Chapter 16

Monday morning came faster than I expected. Everything I was worried about came rushing to the front of my mind and I tried my best to contain my nerves as I packed our bags. Caleb said he will be here by 9 am and it's already 8:15. I buzzed around the house as the girls played in their room. Royce has barely said four words to me since Saturday and I don't totally blame him. He slowly got ready for work ignoring me as usual and I tried to not let it get to me. I had just finished packing our bags when Catherine arrived.

"Alright alright, the life of the party is here." She said.

Cat placed her luggage near the front door as she entered. She wore a bright yellow summer dress and her shades were perched on her head, pushing back her short red hair. I rolled my eyes and carried my bags to join Cat's bags at the door.

"Geez contain yourself." Cat said dryly.

"I'm just really stressed out and I'm trying not to throw in the towel."

"Where are the girls and Royce?"

"The girls are in their room and Royce is getting ready for work."

"So are you excited about today?" She asked.

"Shh, don't even say that too loud. I don't need another bitch fit from you know who." I sighed.

"Is it that bad?"

One look at my face and Cat nodded in understanding. I was trying my best to not lose my cool with Royce. The only thing I asked of him was that he be a bit understanding.

"Thank you for coming along. I hope it wasn't any trouble."

"Pshh, please, I've already handed in my letter of resignation and exams are basically done so they won't miss me for a couple of days." She said.

"I don't want to ambush him with the girls or anything. I just wanted to talk to him first, while you watch them."

"A free stay at a 5-star hotel with my nieces? Sounds like a dream come true." She sighed.

"More like a chance to be in Caleb's presence for a few days." I smirked.

Cat rolled her eyes, "Don't start."

"Cat, Stevie Wonder can clearly see you have a thing for Caleb."

"I find him attractive okay. That isn't a crime."

"Sure. That's why you're looking extra cute today."

"Oh please, I always look extra cute. It's not my fault you always want to wear a t shirt and jeans everywhere."

"We're going to be in a car for three hours, I wanted to be comfortable." I said.

"Well honey there is such a thing as too comfortable."

Just then there was a soft knock at the door. Cat jumped slightly startled and started fixing her hair and clothes. I rolled my eyes before moving to answer the door.

"Hey Caleb." I said.

"Hi Ava, Catherine." Caleb smiled.

Caleb wore a blue long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows with a khaki pants. Cat waved her fingers shyly and I chuckled.

"Are you ladies ready? Are these your things?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you." I said as he bent to grab them.

Cat watched him lift the bags in a daze and I clipped my fingers to get her attention. "You can head in the car Cat. I'll go get the girls." I said.

I headed upstairs to the girls room and took the tablets out of their hands. "Come on girls, get your shoes, we have to go." I said.

Lily was dressed in a soft tinkerbell shirt and pants set and Peppa wore a Moana set. I wanted them to be comfortable for the ride too. After they were ready, I took their hands and I headed to Royce and my bedroom. He was already dressed and putting on his gold watch when I came in.

"We're leaving." I said.

He didn't say anything for a moment before approaching us slowly. Without a word he crouched to his knees and pulled Lily and Peppa into a soft hug. "I love you girls, be good for mommy okay." He said.

"Love you Roy." They said softly.

Royce stood up and turned away quickly. I sighed and pulled the girls along with me downstairs. Caleb was standing by the door watching us intently. I noted the look on his face in seeing the girls again. He beamed and knelt to them as we approached him.

"Hi Lily and Peppa, do you remember me? I'm Caleb." He said.

"Cabub." Peppa said.

"Hi Cabub." Lily smiled reaching out to pat his hand.

"I'll take it." He winked.

Caleb stood up and I noticed he was staring behind me. I turned as Royce descended from the stairs, his face void of emotion.

"Royce you know my boss Caleb." I said.

Royce stood behind me and nodded his head solemnly. I waited for him to speak but he didn't. Caleb simply nodded his head in return, unbothered. I sighed and led the girls out the door.

"I'll see you when we get back." I said to Royce.

He didn't respond as he slowly shut the door. With a heavy heart, the girls and I were on our way with Caleb and Catherine. For the first twenty minutes of the ride the car was silent. The girls were strapped in the back seat with Cat and watched cocomelon on their tablets. I was sitting in the passenger’s seat trying my best to stay positive.

"So, is this yours?" I asked Caleb referring to the sleek Suburban that we were riding in.

"Yea, I normally don't have a reason to drive it unless I'm traveling far or with a load."

