“Since you’re driving us there, we can stop by the bakery and the floral shop. We can bring a bouquet of assorted flowers and stop by JJ Bakery. They make the best cake. Their frosting is the best, not too sweet. The cake melts in your mouth.”
“From your description, sounds like you’re craving a piece,” Becky said.
“Maybe my baby wants cake.”
“Baby must have food first. Eat some more. You hardly ate.”
“Yes, Auntie Becky.”
“Auntie Becky. I like the sound of that. I promise to be the best auntie.”
My eyes started to pool with tears. “Thanks, Becky. That means a lot to me. Blood is not thicker than water for sure.”
“Nope. I love you as if you were my own sister. You mean the world to me. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Becky’s words made the tears I tried to hold back fall. Wiping them away, I said, “I won’t.”
Chapter 12
Becky
My heart thumped out of my normal beat; sweat dampened under my armpits. It was difficult to concentrate on the road ahead. The closer the GPS indicated we were to Matthew’s parents’ house, the faster my blood pumped through me. What was the matter with me? I’d never been so nervous in my life.
“Becky...you missed the exit.” Jenna laughed out loud. The bouquet of flowers she was holding in her lap was practically blocking my view of her so that I had almost forgotten she was there.
“Oh shit. I’ll get off at the next one and just go local.” I paused to look at the time. “Oh no, we’re going to be late.”
“Becky, it’s okay. I already texted Max to tell him we were running late.”
My shoulders immediately relaxed. I exhaled a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding in.
“We’re here. Turn right at the light,” Jenna directed. She must have noticed that I wasn’t even looking at the GPS. I was in my own world...again. I had to snap out of it, or I was going to make a big fool out of myself.
When we got there, Jenna rang the doorbell. I knew Matthew’s parents were well off, but holy crap! They lived in a mansion, the kind you would find in a magazine that you could only dream about. For some reason, this made me even more nervous.
Before the door opened, I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, straightened my sweater dress, and asked Jenna if I had anything on my teeth. Her lips pinched together, trying not to laugh. “Don’t worry, Becky. They’ll love you.”
Just as she said her last word, the door opened.
“Hello, Jenna,” a lean, well-dressed lady, wearing black trousers and a magenta cowl neck sweater, greeted us. She had beautiful blonde, shoulder-length hair and was a little bit taller than Jenna. After she gave Jenna a hug, she turned to me and offered one, too. “You must be Becca. I’ve heard so much about you.” I had to smile at that. I wanted to tell her my real name, but decided not to. After that hug and seeing her beautiful friendly smile, I became relaxed.
“Mrs. Knight, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Matthew and Jenna.” Even though I really hadn’t other than the fact that Jenna told me that she was really sweet, I fibbed. Matthew and I mentioned our parents, of course, and the topic of them came up, but we never went into details.
Mrs. Knight’s cheeks turned a little flushed. “Call me Ellen, and please...come in.” She stepped aside.
I tried my best not to gawk, but I couldn’t help it. The foyer was absolutely beautiful. From the crystal chandelier, to the table that held a tall vase, and the double staircases, I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the house looked like. Having been on her yacht, I already knew she had elegant taste.
“These are for you,” I said, “but we’ll help you carry them to the kitchen.”
“Thank you. You shouldn’t have.” Her eyes beamed with happiness. “Max and Matthew are in the backyard. They don’t know you’re here. I wanted to say hello first.”
After we set the dessert and the flowers on the counter, I was re-introduced to Carlos. He clearly remembered me from Valentine’s Day. His friendly greeting and smile indicated that he did. I didn’t know why I felt so embarrassed...maybe it was the fact that he knew Matthew and I had sex on the yacht.
“You can go out this way.” Ellen opened the door for us with a smile. Before we had a chance to take a step, a tall man appeared. At first I thought it was Max, but it was Mr. Knight. The resemblance was uncanny. With salt and pepper-colored hair, he was dashingly handsome. If this was how Max would look in his older years, Jenna was very lucky.