Chapter 20

                “Everly,” my mother knocked on my door while I was getting an early head start on my vacation assignments, “can I come in for a second?”

                I looked up from my English assignment, nodding as I placed my pen down. I hadn’t noticed that my hand was cramping until I gave myself a rest and stretched out my tired fingers. “What’s up?” I asked as my mother sat herself down on my bed, crossing one leg over another.

                “I was wondering if you’d want to join me to go to George’s New Year’s party tonight.” My mother gave me a soft smile as I immediately stiffened uncomfortably just at the sound of his name. “Is it too soon? It’s just he personally told me that he’d love to get to know you better.”

                I frowned, staring up as I met my mother’s eyes. She wasn’t pushing for me to accept George Collins’ dinner offer for tonight, but I could tell that she was really hoping that I’d accept it, anyways. I didn’t particularly like the idea of getting to know George Collins because some part of me felt as if he was trying to replace the role of my father. However, I also knew that my mother wasn’t planning to get rid of George Collins anytime soon, either. In fact, ever since I told her that it was fine for her to stay with him, she’s been so much happier.

                I pressed my lips together in a tight line as I mustered a weak smile. “He really said that?” I asked as my mother’s eyes enlightened with excitement. She nodded profusely as I itched the back of my neck, sighing. “Alright then, I guess dinner sounds great tonight.”

                My mother got up from my bed and approached me to press her lips against my forehead. The gesture felt so foreign because it’s been a while since I’ve had any closure with my own mother, but it also felt so warm and familiar at the same time. “You’re the best, Everly.”

*

                Since George Collins’ New Year’s party was this evening, I had no time to go out to find something to wear specifically for tonight. Staring at the blush pink dress that was hanging at the very back of my closet, I wondered whether or not I would still be able to fit it after all of these years. The last time I put that dress on was for my Aunt Tara’s wedding- nearly two years ago when I was just becoming a freshman in high school.

I pulled the dress off of its hanger and tried to shimmy myself into it. Although the dress was a bit tight, it wasn’t painful to wear. In fact, the slight tightness of the dress gave it a more fitted look when I put it on. Stepping in front of the mirror, I tugged on the quarter-length, lace sleeves of the dress.  I fixed my hair so that it was up in a low bun with loose strands of my wavy brown hair framing my face. I didn’t look too dressed up, yet suitable enough for a New Year’s dinner party. Once I slipped on a pair of neutral colored flats to go along with my dress, I fled downstairs to the driveway of my house, where my mother was waiting for me in the car. She was applying on a coat of red lipstick when I slid into the passenger seat of the car, buckling on my seatbelt. My mother smiled when her eyes scanned my attire, nodding with approval. “I’ve always loved that dress on you.”

                “I’m glad it still fits.” I said with relief as my mother began to pull the car out of the driveway, heading towards the Collins’ residence on the other side of town. “Otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve had anything to wear for tonight.”

                My mother chuckled. “No kidding.” She pointed to the black shift dress that she was wearing, leaving just one hand on the steering wheel. “I had to pull this out from the very bottom of my dresser. The last time I wore this was for-.”

                “Aunt Tara’s wedding?” I finished off for her.

                The two of us stared at each other like wide smiles on our faces before bursting into laughter. A feeling of warmth surged through me as I finally realized just how much I’ve missed spending time with my mother. I wondered just how much time I’ve wasted by being angry at her for these past months. My smile suddenly faltered as I felt a wave of guilt overcoming me.

                My mother immediately picked up on my sudden sour mood as she frowned, glancing at me from the corners of her eyes. “Hey, are you alright?” she asked confusedly. “Why the long face, dear?”

                I took in a deep breath, mustering a weak smile. “Mom, you don’t hate me for staying mad up until a few days ago, right?” I asked quietly. “I’ve said some really mean things, but now that I think about it, I was just being a bitter and mean child by-.”

              “Everly,” my mother smiled with comfort, “there’s no need to bring up that stuff. I understand that you were hurt.”

                I blinked up, searching my mother’s face for any signs of dishonesty. “You do?” I asked, just to make sure.

                “Of course.” My mother sighed. “I understand that you were mad because of what I did behind you and your father’s backs. I understand that it’s not easy watching your parents split up and having a father move across the country. If anything, I should be the one apologizing, hon.”

                I stayed quiet, feeling pain etch its way into my heart before I pushed it away, replacing it with a smile. Despite all of the troubles that were occurring outside of the car that my mother and I were currently in, I couldn’t have been more grateful.

