Page 4 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #5)

FOUR

Alix

Alix hugged her stomach as the car went over a speedbump. Her whole body was aching from the copious amounts of alcohol she drank last night and she had a pounding headache on top of that.

“You’re being quiet,” her mum remarked from the driver’s seat. “Where were you last night? Why didn't you come home until this morning?”

Memories of her time with Veronica flooded her mind and she pushed them away before they made her feel even more awkward.

As lovely as the whole night had been, waking up in a random empty hotel room with just a thank you note hadn’t exactly been good for her ego.

Just thinking about it made Alix physically recoil. So embarrassing. She’d known it would likely be a one-night thing, something born from convenience and opportunity, but she hadn’t expected to be thrown aside like that.

“Alix?” her mum prompted, her eyes fixed on the road.

“I was out with Aditi and stayed over at her place,” Alix lied, mentally sending an apology to one of her best friends because she was using her as an alibi.

Her little sister, Trixie, chimed in from the backseat. “I like Aditi, she’s pretty.”

“She is,” Alix agreed.

“I was worried about you,” her mum said.

“I messaged you that I was okay.”

“Still. You know how important this dinner is to me. I really really like Dirk and he was so kind as to invite us over for a big family dinner.”

Alix refrained from pointing out that she would never see her mum's new boyfriend as family or that with them there, it wasn't a family dinner for Dirk and his adult children either.

For now, it was better to bite her tongue and hope her mother came to her senses before she sold their home.

They arrived at Dirk’s house which was a mansion compared to their static home. Off street parking, beautiful ruby brickwork, large windows, and a double door. Nothing said wealth as a large front door. It was in a good part of town too which confirmed what Alix has been worrying about all this time. This was a wealthy man which meant he would always have more power in the relationship. If her mother was lucky, he wouldn't use it against her but no matter how Alix looked at it, if they got married, her mother’s well-being would always be in the hands of this man.

She followed her mum to the front door, carrying the bottle of cheap wine they brought as a gesture more than a gift. Everything about this made her feel uncomfortable but she was just going to have to put up with it.

After all, she loved her mum and this was clearly important to her.

The door swung open and Dirk himself appeared with a big grin on his face.

“Hello, you gorgeous thing!” He embraced Alix's mum and kissed her on the mouth, lingering for longer than necessary .

Alix wished she could be anywhere but here. She gave Dirk an awkward hug on the way in and followed him into his house.

The hallway led to an open living area with white leather sofas in front of an oversized TV. Two younger versions of Dirk rose up to greet them and Alix didn't need to exchange a single word with them to realise they were uncomfortable too.

“Jonas,” the tallest one introduced himself. He looked to be somewhere in his late twenties but it was hard to tell.

“Levi,” the other son said, looking quite a bit younger with his spots and boyish face. He was likely somewhere around eighteen, although it was hard to say with boys around that age.

She shook both their hands politely. “Alix, nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Trixie!” her little sister announced, bouncing over to them to shake their hands too.

Her mum came over to greet the sons. “I’ve heard so much about you two. It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’m Dianne. Gosh, you two are handsome. You take after your father for sure.”

Alix genuinely wanted to throw up. Instead, she offered the bottle of wine to Dirk. “Thank you for having us over for dinner.”

Dirk’s gregarious smile didn't really suit him. “Of course. It’s only right to have a proper family dinner now your mum and I are getting married.”

Delusional. This would never be a proper family. Alix tried everything she could not to roll her eyes at the whole thing.

Another man came in from the garden, looking a bit older than the other sons. He introduced himself as Nate and shook everyone’s hand, including Trixie’s.

“That’s all your boys. Where’s your daughter?” her mum asked.

“She’s somewhere,” Dirk said, looking around.

“She’s on the loo,” Levi chimed in.

A door opened behind Alix and she turned, preparing herself to meet the third sibling. Her mouth dropped when she made eye contact with the tall dark-haired beauty from last night. Veronica was even more beautiful than Alix remembered and it made her stomach clench.

Recognition and surprise flashed over Veronica’s face but disappeared quickly as she recomposed herself.

“You must be Veronica,” Alix's mum said, oblivious to the tension hanging in the air.

Veronica gave her a wide smile but it was nothing like the smile she had last night. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

A horrible feeling of dread settled in Alix'ss stomach and she was pretty sure it wouldn't soon clear up. Of all the people, why did she have to run into Veronica again? Memories of last night flooded her mind and it made her stomach clench. It has been such a wild and wonderful night, it was cruel that it ended like this.

And Alix thought the empty bed was bad. This was a hundred times worse.

The dark-haired woman paused in front of her, her expression and eyes blank. She held out her hand. “Hi, I'm Veronica.”

So they were pretending they didn’t know each other then? That was probably for the best. Alix had no desire to explain to anyone how they already knew each other.

“Alix. Nice to meet you,” Alix said, surprised her mouth was still working considering how heavy her tongue felt.

“I’m Trixie! Trixie Jones,” her little sister announced again, as always happy to meet new people.

Veronica chuckled, a lovely sound. “Nice to meet you, Trixie Jones. I’m Veronica Bearson. ”

Bearson. So on the nose.

Dirk clapped his hands. “Great, now that everyone has met, we can get this party started. Boys, help me set the table.”

“We’ll help too,” her mum said, pulling Trixie along.

While the others got into action, Alix had only eyes for Veronica. Her vibe was totally different from last night. Her whole body was stiff and tense, and her smile was so disingenuous.

Alix didn't need to ask, she remembered Veronica’s lamenting crystal clear. She wanted to say something but she didn't know what. What was there to say?

Veronica spoke first. “I’m sorry.”

Alix made sure nobody was within earshot but she didn't need to worry, nobody was paying them any attention.

“What are you apologising for? Accidentally sleeping with the daughter of your dad’s new fiancée or abandoning me in the hotel this morning?” Alix asked. It came out snappier than she intended but this whole situation was already bad enough, she didn't need this on top of the mess.

A sheepish look appeared on Veronica' s face. “Both. My dad called really early because Jonas finally arrived.”

“You could've woken me.”

“Yeah, I'm sorry. I just felt awkward and wanted to get out of there,” Veronica admitted, her gaze falling to the floor.

At least she was honest.

“I’m guessing the engagement was the news?” Alix asked.

“Yup, that and this surprise meet-the-family dinner.” Veronica looked like she could murder someone and that someone was likely her dad.

Alix felt a little twinge of compassion. At least she’d known this was happening.

“Sorry,” Alix said.

The smallest of smiles lifted Veronica’s lips. “For what? For being the daughter of my dad’s new fiancée or for unknowingly ambushing me and my siblings?”

“Also both.”

Before they could chat more, her mother called them over and that put an end to the conversation. The last thing Alix wanted was to have dinner with them but she had no choice. She just hoped it would be over soon and that Veronica wasn’t going to tell them about last night.