Until Then : Book 1 - Until Then Series

by Victoria Ashlee

  I dialed Stefan’s number; it rang and rang and rang. No answer. I tried Keira, but she didn’t answer either. I couldn’t stay here all weekend like this. I’d be curled up in a closet by the time they returned.

  Keira said the drive wasn’t too long; she gave me the address early this morning just in case I changed my mind. I debated on calling Tim, but he would never take me there. I’m sure Stefan gave him strict orders to not take me anywhere out of the city. I couldn’t rent a car, not this late. Stefan does have his car...I could take that one. Is that stealing? Or just borrowing? Screw it. He will get over it.

  I grabbed the keys to his car, locked the house up, and threw my bag in the back seat. I walked around and got settled in the driver's seat.

  Fuck, this was a stick. Hopefully I could remember how to drive one of these. Luckily my dad let me drive his car when I was younger, up and down our street. It wasn’t very legal, but he thought every girl should know how to drive a manual. Maybe for situations like this? Although he probably wasn’t thinking I would be in New York, fleeing from who knows what, to a place I’ve never been.

  I turned the car on, and the blue lights filled the car. Why are there so many buttons? I just need GPS. I finally found the map, after pressing 13 different buttons on the screen. I attempted to pull out of the parking spot and instantly stalled out. Causing the car to jerk forward to a stop. A few moments later I was able to get going and I was on my way.

  By the time I arrived, it was almost 1AM. I pulled onto a road that seemed to last forever, I kept looking around for any sign of life. I really thought I was driving to the middle of nowhere. Only to realize it was an actual driveway. I slowly pulled up to a gated home, and when I tell you this thing looked like a castle, it looked like it was right out of a fairy tale. All that was missing was a carriage out front. I pulled up to the gate, and tried to call Keira again, this time she answered.

  “Hi, I'm outside.” I chirped.

  “You are what?” She asked groggily.

  “I’m out front.”

  She hung up, without another word. I sat there for a moment looking around. I wasn’t sure if she hung up because she thought she was dreaming, or that I was actually outside. I didn’t really know what to do. Should I call her back? Then the gate finally opened. I pulled up in front of the house; she was waiting for me on the steps.

  “Hi, best friend.” She hugged me. “You changed your mind?”

  “I just freaked out being there alone.”

  “Nice pajamas.” She pointed out.

  I looked down and realized I never even changed. “I’ve had a long night.” I laughed.

  “I can tell.” She pulled my bag out of the back of Stefan’s car. “Let’s get you settled inside.”

  When we walked inside Leo’s home, we were greeted by two giant staircases. The floor was marble, and there was a fountain in the middle of the room. When we walked past it, I noticed it contained koi fish. That’s something I've never seen.

  “You didn’t tell me Leo was this rich.” I whispered.

  She looked at me and laughed, “Just wait till you visit Stefan’s homes. Yes, homes. As in multiple,” She rolled her eyes. “The Edwards are extra to say the least.”

  As we walked up the stairs I noticed at all the black and white photos of Leo’s family. She took me down the hall and into a guest room. She set my bag on the bed. “You can stay in this room. Leo and I are down the hall, third door on the right. If you need anything, let me know.”

  “Thank you, I really appreciate it.” I smiled.

  She rubbed my shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I was so tired from driving, it didn’t take me long to fall asleep. I woke up the next morning to Leo and Keira busting into the room. Keira jumped on the foot of the bed. Leo lingered near the doorway, leaning against the frame. I thought I was being kidnapped for 2.5 seconds, until I realized where I was.

  “Hi?” I sat up, pulling the sheets up to my chest.

  “So, I heard you committed grand theft last night.” Leo joked.

  “I did no such thing.”

  He laughed, “Stefan’s car out front would beg to differ.”

  Keira laid down on her stomach. “Leo, leave her alone.”

  I rubbed my face with my hands. “Oh no, I forgot about that. I had no way of getting here.”

  He smirked, “Does he even know where you are?”

