Chapter Thirty Four- Meeting the Family

"So you're actually going to meet her father?" Dan asked Tom as I was pacing around the room, thinking of all the possibilities, wondering if dad would like Tom or not. Tom decided that this weekend would be the best time to go, and I was freaking out.

"I would have to sometime" Tom sighed, he wasn't happy about meeting my family but he wasn't whining about it either.

"Cassie! Cassie! Cassie! Who is this hottie?!" Emma asked her eyes glowing. She was looking through my phone, and pointed to a picture, drueling a little bit.

I pretended to gag. "That's my brother"

"I want to see your parents, because they make beautiful children" She said staring at the photo. "What's his name?"

"Carson, he's twenty" I said dully continuing to pace across the living room.

"He's my age!!! You have to take me with you!" She stared at me seriously.

"No! I'm not taking you so you can hit on my little brother!" I said clearly offended hoping she'd get the hint and not push this any farther.

She pouted still looking at my phone.

"Calm down Cas" Tom complained.

I sighed "Sorry I haven't seen my family in three years, this wasn't exactly the circumstance I thought I would be seeing them again."

"Think about it, were going to have a nice long road trip" He smiled trying and successfully cheering me up. He knew I loved road trips.

I smiled walking over to him and kissing his cheek. He opened his arms for me and I sat on his lap, fiddling with the collar of his shirt, in anxiousness.

"Chill out Cassie" Tom said smiling hitting his hands on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

Ten hours of driving and we were on a dirt road, that seemed to lead to nowhere.

"I know you want to smile" he said smiling pinching my cheeks. "Aw come on let me see that pretty smile"

I frowned overdramatically, just to annoy him.

"I am deeply hurt" Tom said faking dying, making me laugh.

"Now we're getting somewhere" he smirked. I laughed shaking my head.

"What's your dad's name?" Tom asked nonchalantly.

"Charles"

Tom's foot slammed on the brake making us fly forward, then shoot back like a sling shot. His eyes were wide as he turned his face to me.

"Your father is Charles Dean?!" He shouted unbelievingly.

And if as an eco I heard another "Your Dad is Charles Dean?!"

Tom and I screamed bloody murder as Emma popped out of the back seat. I literally jumped four feet high.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I shouted at her trying to get my heart rate to slow.

"I wanted to meet your family" she said innocently.

"No you wanted to meet Carson" I said annoyed.

She smirked "it's too late to take me back now"

I rolled my eyes, and looked back to Tom who's eyes' were still almost popping out of their sockets.

"Your Dad is Charles Dean, as in the Charles Dean who killed that guy?!?!?!" Tom said panicking.

"Hey! I was there, that guy was trying to steal one of our horses. He was trespassing! And he didn't kill him he shot him in the leg there's a difference."

"I don't care! He could easily shoot my brains out"

"Now you get why I'm nervous!" I shouted at him.

"Wait...you're kidding right? He wouldn't really shoot me" Tom asked calming down but still just as serious.

I rolled my eyes at him. "No"

"See are you glad in here now Tom? I can talk you up, if you're nice to me" Emma said sounding smug.

Tom took in a deep breath, and lightly pushed his foot on the gas pedal causing us to start moving again.

No one talked for the next hour. Tom would flinch if anyone moved the slightest inch. If I wasn't so nervous, I would think it was funny.

"Take this left and go straight back" I said sighing. We were literally about maybe five minutes from my old house.

You couldn't see it though, not yet. The old dirt road weaved through a small forest. Trees surrounding the road, barley any animals around. It was dark; little sunlight could break through the canopy of tree's over head.

"Any reassuring words Cas?" Tom asked hunching over the steering wheel gulping.

"Um Carson will probably like you...Clayton would too, if you weren't dating me" I whispered.

"Understandable" Tom mumbled.

"Are they fans?" Emma asked her head poking above the arm rest.

I laughed "Yeah, but they probably won't make that clear"

She nodded her head.

"That's your house?!" Tom asked slowing the car into the curving driveway.

