A Life Without Fear (Life #2) Read online

  “Yes, I do. I actually think I’m holding exactly what you’re describing. Thank you, Betty.”

  “Anytime child, I wish I could be there to help you out more. I love you, Angelica. Relax tonight, have fun and let them get to know the real Angelica. Keep your walls down. Let some more people in honey.” Her voice is soft.

  “I will Betty, I promise. I love you and Granddad. I’ll talk to y’all later.”

  “There’s the southern girl in ya! Have a good night, we love you too darlin’.”

  After hanging up with Betty, I go to touch up my makeup and hair when I hear the doorbell. Shit, I must have lost track of time. Hurrying down the stairs, I look through the peephole to see who it is. There stands Blake, looking dapper as ever in his suit. I hurry to open the door.

  “Hey, Blake.”

  “Angelica, you look lovely.”

  “Oh hush, these are just my work clothes. Wait here I’m just going to change, five minutes is all I need.” Without giving him a chance to speak, I sprint up the stairs back to my closet to change into the dress.

  The dress is a beautiful nude colored Alice + Olivia Drina dress Joey bought for me a while ago. Its high neckline and above the knee length is just what Betty recommended. It’s tight but doesn’t show anything aside from my shape. I complement it with strappy heels and small studded earrings. Grabbing my long coat from my closet and my purse, I head down to Blake. He’s waiting for me right where I left him. Hearing me coming down the stairs, he looks up at me with such awe in his eyes I almost melt.

  “Is this okay? I’m not sure what the dress code is for meeting one's parents.”

  “Angelica, you look simply breathtaking.” He takes my hand and pulls me to him.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Placing my lips on his, we exchange a sweet kiss. “We better get going before I take you right back up those steps.” I swat him in the chest then follow him to the waiting town car outside.

  Once inside I can’t help but fidget. What if they don’t like me? What if they think that Blake deserves someone better? Maybe they’ll want him with someone more prominent than me?

  “Are you trying to tangle your hair?” I look at my hands and see I’m relentlessly twirling a strand of hair with my finger. “Relax Angelica. They are going to love you.”

  “What if they don’t?”

  “They will, please relax.”

  “I’ll try, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I meet new people almost daily, but something about them being your parents makes it so much more nerve-wracking.”

  “You’re turning a lovely evening into a stressful one for yourself. Please stop, all will be well, and if by some chance in hell they don’t like you, I’ll just kick them out.” He winks at me and kisses my cheek. “Trust me, okay?”

  “Okay.” I turn and kiss him on the lips just as we pull up to his penthouse. “It is nice to finally come to your place. Well, while I’m conscious at least.”

  “Not funny Angelica.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be Blake, simply stating a point.”

  Not liking my last comment he shakes his head then grabs hold of my hand and I follow him inside the high-rise he calls home. One57 is the swankiest of all high rises. It’s one of the newer buildings in the city, although it’s quickly becoming one of the most exclusive. I’ve driven by this high-rise many times but have never actually been inside. The doorman greets us and opens the door. The front doors are distinguished by a wave like an awning made of glass that lights up. The lobby is as sophisticated as I thought it would be. To the left of the entrance is a desk occupied by three employees, Blake tells me that the building doubles as a hotel on the bottom twenty floors. We walk past the desk to the right to a bank of elevators. An L-shaped leather couch sits in a corner with a coffee table and various magazines upon it. Using his key to open the elevator doors we ride it up to the eighty-sixth floor. The elevator opens into his foyer, the floors are dark wood and the walls are a dark crème color. He empties his pockets onto the table in the middle of the foyer and I leave my purse beside his belongings. He turns me around and helps me take off my coat then disappears to put it away I assume. I walk further into his home to look around.

