DTHIAT

Chapter 21

By the start of February, Jake had finally made the decision to call for a family dinner. He was tired of watching his wife and his daughter in their standoff.

Chaeyoung was the definition of a nervous wreck as she drove us to her house. Her fingers kept tapping on her steering wheel, she was changing the radio station constantly, chewing on her nails and tugging on the ends of her hair until I was sure they were going to fall out.

"Chaeyoung," I said, reaching out to take her hand in my own and settle it on her thigh. "We don't have to do this, not today if you're not ready."

"I'm ready. God, Lis, it's been almost two weeks and I haven't even spoken to her. I just -- who likes confrontation? Especially with their mother of all people?"

I gave her a sad but warm smile. "Maybe it won't be a confrontation. Not if you don't let it."

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes in response and huffed out an irritated breath. "You don't know my mother."

"At least your dad will be there," I offered instead.

We pulled into the driveway and I gave Chaeyoung one last kiss on the cheek, which quickly spiralled as she cupped my face with her hands and pulled me in to give me a real kiss, messy and deep and desperate. Chaeyoung was needy with her touches, seeking comfort as her hands shook slightly to signal just how scared she was.

"It's going to be okay," I said with a soft smile. "I'll be right here," I assured.

She let out a huff against my face, eyes closed as I brushed my fingers through her hair. "Okay."

"Mom, dad?" Chaeyoung called when we entered the house, pulling off her shoes and dropping her backpack by the front door.

"In here, honey!" her dad called from the kitchen.

Opening the kitchen door, we saw Jake standing at the stove, sauteing vegetables with his typical apron on.

There was no fire or smoke and I immediately panicked. That couldn't be a good sign. All the good times at the Park household started with Jake burning something.

This was an Omen, I'm sure.

"Hi girls!" His smile was so bright that I almost forgot we were about to have a showdown with his wife. He leaned over and kissed the top of Chaeyoung's head and then my own (still weird) and turned back to the stove.

"You look nice, Lis." He knew I would blush at the comment and winked at me while my cheeks turned as red as Chaeyoung's Mercedes.

"Where's mom?" Chaeyoung asked with a slight waver to her voice.

"She should be down once dinner is ready. How about you and Lisa go set the table," he responded tightly..

Another bad sign. Jake always smiled. Always. This was bad.

Chaeyoung nodded, then pulled me with her to set the table.

"You're okay, baby," I whispered when I noticed the visible shaking of Chaeyoung's hands while she tried to place a plate down. Quickly setting down the ones in my hands, I raced over towards her and kissed both of her knuckles before placing her hand on my heart and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She melted into the touch and rested her forehead against my shoulder, letting out a shaky, nervous breath.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said.

"It's okay. The hard part is over. No matter what she says, your dad is here and he won't let anything happen. Same with me."

"The hard part is living with her," Chaeyoung quipped back.

"We'll figure it out, love," I said with a smirk.