“Yeah, I get it.” I sigh. “Is Dad okay with it?”
Gran is my dad’s mom. I can only imagine it’d be weird for him.
“Well, he doesn’t exactly have a choice. You know your gran.” She chuckles. “But he wants her to be happy. And Ed’s a good guy.”
Ed. So, that’s his name.
“And where is Ed from?”
“Over in Klamath Falls.”
“Mmhmm,” I say. “Well, I want to meet him before I leave.”
“You will, at the wedding. He’s your gran’s date.”
Well, thank God I did bring Charly with me; otherwise, I would have been the only one flying solo at this wedding.
Charly
“Your family is awesome,” I tell Vaughn as we drive the few minutes over to his house, which is on the same land as his parents’ place. They have a heck of a lot of land.
“Yeah, and they love you,” he says.
“Yeah, well, I helped with Sasha’s dress.” I lift my shoulder.
“No, they love you because you’re smart and funny and amazing.”
He picks up my hand and kisses it, and my heart starts to beat double time.
“My gran especially loved the ‘define sleeping’ comment.” He laughs. “What the hell was that?”
“I’m funny. What can I say?” I give a careless flick of my hair. But I don’t feel careless.
I try not to think about what my life might have been like if my dad hadn’t been a murdering sick bastard and my mom were still alive. But seeing Vaughn with his family, it was hard not to let my mind wander there.
I’d like to think I would’ve had a family like Vaughn’s. Loving and happy with people who genuinely liked each other. Not because they felt like they had to because they were family, but because they actually liked each other.
His family has made me feel so welcome. I was nervous to come, and it was a little overwhelming at first, but I really enjoyed being in their company.
I can see where Vaughn gets his dry sense of humor—from his gran. She is awesome. And his mom is beautiful, and Vaughn looks just like his dad. Sasha is lovely. I can’t wait to meet Meg at dinner later.
When I showed Sasha her dress, her eyes filled with tears. At first I thought she was sad, but then I realized they were tears of happiness. Then, she hugged me tight.
I’ve come to quickly realize that the West family is a hugging family. It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m getting there.
Sasha was just overjoyed with her dress. She told me that I was a magician with a needle and thread. I’m not so sure that Vaughn’s once-punctured ball sack would agree, but it was nice to hear.
Watching how happy I made her just from my ability to fix her dress had my heart full and my chest glowing with pride.
Glancing up, I see a huge gorgeous-looking ranch in our approach. “Is this it?” I ask.
“Yeah, this is home.” He smiles.
If I thought Vaughn’s mom and dad’s farmhouse was big, this place is ginormous.
It’s an L-shaped two-story ranch with a front porch. There’s a two-door garage, a grassy front area with shrubbery, and a purpose-built driveway, off the track of his family’s land, which we’re currently driving up.
“It’s amazing,” I breathe, staring at it.
He parks the car in front of the house and turns off the engine, and we both climb out of the car.
I follow him around to the back of the car. He pops the trunk and then pauses.
“So, I have this rule about my house…” He scratches his forehead, staring at me.
“It’s not a no-clothes rule, is it? Because your house has a hell of a lot of windows, West, and I wouldn’t want to have the girls out on display when a member of your family comes a-knocking.”
“No.” He chuckles. “Although that is a really good idea, Pins.” He rubs his chin with his hand. “The no-clothes rule…yeah, I think—”
“No way, West.” I fold my arms over my chest. “So, what’s the original rule?”
“I don’t have any electronics in my house.”
“You don’t have any electronics in your house?” I slowly repeat back to him.
“Yeah. No cell phones. No laptops, tablets. Anything. My home is an electronic-free zone.”
“Um…why?”
“Because I spend most of my life in Hollywood, surrounded by the fucking press and news stories about myself and where I went to take a piss the night before. When I come home, I don’t want to see any of it. I don’t want to see stories about myself. My home is my sanctuary. I come here for peace. Here, I get to be a normal person.”
“Normal people have cell phones.”
“Funny,” he says. Then, he puts his hand out. “You wanna come into my home, you’ve got to hand over your cell phone.”
“Really?” I grimace.
“Really.”
Jesus, he’s serious. How the hell am I going to live without my cell? It’s an extension of me.
“What if Nick calls? If he can’t get ahold of me, he’ll be worried.”
“He knows where you are, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, I’m guessing he won’t think I’ve killed you. But, if you need to call him or Ava or anyone, then, by all means, come out here and make your call. But not in my house. So, phone, please.” He wiggles his fingers at me.