  “No.” I answered with my head down.

  Keira turned to look at me. “Well, we won’t tell him. Will we, Hun?” She shot Leo a look.

  “Nah, your secret is safe with us.” He walked out of the room, to answer someone calling his name.

  “Thanks.” I leaned forward next to her.

  “I hope you are ready for the fanciest meal you’ve ever had.” She nudged me. “Then we party.”

  “Party?”

  “Yes, you’re going to hate every minute of it, but we can laugh through the whole thing.”

  “Great…” I awkwardly laughed.

  My phone started to ring. I looked over to see Stefan calling. Shit.

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Sophia

  Keira was watching me as I stared at the phone. What am I going to say to him? I took a deep breath and answered.

  “Hi.” I answered nervously.

  “Good Morning, how did you sleep last night?” He asked calmly, which I was relieved by the tone in his voice. Maybe he didn’t know.

  “Fine, how about you?”

  “I slept fine. How’s the weather at Leo’s parents?”

  My eyes went wide, and my mouth went dry. I forgot how to speak for a few seconds. “How do you know where I am?” I slid to the side of the bed, while Keira was watching me squirm.

  “A fun fact about my cars is that they all have GPS alerts on them. Anytime one of them is turned on and driven, it gives me an alert and location.”

  “Oh..” I answered quietly. “Please don’t be mad at me. The house just freaked me out by myself.”

  “I’m not mad. I’m just happy you are safe.” He paused for a moment. “If anything happens, I will be on the first plane out.” He was taking this a lot better than expected.

  “What would happen?”

  “Baby...” he hesitated, “The people there, don’t listen to anything they say. They’re all a bunch of fucks ups. Just believe me.”

  “I do.” It was partially true; I just wasn’t sure what he was so afraid of.

  “I’m walking into a lunch meeting right now. I will call you tonight.” He said quickly, and then hung up.

  I looked over at Keira, who was still staring at me. “So, he’s pissed?” She asked.

  “No, he’s just worried about me being here for some reason.” I set my phone down. “It’s as if he thinks something bad is going to happen.”

  “He’s just over protective.” She waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go get breakfast.” She climbed off the bed.

  The house was so much brighter and not just because it was daytime. The entire house radiated warmth. We walked down the hall turning the corner down the stairs, then into the living room. A few kids were playing in between the two sofas that faced each other.

  “Those are the twins, two of Leo’s little brothers.” Keira told me.

  When I saw the dining room table, it was covered in greenery, gold candle sticks, and birchwood accents. I had never seen a more beautiful display. The giant windows let in the most beautiful morning light hitting the room in all the right angles. People dressed in all black, were rushing back and forth from the kitchen to other parts of the house. They each carried different items, flowers, trays, crystal glassware. The entire house was buzzing.

  We walked into the kitchen only to be greeted by another large table. This one was not as grand as the dining room, but just as lovely. It was covered in any breakfast item you could imagine. A few people were sitting at the table. Leo was laughing as he picked food off a younger boy's
plate. Another brother, I assumed. Once Leo noticed our presence, everyone’s attention was swiftly turned to us.

  “Mom, Dad. This is Sophia, our friend we told you about.” He said, as he took another bite of his waffles. “This is my mom and dad. Susan and Hue.” he pointed with his fork.

  “Leo, I shouldn’t have to still tell you that it’s rude to speak with your mouth full. You’re 25 years old for heaven's sake.” His mom said, as she stood. She walked over to me, taking my hands into hers. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Dear. Please have a seat, and eat.”

  Keira pulled out the seat next to Leo. I sat directly across from her, placing my hands in my lap. I had never felt more out of place in my life.

  “So, you are our late night arrival?” Hue asked, looking up from his newspaper.

  I looked at him uneasily. “I am, I hope that’s ok.”

  “Hue, leave the poor girl alone.” Susan waved him off. “You are more than welcome here.”

  I smiled. “Thank you.”

