“Mom,” I said in a warning voice.
“Come inside. I have guests to attend to.” She ignored my tone and walked away.
I looked at Bella and saw the look of hurt on her face. My mother had dismissed her, not even giving her the chance to say a word. Sometimes, my mother really pissed me off. I had hoped she would be better. I had some stupid idea in my head that she would have been polite at the very least. I only hoped the rest of my extended family were much kinder.
“You okay?” I asked Bella.
She smiled. “I’m fine.”
“Bella, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you do this. My mom, she can be a handful at times.”
“It’s okay, really. I can handle it. So, she doesn’t like me. I’ll survive.” She shrugged a shoulder.
“Stick with me, and I’ll protect you in there,” I told her.
She giggled. “It cannot possibly be that bad.”
I grimaced. “I’m not so sure about that.”
We moved into the house, closing the door behind us. I followed the sounds of voices and laughter. There was a group in the living room, some of my distant cousins. I kept moving, heading toward the backyard where there would be a bit more space and we wouldn’t feel quite so trapped.
“Adrian!” my father greeted me.
“Hi, Dad.”
“I didn’t think you would come,” he said with a laugh.
“I said I would. Dad, this is Bella. Bella, this is my father, Stavros.”
“Hi Stavros—I mean, Mr. Gabris,” she said, fumbling her words.
“You can call me Stavros,” he told her, putting her at ease, unlike the way my mother had handled her.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you. I see where Adrian gets his height from.” She smiled.
My dad smiled and nodded his head. “All of my boys are good, strong men.”
“I bet they are,” she agreed.
“Adrian, get Bella and me a drink,” he said to me.
I looked over at her, making sure she was okay with that. “Anything diet or water will work for me.”
I nodded my head. “I’ll be back.”
I trusted my father to be decent toward her. I would have never left her alone with my mother. I could already sense the tension between Bella and my mother, and it wasn’t Bella’s doing. I was going to give it some time, but if she continued her rude treatment of Bella, I would say something. She might not be my real girlfriend, but she was someone I respected, and she deserved to be treated better than what my mom was doing.
I quickly fished around in the ice chests, retrieving two sodas and a bottle of water before making my way back to where my dad and Bella were still talking. I was waylaid by an aunt I hadn’t seen in a while. I kept my eyes on Bella, looking for any signs of distress. I was feeling guilty as hell for bringing her to this thing. My family would eat her alive, given the chance. They were all proud Greek men and women and didn’t particularly approve of any of those in my generation dating Americans, or anyone else who hadn’t been born and raised in the Greek traditions.
I managed to extract myself and make it back to Bella, who had been joined by one of my cousins. “Hi, Amanda,” I greeted my cousin, who was two years younger than me.
“Adrian!” she said. “We didn’t know you had a girlfriend. I thought your mother would be shouting it from the rooftops.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure she will.”
“I’m stealing her away,” Amanda said. “I want to introduce her to everyone. Besides, Uncle Stavros is probably boring her to death.”
“It was very nice talking to you, Stavros,” Bella said quickly.
“Here’s your drink,” I said, handing her the icy can.
“I guess I’ll be back,” she said as Amanda pulled her away.
I turned to my dad, who was grinning ear to ear. “Walk with me. I need to get something from the study.”
That was code for: he wanted to have a private conversation. Anytime he wanted to talk to one of us away from my mother’s ears, he would suddenly need something from the study. The something always changed, and we always walked out of the study empty-handed.
“What’s up?” I asked him.
I sat down in one of the leather pub chairs, waiting to hear what he had to say. He took a seat in the other chair and looked at me, smiling. “I like her.”
“Bella?”
“Yes, Bella,” he said with sarcasm. “Did you bring another woman?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m glad you like her.”
He nodded. “I like her, but she’s an American.”
I shrugged. “So?”
He looked at me with confusion. “Why would you bring an American here? You know your mother wants you to marry a proud Greek woman.”
“Because my mother isn’t the one who would be spending the rest of her life with the woman I chose to marry,” I said. “Bella is my girlfriend. We aren’t talking marriage.”
Hell, we hadn’t even talked about a relationship, let alone a committed one. I wasn’t about to tell him it was all a sham just to get my mother off my back. That would only make things worse—or better perhaps.
“She’s a nice girl, but she’s American,” he repeated.
“Dad, I know where she’s from. She’s a good woman. You said you liked her. What’s the problem? Do you mean to tell me you would really deny my happiness with a woman because of where she was born?”
“I think there are lots of girls from right here that would make a suitable wife for you. Girls that would know and understand our ways and appreciate our traditions and customs.”
“How do you know Bella wouldn’t?” I asked. “You’re not giving her a chance, and it’s pretty clear Mom isn’t either. Please don’t disappoint me and judge her based solely on her citizenship. You guys are better than that.”
“Maybe we are. Maybe we aren’t. I think it was a mistake for you to bring her.”