                I had my mother back and that was all that mattered at the moment.

*

                “Wow,” I muttered, staring at the mass of people right before my very eyes. The second we entered the doors of the Collins’ mansion, my mother and I were presented with people, all dressed up in expensive looking suits and dresses, socializing while drinking glasses of wine being passed out by waiters pacing around the ballroom, “who are all of these people?”

                “Some of them are family members, but most of them are business partners of George.” My mother explained. “Oh, I see George! Let’s go say hi, honey.”

                Before I got a chance to protest, my mother was pulling me by the arm towards the staircase, where George was on the phone. George spotted us from the distance and muttered something into his phone before taking it away from his ear and shoving it in the pockets of his trousers. “Evelyn, I’m so glad you could make it.” he greeted, giving my mother a quick peck on the cheek before turning to me with one hand out. “Everly, it’s great to finally meet you, formally this time.”

                I shook George’s hand back in response, giving him a small smile. “Thank you for having me tonight.” I said, staring at the scene before us. “The party looks great. Everyone seems to be having a good time.”

                George released a chuckle, putting his arm around my mother’s waist. “I really would’ve liked to have a proper dinner, just with our families, but your mother insisted that having you over a party was just as fine.”

                My mother laughed, shaking her head. “I only said that because I didn’t want you going out of your way when you’re already as busy as you are now!”

                “It wouldn’t have been a hassle.” George insisted. “Besides, it would’ve given me a better chance to finally get to know Everly.”

                “I’m pretty sure we’ll have a lot more opportunities to get to know each other more.” I assured. Judging by the way my mother was so attached to George Collins, I was absolutely sure that I would be seeing a lot more of him.  

                “I’m really thankful to hear that.” George grinned. “I’d love to introduce you to my family, but everyone seems to be scattered around this house. I’ll be sure to gather them all together before the party ends so that you can meet them.”

                I smiled, nodding. “I’d love that.”

*

                I rinsed my hands off in the sink, drying my hands off with a soft rag before exiting the bathroom.

                As I made my way down the hallway to head back downstairs, a woman wearing a royal blue gown suddenly stopped me with frustration written all over her features. “Excuse me, did you just come from the bathroom?”

                “Yeah, it’s just right down the hall at the last door to the left.” I pointed to where I’d just come from.

                A wash of relief overcame the woman’s face as she released a soft laugh. “Oh, thank heavens!” she chuckled. “I swear, I’ve been looking for the bathroom for fifteen minutes.”

                I laughed along with her, nodding in agreement. “It took me some time to find it, too.” I admitted. “This house is huge.”

                “You’re telling me!” she laughed as her eyes sparkled with amusement.

I suddenly stiffened as I stared into the depths of her eyes, noticing that they were so familiarly vibrant. There was someone else who I knew very well that had those identical orbs. Eyes that were so precise and bright like those were easy to identify within a blink of an eye.

                Jace.

                Was this woman Jace’s mother?

                “Well, thank you for showing me to the bathroom.” She smiled one last time before heading off down the hallway.

                This woman who I’d just met so briefly gave me an overwhelming feeling of warmth. I frowned with confusion as I made my way back downstairs, wondering how it was possible that this woman was the evil mother that Jace had told me about. She seemed so friendly and easy to get along with- and that was just judging from the few seconds that I’d spoken to her.

                I brushed off the thought because there was no way that she was the monster Jace told me about.

                “Everly?” a voice suddenly called out my name.

                I turned my attention to my left from the staircase, where I heard my name. I immediately locked eyes with Ryan as his expression displayed evident shock- and was that panic I saw, as well?

                “What are you doing here?” Ryan asked as he approached me frantically.

                I frowned, raising an eyebrow. “What?” I asked, not being used to Ryan talk to me in this kind of demanding tone. “Ryan, why don’t you sound too happy to see me?”

                “You can’t be here.” Ryan warned with a low tone.

                I blinked, shaking my head. “You’re acting really weird right now.” I muttered. “What’s going on?”

               Ryan’s eyes looked defeated and torn as she shook his head. He gave me a troubled look before biting back his lips, as if he was trying his best to hold back what he wanted to say so badly. “Fuck,” Ryan cursed, “this is really bad. Why are you here?”

                “Well, my mother is dating George Collins, you know, the host of this party?” I said, feeling suddenly offended by Ryan’s unintentional behavior. “Don’t I have a right to be here?”

