Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~6~

Shawn watched as Yasmin rushed around the kitchen, trying desperately to get all the catered food out of the paper containers and into serving bowls before her parents arrived. The whole charade was ridiculous, because there was no way in hell Bill and Caroline Chesterfield would ever think they'd prepared the incredible dinner.

"Can you get me the white platter?" she requested.

He went to the formal dining room and looked in the built in cabinets. "Which one? There are at least four of them and they are all white."

"The square one, please."

He handed it to her, and she placed the chicken breasts on the platter, arranging the garnishes to make it look pretty. He took the bag of evidence to the trash bin in the garage and returned right as the doorbell chimed.

"Do I look okay?" Yaz asked. She had on a beige dress that was stylish but better suited for a woman twice her age. She tended to dress conservatively when her parents were around.

"Gorgeous, as always."

Her eyes fell to his feet. "Could you maybe put some shoes on? You know how my mother is."

Sighing, he left her to answer the door while he sprinted to the bedroom to get some soft suede loafers. As he passed the baby's room, he could hear her babbling, which meant she was up from nap.

"Hello, pretty Piper!" he exclaimed when he returned to get her after putting on appropriate footwear. "You ready for a tense dinner with your grandparents?" It wasn't even dinner time yet, which he never really understood. Yaz's family liked to eat insanely early on Sundays, claiming it was a New England thing.

He changed the baby's diaper and looked over at the overly-fancy outfit his wife had laid out. He knew the lace ruffles would itch poor Piper's neck and considered putting her into something made of soft cotton, though he'd get an earful if he did. After a brief internal debate, he decided it was worth it to keep the baby happy.

When he walked into the living room where everyone was having a quick cocktail before the meal (which was probably getting cold in the kitchen), Yasmin shot him a look. Later, when they were alone, he would need to explain that he'd "accidentally" set a yucky wipe on the dress she'd chosen, and he had to pick a different ensemble. He didn't really blame her for selecting the outfit she had; her mother gave Piper a new dress each time they ate together, and the baby was expected to be wearing it the following dinner.

The first Sunday of each month was reserved for the Chesterfields, though they alternated who hosted. He preferred going to their house in Santa Barbara since the food was homemade and the visit tended to end sooner, thanks to Piper. His wife couldn't relax when they came to their home, which made his anxiety spike, too.

"Get yourself a scotch, kiddo!" Bill said loudly. "I brought over a bottle of the good stuff since you were running low last time."

Every dinner was the same. They'd have one drink and then they'd move to the dining room. Coffee and dessert followed the main meal, and then they had an after dinner drink either outside or in the living room.

"Let me see my precious grandchild!" Caroline demanded in an overly-chipper tone. Her cheerfulness faded when she saw what Piper was wearing. "Did I give her that?"

"My sister sent it with a bunch of other things that belonged to her twins," Shawn told her after handing the baby to her grandmother.

"It's cute for a hand-me-down. The blue looks nice with her eyes and blonde curls. I'd like to see her in the one I bought, though. Perhaps you could get some portraits done with her wearing it. I had Martha's photos taken every three months until she was two years old."

Shawn didn't have to look at Yaz to know she was fighting to keep a smile on her face. He poured himself a small glass of the expensive single malt whiskey that was sitting on the bar cart. "We take a lot of photos, and I'm sure we'll get professional ones done at some point."

Within ten minutes, they were seated at the dining room table. Piper's high chair was between her parents so that they could both attend to her. Yaz fed the baby off her own plate, which was mainly a ploy to not eat the high-calorie dinner she'd asked one of the best chefs in town to prepare. Their personal chef was amazing, but she only specialized in healthy meals, so they had to use someone else for these dinners.

"This is lovely," his mother-in-law commented as she passed the string beans to her husband. "You two outdid yourselves."

"Thank you," Yasmin said without looking her mom in the eye. "How was your week in San Francisco? Did you sell the painting?"

The Chesterfields had an extensive art collection, so they frequently traveled to buy and sell select pieces. They were "old money," as his wife liked to say, which was one of many reasons they disapproved of her life. Their ancestors hadn't come over on the Mayflower, but they'd arrived soon after and had set about to amass a nice fortune. Posing half naked in magazines didn't really mesh with their status or values.

"They tried to talk us down on the price, so no we did not. I'm sure we'll find another buyer," Bill explained.

"We got to see your uncle while we were there. He asked about you, Martha. He said you told him that you and Shawn would visit but you haven't. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Caroline scolded.

"It's Yasmin," she muttered under her breath.

The first time Shawn met her parents, which was at a winery in the Santa Ynez Valley, he was thoroughly perplexed when they referred to his girlfriend by the name Martha. On the drive back to LA, where they both lived at the time, she explained.

"I was born Martha Louise Chesterfield, but when I started as an influencer, I took on the name Yasmin Field. Surely you understand why I needed to change my name."

"Martha's a very nice name," he said, "but if changing it makes you happy, then that's what matters."

"I did it because it's not marketable for someone young and hot. Martha is a family name, and my parents refuse to acknowledge my chosen one, even though I had it legally changed right before I signed my modeling contract."

"Have you told them that you want to be called Yasmin?"

"Only about a million times! They act like they don't hear me. I'm pretty sure they think it's just a phase and that one day I'll be Martha again."

One reason they'd eloped was that Yaz knew her parents would be critical of her not using the name Martha when exchanging their vows. It was easier to run off to Vegas than to deal with them, though their disapproval over how and where they got married was pretty horrible.

"Yasmin," Shawn said her name pointedly, "can you please pass the potatoes?"

She gave him a grateful smile before reaching for the white bowl. One of the things she loved most about her husband was that he always stood up for her. She made a mental note to forget about Piper's dress, even though she knew he was fibbing because his cheeks had turned pink when he explained what happened. She'd confronted him in the kitchen when they were getting the food, and now she regretted snapping at him. She wished she had the strength to stand up to her mother about things like what the baby wore for Sunday dinner instead of forcing him to be deceptive.

Once the Chesterfields left, Shawn bathed Piper while Yaz did the dishes and tidied the kitchen, though it wasn't particularly messy since they hadn't actually cooked anything. Then the three of them sat outside on the patio until the sun slowly set on the horizon.

"I miss my parents," Shawn said quietly since the baby had fallen asleep in his arms.

"It's hard for me to imagine that feeling, but maybe we could go to Canada for a visit. I've got Fashion Week next month, but after that I might be able to take time off." She knew Shawn's mum and dad didn't love her like they had his other wife, but he endured her parents once a month, and she owed it to him to make an effort with the Mendes family.