I narrowed my eyes. I was disappointed in him. I thought he would be the one person who would be an ally in the situation. I hadn’t expected my mom to welcome Bella with open arms, but the outright hostility was pissing me off.
“Well, it will be your loss if you don’t give yourself the chance to get to know her,” I said. “You’re going to lead a miserable, boring life if you only talk to people from Greece.”
“I talk to people all the time. I’m only warning you to think twice about this relationship. She’s an American and doesn’t know our ways. She will want to go home soon. Will you follow her or give up on her?”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“It’s something to think about,” he said. “Giving your heart to a woman you can’t have is going to make you the miserable person.”
“I haven’t given her my heart,” I argued.
He tilted his head to the side and studied me closely. “Haven’t you?”
Chapter 30
Bella
Amanda took me around, made some introductions, and then ditched me to go take care of her daughter. I found myself a little lost and not knowing what to do. I realized then that most of the older women were absent from the backyard. I suspected they were in the kitchen. I was used to helping out at the many potlucks and picnics back home and decided to make myself useful.
“Hi, can I help with anything, Mrs. Gabris?” I asked, walking into the kitchen and finding her and two other women slicing fruit.
“No thank you,” she snapped, not at all friendly.
“You can slice that cheese,” one of the women said, gesturing to a hunk of cheddar cheese resting on a cutting board.
“Perfect, I’d love to,” I said, relieved to be of some help.
Mrs. Gabris said something in Greek. I realized she was purposely shutting me out. Adrian’s warnings were not unfounded. The woman was extremely prickly and obviously hated me.
“Are you from America?” one of the women asked.
I nodded. “I am. I’m working at Adr
ian’s company as an intern.”
“Oh, you work with him?” the woman asked.
I tried to hide my grimace, realizing I may have said too much. “I do.”
“So, you’ve only been together a short time?” Mrs. Gabris questioned.
“Yes.”
“I see.”
There was more conversation in Greek before the two women took the bowls of cut fruit and left the kitchen, leaving me alone with Adrian’s mother. In my mind, I had just stepped into the ring with the woman, and I had better be prepared for a few blows.
“This is a big party,” I said politely. “Do you do this kind of thing often?”
She dropped the knife she was holding and came around the center island. She moved one hand to her hip and made a big showing of looking me up and down. It was an intimidation factor, and if I were made of lesser stuff, it would have been effective. As it was, she didn’t scare me in the slightest. I had dealt with women like her my entire life.
“I do,” she snapped. “Why are you with my son?”
“Pardon me?”
“I asked, why are you with my son? Is it his money?”
I raised my eyebrows. “His money? That’s why you think I’m with Adrian? Have you seen Adrian? Have you spoken with him? Do you know him?”
She glared at me. “I know my son very well, and I know Americans very well. I know you all want money. You sell your bodies and your dignity for money. You make those stupid television shows and take naked pictures of your bodies and put them all over the internet. Americans don’t understand anything except money.”
I smiled, taking a deep breath in the through my nose before slowly letting it out. “Adrian is a good, kind man, and his money means nothing to me.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” she snapped.
“And that’s your prerogative,” I said in a sweet voice, letting her know she wasn’t going to get a rise out of me. “I think I’m going to take this cheese out to the table. Did you need me to take anything else?”
I wouldn’t disrespect Adrian and go rounds with his mother. It took all of my willpower to keep my mouth shut. I promised myself if she kept going, I would say something, but words weren’t going to be what broke me. I had heard and seen prejudice all my life. She was nothing new.
I put the plate of cheese on the table and looked around for Adrian. I needed a drink but had left mine in the kitchen. There was no way I was going back in to get it. I felt out of place and noticed the stares coming my way. My blonde hair and fair skin stuck out like a sore thumb in the backyard full of dark-haired people with beautiful olive complexions.
“You look lost,” I heard a deep voice say.
I turned around and found Stavros coming toward me. I scanned the area for Adrian but still didn’t see him.
“Not lost, just taking in the scenery,” I said. “You have a beautiful home, and this backyard is amazing.”
He smiled and nodded. “We have our son to thank for all of this.”
“You must be very proud of him.”
“We are,” he said. “He’s a good boy. His mother thinks of him as her baby still.”
I could tell Adrian got his friendly side from his father. It certainly didn’t come from the woman in the kitchen. She was hard, jaded, and prejudiced against poor people.
“There you are,” Adrian said, walking up to us and putting his arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into him, relieved to have him back by my side. “You’re back.”
“Everything okay?” he asked, looking into my eyes.
“Yep, great,” I said with a bright, fake smile.
“I’ll leave you two alone. I need to find my brother.” Stavros walked away.
“Is everything okay with you?” I asked in a quiet voice.
He nodded. “Yes, my dad just wanted to talk for a minute. Where did you get off to? I came back and didn’t see you. I was worried you had tried to find the bathroom and ended up in the ocean,” he teased.
“Ha. Ha. I was in the kitchen—with your mother.”
He stiffened. “Oh?”
“It’s fine. I cut up some cheese and brought it out.”