"I'm surprised you didn't just fly there." I teased.

"You'd think that I'm interested in that but I'm not. I really enjoy driving long distances. It's relaxing and fun."

I nodded and the car went silent again. I stared out the window as the buildings swept by. "Royce didn't look thrilled to see me." Caleb says.

"He's not thrilled to see anyone right now." I mumbled.

"Is it so bad that you want to do this?"

"Well, how would you feel in his situation?" Cat chipped in.

"Fair point, but I'd still want you to do the right thing." Caleb shrugged.

"He proposed to me on my birthday."

"He did what?" Cat asked shocked.

"He said he was willing to move forward, take the next step and I took him off guard with all of this." I said waving my hand.

"The timing was off I admit but you can't beat yourself up for it." Caleb said.

"Oh please, it doesn't matter what you say to her she will." Cat said.

"That's not true." I said.

"Really? You got pregnant with twins by a total stranger, while being in a committed relationship. In spite of everything your boyfriend stayed by your side and helped you raise those kids only for you to decide that you want your kids to meet their real father, the man you cheated with." Cat said.

With every passing word my heart sunk further into oblivion. "That's a little harsh." Caleb chastised.

"It's what she's thinking. She continues to think the worse of herself no matter what we tell her."

"It's the truth though." I said.

"Yea it is, so what? You're not perfect and you're only doing the right thing for your kids." Caleb shrugged.

"Why did you even do this if you have so much guilt?"

"I don't know." I mumbled.

"Yes you do." Caleb and Cat said simultaneously.

They laughed it off awkwardly. "A part of me is afraid that Royce will get up and leave some day. I can see a twinge of regret in him and it's that look that is pushing me to do this. He has no obligation to stay in our lives. The last thing I need is my girls to start calling him the D word and he leaves."

"Yea, but that exact same thing can happen with Mason too. He can just decide to leave and never come back like your dad did." Cat said.

Her words held a lot of truth in it. "My brother would never do that." Caleb said.

"How can you be so sure?" Cat asked.

"Because we quite literally shared the same womb. I've known him my entire life and he is not the type to back down from responsibility, if anything he takes on too much of it." Caleb said.

"Tell me about him?" I asked.

"Didn't you learn enough from google?" He teased.

I blushed shyly but didn't respond. "Mason is like me in some ways and very different in others. He's a hard worker and driven. He loves a challenge and isn't afraid to speak his mind, well except for our father."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean that one of Mason's major flaws is being my father's lap dog."

"That doesn't sound very good." I frowned.

"Because it isn't. Mason can be so strong and firm and he's really good with reading people but when it comes to our father, he's different. He doesn't want to disappoint him, he is afraid of upsetting him and he allows him to have a front row seat in his life."

"Why?"

Caleb shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe he's afraid of what my father is capable of and in some cases so am I."

"Is that why you pulled away from your family, because of your father?"

"That amongst some other things. Mason and I developed a bit of tension because of it. I didn't want to do what my father wanted me to do and I left Seattle years ago."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for me to go?" I asked.

I thought that talking about his family would settle my nerves, but it is only making it worse. "Yes I do. Look, outside of the fancy pictures and events, my family is like any other family. My father will try to give you a hard time, but I won't let him. My mother goes along with whatever he says but she's a lot gentler. Her only concern is making sure we are happy and healthy like any other mother."

"What about your sister?"

"My sister Regina can be unpredictable, but I think that once we prove Lily and Peppa are Mason's kids she'll be more welcoming. She’s feisty, fun and can be very loud, almost like Catherine." He chuckled.

Cat stuck her tongue out from behind his seat and he laughed tenderly. I couldn't help but notice the softer tone he got when he talked about Cat, I liked it. "Then there is Jason, Regina's husband and their four year old son Jarvis." Caleb continued.

"What about Chasity?" Cat said.

Asking my unspoken question. I'm glad she did, I couldn't bring myself to do it. "I don't know much about her, only that she's a lawyer and her father is my father's business partner. I don't know the details about their relationship, but I do know that my father had something to do with it. I only met her once."

"Doesn't it bother you to be away from them sometimes?" Cat asked.

"Not really. I miss my little sister of course but I miss the relationship I had with Mason the most. It's not easy being away from him." He said.

"So why not fix it?" I asked.

"That's easier said than done." He mumbled.

"What about your mom?" I asked.

