HER

Part Eighteen

It was a warm Saturday afternoon when I walked into the Preston family House, with Kieran following closely behind me. He had arrived to pick me up himself about an hour ago.

To keep up the happy couple charade probably. Who could ever know with him?

The house was a sprawling mansion located on the upper east side. A maid ushered us through a tastefully decorated living to a side door into a very beautiful garden.

In the middle of the garden was a tent-style gazebo, with a table already set in the middle.

"What's our story then?" I asked Kieran as we took our seats.

"What have you told everyone else?" he asked instead, pulling out his phone.

Asshole!

"I don't know...I didn't give anyone a concrete backstory"

Why was he being so weird? he barely even looked at me on the way over.

And why does the fact that he was ignoring me hurt a little

"We met at a society gala of some sort, we got to know each other and we fell in love."He said matter of factly, still not looking at me

"Just go with that, I'll take care of the details" he added when I didn't say anything, finally sparing me a glance.

Just as I was about to ask him what his fucking problem was, I spotted two people whom I assumed to be his parents, walking towards us.

"Mother, Father" Kieran greeted them formerly as we stood up when they entered the gazebo

"Kieran!, I missed you so much" His mom gushed, tilting her cheek towards him for a kiss.

"Mr. and Mrs. Preston'" I greeted them as their attention turned to me

"And who might this beautiful lady be?"Kieran's father asked as we took our seats. He looked like kieran if he were a fifty-six-year-old dark-haired man with dark eyes. A stark contrast to his blonde blue-eyed wife.

And back to his question...
I thought his parents knew I was coming.

the maids placed a bottle of wine and a basket of fresh bread on the table and opened the wine as directed by Kieran's mother.

"This is my fiancée, Asa Maxwell" he answered as soon as the maids left, and the air immediately went so still, you could hear a needle drop.

Kieran raised his drink to his lips, uncaring. Like he didn't just drop a bomb on his parents.
But I could see his lips lift in a little smile, he was enjoying the chaos.

Lunch became tense after Kieran's announcement, just as I knew it would. But Kieran's father did try to dissipate the tension. They asked us how we met as expected, but didn't go any further than that.
Probably waiting to pester Kieran with questions without me there.
Mr. Preston seemed to be okay with the news, but his wife on the other hand didn't seem too thrilled. Although she tried to hide it with a polite smile.

After lunch, we went indoors and Kieran's mom and I stayed in the living room while Kieran and his father went into the study for a drink.

Probably going to interrogate him.

I was left alone with Mrs. Preston.

Nice...

"How did you do it?"She immediately asked, breaking the awkward silence.
All pretense of politeness dropped.

"Do what?"I asked, my brow furrowing in feigned confusion.
I've watched enough TV to know what she meant and where this conversation was headed.
"How did you get my son to propose?" She asked again "The Kieran I know loves his playboy lifestyle too much to get leg shackled before 30 years of age"
"It doesn't add up"

"I didn't get him to do anything," I said, trying to tamper my annoyance "he wanted me as his wife, he proposed and I accepted. That's all"

Eva did warn me about her after all.

"It won't last," she said her eyes which reminded me so much of Kieran had turned cold.
"And why is that?"I asked, not that I cared.
I did not want it to last either.

"You're not his type," she said shrugging," And you're not the type of woman I want for my son"
"I already had someone ready for when he decides to settle down" she continued canting her head to the side
Okay then.

"And why is that?"I asked, with all seriousness this time "Because I'm black?"

"Of course, race!" she laughed amused,
"But race has nothing to do with it, he has had black girlfriends before"
Yeah yeah, she can deny it all she wants but we both know the reason for her hostility.
It couldn't be because she thought I was a gold digger after Kieran's money.
Kieran has spent a lot of money on me since we met, he buys me expensive pieces of jewelry that I haven't e even taken out of the boxes...Because I could care less about his money or what he could buy me with it.
And he knows this, that's why money wasn't even a part of the incentive to get me.
He knows I do not need it or want it.

And if the reason for her dislike wasn't partly because of that reason, it leaves only one other.
The obvious one.
People do not need to tell you they hate your race before it could be classified as racism, it's in the little microaggressions.
Most times they aren't even aware they're doing it. Just like Mrs. Preston here.

"Kieran is already promised to somebody else,
A girl from a similar pedigree and class as him" she continued in a haughty tone...
She irks me
And By "a similar pedigree and class" she implies the daughter of a family whose wealth could be traced back to the American civil war.

"I don't know why he decided to do this. Although looking at you, he is probably being led by what's between his legs. And I know I can't stop him so I won't try. But one thing I do know is that won't last" She concluded just before Kieran and his father came back out.

Ok, so I gathered two things from this whole conversation.
One, My soon to be mother-in-law was a fucking bitch.
And Two, Kieran was supposedly promised to someone who as his mom said, "was better than me"

And that pissed me the fuck off...