Loving a Man Who Forgot Me Novel Chapter 48
Jason insisted on driving and followed my directions easily to the ritzy Brookline neighborhood.
He let out a low whistle when we finally pulled up to the gated property. “I expected it to be big, but . . .”
“It’s something else, isn’t it?” McCabe Manor, as I had always liked to call it, was the perfect blend of vintage architecture and modern beauty.
Big but not garish, beautiful but not ostentatious, impressive but not in your face, and somehow, despite its grand stature, it always managed to look homey and inviting, or maybe that was just because for me it was like home.
The gate was open, and several cars already took up space in the wide, circular drive. I instructed Jason to pull his car up next to them.
“Take a deep breath,” I told him before we got out. “They’re just people.” “I know that,” he scowled at my teasing, then added, “You wouldn’t think I’d still be intimidated, but it is a little daunting, and yet this is normal life to you. They’re just your family.”
He shook his head. “Maybe one day it will stop being surreal to me. Do I lose cool points for this?” I laughed lightly. “What cool points do you think you have?” His scowl deepened and so did my laugh. “It’s okay, I know they’re a lot. And you haven’t even met all of my uncles yet.”
“Please stop me if you catch me trying to ask them for autographs.” “Deal.” Hand in hand we made our way to the front door. Just before pulling it open, I turned to him with a playful grin and said, “Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” he clipped a little too harshly for it to be believable and I couldn’t help my chuckle. “You’re nervous.” I squeezed his hand and dragged him inside the foyer, where Bruce and Wayne came bounding in to greet us, with lolling tongues and wagging tails.
Aiden was responsible for naming the furry aussie and husky. Lively chatter and laughing could be heard deeper in the house.
Still holding onto Jason’s hand, with Bruce and Wayne on our heels, I led him through the partially open floor-plan until we found everyone gathered around the large family room just off the kitchen.
Abel was the first to see us from where he stood off to one side with both of our dads and my Uncle Chris. His eyes lit up momentarily, before he shuttered his expression. My stomach flip-flopped and I offered a tiny smile.
“Abbi!” Addie cried excitedly. “Get in here.” She waved us over. I wove my way through the room, towing Jason along, offering hugs and introductions as we went. “Who’s this?” Uncle Ace and Uncle D both gave Jason a hard once-over.
“My boyfriend, Jason.” I laughed as Jason’s expression returned to childlike wonder, and said, “I guess I don’t need to introduce these two.”
“N-no you don’t,” Jason stammered and stuck his hand out. “So good to meet you guys.” He then gave Jesse and Jaime, who were gathered around the same table, the guy nod. I leaned up to whisper in Jason’s ear, “You good here if I leave you for a few?”
“I’m more than good, that’s Ace and Spade,” he whispered back as if this might somehow be news to me.
Ace and Spade were the terrible twosome of Ashes and Embers, although Spade had dropped the moniker except to the outside world, and was just Uncle Damien, or Uncle D around here.
I rolled my eyes and then excused myself to join Addie and our moms who were seated around the larger coffee table across the room along with my other aunts and Jaime’s wife. “So that’s the fella?” Aunt Claire said as I joined them.
“That’s him,” I said, hugging her and then Aunt Mia and Sadie. “He’s cute,” Aunt Sadie commented.
“And a gentleman to boot,” Aunt Mia added. “He’s a sweetie.” She and Uncle Chris weren’t strangers to Jason, and Uncle Chris wasn’t just my honorary uncle. He had the luck or misfortune, depending on which of them you asked, to be my dad’s big brother.
“Yes, he’s a great guy,” Aunt Jax commented, giving me an affectionate look. “We really like him,” my mom chimed in proudly.
You’d think hearing about how wonderful everyone thought Jason was would make me ecstatic, but all I wanted was to change the subject. I turned to Molly, “Where’s that baby girl? I’m in desperate need of cuddles.”
“Around here somewhere,” she glanced around only half searching, not genuinely concerned. “Darcy stole her first chance she got. I think she’s with the guys in the game room.” Made sense that’s where her sister-in-law would be.
Darcy was like a next level techie genius and nerd. Computers, game systems, robots, that was the language she spoke. She had some swanky job at a big tech company here in Boston, and there wasn’t one of the guys who could kick her ass at any game.
You’d think she was Uncle Chris and Aunt Mia’s child, because they were big gaming nerds too. But genius totally ran in Uncle Ace’s family, even if it passed over him. His brother was some kind of super scientist doing top secret government work.