                Ryan’s eyes widened, groaning and muttered incoherent phrases under his breath. “I-I’m freaking you out, aren’t I?” Ryan sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s just you have to leave this party as soon as you can.”

                I was at lost for words. I was asking questions yet Ryan wasn’t giving me answers, which caused me to become extremely frustrated. “Why?” I snapped. “Ryan, I’m not leaving unless you tell me why I can’t be here.”

                “Oh God, this is so twisted and sick.” Ryan muttered to himself, pressing his palm against his forehead in exasperation.

                I saw my mother approaching me from the corner of my eye as she gave Ryan a small smile before holding onto my arm. “Hi, are you a friend of Everly’s?” my mother asked. “Can I just borrow her for a quick minute?”

                Ryan almost looked relieved to have me be taken away as I felt a pang in my heart. “Nice to meet you, I’m Ryan.” He smiled sadly before giving me an apologetic look. “And sure, you can take her away.”

                “Thank you.” My mother grinned before taking me towards the dining room of the house. “He seems like a nice boy.”

                “He is.” I sighed, still questioning Ryan’s motive to get rid of me. “He’s dating Julianne, actually.”

                My mother pulled away from me, a look of satisfaction on her face. “Oh really?” she gasped. “That’s lovely! I’m so glad to hear that our Jules has been happier lately.”

                I smiled at the thought of my best friend. “You aren’t the only one.”

                Approaching the dining room, I could tell that George had gathered his family, anticipating for us to meet one another. “Are you ready?” my mother asked cautiously just as we were about to step foot into the dining room.

                I released a breath, nodding as I began to tease. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I joked. “I’m meeting your boyfriend’s family, not the president.”

                My mom chuckled, leaning over to peck my forehead. “Thank you, again.”

                I smiled in return before we entered the dining room together, by one another’s side. George grinned immediately when he saw us, gesturing for us to come close. “Everly, I want you to meet my family.” George wrapped his arms around his children as they gave me small smiles. “This is my son and daughter; they’re twins. I have an eldest son, as well, but he’s away in college right now.”

                I stared between the set of twins, noticing a remarkable difference between the two. I immediately assumed that they were fraternal twins because while the son had brown hair and green eyes, similar to George’s, the daughter had ice blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. If George hadn’t told me so, I would’ve never guessed that the two were twins.

                “Hey, my name’s Cole.” The son stepped forward first, holding his hand out for me to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

                “Nice to meet you, too.” I returned the gesture. “My name’s Everly.”

                The daughter suddenly approached me, her eyes staring down at me intimidation before a smile appeared on her glossy pink lips. She held a hand out as I noticed that her nails were perfectly groomed and manicured. I gave her a weak smile in return as I leant forward to return her handshake. “Your dress is really pretty.” She complimented.

                “Thanks.” I said, gesturing towards her cherry red dress that seemed to hug her in all of the right places. “Your dress is really nice, too.”

                “Thanks, I actually had this specifically designed for my last birthday party, but I found something else to wear instead.” She chuckled. “My name is Christiana, by the way.”

                I blinked, wondering why her name was so familiar.

                “Christiana?” I asked.

                She suddenly frowned as she nodded slowly with confusion. “Yes, that’s my name.” Christiana confirmed. “Is there something wrong?”

                My mother gave me a worried look while George and Cole stared at me with the same puzzlement that was written on Christiana’s flawless features.

                I shook my head after a while, plastering a smile across my face. “No, nothing’s wrong.” I assured, not believing my words myself. “It’s just Christiana is such a pretty name.”

                Everyone seemed to relax at my words as Christina grinned. “Thanks, that’s really sweet.” She nodded. “Everly is a nice name, too. It’s unique.”

                “Well, I guess I could thank my mother for naming me that.” I teased before faking a cough. “Oh, my throat is feeling a bit dry. Where is the kitchen?”

                “It’s straight down the hall, hard to miss.” George directed.

                I nodded, faking a smile as I made an escape. “Thank you.”

                I slowly inched out of the dining room, where George’s family was, before sprinting down the isolated hallway. My heart was pounding against my chest in a dangerous speed and I felt my breathing become fast and unsteady. I was in complete panic mode.

                Christiana is Jace’s ex-girlfriend.

Yeah, I mean I guess you guys could cue in the dramatic music now lol. I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter because you all are going to hate me for the next one. Thank you for your continuous support by voting and commenting! :)