It's been awhile since I've spent any real time at my mother's house. I glanced down at my phone to see the time. I had just over an hour to get ready before Andrew and I needed to head out. I was exhausted already though, my body aching from unpacking everything.

Piles were made for me of things I was supposed to throw away and I was a little fed up with the communication. Andrew was unhappy with the number of things I had brought as if he didn't have enough room in his house for all of it. I glanced at all the childhood knick-knacks that he had wanted me to throw away. There was no way I would ever be able to get rid of those.

I stand in front of the mirror, pulling my creme dress up my slender legs before rounding my shoulders with the straps, looking over my reflection I realized this dress might not be the best. My mother was way too obsessed with white furniture that I was sure anyone would be able to find me in her living room.

I gaze over my appearance for longer trying to figure out what I should wear. I felt fatigued and just ready to be around the people I love. Before I could answer my very own question Andrew comes strolling into the room, his nice shirt tucked perfectly into his pant bottoms.

"Why are you dressed like you are going to a business meeting?" I tease him as I look him up and down. He was even wearing his rounded business shoes. I roll my eyes looking at how he was dressed. Why couldn't he just dress like a normal human being?

"You should treat everything like a business venture," He remarks feeling proud of his comeback as he plops down on the freshly made bed. I roll my eyes preparing my very own response.

"Emotionless and all for the money?" I stroll towards him, my hips swaying in the tight material as he smiles up at me.

"Exactly," I shake my head, disgusted with his response I stop closing the distance between us. That was not the response I had wanted from him.

"Except when it comes to family," I snarled looking back into the mirror. There was no reason for him to have that mindset. I felt like screaming, glancing over my makeup. I had tried everything I could to not dress to pretentious but still fancy and here he was thinking it was a challenge to be as business as possible. "Go change," I pointed towards his closet. My finger trembling as I realized his closet was larger than my very own.

For a man who wore nothing other than suits he sure had a large closet organized to the hanger everything was hung on to the stitch count of some of his suits. I couldn't imagine going through life like that.

Once Andrew was dressed in a more appropriate attire and I had changed into a nice sweater and a pair of nice jeans we were on our way out. Heading towards my mother's house. My mind was racing and my body was full of excitement. Sure I saw my mother at work almost every day but that wasn't the same as just spending some good time with her, whether it was at her house or my apartment.

Jumping in the car was the easiest part of our journey to my mother's house. Andrew sat quietly searching through magazines, pretty much ignoring me the entire drive. Fifteen minutes in and I couldn't take the silence anymore. I know we only had a few more minutes before we would be there, but the quiet was putting me in a horrible mood.

"Are you excited for what my mother prepared?" I question leaning against Andrew. He nods barely looking up from his reading. I placed my hand on his thigh squeezing gently before speaking again. "Hey, pay attention please,"

"I am," He nodded once again still not looking up from the magazine. He flips the page starting on the next paragraph. I wanted to strangle him.

"No, you are not," I reach forward grabbing the magazine out of his hand, slamming it shut and setting it back down on the seat next to him. "This is important to me and I need more attention than what you are giving me, so please focus up," I tried my best to smile as the emotion swirl through my body.

"Fine, sorry," Andrew whimpers as he looks out the window. His hands bouncing against his lap, the nerves getting to him. Why was he so nervous to spend time with my family, they loved him. Clara told me all the time she was jealous of him, even if I did think it was just because of the mansion he lived in. Clara was always in love with expensive things and I never really had an eye for that. I loved clean simple things and the larger the house the harder it is the keep things simple and unique.

The car pulls up to the curb of my mother's house and Andrew and I get out as the driver waits for us in the car. My heart pangs with guilt that Andrew made him stay there. He could have left, we could take a cab home. He probably had a family he wanted to get to. I ushered Andrew to head inside I informed him that I had forgotten something in the car. He nods giving me a quick kiss on my forehead before heading into the house. I rush back to the car heading to the driver's window where the man seemed to be staring at an image of the pretty young girl.

"Is that your daughter?" I question as I look through the cracked window. He pulls in a deep breathe straightening up in the seat. Nodding rapidly he places the image on the seat next to him.