Don't get the wrong impression my house isn't exactly fancy or anything. It is big though, but in that kind of crappy big. Shingles had fallen off or where in the process of. The baby blue paint was slowly faded and had splashes of black and a brownish mud color. It was originally painted by my mum; I helped a little, as much as a five year old could without screwing anything up. There was a porch that stretched around the entire house, and had old antique white rocking chairs spread across it.

I saw through the living room window, blonde locks flash out of the room leaving the chair rocking as if a ghost sat upon it.

I slowly got out of the car to see Carson running out of the front door towards me.

He was taller than me, which frankly pissed me off. Your younger brother isn't supposed to be taller than you. He had Blonde hair that he had apparently just added a few blackish brown hair streaks into it, giving him that dirty blonde look, not his natural hair color but I could live with it. He had muscles, because well he works for my dad which means working on a farm, you build up a lot doing that. He was wearing old ruined jeans and a plaid button up shirt.

I smiled at him as he picked me up in a huge bear hug, lifting me up off the ground. "Cassie" he sighed setting me down smiling hugely at me.

"Carson" I smiled back at him. Then he looked behind me, whoops kind of totally forgot I have two other people with me.

I sighed hoping to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Carson, this is Tom, and Emma" I sighed again "Guys this is my baby brother"

Carson pouted at me whining "Cassie!"

I smirked hitting him a little.

"Why hello there" Emma said in some way seductively at Carson stepping forward, checking him out.

"Hi" Carson said totally not getting the hint, waving his hand as if he was completely mental.

I smack my forehead. Carson was never the sharpest crayon in the box, if you know what I mean.

"And your Tom" He tisked folding his arms over his chest flexing them. "Man have you caused a mess" Carson said half to himself. Trying to be mad at him.

"Aw but you're welcome here by me, I'll let Clay do all the brother stuff" Carson said happily hugging Tom. Tom hesitantly hugged back, kind of freaked out.

Did I mention Carson had ADHD?

Then I heard the screen door stiffly closed.

There stood a man. Much tanner than Carson, and much taller, better body too. You could tell he had a lot more experience. His hair was blonde just like mine with that little curl to it, and our eyes matched too, the exact same electric blue, but as I stared into them I felt guilty. Had Tom intoxicated me so much that I forgot my own family?

But a dog came running up to me, causing my attention to drift to her. Callie. She was a border collie; you know black and white fur heards cattle. We got her when I was seven. Carson named her. Thinking he was so clever "let's name her Callie, it's kind of like Cassie, but it's not and it's kind of like collie, but It's not" No one objected him, he was a pretty darn cute six year old with a toothy grin.

I knelt down to her petting her fluffy fur lightly, getting licked all over and almost tackled to the ground.

"You never said you had a dog?" Emma asked, her voice said that she clearly did not feel the tension in the air since Clay appeared.

I rolled my eyes. "It's the family dog, not just mine"

She scoffed "Well then"

Note to self Emma gets a little touchy after a long road trip.

The air silenced again. With the exception of Callie's panting.

"Clay?" I asked whispering just loud enough so that he could hear me.

His eyes hardened a little, but then softened as he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to me, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. I hugged him back tightly. My big brother was probably what I missed most about my country life.

Just as Carson he looked behind me, well more like glared.

We broke apart, slowly. His eyes not darting away from Tom.

I sighed again. "Clay this is Tom, Tom Clay"

Tom hesitantly raised out his hand for Clay to shake. Clay just stared at it as if it were an alien.

I nudged Clay in the ribs, glaring at him when he looked at me. He rolled his eyes though and shook Tom's hand.

I smiled. Hoping that this was as bad as it was going to get.

"I see you brought Emma too" Clay stated as he backed away from Tom a little bit. I didn't take offense to this gesture though, he was just controlling himself, which actually was a very good thing at the moment.

I rolled my eyes. "She actually tagged along"

"The more the merrier!" Carson shouted happily, raising his arms in joy.

Emma flirtatiously giggled; again Carson failed to notice her attempt.

"Where's Dad?" I asked Clay, whose eyes immediately turned cold and hard.

I also noticed that Carson looked down. Somberly hanging his head.

"What?" I asked.

"There is something you should know Cas" Carson started, his sad eyes meeting mine. But I didn't have to ask for him to continue because immediately after, Clay said.

"Will's here"