  The kitchen is to the right. It’s a chef’s dream come true, although I’m sure he doesn’t use it like it should be used. The cupboards are a dark mahogany and the appliances are all a dark gray almost black. The contrast is stunning. A wine refrigerator taller than me is built into the cupboards. It looks like there are four ovens—Betty would have a field day in here. The stove is to die for, double gas top with a grill on one side and a flat top on the other. I walk over to it and run my hands over it, I so need one of these. I feel Blake’s hands come around my waist.

  “I see you like the kitchen,” he whispers into my ear.

  “It’s a dream kitchen. I’m sure you don’t use it like you should.” I turn to face him.

  “You’d be correct in that assumption. I hardly have the time to cook. I know it’s a shame.”

  “It truly is.” I turn around again to continue my inspection of his penthouse. “Speaking of cooking, I thought we were having dinner here?”

  “We are.”

  “Well then, where’s the food?” I walk over to the wine fridge and look at all the wines, most I don’t recognize but one bottle catches my eye. “Why is my favorite wine in here?”

  “It’s all in the details, Angelica. I remember you ordered it at the restaurant we went to on our first date, I made sure to have some for tonight.”

  “I’d hardly call a work dinner our first date.”

  “Well, what would you say was our first date then?”

  “Probably that same night you’re thinking of, but not dinner, dessert.” I smile at him. He comes from behind me again and kisses my neck. Goosebumps litter my arms. “Enough of that, I need to have my whit’s about me to meet your parents.”

  “If you’re tense I could alleviate some of that pressure.” The way he emphasizes pressure makes my panties damp.

  “Enough you fiend, now where’s dinner?”

  “There're a few restaurants in the building, I thought we could order from there and have it sent up.”

  “Well, aren’t we fancy?”

  “Would you prefer something else?” He sounds concerned. Damn it why must I open my mouth?

  “No, it sounds perfect. I’m only giving you a hard time.”

  Walking around the island, I pull out a barstool and have a seat. Blake goes to the wine fridge and retrieves my bottle of wine along with a bottle of red. He grasps four glasses and I watch with wonder as he opens the bottles with ease then pours them like a bartender would. He really is good at everything, even serving wine. As if his parents heard the bottles of wine pop, I listen to the chiming of a bell. Blake heads to the foyer and presses a button then returns to me. I grab the glass he’s poured and gulp it down like a shot. He laughs at me then pours me some more. I go to toss it back as well, but he puts his hand on top of mine to stop me. He takes my chin and kisses me gently. I pull away when I hear the elevator doors open, I guess it’s go time. Wearing a big smile, I let Blake take my hand and we walk to greet his parents.

  I hear the sound of heels clicking on the floor as we approach followed by solid footsteps behind that. Turning the kitchen corner, we come upon Mr. and Mrs. Harper. They’re both beautiful. Mrs. Harper is a gorgeous woman. She has a long blonde bob hair style, light makeup, and amazing fashion sense. Mr. Harper is dapper in khakis and a dress shirt. They’re both matching one another—they’re wearing a light blue color. That’s the cutest yet cheesiest thing ever.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Angelica Cane, my girlfriend.” He smiles at them both. I break eye contact with his parents to meet his eyes. He knows what he’s said and he knows I heard him loud and clear. He pulls me closer to his side. I’ll have to discuss that with him later. “Angelica this is my mother, Charlotte and my father, Mich
ael.”

  “Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Harper, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” I step forward and put my hand in front of Michael, he surprises me by grabbing me into a full-on bear hug.

  “None of those formalities for us sweetie, we hug in this family. Call me Michael.”

  “And call me Charlotte, please,” Charlotte says from beside him. Michael releases me then she takes me in her arms and hugs me just as tightly.

  “God, Mom and Dad, you guys promised not to embarrass me.” Blake is looking at his feet and his cheeks are beet red.

  “Oh hush, we aren’t embarrassing you, Blake,” Charlotte says as she winks at me. After she lets go of me, I walk back beside Blake and hold his hand.

  “Oh Michael, look how perfect they are together.”

