6. Meet the Parents

"I don't get it. Why do I have to meet your parents?" Gabby complained as they were both trying to get dressed.

"Well, it's your fault that they know you were here. You tried to sneak out earlier remember. So the entire household know you’re here."

"You told me you'll show me your house. You didn't tell me it was your parents' house. If I knew that last night, I would have never spent the night here. You are full of lies." Gabby stated pissed at Jake.

"Hey, knock it off. I didn't lie to you. And beside I didn't force myself to you. I was pretty sure we both know what we were doing."

"Don't give me that bullshit. Oh wait, you did lie. You lied to everyone by telling them I'm your fiancé."

"Gabby, I was just playing a stupid mind game with my father. Can you please do this for me just this once?" He wrapped his arms around Gabby's waist. "I would forever be in your debt."

"You don't have to owe me anything. Just promise me that this is the first and last time you would get me into a stupid charade."

"Deal." He pecked Gabby's lips. "Just be normal. Don't try to impress them or anything."

"I wasn't born to impress anyone but myself. We will just eat breakfast then we are out of here. Okay?"

"We might not even last the entire breakfast, trust me. Me and my father in one table rarely ends up well."

All eyes were on them as they enter the dining hall. Gabby smiled at everyone confidently as Jake escorted her to her seat. Ian can be intimidating bur Gabby is not somebody who easily get intimidated. Maggie looks very excited to see them and the twin looked like they saw a celebrity.

"Good morning, I'm so sorry about the incident earlier." Gabby stated once she was seated.

"Oh dear, that's alright. I'm Maggie, Jake's stepmother."

"Oh yes, sorry. Where are my manners? Everyone this is Gabrielle. Gabby meet everyone." Jake stated. "Jessica and Jenna my sisters, my stepmother and my father."

"Hi." Gabby smiled.

"You have to make sure that next time you invite someone over you let us know ahead of time. And make sure that they don't try to sneak out like thieves early morning." Ian stated.

"I'm sorry about that. I was just planning to get my bag from the car I wasn't sneaking out. I didn't realize that the house had an alarm that was malfunctioning. Because I'm pretty sure that it was supposed to switch on when someone breaks in not when someone is leaving the house. You should really have that check."

"You have a big mouth for a young lady." Ian stated obviously not happy with Gabby. "The alarm was not malfunctioning. I set it up that way to make sure that none of my kids sneak out."

"Oh, alright." Gabby stated and started eating the food Jake place on her plate.

"Where, when and how did you two meet?" Ian asked Jake.

"Father, can we do this another time. We're eating." Jake responded.

"Ian dear. Jake's right perhaps you two can chat after we finish eating."

"What's wrong with my question? I just want to know, who is this girl eating breakfast with us." Ian stated angrily.

"It's alright. Calm down." Gabby interrupted. "Where? At the bar. When? 6 or 7 months ago. How? I work there."

"You brought a hooker in my house." Ian slammed the table angrily.

"Excuse me." Gabby stood up and glared at Ian. "I said I work at the bar I didn't say I was a prostitute. I'm a bartender."

"You are out of the line, Jason. You shouldn't expect me to welcome someone like her in this family. She would be an embarrassment to our family's reputation."

"That's all you care about this family's reputation when we all know that it's just and image but inside we are all rotting in hell." Jake yelled back.

"Would all of you please calm down?" Maggie stated crying. "When will you two ever get along? Ever since Jake quit the army you two always fight."

"Because he always does things to humiliate me and this family." Ian pointed at Jake disgustingly.

"With all due respect sir, I think you should look in the mirror and see what you are doing right now." Gabby retorted.

"You are in no place to speak to me that way." Ian shouted at Gabby.

"I can speak anyway I want. You don't want me as part of your family. Guess what I'm not interested to be involved in any way with an arrogant asshole like you. You think to highly of yourself be careful you might lose your balance and fell of your pedestal head first." Jake just let Gabby talk back to his father while he tried to calm down Maggie.

"You fucking whore." Ian yelled.

"I wouldn't push it old man." Gabby stabbed the table with her bread knife. "Next time you call me a whore I will kill you with my own two hands."

"You have a death wish." Ian stated

"Call it anyway you want it. I have an advice for you two girls. Get the fuck out of here. Don't let this imbecile jerk manipulate your lives. Get out while you still can because this place is a hell on earth." Gabby started to walk out the dining hall. "Let's go Jake. This place stinks."

Jake and Gabby walked out the house holding hands while Ian shouting and cursing at them. He practically disowned Jake and threatens to ruin Gabby's life. They were silent for the next five minutes as Jake drives then they both suddenly irrupted with laughter.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't planning to have you disowned I just got really pissed off with your father." Gabby stated.

"Trust me. That was the first time my father was out of control with a stranger. You sure know how to put the man in his place. I'm sorry about the way he treated you. He is just not used being talked back by anyone."

"Well, I don't take shit from anyone. At least now I know where you got your attitude from. You and your father are one of a kind."

"Maybe but his a bigger jerk than I am. Don't worry about it. He always disowns me. And he always changes his mind. We have to keep a good family front."

"I don't care. He was a total asshole and he just got to pick the wrong fight with a bitch like me."

"Well, I didn't honestly think that you would talk back to him. I just thought you would let it pass."

"I was but I was kind of pissed that you put me on that fucking situation so I kind of lost it. It was fun though. But that is the last time and I mean it, that you would get me involve with your family."

"Alright, sweetheart. Let's grab some food before I drive you home."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm starving. I don't think we had dinner last night, did we?"

"I'm pretty sure we were too busy eating each other." Jake responded. "But don't worry about my father I'll take care of it and he won't even go near you."

"Whatever you say, I don’t really care."

They ate breakfast together and get to know more about each other. It was mostly Jake who answered Gabby's questions since she pointed out that he just kept quiet while she argued with his father. He shared how his mother died and why he hated his father. Gabby just listened and didn't make any snide remarks. She always wished she had a family. A real family even as crazy as the one Jake has. That was perhaps the reason she liked Cassie. They were both orphans, no family to turn to. They just got each other. Her adoptive family was out of the equation.