Page 135 of Puck with Karma
A glance to the side reveals that my brother is not in better shape. In fact, he might be even more nervous than me considering how his knee is bouncing up and down, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon.
“I wish Xander came with,” I whisper to Bran.
His one eyebrow goes up in question and his knee stops moving.
“Is he not involved in enough of my life, little sis?” he teases. “I go to work, he’s there. I visit with you, he’s there. You come over, he’s there…”
A soft snort of laughter threatens to escape my mouth.
“We are engaged to be married, Bran. And we’re family.”
Bran rolls his eyes, aggravation clear on his face, although, I know he’s only giving me a hard time. Xander has been growing on him despite the fact that most of the team is still looking at him as the public enemy number one. But these things take time.
“Speaking of family,” Bran elbows me to grab my attention.
I look up and start sweating instantly. Our parents are walking toward us. The looks on their faces are hard to read.
We decided on a neutral territory for this meeting, so Bran booked a small conference room at the hotel where me and Xander lived for a while.
Unsure of how this should go, I stand up when the door closes behind our parents, and they stop in front of the table.
“Abigail,” my mother’s voice sounds strained. She stares at me, no attempt to look at Bran. It takes me a while to realize that she is scared to look at her own son.
“Mom, dad,” I clear my voice. “Thank you for traveling all the way to…”
“Brandon.”
The gasp of air from my mother echoes around the room. Her lips are trembling, and her entire body looks frail. My father, sensing that she needs him, finally puts his hand out for Bran to shake.
“Son.” The tone of his voice sounds strong, so unlike my mother’s. “It’s been a while.”
There’s an awkward moment where Bran does not move. Instead, he towers over all of us, making me wonder if this was a good idea after all.
It all came from Mallory, who thought that both me and Bran needed closure. I let her get into my ear for months, then I finally agreed that she was right. I couldn’t let years go by like Bran had done. Especially after I witnessed the damage it did to his mental health despite him being unwilling to admit it.
I let out a long breath when I feel him moving. He lifts his arm and shakes our father’s hand.
“Ithasbeen a while,” he agrees.
When he turns his eyes to look at our mother, I shiver in my boots. The scared look on her face shows that she feels the same.
“W-we should all sit.”
I spread my arms wide to encompass the table, then point toward the tray of refreshments.
“Does anyone want any…”
“No,” they call cut me off at the same time.
I smooth my hands over the tight skirt I have on, taking a minute to regroup. We all sit down, then continue staring at each other, with the parents mostly looking at Bran.
Since no one is saying anything, I decide to take control of the situation. That is the one thing I have learned in the last few months as I’ve become more involved in meetings and contracts as Xander’s manager.
“We thought it would be a good idea to get together and clear the air,” I start. “Make peace, so to speak. Before the press gets a hold of the story.”
Mom’s shoulders go back as she sits straight in her chair.
“The only story there ever was, Abigail, was the one where we had to print a retraction on your engagement announcement. And that’s been settled.”