  “Mom!” Both of his parents start laughing and I can’t help but to join in.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll try to stop embarrassing you,” Charlotte responds.

  We all walk into the kitchen and grab our glasses of wine. Blake has us sit in the living room and he starts a fire with a click of a button, then walks to retrieve a restaurant menu so we can order.

  Just as I’m beginning to fear the awkward silence, Michael speaks, “So Angelica, how long have you lived in the city?”

  “My whole life, I grew up here. My grandfather owns a large ranch in Texas that I often visited as a child, so I like to think I grew up there too.”

  “How lovely, what part of Texas?” Charlotte asks.

  “Three Rivers, it’s a small town.”

  “I think I’ve heard of that area, it’s an oil town right?” Michael questions.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Yes, I think a golf buddy of mine has mentioned it in passing.”

  “Does all your family live in Texas?” Charlotte asks with a smile. I mirror it.

  “No, only my grandfather does. My mother lives here in the city.”

  “Oh, how wonderful that you have her nearby,” she says innocently.

  “Yes, it is.” I nod in response. No need to mention that my mom is a bitch.

  “Mom, Dad, no more fifty questions, please.” Blake comes from behind. He hands his parents each a menu then returns to me and whispers in my ear, “I’m sorry about that.” I smile and nod at him, he has nothing to be sorry for.

  “What’s the specialty of this restaurant Blake?” I ask him.

  “They have an amazing steak and their baked potato is phenomenal.”

  “I’ll have that then.” I close the menu and hand it to him.

  “Oh, a woman that likes steak. You’ve found yourself a keeper, Blake,” Michael says.

  “Oh, honey, enough. But that does sound delicious I’ll have the same,” Charlotte adds.

  “Four steaks coming right up.” He grabs everyone’s menus then walks back to the kitchen and makes the call to the restaurant.

  I take a sip of my wine as Charlotte begins to speak, “Angelica, please accept our condolences on the loss of your dog.” Her voice is soft. The comment was so unexpected, I hadn’t been prepared and I feel tears sting the corners of my eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Angelica. I did not mean to upset you.”

  “No, no, it’s fine. I’m sorry, it’s just still fresh. I’m waiting for the time to come when it gets easier to talk about.”

  “Losing an animal is like losing family. We understand, we lost our family dog about two years ago. Blake was devastated.” Michael looks longingly at his son.

  “I had no idea, I’m sorry.” I sniffle a little and Charlotte rushes to her purse then back to me with a tissue. “Thank you.” Blake ends his call just as I take the tissue from his mother.

  “What happened?” He walks quickly to my side. “Are you okay?” He looks from me to his parents.

  “I’m fine really, it’s nothing.” I smile at him then wipe my eyes.

  “Why are you crying?”

  “Blake honey, we’re sorry. Your mother mentioned the loss of Angelica’s dog,” Michael says. Blake looks at his mother with his brows turned down.

  “Mother, how could you be so thoughtless?”

  “Blake, enough.” I rub his arm. “I'm okay, your mother was merely being polite. Eventually, I won’t make a fool of myself and cry every time someone mentions Rodger.” I smile at them all.

  “To Rodger.” Michael raises his glass. Another tear falls from my eye.

  We all raise our glasses and cheers to an amazing dog, gone too soon. After my rather embarrassing crying session, we fall into easy conversation. I ask them about their Hawaii property and they tell me how they’re going back next week, they love it there and hope to eventually make a permanent move. They tell us about the food they enjoy and the people they’ve come to meet. Watching them both take turns talking and finishing one another sentences is a beautiful thing. Someday I hope to have a very similar relationship, not only with my significant other but with my children. How wonderful it must have been for Blake to grow up in such a loving home, with not only one but two amazing parents to look up to. Luckily I had my granddad, but God only knows had I lived with him, my childhood would have been so much better. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I lean back into Blake, who’s sitting beside me and listening to the three of them talk about family vacations and the memories they made. I smile and answer questions when asked, but am somewhat checked out. I envy what Blake has, I wish I had fond memories of my mother, and I don’t even know my father.