  Keira looked at me with a small giggle as she handed me a bowl of eggs. “When does everyone get here later?” She asked Susan.

  “1PM Sharp.” Susan walked over into the kitchen. “So Sophia, you are dating Stefan? Is that correct?” She made her way back over and sat back down with a glass of juice in hand.

  “I am.”

  “We love Stefan. I wish he would have been able to come with you.”

  “Mom loves him, because she thinks he’s so handsoooome.” Leo’s younger brother mocked, as he played with his food. Leo couldn’t hold back his laughter.

  “Aiden, you eat your food.” Susan demanded. “Yes, Stefan is a wonderful young man. Don’t mind my son.” She said, clearly embarrassed.

  Hue rolled his eyes, and went back to his paper.

  “It’s fine.” I told her.

  The majority of breakfast was filled with questions about me, and where I’m from. They were so intrigued with the idea of riding my bike back home to work. They couldn’t comprehend what I did when it rained. Then Hue went down the history of their family. Let’s just say, it’s old money. Keira rolled her eyes at every sentence. It’s so interesting how different Leo was from his family. I don’t know what point it is in someone's life when they go from a Leo to a Hue. Maybe, they don't. Maybe they were always that way. His family was very welcoming, but I could understand Keira’s apprehension to them.

  We watched the parade on TV with Leo’s brothers. All three of them would wrestle during the commercials. When their favorite floats went by, all you could hear was the boys yelling from excitement. A Lot of Did you see that? was asked. After the parade the boys were ushered upstairs to bathe before everyone arrived.

  “What did you bring to wear?” Keira asked me, as we walked upstairs.

  “I have my black skinnies and a blue top? I don’t know if that works.” I looked at her for help. “I didn’t know this is how fancy his family was.” I whispered.

  “Don’t worry.” she said, “Susan lets me borrow her clothes all the time, she never thinks I dress appropriately.”

  I followed Keira into the master bedroom everything was pearly white. The bed was one of those giant four post beds, with a fireplace under the TV. I had never seen a more beautiful room. The closet alone was bigger than my room back home. There was an entire wall dedicated to just shoes, they were color coordinated like a rainbow. Keira started to fan through Susan’s dresses.

  “I can’t wear her clothes. They’re so...nice.”

  Keira looked at me and laughed.

  “Sure you can.” Susan said from behind me.

  “I didn’t mean...I just. Your clothes are so beautiful.” I finally got my sentence out.

  “You can borrow whatever you would like. We can’t have you feeling out of place.”

  I felt as if I was supposed to be offended, but she said it in the most pleasant way that I wasn’t sure I could if I wanted to. “Thank you.” I smiled.

  Keira held up an off shoulder black dress. “This one.” She held it out for me to take.

  “You think?” I took it from her.

  Susan ran her fingers over the fabric, and looked me up and down, “Yes, I agree. Now go get ready you two. We can’t have everyone waiting on us.”

  I curled my hair and applied my staple red lip. Once I finished getting ready, I zipped up the dress, and put on the black heels that Susan also kindly let me borrow. Thankfully we were the same size. I looked in the mirror in my room, admiring the beautiful dress.

  I took my phone out and snapped a picture, and sent it to Stefan. He might be across the ocean, but there aren’t rules on showing him what he’s missing.

  Stefan: Damn.

  Me: Leo’s Mom let me borrow her dress. Do you like it??

  Stefan: That dress makes me want to do unmentionable things.

  Me: Tell me more lol

  Stefan: I would, but I'm at dinner. We can pick this up later.

  Me: Ok. Have fun. xo

  When I got to Keira’s room, she was dressed in her yellow dress that she panicked about yesterday, putting on her shoes.

  “Wow that looks great on you!” She told me, as she slid on her shoes. “I love it.”

  I looked down at the dress. “Stefan did too.”

  “I bet he did,” She gave me a look, and tousled her hair in the mirror.

  “You two ready to face the jury?” Leo said, as he walked into their room. He was dressed in a finely pressed black suit.