"Yes, ma'am,"

"Don't call me that, I'm not your boss, go ahead and spend some time with your family. Andrew and I can find a way home. You deserve a night off instead of just sitting out here waiting. Anyways we might spend the night and that's not fair to you. So get going, I'll inform Andrew when he has had a few to drink so he is in a better mood," I smiled ushering for him to get heading home. The driver's eyes light up as he listens to my words.

"Can I really?" I nod in response. Of course, he could, the fact that all of Andrews help was so scared of him made me so angry. They had no need to be, they were doing their job the best they could and if he was so difficult he needed to take a long hard look at himself. I turned on my heel heading into the house before the man drove off. I felt better after having that conversation with him. Hopefully, Andrew wouldn't be too mad at me.

The smell of the delicious dinner wafts through the house. Decorations were perfectly in place as my mother rushes into the kitchen with a warm pan of perfectly cooked food. My body shakes as I sit in excitement for the meal. I felt warm inside surrounded by all the people I loved. Clara was here, Andrew was here, and my mother was here. Everyone that was important in my life was here spending the evening at my mother's house.

She places the steaks she had scoured over all day on everyone plates. They sit nicely on the cooked carrots and mashed potatoes everyone already had. I smiled at my mother as she took her seat. Rubbing her hands together she held her hands out for us to begin eating.

"Please do enjoy," She mutters glancing down at her food as she grabs her utensils so she can dig in.

"Oh, I better hurry before it gets cold!" Clara practically shouts as she stabs her fork into the middle of her steak holding it up to her mouth to take a large bite out of it. Andrew looks at her in disgust as she continues to munch on her steak without cutting it. I nudge him in the rips bringing his attention back to his food.

"You are freaking out Andrew," I whispered to Clara across the table as she takes another bite. She rolls her eyes placing the steak back on the plate. Grabbing her knife she stiffens her back before using her best manners to cut the steak into tiny bites.

"This is how you ruin a steak, you cut it allowing all the juices to flow all over the rest of your food, which is good, but it causes your steak to dry out and then you just have sat meat and steak flavored potatoes," Clara does her best to put on her best educational voice. Andrew was obviously not amused by her comedy.

"Sorry," Clara mutter slouching to her natural seating position before cutting her steak like a normal person and eating it as well as she could naturally. I felt awful at the way Andrew was acting. My mother cackling in the corner at Clara's personality. This was something that both of us loved about her. She was playful and fun, she never took things too seriously and for some reason, Andrew seemed to suck that right out of her.

I dig into my very own food, realizing I hadn't even touched it because I was too focused on the tension between Andrew and Clara. I search my mother for an answer on what to do. Especially when Andrew begins asking my mother personal questions.

"So Evelyn, was it hard coming into a marriage with a man who had a child?" My mother chokes on her potatoes as she processes the question.

I slap him in the stomach shooting him a glare. Where had that question even come from?

"What was that for? I just want to get to know her better, see the differences in how we were raised," He whispers to me. My eyes are as wide as saucers as I stare into his green orbs.

"You don't have to answer that momma," I mumbled looking down at my plate picking at the food.

"No, it's fine," She staggers her speech as if she is trying to decide how she feels about it. "Marrying Erin's father was the best thing I've ever done. He was and is the sweetest man I've ever met, he was so proud of her for everything she did. He loved her unconditionally and that never changed even as he got older. When she would go to school he would be sad for the first three hours he was gone, because the amount of time she was gone was greater than he could handle. Once there was only a couple of hours before she would come home he would get excited. He would start watching outside the window for the bus to drop her off by the shop. That's all he would do, and that was his daily routine. If she was ever five minutes late it would crush him," My mother reaches across the table holding my hand.

"So coming into a marriage where he had a daughter that he was so amazed by, so in love with was an amazing idea, because I knew how he would treat me, and how he would treat our kids if we were to have any of our own. Unfortunately, we found out I wasn't able to have kids. That was okay though, because I already had the best one and didn't need anymore," I smiled as she had said that. Andrew just nods his head as he continues to munch on some of his food.

"Do you guys want to take this to the couch?" Clara questions, holding her back. "I overworked myself trying to be proper," She teases as she takes the last bite of her food. Andrew pushes his plate away waiting for someone to take care of it. I watched carefully as he folds his hands.

"What are you doing?" I question watching as his plate sits awkwardly on the other half of the table.

