Chapter 38

"My two girls," our dad called out, as we went into the house a few minutes later.

I saw Paige was immediately oohing and awwing about the beauty of it - the big open entry way, the huge, beautiful kitchen with marble countertops, the crown molding. I had been blown away by it as well. But that felt like ages ago. Now I was just in awe about how I felt, there. I shut my eyes, taking in a breath. It had been months, but I remembered every moment in that house with Mateo.

"Hey, Dad," Paige said happily, hugging him. "Your house is so perfect."

"Oh, thank you. Jenna is an interior designer, so..." He smiled at his wife, then turned back to Paige. "Look at you."

Paige rubbed her round belly. "Yeah, it's huge."

"It's a girl, I hear?" Jenna asked, stepping closer.

"Yes."

Jenna looked thrilled, then looked right at me. "Ah, Elena, so good to see you again!" She stepped closer again, already hugging me. "And Paige, wow, it's so great to meet you."

Paige smiled, hugging her as well. "Sorry I didn't come to the wedding. Things were... different."

"Oh no, honey. It's all good," Jenna went on. "We're so happy you both are here now."

I swallowed hard. The wedding. Things would have been very different had Paige been there that weekend. But I had spent the night on the beach with Mateo. Now I couldn't get his face out of my mind.

"It smells wonderful in here," Paige went on, following dad into the kitchen. "I'm starving."

"Good! Yes, let's go in to the dining room," dad told us, turning to lead the way.

The table was already set and the food was ready to eat. Jenna told Paige the story that I already knew about how they met, while dad served dinner. They didn't mention Mateo, and it was now obvious they hadn't invited him today. Paige smiled and laughed, listening intently to the story. It felt like she belonged there, by my side. I was happy we were there, together.

"I'm really happy for you both," Paige told them, taking a bite of her turkey. "Dad and I didn't always get along like he and Elena did. I guess when I found out he was getting married, and he heard that I was pregnant, we both..."

"Oh, Paige. We understand," Jenna smiled, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "We're happy you're here now."

I nodded, agreeing, as there was a loud noise in the kitchen. My dad quickly looked at Jenna, who looked confused. None of us said anything for a minute, but suddenly my dad jumped up from the table.

"I'll check it out."

I went back to eating, as did Paige, beside me. The meal was delicious and I didn't think much of it until my dad was back, a few minutes later. Behind him, Mateo stood tall, his eyes on me right away. His blonde hair was sort of in his eyes, and I couldn't read his expression.

"We have another dinner guest," my dad said, obviously unsure.

Jenna stood up and stepped towards Mateo, soon hugging him. He hugged her back and then shifted his weight, hesitating.

"Happy Thanksgiving," he spoke, now looking at everyone but me.

"You changed your mind about coming," Jenna told him, going back to her seat beside my dad.

"We had invited Mateo but he said he wouldn't be able to make it. So, we called to see if you girls wanted to join us," he explained, looking at me.

I looked down at my plate, saying nothing. I'd talked to Mateo three weeks ago, when he said he missed me. He wanted me. But then he admitted that he'd slept with his ex. Now he was there, in the same room as me. I didn't even know what to feel.

"Mateo, sit," Jenna demanded, then smiled. She nodded at the empty chair beside her. Across from me. "We're eating already."

He slowly crossed the room and pulled out the chair, but he avoided my eyes now. "It took a bit longer than I expected to get here. Sorry."

My dad cleared his throat. "It's a long drive. But you should have called and said you were coming."

"Right. Yeah," he nodded, then shrugged.

Jenna filled his with plate with turkey and vegetables and a little dinner roll, and then put it in front of him. He gave her a smile and picked up the unused fork, then started eating without another word.

The conversation over the next half an hour was awkward, to say the least. Paige stayed quiet, like I did, and dad and Jenna tried to fix the mood by talking, non stop.

"So, we're going to Florida, for Christmas," my dad announced, randomly.

"We booked an Air B&B for a week," Jenna added. "It's right outside the resort."

"That sounds awesome," Paige smiled, but I saw how nervous she really looked now.

Every time I looked up, even slightly, I noticed that Mateo had his eyes on me. I mean, we were sitting directly across from each other. But if I saw him, he'd look away. It didn't change how I felt. My heart was racing. I hated not knowing what was going on.

When we were all finished eating, I saw my dad whisper something to Jenna. She nodded, and as he got up and started stacking plates t bring to the kitchen, she looked at Mateo.

"So, Matty, are you staying tonight?"

It was already close to 6P.M. now, so obviously driving back to his college was not an option. Plus, he'd only just arrived.

Mateo pushed away from the table, a bit. "Is that okay?"

"Of course. Go, take these in with John," she said, motioning to some glasses on the table.

Mateo nodded, glancing at me again before standing up and walking towards the kitchen, glasses in hand.

I was holding my breath, I soon realized. If Paige wasn't chewing her fingernail, she would have been, too.

"Dear god, I'm sorry, Elena," Jenna whispered to me, as soon as Mateo was out of sight.

"It's fine," I said quickly, shaking my head.

He was her son, of course he was welcome in her home. It had nothing to do with me.

"Honey, what happened is not my business." Her expression was very soft as she spoke. "You're both adults. Your dad and I-"

"No, it's really okay," I said, not wanting to hear the rest. Not from her.

"We asked him to come because he had no one in Pennsylvania. He said he wouldn't be coming. We are so glad you two came, and Mateo showing up was not-"

I put my hand up, stopping her again. "Jenna, really, I'm fine."

"Thank you for inviting us," Paige spoke up. "We really hope to see more of both of you. You know, have you in our lives."

Jenna looked thrilled and it almost seemed like had forgotten how awkward things had just been. I nodded, because I wanted that too. I wanted Paige and I to visit them more, with Keegan and the baby. I wanted us to be a family again. Seeing Mateo would be hard, but we were adults. We could deal with it. We had to.