory. This one would stay private.
It presented a great distraction from what was to come and made the journey pass in a blink. However, when we entered the familiar landscape of my birth city, reality caught up. Lex was about to meet my parents. My boss, with whom I'd started an affair that had grown into so much more, would spend Christmas with my whole family. Holy shit, that was huge.
He guessed that I was panicking –probably because I stopped talking– so he tried to reassure me, promising things would be fine, resting his hand on my thigh, only letting go to switch gears.
The GPS guided him all the way to my parent's driveway, and I stared at the lit-up house. The day was long gone by the time we arrived, and the blinking fairy lights were all you could see. Every year, my father made it his duty to set up the Christmas decorations, turning the house into a festive lighthouse. The neighboring houses had the same amount of decorations, so as ridiculous as it might look, it actually blended well.
"Your parents are really into Christmas," Lex pointed out, looking at the multicolored facade.
"Yep. It's a strong family tradition. Them wanting you to participate is a big deal."
Kate's Mini Cooper was parked in front of the garage, and Tyler's old jeep was right next to it. Everything would be intense from the moment we'd enter the house.
"Are you ready?" I asked Lex.
"As ready as can be."
Bending forward, we exchanged a quick kiss before exiting the car. Lex opened the trunk and helped me take out my suitcase. I harnessed my large tote bag full of gifts and waited until he was ready to go. We walked side by side to the front door, and I did my best to ignore the twisting of my guts.
What if they didn't like Lex? They hadn't liked the one boyfriend I'd introduced them to, and at that time, I hadn't seen any reason as to why. What if there was something about Lex they weren't okay with? Like the fact that he was my boss. Or older than me. Or clearly out of my league. Or—
"Stop overthinking, Andrea," he ordered. We'd reached the door, and I looked away from the pine wreath attached there to meet Lex's calm gaze.
"I need to confess something, in case anything happens in there," I told him with a grave tone.
"What?"
"The bag of potato chips didn't disappear from your cupboard. I ate it and then craftily got rid of the evidence."
He chuckled, amused by the turn this had taken. "You cunning little thing. I thought I was going cra—"
The door opened wide, and behind it, there was my mother, wearing a Mrs. Claus apron.
Holy shit, this is really happening.
Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and went from me to Lex for a moment. The way her eyebrow moved up the first time she saw him was almost comical. I'd probably looked like this the first time I'd seen him too.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, pollito! Come in! Come in!"
Moving to the side, she let us in, and I dragged my suitcase inside. She gave me a tight hug, and as always, it sent a wave of comfortable joy through me. She smelled like gingerbread and herself. Once she let go of me, I moved further in. It smelled heavenly, and I wondered what she'd prepared for us. When he came in, it was Lex's turn to get a warm greeting embrace.
"I'm so happy you guys could make it," she said, still holding him tightly. "Welcome, Alexander."
"Thanks, Mrs. Walker. We're happy to be here too."
He was a little tense, his arms glued to his side, but at least he'd been warned that my mother was very handsy. "Alright, you can release him now," I told her.
She reluctantly complied and moved away from her hostage. We got out of the way so she could close the door, and she helped us get rid of our coats and scarves.
"I hope the drive was okay," she said.
"Yeah, all good. Barely any traffic when we left Seattle, and a small jam on entering Portland. But it was all good. Lex's car is very nice."
"Any car is nicer than the one you have, Deedee. When are you getting a new one?"
Of course, Lex didn't miss the opportunity to make his dislike of my old Ford known. "I've been telling her the same thing. She needs to get rid of that rolling coffin."
"Rolling coffin sounds about right. Listen to him, pollito."
"Mine still works, I don't need another car for now." She rolled her eyes and turned to Lex for support. He shook his head at me, disapprovingly. "Wait, are you two already ganging up on me? Oh, God... Coming here was a terrible idea."
"We only do because we care," my mom pointed out. "Come on, everyone is having a drink in the living room."
We left our things in the entryway and followed her. Lex's hand found mine, and we intertwined our fingers, holding onto each other for support. This was nerve-wracking. Maybe it was a good thing I'd met his family unexpectedly. It had been like ripping off a band-aid. A very nasty band-aid.
"They are here!" mom announced as we entered the room. My dad, abuela, Ty, and Kate were all sitting around the coffee table where appetizers were scattered, enjoying various drinks.