"I'm done, doesn't somebody come and pick these up now?" He questions looking about the room. My mother swoops in grabbing his plate as she tidies up the table.

"Only this time because you got lucky," She shoots him a concerned look before giving me the same look. I was embarrassed about the way Andrew was acting. This was ridiculous.

We all quickly took our seats on the couch as my mother puts another log in the fire. The flames cracking as they reached the top of the pit, blowing out the warm heat. I rub my hands together curling up next to Andrew.

"Erin, how long has it been since we've been on vacation?" Clara questions, my mother brings out a tray of wine handing each of us our very own glass. I thank her before turning back to Clara.

"Like never," I mumble swishing the liquid around before taking my first drink. I watched carefully as Andrew sips his, making sure he drank some before I informed him of his driver.

"Exactly, we need to spend a week or something in California. I've never seen the beaches out there and I see no better way to explore the west coast than with my best friend," My heart warms as she speaks. Honestly, a beach vacation sounded exactly like what I needed. Andrew and I had been fighting so much lately and it was really starting to wear on me. I could feel the stress weighing on my body with everything I did.

"Yeah, we should definitely plan something for like next month or something. The shop will be slow for a few weeks before we ramp back up for our spring sale," I look at my mother as she nods holding up a glass.

"I think that sounds like a lovely idea for you two, and maybe I will take mine in the busy months, or next Hell Week," She quickly sips her wine, her eyes wide as she teases us. Clara pretends to choke as she shakes her head.

"There's no way you are getting away during Hell Week," Clara mutters, pretending to cough.

"Erin, I don't want you going to California," Andrew piped in, his voice soft. He shrugs his shoulders leaning forward so he was only speaking to me. "It seems a little far away and a week is a long time, I don't think you can go,"

Clara's eyes were as large as the moon as her face starts to change into a bright red. My heart stops as his words start to sink in. Andrew did not have that kind of control over my life but suddenly I felt bad for wanting to go on this trip.

"What do you mean she can't go?" Clara pipes in as she stares at Andrew over the coffee table. Everyone held their glasses of wine carefully in their hands. "I think she needs a break, Erin does everything for everyone and never gets to treat herself," I felt thankful for my friend trying to take care of me but if Andrew really didn't want me to go then I couldn't.

"She will have a break when we go on our honeymoon," Andrew seemed calm, his words cutting through the room like a knife. I watched carefully as the two continued to argue. My mother and I sitting back and watching as the two of them implode.

That isn't enough! She needs to get away with her best friend from time to time and it's been years since we were able to do that together without it being work-related. We are going on a trip," Clara was getting noticeably angrier as she spoke. Andrew seemed to hold his stature well. His lip twitching only slightly as he inhales sharply.

"A trip does sound nice sweetheart," I try my best to use my sweetest voice. I wanted to go on this trip with Clara, she was promising oceans, sunsets, lots of fun and I was ready to spend a week on the beach. I wanted to explore, I wanted to see new things and I hadn't ever been to California.

"Why do you have to go so far away for so long?" Andrew swirls the liquid in his glass.

"California for a week?" Clara places her glass on the coffee table before folding her arms across her chest. She was about to get sassy. "You think that is ridiculous? Tell me, how long was your last vacation?"

"I took a month off to travel around Greece," Andrew responds, his voice cracking as he does so. He knew exactly where she was taking this.

"So why, in the world is Erin not allowed to go to California for a week with her best friend!" Clara was starting to shout, my mother diving in to calm her down.

"It's okay," She whispers softly in her ear as she rubs her back. "No reason to get so angry," I was thankful for my mother jumping in to help save the day.

"Andrew, I'm going to go to California," I needed him to understand that I was serious. There was no way he was going to hold me back here. I needed to get out and do something for myself. I'd spent too much of the last year committing my entire life to Andrew and everything he was doing. It's been years since I'd been anywhere without it being related to work in some shape or form. A week on the beach was just what I had needed.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket I quickly searched for the plane tickets needed. Clara and I would be heading out to California in a weeks time. I felt excited for the first time since the engagement. I felt like I was finally going to get the break I well deserved.

Hopefully, Andrew would come around because Clara and I officially had tickets for California.

"Girls trip!" Clara shouts.