“Okay, good,” he said, sounding relieved.
I understood it all now. He knew his mother well. She could filet a person with her sharp tongue. I suspected his past girlfriends had been subjected to her warm welcome and he knew what to expect.
“We’re ready to eat!” Mrs. Gabris hollered, clapping her hands together.
It was a bit like a tidal wave. The sea of people rushed toward the tables, lining up while chatting and laughing. They all looked like very happy people and very close-knit. I envied the big family thing, but I also appreciated the bond my father and I had. It was only the two of us, and we never had to worry about a lot of drama.
“Keep your hands in, and you’ll be fine,” Adrian joked as we got in line.
“They do seem hungry,” I said with a laugh.
With our plates piled high with a variety of foods, some I had never heard of, we found seats at the table. Several tables had been pushed together to create a U. There was a happy hum of conversation as people ate and caught up on their lives.
“Has everyone met the American?” Mrs. Gabris asked loudly from her spot at the center of the U.
I closed my eyes and inwardly groaned. I looked at Adrian, who had a frown on his face. He turned to look at his mother from where we were seated on her left.
“Mom, stop, please,” he begged in a low voice.
“My youngest son has brought home an American,” she said, practically spitting out the word.
The conversations around the tables ceased. Everyone was looking at me. I could feel the eyes and wanted to shrink into my seat. I waited for Adrian to jump to my defense. He didn’t.
A male voice called out from across the U. “Why an American, Adrian? Are Greeks not good enough for you?”
I looked around, trying to see who had said it.
“He refuses all the suitable young ladies I have introduced him to. Instead, he goes searching in the dark corners of the world.” His mother scoffed.
I raised my eyebrows, knowing that would definitely be what set Adrian off.
“Mother!” he scolded.
I used my hand to cover my smile. Adrian was going to put her in her place.
“Yes, son?” she asked, her voice cool and the look on her face a little frightening.
“Please stop,” Adrian said in a soft voice. “You haven’t even gotten the chance to know her.”
My mouth dropped open. I looked at him, wondering where in the hell my big, masculine hero had gone off to.
“I don’t need to know her,” she said with a smile and staring directly at me. “She works for you. I understand now. You’re having a little fun. Americans are good for that. When you’re ready to settle down with a real woman, I have a few I would like you to meet.”
I cleared my throat, taking a drink from the bottle of water I had picked up.
“That’s enough,” Adrian growled.
It wasn’t a forceful growl by any means. I had seen him be sterner with a client he was trying to woo.
“It isn’t enough by any means,” she said. “You’ve disrespected me and your family by bringing her here.”
I turned to look at Adrian, waiting to see what he would say.
“I’ve done no such thing,” he said. “You’re being disrespectful. I told you I was seeing someone, and you insisted I bring her.”
She curled her lip in disgust. “I wouldn’t have extended the invitation had I known she was an American working for you.”
There was a gasp from all around the tables, as if working for Adrian was akin to being a beggar. I didn’t understand how she could be so haughty when Stavros had just told me it was Adrian who bought their home. I knew they were comfortable, but they weren’t wealthy like their son was. They weren’t any better than I was.
“What are you
saying?” Adrian snapped.
“I’m saying your girlfriend, if that’s what you want to call her, is not welcome at my table.”
I smiled, put the cap back on my water bottle, and slowly pushed my chair back. “I’m sorry to have ruined your family gathering.”
“You’ve ruined nothing,” she said. “Adrian, you are not welcome at our table until you learn to show some respect.”
“Mom, you’re being ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve never known you to be so hateful and rude. Dad, you need to get her in line.”
“He will do no such thing,” she shouted, slapping her hand on the table. “I am not a woman to be handled. He agrees with me. All of us agree on this. You disrespect your heritage by bringing that woman here. You know better. I will not sit here and eat a meal with you when you are so blatantly thumbing your nose at us.”
“I’m not disrespecting anyone!” Adrian said. “I wasn’t aware there were rules about who I could date.”
“You know better!” his mother shouted back.
I looked to his father, who I thought had been nice and liked me, but I realized he was only being polite. He wasn’t thrilled to have his son stepping out with an American either. He’d just been too polite to say it.
I searched the tables and found Amanda. She’d been kind. She looked embarrassed, but she wasn’t willing to speak up for me either. I knew I wasn’t wanted, and there was no reason for me to stay. Adrian didn’t need a fake girlfriend. He needed a priest to perform an exorcism.
“I’m going to wait outside. It was nice to meet you all, or at least, I think it was. Have a good day.” I excused myself from the table.
I walked across the patio with my head held high. I would not let the woman think she had broken me. She was a vile woman in desperate need of a serious attitude adjustment. I yanked open the front door, letting some of my anger out where no one could witness it.
I was hurt. Not by what she’d said, but by what Adrian hadn’t said.
Chapter 31
Adrian
“Bella.” I called out her name as she walked away. She didn’t stop.
Fake It For Me Page 18