"Hi, everyone," I said with a hand wave. Lex waved too, and I was glad they didn't all get up to come at us at once. "So, this is Alexander. Lex, this is Michael, my dad. Maria Carmen, my abuela. You've already met Kate. And that's Tyler, my brother. Oh, and my mom, Isabella, who didn't let me do this before jumping you."
"It's a pleasure meeting all of you," Lex declared, signing the words too for Tyler. "Thank you for having me on such short notice."
"Don't be silly. It's our pleasure," mom insisted.
A series of greetings and niceties followed, and I couldn't shake the strange feeling that overwhelmed me. It was so weird having Lex here, with my family, in the house I'd grown up in.
My dad's build was nothing compared to Lex's, but he still tried to assert some form of authority, giving him a firm handshake and squaring his shoulders. Oh, Lord, here we go. Since I was my father's precious girl, it was certain he'd make Lex go through a series of questions and tests, to determine if he was worthy of me. Not that my dad wanted to dictate my life, but he was looking out for me. Lex had been warned about this too.
We joined them and sat wherever there was some room left. I ended up on the small couch next to my abuela, and Lex was between Kate and my mom.
"Estoy feliz de que ustedes dos estén aquí, pequeña, [I'm happy you two are here, little one,]" MC told me, somewhat excited. Her eyes were on Lex, and I could read the approval in them.
"[Me too. I hope it's not too early, though.]"
"[No, it's not. Your mamá was excited all afternoon. I helped her prepare your room, and she was rambling like a teenager the whole time.]"
"[You guys prepared a single room?]" I asked, not sure how to act about this. Maria Carmen was rather conservative.
"[Oh, please. Nothing can shock me anymore. Not since my oldest child got pregnant out of wedlock.]"
I laughed, looking at my mom who was actively questioning Lex. Tyler's birth, a mere five months after my parent's wedding, had left no one fooled.
"[Also, I have eyes. Why would you want separate bedrooms when this is what you get to share a bed with?]"
"[I know, right?]"
We both looked at Lex's godly form, at how handsome he was in his charcoal turtleneck and black jacket. Even with his clean face, there was something ruggedly handsome about him. Jesus, I was such a lucky woman.
"[How did you catch him?]" MC asked, about ready to take notes.
"[Girl, I don't even know.]"
"[You need to lock this up real fast, nieta. Get knocked up if you must.]" A shocked laugh escaped me, and I gave my abuela an incredulous look. Hot damn, she was a ruthless savage. Shrugging her shoulders, she gave me an unfazed look. "[How do you think I got a man such as your Abuelo?]"
I didn't have any memories of him, but from the pictures I'd seen, the man had been a handsome devil. I had an uncle who apparently looked a lot like him, and that man had swum in women his whole life.
"[Don't tell me you got pregnant before you guys were married.]"
"[Well, I didn't mean to get pregnant. He was taking too long to propose, so I decided to give him a little something to help him make his choice. Turns out he gave me a little something back.]"
"[Oh, my God. I can't believe this. Does mom know?]"
"[No, and let's keep it that way. I enjoy teasing her about her unholy misconduct. And it makes your dad all sheepish and embarrassed every single time.]"
"[You're an evil genius.]"
"[I know, thank you.]"
She asked me a few questions about Lex, which I answered gladly. At some point, Kate stood from the couch and came toward me. Grabbing my wrist, she pulled me up. "Sorry MC, I need to talk with Andy real fast."
Not waiting for an answer, she dragged me outside of the room into the hallway, impatient to get some one-on-one talk. I needed exactly that, too.
"Oh, my God, babe. This is huge!" she told me.
"I know, right?! I woke up this morning thinking I'd get to spend a lazy day at Lex's place. Next thing I know, we're getting ready to come here."
"Your mom told me he was the one who insisted on coming?"
"He kind of did, yeah. He already had plans with his family, but he ditched them as soon as he could. I can't blame him, especially since I met his father last night."
"What?! Was he at the Gala?"
Going as fast as I could, I told her everything about what had happened. I told her about how much of a jerk his dad was, I told her about the ten million, the slap... By the time I was done, she knew about everything but Lex owning most of his family's company. This was his secret, so it wasn't my right to share it.
"Holy shit. Your life is like a constant movie. How do you even keep up?!"
