“No, Dad. I’m not fucking him for information, if that’s what you’re asking.” I down the rest of the drink and get up.
“Chelsea, I’m sure that’s not what your father meant. And please try not to swear, dear, it’s unbecoming.” Mum’s attempt to stop me fails miserably.
The pair of them should feel ashamed of themselves. This isn’t how they should react —they should be a little more supportive of my decisions. They don’t want to listen to a thing I say, so I’m not going to waste my breath. They don’t want to support me, and as devastating as that is, I’m better off leaving now while I still have a heart. I feel the tears, but don’t want to show them how they’ve made me feel. We don’t do crying in this family so I resolve to remain as stoic as possible until I get out of the place.
“I love you, Mum, but if you guys can’t try to understand that I might actually be in love with Pacer, then there’s no point in staying.” I kiss Mum’s cheek before walking out.
“Chelsea Elizabeth Blythe Tanner, I forbid you to have a relationship with Pacer Fratelli!” Dad yells out as I leave.
I feel the pressure of tears against my eyes. A tear rolls down my cheek, capturing the cold of the night where it runs on my skin. I walk down the driveway of Dolorous as headlights hit the path in front of me. I turn to find Logan’s boxy Mercedes four-wheel drive coming after me. Stepping aside, I wait for her to pull up.
“That was brutal.” He leans out of the open window.
“I just want to go home,” I say through streaming tears.
He nods sympathetically, and I walk around the other side and get in the car.
“I get it, you know,” he says as we drive through the city. “You can’t choose who you fall in love with.”
I smile. “I know you get it.” I hold his hand and squeeze it.
I try to remember the moment Logan announced to Mum and Dad that she liked women more than men. I knew before they did, of course. But my Mum and Dad both helped my Aunt Patrice with raising Logan. So when she came out as a lesbian, I thought they were going to find it hard to deal with, but they didn’t. And they didn’t react like they are now.
***
I feel the bed sink down next to me, and groggily smile. I must’ve fallen asleep waiting for Pacer to arrive.
“Hi.” I roll over to Pacer’s waiting arms.
He holds me tight. It feels so good to be in his arms again. “Hey. You sounded upset on the phone. I take it your parents weren’t okay with us, like you’d hoped?” I shake my head in reply. “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. My ma really wanted me to stay for dinner. I have been a bit slack lately, so I think she missed me. She wants to meet you. She said you looked beautiful in the news.” His chuckle is an unfamiliarly innocent sound on him.
Just when my parents reject my right to fall in love with whom I want, Pacer’s Mum opens up to the idea with loving arms. This couldn’t feel any worse, could it?
“I think I might take a few days off work. I really need a break from the prying eyes of the city, my co-workers included. One of the senior partners confronted me when I was photocopying.” Pacer’s eyes narrow. I almost forgot about his temper. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. He just told me he thought I was more professional than being romantically involved with a known criminal.”
“That’s workplace harassment! You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”
I love how he wants to protect me, but I don’t need it. “Don’t worry. I reminded him of his affair with his secretary, and told him he had better keep his opinion to himself.” I smile proudly.
“That’s my girl.” His smile intoxicates my senses.
I run my fingertips down his face and look into his eyes. I can’t wait a moment longer. “I love you.” it doesn’t even feel strange to say out loud.
His runs his fingers through my hair and holds my face in his palms. He kisses me and I feel his cock throb against my thigh. Oh God, I am seriously going to have to get a reconstruction down there if we keep going at this rate. I can’t see myself ever stopping from wanting to get naked with him—and being naked always leads to so many wonderful opportunities.
Wait!
He didn’t say ‘I love you’ back? What does that mean? Did I say it too soon? His eyes catch mine.
“What’s wrong?” How quickly he’s learnt to read me.
I search within his eyes. I’m not asking him if he loves me too. I’m never going to be one of those girls who actually has to ask. Keep your dignity, Chelsea. I kiss him back, his tongue working perfectly as my distraction. I feel him try his best to pull back, but I don’t allow it and kiss him harder.
With my head between his large hands he pulls me back with ease. “Why don’t you come and meet my family tomorrow? I’ll get my Uncle to put a spread on at my ma’s house.”
He’s so confusing sometimes. He won’t openly say that he loves me, but he wants me to meet his family?
“But it’s the middle of the week?”
Am I the only person in my life who has a real job? Even Logan works as a DJ, and I’ve never really classed that as real work. She just gets to party for a living.
“Even more reason to get together and unwind; the weekend will be here soon. Come on, I’ll guarantee you a good time.”
This may be just what the doctor ordered. “I’d love to meet your family.”
Now kiss me before I think about how major that is. He returns my internal plea with a kiss so deep I could swim in the passion of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Thanks, Ryan. I knew you would understand … Yeah, Brad is still researching the Simmons case. He’s got two days to get a report back to me. I thought it was a good opportunity to take that time off that you always tell me I need to take, too.” I smile when I catch Pacer watching me. “I’m going to have this sorted out. I agree, the papers have gone too far.” My boss is understandably annoyed at how I’m making the firm look. “A couple of days should be plenty of time. I’ll see you next Monday.”
Ending the call, I look up to catch Pacer sliding on his navy blue suit jacket to his three-piece suit. Damn, he has a fine sense of style.
Beaming with the excitement of getting away from work for a couple of days, and meeting Pacer’s family, I grin through all my words. “The first long weekend I’ve taken in over a year.”
Pacer pulls on the collar of my bathrobe that I still have on from after my shower. “Why don’t you pack a bag and come and stay at my house for the next few days? It’s harder for cameras to get close to us there.” His idea is giddily exciting. “I’m going to call my Uncle and Ma to get this day organised. Ma’s going to be in a frenzy to meet you.” He tenderly kisses my nose, and rubs his cheek past mine to give my earlobe a nibble.
Leaving me with a spike in my temperature and a pulse in my privates, he exits the room while flicking through his phone. The prospect of spending the next few days with Pacer is making my already elated heart swell with a pounding glow. Is it normal to want to spend twenty-four seven with a person? He has to feel some kind of love for me if he wants to be around me this much, right?
Staying at his house and meeting his family all in one day—major steps in any relationship. I know he lives over at Vaucluse, but there aren’t any photos of his place around, so where precisely is a little mystery. A good mystery.
Now, what to wear to meet Pacer’s Mum? Shit! This is kind of huge. I need to get this right. Impressions are important. Jeans are a no-brainer. No rips. I need classic.
Searching through my jeans shelf, I find the perfect pair. I team them with brown ankle boots, a cream-coloured knit with a huge rolled neck and my favourite plush pink coat for this mild winter’s day. Let’s hope Sydney turns on its spectacular winter skies again. Quickly dressing, I pack some more jeans in a weekend bag and consider what lingerie to pack before Pacer comes back in the room. It’s been a while since I’ve even bothered wearing matching underwear, let alone having to acknowledge what I look like in it. There’s so much to consider when you suddenly have a man in your life.