  “You’re ridiculous.” Keira threw a shirt at him. “Don’t freak her out.”

  “Look Soph, don’t say I didn't warn you. My family is crazy.” He straightened his tie next to Keira looking in the mirror.

  “Why do I feel as if this is going to be more intense than I expect?” I laughed uneasily.

  Keira turned to face me, holding her lipstick. “Let’s just say last year, I thought it was going to be a throw down between Leo’s dad and his uncle.”

  Leo scratched his chin. “That pretty much sums it up.”

  “I’m sooo excited.” I said sarcastically.

  I straightened out my dress, as we walked down stairs. I felt out of my element. We entered the living room, which now consisted of at least twenty people. I didn’t realize Leo had such a big family. I scanned the room with all the new faces. Leo’s brothers were sitting on the couch, looking as miserable as kids could be in dress clothes.

  Keira took my hand, guiding me over to a waiter holding a tray of wine. She handed one to me, and took one for herself. “You will need this.” She said, as she sipped.

  Leo and another guy, about the same age as Leo, walked up to us. His hair was dirty blonde, but styled neatly. He was dressed in navy blue dress pants, and a matching vest over a white shirt.

  “Sophia, this is my cousin Tristen.” Leo said.

  Tristen held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” I smiled. Our handshake lingered longer than expected.

  A few minutes passed, and I was given the rundown of who was who. Who I should avoid, and who I should definitely avoid and run the other direction from. I stood there listening as if I were hanging on every word. I couldn’t help wondering who Stefan was with, and what he was doing. I still couldn’t believe I stole his car. Who does that? It was a dire situation. Also, did his mom ever make it to London?

  “You ok?” Tristen asked, bringing my attention to notice that it was just him and I standing there now.

  I realized I was biting my bottom lip in my daze. I smiled, wrapping my other hand around my glass. “Yes, sorry. My mind is a little preoccupied.”

  He laughed, “That’s ok. I don’t like being here either.”

  “Really?” I looked at him. “But this is your family.”

  “Yeah, but they’re all a bit crazy.” He whispered.

  “Everyone take your seats.” Susan called out, as she chimed her glass with a knife.

  Tristen and I walked toward the table. He started to scan
the seats. “Every year we have name cards, Aunt Susan places people with who she thinks will get along best.” He said, picking up a card then setting it back down. “One year she placed Keira next to Grandmother. That was interesting to say the least.”

  “There’s your name.” I pointed to a card.

  He smiled. “And there you are.”

  I looked at the place setting next to his and saw my name. “What a coincidence.”

  Tristen pulled the chair out for me. I hesitated, standing there for a moment. He noticed my uneasiness. “Chivalry isn’t dead.” He said with a half smile.

  Stefan’s voice ran through my mind. He said that, the night with the rose. I stepped forward and took my seat, pushing my thoughts of him to the side. I looked around for Keira who was half way down the table from us. She gave me a sympathetic shrug. Here goes nothing.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Sophia

  Lunch ended in a lot of passive aggressive jabs at each other. When I say each other, I mean Leo’s family. No one could get over the scandal from a few years ago. Whatever that meant? I gathered that someone was caught with someone. Doing something that they were not supposed to be doing. Leo’s Grandmother though, she simply ignored them all. She ate her mashed potatoes in peace. Tristen told me she turns her hearing aid down during functions like these. I’d say she’s a smart woman.

  Later that night we all sat around the fire in the living room. We piled leftovers on a giant plate, each of us picking off of it. I looked at my phone; it must almost be one in London. I tried to call him earlier, trying to catch him before he went to sleep, but he didn’t answer.

  Keira sat up from leaning on Leo, “We should probably get ready for the party.”

  “What kind of party is this?” I asked.

  Leo laughed. “Let’s just say they don’t have these kinds of parties in Nebraska.”

  I rolled my eyes, “That explains nothing.”

  “It’s not that bad, he’s just trying to scare you.” Keira sat up. “Let’s go change.”