I didn't even know myself. My affair with Lex started barely four months ago, with a month-long break in the middle of it, and yet it felt like so much more. How far we'd come since that first kiss in his car was insane. It was as if there was something out there pushing us to go faster and further than we wanted to.
"So, you guys are good?"
"We are really good. I never thought I'd be so certain in so little time, but he's the one, Kay. He's the only one."
"I get you, Deedee. When you know, you know."
"I take it things are getting serious with your mystery man?" I asked, excited for her.
"We're getting there, yes."
"Are you still not going to tell me who he is?"
"Nope."
"Is he a celebrity or something?"
"No, I just want to keep him to myself a little longer."
"You're being super weird about this. You know that, right?"
"Yes, sorry. It's very different from the other guys I've dated. I'm just trying to do things the right way."
"You do you, babe. But I really want to meet him."
"Soon, I promise."
After I unsuccessfully tried to get more info on this man she was dating, we returned to the living room. My mom was gone, and MC was on the couch next to Lex. As I came to sit next to him, I heard what she was telling him.
"You know, I looked a lot like Andrea back in the days. I didn't have her freckles, though, she got those from her dad."
"I like the freckles. A lot," Lex confessed.
"I guess they are cute on her. No, I had flawless olive skin, the same mischievous smile, and doe eyes just like hers. And it's hard to imagine now, but I had the body of a James Bond girl."
"MC, are you flirting with my boyfriend?" I asked, hiding my amusement.
"Maybe."
"That's a bold move, old lady. And right in front of me." Turning to Lex, I faked sadness while putting my hand on his knee. "If you leave me for her, I can't even be mad at you. But you have to swear you'll make her happy."
"He will make me happy. Now shoo! Go see if your mamá needs help in the kitchen." Her command came with a dismissive gesture from her hand, contradicted by a playful smile, and this time, my grin wasn't containable.
"If she makes a move on you, yell my name and I'll come to save you," I told Lex, kissing his shaved cheek before leaving them alone.
I wasn't worried about my abuela and him getting along. She was a lot like me, and Lex loved everything about me. They would do great together.
"Need any help?" I asked as I entered the kitchen, where my mom was taking out a roast from the oven. "Ugh, that smells so good. What is it?"
"Can you put the lettuce in a bowl? And it's lamb leg. I didn't make anything spicy, as you asked."
"You're the best." I went to the sink where the salad dryer was waiting. "So, any thoughts about Lex so far?"
"My grandchildren will be beautiful."
"¡Por dios, mamá! It's an obsession!" I exclaimed, seeing her cheeky smile too late.
"I'm teasing you, pollito. He seems like a very interesting man. He told me about his work. It's a very commendable goal he has."
"It really is."
I helped her plate the food as we talked about Lex. Once everything was ready, she sent me to get everyone. I did as asked, inviting the group to move to the dining room, and returned to my mother. We came in with the roast and the potatoes at the same time the others arrived.
"Alexander, darling, you're here," my mom instructed. "Andrea, you're next to him. Mi amor, you go here with me. Mamá, you're there. Where are Tyler and Kate?"
"They're right behind us," my dad said.
"I'll get them," I offered.
"Don't worry, they'll be here any minute."
"It's okay, I need to get my phone, anyway."
As I approached the living room, I heard Kate giggle. Maybe they hadn't gotten the message when I'd come to fetch everyone. When I passed the door frame, though, I understood the problem rested elsewhere.
Right there, in the middle of the room, Kate and Ty were hugging tightly, his hand resting on her jeans-clad ass. Her arms were thrown around his neck, and it took Tyler bending to kiss her for my brain to finally understand what was going on.
Holy motherfucking hell.
My brother was Kate's mystery man. That was why she was being so weird about it. She was dating Tyler. Tyler who'd sworn to me he would never, ever, go after her. Tyler, the man whore who'd gotten several of my friends to ditch me because he couldn't keep his dick in check.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I uttered.
Kate jumped out of his arms and turned to me in an instant. He understood that I was here and spun around to look at me too. The horror in their eyes showed exactly how guilty they felt about this.
Too stunned to say anything, I just left them there, to return to the others.
Kate and Tyler had a thing. A serious thing, from what Kate had told me. It had been going on for weeks. Oh God, she'd even told me the sex was amazing at some point. Ew, ew, ew.
She'd always been like a sister to me, and he was my literal brother. This felt so wrong.
What the fuck was happening?