Spellbound

41

SOLEIL

"And who is this?" asks the older gentleman.

Even when Brice's uncle pulls back from their hug, his cool gaze is still assessing me. I feel the need to smooth out my outfit, check my face and my hair. However, I stand firm and plaster a smile on my face.

"This is my girlfriend, Soleil Spellman," says Brice as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me into his side.

I turn to look at him, this time my smile coming from a genuine place. So he's claiming me in public, huh?

"What happened to the blonde?"

Damn. Tell me you don't like me without telling me you don't like me. I refuse to let this man phase me though. I wrap an arm around Brice and lean into him.

"Long story short? Maman adopted her. Hailey's officially a part of the family and my sister now. She should be arriving soon with Hidde and a few of our friends."

"Like a true royal to keep it in the family, huh?" says Divin.

He picks up a glass of wine he must have set down on the railing before we came out and takes a sip.

"It's a little more complicated than that," counters Brice.

And as much as I don't like that his ex is still in the picture, I'm mindful enough to know it's no fault of her own and understand Brice's hesitance in explaining something as personal as the abuse she suffered at the hands of her blood relatives.

His hand slips from my waist to clasp mine as Brice leads me to a side table set up with various wine glasses and bottles.

"Which one would you like?" he asks me, picking up a few bottles to read the label.

He settles on a deep red and pours himself a glass.

"Might I suggest the rosé?" says Divin coming over to the table. "It's a new blend we're introducing to the line. Light on the palette, not as heavy as the merlot, but still carries notes of the rich flavour we're famous for."

"Sure. Yes, that sounds good."

"How long have you two been together?" he asks, pouring me a glass.

"Officially, only a couple of days. Unofficially, it seems like forever," answers Brice giving me a wink before taking another sip. "Enough about us. Tell me uncle, where have you been and when did you get here?"

His uncle switches to French. It's kind of rude to speak another language in the presence of guests but I let them be just glad I'm not the topic of discussion any longer. I manage to pick up Divin mentioning something vague about traveling and arriving a few days ago.

I tune out because French was one of my worst classes. I dropped it in grade 10. As pretty as it sounds, I didn't care much for the headache that came with the subject. I chose Afrikaans as my second language. I'd rather deal with their STOMPI structure.

"Excusez-moi," I say, setting my glass down. Excuse me.

"Where are you going?" asks Brice.

"The ladies' room."

I know it's a bit early to break the seal, but it's been hours and the liquid slipping down my throat is a good reminder of that. The two also sound like they haven't seen each other in years. Maybe in my absence, they can speak more freely.

"Alright, there's one down the left passage, third door to your right."

I nod and head off in that direction, their conversation resuming behind me. I find the bathroom and empty my bladder, wash my hands, and touch up my gloss and hair. Not that I need to. I'm just a little nervous. This is the first time I'm meeting Brice's family. Scratch that, I had already met his grandfather and he was pleasant enough. His uncle, not so much. I guess these things are 50/50.