"Like I said, she's like any other nurturing mother but she goes along with whatever my father says. Even if she doesn't like it, she still agrees with him. She's too bent on keeping the family together looking happy and perfect. I knew it hurt her the most when I left but she didn't stop me." He said bitterly.

I went silent for a moment contemplating everything. I am afraid of facing Mason and the rest of his family. There were a lot of things I didn't consider outside of Mason, the girls and I. Caleb gave me a little nudge, probably noticing the nerves on my face.

"Don't worry. I'll be by your side through everything. I won't let anyone hurt you or your girls." He said.

We chatted about more lighter topics for the rest of the ride, which helped to calm my nerves a lot. I trust Caleb and I believe him when he says that he won't let anything happen to us. We were finally in Seattle, which I was thankful for cause the girls were getting a bit restless. We were heading for The Reynolds Grand Hotel when Caleb decided to call Mason. He hooked his phone to the car so we could hear the whole exchange.

"This is a number I don't see often." Mason said.

My stomach clenched at the sound of his voice. "Hello to you too." Caleb said.

"What's up?"

"I am currently in Seattle." Caleb said.

"You're actually here? What for?" Mason asked surprised.

There was a lot of music and voices in his background. "I'm supposed to meet up with a potential author in the morning and I have a few other things to do."

"Alright cool, you don't come here often. I thought I would have to keep coming down to Vancouver to see you."

I raised a brow because I knew for fact that Caleb was in Seattle every other week. Obviously, he doesn't reach out to his family. "Well I'm here now and I wonder if we could meet up today?"

"I don't know. I'm pretty busy today, I promised dad that Chasity and I will be here for the party?" That explained the noises.

"Of course you did." Caleb said dryly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, what party and when is it over?"

"It's Chasity's father's birthday and we all promised we'd be here as a family." Mason said.

I heard the slight edge in his voice when he said family that was clearly meant for Caleb to notice. Caleb hummed but didn't comment on it. "Anyways I need to talk to you in private as soon as possible, it's important."

"What's wrong?"

"I rather talk to you in person."

"Well my house is going through some renovations so we can't meet there. I'm staying at the family house for a couple days, I'll duck out of the party early and we can meet there." Mason said.

I can see the uneasy look that came over Caleb's face at the mention of the family house. "Can't we just meet up at the hotel?" He asked.

"I'm not driving all the way to that hotel. You said you wanted to talk. We can talk at the house. We'll have some privacy before everyone else gets home." Caleb looked towards me in hesitation and I shrugged.

"Alright fine. I'll drop my bags off at the hotel and I'll make my way there."

"Why can't you just stay at the house like old times? You know mom misses you."

"I'm staying at the hotel." Caleb said, leaving no room for an argument.

"Alright fine. You'll meet me at the house."

They ended the call just as we pulled up to the hotel. "Soo?" I asked.

"So, I'm gonna get these guys settled into the room and we are going to be on our way." Caleb said.

We got our bags and quickly made our way into the hotel. I held the girls bag and Lily's hand, Cat held Peppa's hand with one of her bags and Caleb held everything else. Once we entered the hotel, I don't know what I expected but not this. Caleb was immediately welcomed as the workers flocked to his side. Caleb greeted them politely and quickly made arrangements for our rooms. They took our bags as we headed in the elevator. They followed us eagerly with welcoming smiles.

"A girl could get used to this." Cat whispered to me.

I chuckled as the elevator opened a moment layer revealing a gold and white private lobby area. We followed behind Caleb and the bellman to a massive gold double door. Caleb opened the door quickly and allowed us to enter first.

"Oh wow." I said.

"Hell yes." Cat gasped.

We were in a massive penthouse, much like the one I was in my first time here. We were in the living room area which consisted of red and gold furniture. Three luscious red couches, a massive flat screen tv, a fireplace and so much more. A man I didn't notice earlier stepped into our view. He was middle aged and looked professional in a cleaned black suit and tie.

"Welcome, my name is Daveson and I will be your butler during your stay. This penthouse has two master bedrooms with bathrooms, the kitchen is right through this hallway and you can find the jacuzzi, pool table, mini bar and other festivities in the room at the back. If you need anything you can call me at any time and I will be happy to provide you with what you need, free of charge of course." He smiled politely.

"Oh, thank you so much." I smiled.

"Pretty mama." Lily said.

"A dream come true." Cat sighed.

"Caleb you know we don't need all of this." I said.

"Speak for yourself." Cat giggled.