  “It’s so lovely to see the two of you together like this, you seem to be perfectly at ease with one another. Your body language is that of a married couple.” Charlotte points between Blake and me.

  “Mom seriously?” Blake responds to her comment. I look between us and see that she’s right; I hadn’t even noticed the way we’re sitting. He’s sitting behind me with his arm around my shoulder rubbing small circles on my upper arm. I’m pressed up against his front with my empty hand resting on his knee. We truly do look very comfortable with one another. I pat his leg and smile at them all.

  “She has a point, Blake, I hadn’t even noticed.” I turn and smile at him. He surprises me by kissing my lips tenderly.

  “Oh my gosh Michael, look how perfect they are,” Charlotte squeals from the other couch. I break away from Blake and laugh.

  “God Mom.” Blake can’t help but to laugh along with the rest of us.

  The chiming of the bell can be heard from the foyer.

  “That will be dinner, let’s go to the dining table.” Blake steps away to answer the elevator as his parents and I make our way to the dining room.

  Blake returns a short time later with a server in tow. Blake comes from behind me and pulls my chair out, I notice Michael does the same for his mother. Once seated the server starts to plate our entrées in front of us as Blake heads to the kitchen to retrieve the wine. Who knew that not only could you order food from a restaurant here, but they would even serve you. Now that’s what I call service. The food looks amazing and smells even better. Once Blake is seated and the server is done, he heads back the way he came.

  “That must be why you don’t use that fabulous kitchen of yours,” I tell Blake.

  “It certainly is part of the reason, it’s extremely convenient.”

  “What would the other reason be?” I ask.

  “I can’t cook,” he responds.

  “That’s your own fault, I tried to teach you plenty of times, you wanted nothing to do with the cooking, only the eating. And boy did you like to eat.” I giggle into a bite of steak. Holy shit this is good. “I even tried to get you to grill with your dad, but no, you would just sit out there and eat with him.”

  “Mom, seriously?”

  I giggle again, it’s kind of cute seeing Blake so embarrassed.

  We all dig into our meal which is simply delicious. The steak is cooked to perfection, it’s perfectly rare but not bleeding at all, how they do that is beyond me. The baked potato is perfectly seasoned and topped with everything—cheese, sour cream,
butter, chives, and bacon. Good God, I’m so going to have to run tomorrow. Our conversation is fun and we talk more about how Blake went through a phase where they thought he was going to eat them out of house and home. Blake laughs now instead of yelling at his mom, although his cheeks still turn bright red. We’re almost done with our meal when Michael’s phone rings. He excuses himself from the table to take the call, so polite. Blake refills our glasses while he’s gone. Not even a minute later he returns to the table with a frown on his face. Blake’s immediately on alert.

  “Dad, what’s the matter?”

  “I’m sorry son, but your mother and I are going to have to end our night early.”

  “Why, what’s wrong?”

  Michael looks from me to Blake then back again. I’m not sure what that means, but I get the feeling that I shouldn’t be witnessing whatever’s about to happen.

  “If this is a family matter, please don’t let me intrude I can leave,” I tell them all.

  “You will do nothing of the sort. Michael, what is the matter?” Charlotte asks her husband.

  “Jon.” Is his single word response.

  The room goes quiet. Damn it! That means they know what happened between him and me, that’s why he was hesitant to say his name in front of me. Now that I think about it, he wasn’t mentioned all night when talking about Blake’s childhood. How could I barely have noticed that? I’m so dumb. God, how embarrassing. I start to stand when Blake grabs my arm to still me.

  “You’re not leaving, Angelica.” Blake stares straight into my eyes as he speaks. I sit down again. “What did he do this time?”

  “He seems to have made a scene in front of Gracie again, and Alicia felt it was necessary to call the police. He was arrested.” Charlotte gasps at Michael’s words.