Wanting You (Book 1)

Home Sweet Home

Astrid's POV

"At our house," his voice echoed in my mind as I recalled the invitation on my bed. I gazed at the ceiling. A feeling of being out of place washed over me, and I groaned from frustration.

This was really happening! My mom and Trent's dad.

Again, it was another Saturday to dread, but mom was up by the break of dawn and in cheerful spirits. She hummed and twirled around the house, diamond ring dazzling at every catch of light.

Soon enough, it was time to go to her fiancé's home. As expected, a personal driver was waiting on our driveway to drive us there in style.

My mouth hung open as we arrived and pulled onto The Ambrose's driveway. A big and beautiful mansion stood in the middle of it all. Its glass doors screamed expensive, and even the mats were almost too luxurious to step on.

Timothy met and greeted us at the threshold, then escorted us in. Central air greeted me like a hug from a polar bear, and I stood and marveled at the beautiful interior. Everything looked in place, and in order and a comforting feeling developed... that was until Trent appeared.

"Dinner is ready," he coldly informed us.

"Perfect timing," Timothy said, "This way, ladies."

Mom and I followed him into a dining room. A ridiculously large and long table, set for four, awaited. Timothy and mom sat at the heads, and Trent and I sat across from each other.

"Thank you so much for inviting my daughter and I to join you both," mom spoke.

"You're most welcome," Timothy responded.

"And you do have a beautiful home," mom added.

"Thank you," Timothy accepted.

"Yeah... and if you play your cards just right and dad plays his foolishly, all of this can be yours," Trent unwelcome remark came.

"Trent! You're out of line," his dad scolded.

"Out of line? You barely even know this woman and her daughter, but here we are, trying to get into each other's lives as if we're meant to be a big happy family!"

"You don't have to throw a tantrum at every chance you get at this, Trent. Trust me, it's getting old, and everyone is going to get tired of it," I spoke up.

"You can do us all a favor and shut up. You sound better with your mouth shut," Trent rebutted.

"Okay! That's enough out of you, Trent! You're to stop this, or you can kindly excuse yourself from the dinner table. Pick!" Timothy stood.

Trent stood up too, looking as if he was set on going head to head with his father. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room without another word or glance.

Timothy sighed deeply.

"I apologize," he spoke after taking his seat again.

"It's fine. I was once his age when my parents got divorced. I know about that anger when a step-parent is pulled into the picture," mom said.

"I've never seen this side of Trent."

"That's because this is new to him, dear. Give him some time. It would sink in and he will adjust."

We continued with dinner and a jolly conversation. We laughed and chatted and shared jokes and stories alike. Timothy and mom had a lot of things in common and the way I caught him looking at her, as if she was the only person in his eyes and he was blind to everything and everyone else, it warmed me. Mom had found love?

After dinner, I excused myself and gave myself a private tour of the place while mom and Timothy went into another wing.

~

A beautiful work of art, hung on a wall, caught my attention. Art had been a secret knack of mine and I had been thinking of taking it school as an extra curriculum for credits.

I stepped closer to the painting. It appeared to be that of a woman submerged under water but was desperately trying to reach out to the surface above where it was sunny and beautiful. Nothing but darkness awaited her below, feet already greeting it.

"Look. Don't touch," his voice came. I looked behind me and there he was, looking at me like the unwelcome guest I was in his eyes.

"I wasn't going to," I said back.

"You shouldn't even be this close to it. Hell, you shouldn't even be in this house."

"Your dad invited us here and my mom and I didn't hold a gun to his head to make him do that."

"Yeah. She hold him with something else."

"How dare you!"

"Ahh.. so you're not so innocent as you appear to be? You know exactly what it is I'm speaking of. Those romance novels are teaching you well, aren't they?"

"Perhaps you should mind your business."

"My dad is my business! And I'm not going to stand by and watch him get used again."

"And my mom is my business! And I'm not going to stand by and allow you to disrespect her whenever you feel like it."

"Are you going to stop me?"

"You really do need to grow up and accept the fact that this is happening. Maybe karma has finally arrived at your doorstep. Literally."

"Karma? What karma?"

"Me! For everything you've done to me over the years. You and that girlfriend of yours."

"Me? What have I ever done to you?"

"You bullied me. You gave me sleepless nights and made me afraid of going to school. You humiliated me over and over, especially in front of your football buddies. You threw one of my favorite sweaters into the trash. It had sentimental values to me but you didn't care about that. You just wanted your daily laugh and I was the punchline of your sick jokes!"

"You set yourself up to be bullied, look at yourself. A toddler would bully you! I'm not responsible for your sleepless nights, maybe you should grow a backbone or see a therapist.

My friends do love a good laugh and you were the perfect candidate. That sweater was hideous by the way. I did you a favor by getting rid of it for you. Sick jokes are contagious, I cannot help myself," he responded in defense to every sentence.

"You've made my life hell."

"You haven't seen hell."

We were face to face with each other. So close that our breaths were fanning each other's face. A heat caught me, shooting its way throughout my body until I was left wondering what the hell was actually going on. Stationary, and as if locked in place, I couldn't move a muscle.

Trent looked at me. Into my eyes and I was looking back into his. A silence wrapped around us, daring one of us to speak or to move.

"There you two are. We have an announcement," Timothy said as he found Trent and I. We quickly stepped away from each other, turning into his father's direction.

"What's going on... apart from everything else going on?" Trent questioned and I rolled my eyes at him.

Mom was at Timothy's side with a wide smile. This couldn't be good.

"We've decided that in order for this to work, for us to actually become a family, then we should start living like a family," Timothy said.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked my beautiful fiancée to move in with me and she has agreed. Astrid, this of course involves you too. This is your new home."

Trent looked like he had just been stabbed in the back and in the front. He huffed and once again, walked away from the rest of us.

We heard to breaking of a vase as an angry Trent stormed along the hallway outside.