"Well I'm not going to stay in a penthouse knowing you're staying in something less than that. It's not a problem Ava." Caleb said.

"See? It's no problem Ava." Cat winked.

"Thank you." I said.

I released Lily so she can roam the place with Peppa and Cat. Caleb thanked the bellman and butler and dismissed them with a tip.

"If you need your butler you can push that button near the door, and he will come to assist you. My penthouse is right beneath you guys on the next floor. I'm gonna drop off my things and you can meet me in the car Ava." Caleb said.

"Okay, I want to make sure the girls are straight, and I'll be right down." I said.

I seeped through the penthouse slowly. The kitchen was even bigger than my kitchen at home. I found Cat and the girls in one of the master bedrooms. As I expected, the room was bigger than the girls and my room combined back home. A king-sized bed fit for a king no doubt. The curtains were opened revealing the beautiful buildings of Seattle.

"I got dibs on this room so don't even think about it." Cat said.

I laughed shaking my head, "whatever."

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"I guess."

"You don't look like it." She said.

"Well I am."

"No seriously, you don't look like it, not with your mom Jeans and a t shirt."

I rolled my eyes, "Lay off of me alright."

"You're going to see that father of your children, at least put on something decent." Cat whined.

I moved to the full-length mirror that was outside the walk-in closet and took it my attire. "Yea, you're probably right." I said.

"Thank God." She replied.

Cat and I went through my things for something we can agree with while the girls were pulling out toys from their bags to play with. We finally settled on a simple and cute outfit, a fitted dark wash jean with a lace, sapphire halter neck blouse. Cat ran a brush through the loose curls of my blonde hair and I put on some mascara. She wanted me to put on lipstick also, but I refused.

"I am not trying to seduce the man." I said.

"Fine." She mumbled.

The girls were still playing around with their toys and I crouched down to their level. "Momna is coming right back okay girls? Be good for aunty Cat." I said.

They nodded and I pulled them into a tight hug and kissed their heads. "Thank you for being here with us Cat."

"Not a problem. We'll be fine until you get back." She said.

I grabbed the coat that I packed out of my bag and Cat eyed it suspiciously. "You kept the coat from that night?" She asked shocked.

"Proof." I shrugged.

"Right." She dragged.

Ignoring her tone, I headed out the door. Like promised, Caleb was already sitting in the jeep out front when I walked out. I tossed the coat in the back seat before hopping in the front.

"Well don't you look pretty." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "I wanted to look a bit more presentable."

I noted that he also had made changes to his attire. Changing into a white short sleeved buttoned shirt. "Understandable." He said as we left the hotel.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea I'm okay. I'm glad Cat is here to watch the girls while I deal with this."

"That's not what I meant." He said.

I sighed, "I'm still trying to catch my breath."

"I'll be right there. Mason can come off a little impatient, just come right out with it. Let him know who you are and what happened. Do not panic and do not dance around the topic okay? He won't be afraid to call you out on any bullshit."

"That's comforting." I mumbled.

"The family house is a little far while from here, so you have time to figure out what you'll say." He said.

"That's easier said than done."

"I don't see what the fuss is about. He's like a regular guy like the rest of us."

"Coming from the man that quivers in the presence of Catherine." I said.

Caleb laughed, "I don't quiver......I just fidget."

"That's no better."

"We are not talking about Catherine and I, we are discussing you and my brother." He said.

"You and Cat can call me out on my cowardice and I can't do it for you guys?"

"I'm not a coward."

"Really? Anyone can see the tension between you two, you just choose to ignore it."

"For now." He chuckled.

The rest of the ride was filled with light banter and talks about work. I hadn't realized the grand gate we pulled up to until we came to a stop. My mouth fell open as a security came out of his booth and approached the car.

"Mr. Reynolds." He said in quiet shock.

Obviously it has been a while since Caleb came here. Caleb nodded his head curtly,

"Jefferson, I'm supposed to be meeting Mason here."

"Right of course sir, he's already here." He said.

The security opened the grand gate and we slowly entered. The driveway was massive with a huge water fountain in the middle. There were gardeners all around the yard cleaning and trimming the shrubs. My mouth widened further at the look of the four story mansion.

"Holy shit." My nerves spiked instantly.

"Just relax, it’s just a house."

"The hell it is." I said dazed.

"Don't lose sight of what you're here for. I won’t be far away okay?" I nodded slowly, never looking away from the house.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

I gulped, "I guess so....It's now or never."