Page 54 of Leah

It was an epic fail on my part.

“This weather is perfect,” Marlena remarked. “Hot, but not humid.”

“It’s nothing like LA,” Alyssa returned with a snobby look.

“Sorry Abbotsford isn’t rocking your boat,” I sarcastically replied, unable to hide the bite in my tone. I felt like shit. My head was pounding, and I knew it was a goddamn hangover.

When had I become such a lightweight?

Rome shot me a warning look and I ignored it as I took a small bite out of my food.

“Weather is weather,” grunted out Harold.

“And divas are divas,” Carter then inserted. “Hard to please.”

Rome exhaled in irritation and Alyssa rolled her eyes, hissing under her breath for Rome to defend her. He merely grunted, the dispassionate look in his eye impossible to ignore. The rest of us smiled as we ate.

Marlena turned to me, nudging me with her elbow. “I’m having dinner tonight. You should come around again. I love seeing you. It’s been so long, hasn’t it? You can invite Melanie, too.”

Rome noticeably stiffened. “No, Mom, not Melanie.”

“Why not? I like Melanie. She’s an incredible asset at the bar, and she doesn’t complain about unimportant things.” Marlena’s eyes flashed to Alyssa briefly, and I caught the gist of what she was getting at.

“She’s got work anyway,” I said, and it was luckily the truth.

“So then just you then,” Marlena urged with a smile.

I deliberated for a moment, feeling once more Carter’s stare. “I might,” I replied on a shrug. “I’ve got a long shift at work. I might not make it.”

“When do you get off?” Carter suddenly asked me.

“Um, mid-afternoon,” I answered ambiguously.

I didn’t want to make promises I wasn’t sure I could keep, and that involved coming back here to have my senses wiped clean by the blue-eyed gorgeous man who effortlessly dazzled me with just one look.

“So come after that,” Carter replied. “We’ll be here.”

“Not like we can go anywhere,” whined Alyssa. “You didn’t bring the guys.”

“What guys?” I asked.

“Bodyguards,” Rome answered on a sigh. “I figured we’re only here two nights.”

“But I wanted to go out,” Alyssa complained, fussing like a three-year-old child. “I haven’t been stuck in a house for hours like this before.”

I caught Marlena’s irritated glance at Harold. Harold, as ever, pretended to be oblivious. I felt bad for them, especially when Rome started to argue with his girlfriend about staying.

“You should try to be a little more understanding,” I suddenly said, looking at Alyssa evenly. “Maybe out there in your world you get to go out and do whatever it is you do, but this visit isn’t about you. It’s about Rome seeing his parents for the first time intenmonths.”

Alyssa immediately shut up, looking away from me, pouting.

I knew it wasn’t my place to say that, but it was fucking true nonetheless. Marlena was too nice to put her in her place about it and Rome was just being a pussy.

What other choice did I have?

These were parents who loved him, and he was pissing them away like they would always be around for him.

Rome was better than that.

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