"Invite him over for dinner.." Jason trailed off. Emma sat looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"..I want to get to know him better, after all, he seems adamant that he wants to be a part of my family..." Emma was dumbstruck.
Her dad brought up the subject of inviting Chad for dinner, why?
She knew her dad didn't like her spending time with him but he couldn't stop her because she was 18, however she was respectful to her dad and didn't bring Chad there anymore. Well, not when her dad was close to getting home.
There mainly spent time at Chad's house as his family was always out of town on some business trip, Emma had never even met them. Chad promised to introduce her once they came back.
The next day Emma went to school, she hugged Chad when she enter the school after her dad drove off of course.
Emma was paranoid for the entire day, she kept on the lookout for all the abnormality that was slowly taking over her life, even Ashley was absent, the story was she got a butt infection from the pencil that she sat on yesterday. Usually, Emma would laugh at the ridiculous rumor but this no longer amused her. She wondered what was the real reason Ashley wasn't present. Emma found it strange that she was wondering about Ashley as this was unlike her. Usually, she was glad when Ashley didn't come to school.
The class went by as usual and nothing out of the ordinary happened.
School finally ended for the day and Emma dreaded going home.
This was the evening Chad was supposed to visit Jason's home.
So Chad and Emma went to Chad's place before heading over.
Emma lay on his bed scrolling through her phone while Chad showered and got ready.
A text popped up on her phone.
Dad-
I will be inviting some relatives
1:35 pm
Relatives?! It had been so long since her dad last invited people over now it was almost 4 years since her mom died, she had always wanted relatives over but her dad thought it best not to.
Now he was inviting them for dinner.
Emma-
Which relatives?
1:41 pm
"Babe, how does this look?" Chad gave Emma a little whalaw to which Emma shook her head awaiting her dad's response.
Chad tapped her shoulder showing her a green and blue strip button-front shirt with a pair of black pants and a black desert Clarks.
Emma's mouth was agape for a moment.
"I take that as a good response" Chad smiled showing his beautiful white teeth.
"You love tasty...aww, I mean tasteful....as in you have taste in style." Emma tried to come back from what she said.
"No need to kill yourself now love, I know what you mean," Chad said while winking at Emma and then kissing her atop her forehead to which she blushed.
"It's time to go, remember we don't want to be late" Chad said reassuringly.
"Do we have to?" Emma pouted.
"Ems..." Chad sat beside her on the bed. "..you know this is my chance to make a good impression on your dad."
"I know but..."
"Emma baby we gotta go. Plus you should be home getting ready now, don't you have to cook"
Dad-
Just a few of your uncles from my side of the family and a few persons from your mom.
2:02 pm
For the life of Emma, she couldn't remember any uncle from her dad's side of the family as they were all out of state and no one sought to keep in contact after her mom died. Now everyone was willing to visit.
"Babe we are here," Chad announce once he got to Emma's house. Emma looked out her window to see a few persons gathered on her front porch. Seems her dad left work early for this family dinner.
She got out of the car while Chad found a parking spot.
When Chad came to stand beside her she was a bit frightened.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah am okay"
"Let's face the music" Emma held Chad's hand and both walked towards the porch. Chad covertly focused on some of the guests sensing something off.
He immediately sent a message to Eric.
Chad- weird vibes, currently at Emma's house for a family dinner but I can't tell who or what some of these people are.
2:43 pm.
Chad continued to walk as he could sense people whispering and staring at him and Emma.
"Emmarella is that you?" Emma knew that voice but she hadn't seen him in forever.
Emma turned towards the voice, ran, and hug him.
"Uncle Frank!"
"Don't kill me now" Frank feigned being hurt.
"Uncle stop it! I haven't seen you in forever" Emma smiled.
"Forever is a long time Emma but am here now. So what's new?" Frank asked while sipping from soup cu.
"Wait who made soup?" excitement evident.
"Me of course, have you ever seen your dad make soup?..." Frank asked rhetorically.
Emma thought about it.
"...I taught him everything he knows, except that...I had to keep something for myself" Frank laughed. At this moment Chad stood beside Emma as she had seemed to completely forget about him. Chad gave her a slight nudge.
"Oh this is Chad, my boyfriend" Chad looked at Frank and he knew he was a wolf and he wasn't any ordinary wolf. A Beta could sense another.
The realization that Emma's uncle was a beta dawned on Chad. He needed to report this.
"Ahh, nice to meet you" Frank held out his hand.
"You too," Chad responded while shaking Frank's hand.
He quickly pulled away his hand when Frank decided to release it.
"Take care of my niece now..." Frank trailed off while walking away nonchalantly
"Uncle Frank..." Emma stopped him in his tracks.
"...Have you seen dad?"
"The last time I saw him he was out by your mom's farm" Emma panicked, her dad had never shown any interest in the bees before. What could he possibly be doing there?
"Chad I'll soon be back, am just going out here okay." Chad didn't object and Emma sped off to her farm.
Chad kept checking his phone for a message from Eric but didn't receive any. Before he knew it he was in Emma's room, he placed his now empty glass on Emma's nightstand.
The house was crowded with different people and Emma's room seemed safe. Plus he honestly couldn't deal with the fake smiles and introduction. He laid on Emma's bed awaiting Eric's text, he couldn't risk opening the mind link for whatever was downstairs to smell him. Before he knew it he faded off to sleep while a shadow passed and closed the door.
When Emma got to the back yard her dad wasn't there. She hesitantly took step towards her bees fearing that another one died but nothing seemed out of the ordinary even though she could have sworn she heard the humming of royal jelly, she needed to research it.
She returned to the kitchen and took her secret stack of milk that her dad bought and drank what was left. She felt so much more relaxed after drinking it.
Emma texted her dad but he didn't respond so she went to look for him in his room.
"Dad??" Emma called. She hadn't been in her dad's room since her mom died. She had too many memories while looking at her stuff. She opened the closet where he mom's clothes were and she felt nostalgia.
She still couldn't find the strength to throw them out or give them away.
Her dad wasn't in that room so she headed towards the door but while leaving her eye caught sight of a book titled.
The true life of Bees, Emma walked towards it. Written by Sandra Maragh.
Emma was dumbstruck. Her dad never spoke about this book, she didn't even know her mom wrote this book.
"Emma, Emma???" Someone called from the living hall. Emma took up the book and started it under her blouse.
Emma didn't answer but mimicked a girl's voice at school and said "she's outside" as soon as the footstep moved from where she was Emma sneaked off to her room. Book securely under her blouse.