The Choice

Chapter 9

Family Reunion

"Jace?" He looked at me with surprising eyes while he moved closer to me.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered to me and I detected an urgency in his voice.

"Here you are." Alec said from behind me giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Jace stopped in his track. I saw in his eyes confusion and then understanding. I stiffed in Alec's embrace. "I see you met my brother, Jace." He mentioned with his head towards him. Jace's eyes were blazing fire when he met mine. I just stood there staring him in disbelief.

"Your," I swallowed, "brother?" I stared at Jace trying to get it into my head. Jace was Alec's brother. Not only I had cheated on him but I had cheated him with his own brother.

"Did I interrupt something when I came in?" Alec gazed between Jace and me.

"I was about to introduce myself." He came closer and hugged Alec. "How have you been? Aren't you tired of court rooms yet?" He said smiling at Alec, his eyes holding an uncertainty.

"Why would he?" Someone spoke form the entrance of the room. "Jace, you haven't gotten home yet and you start harassing your brother." He said smiling at Jace. "And who do we have here? I suppose you are Clary, Alec has been talking about." He gave me hug I wasn't expecting. He was tall like his sons with blue eyes and back hair. Alec was just like his father.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Lightwood." I said to him. My hands were trembling and I had to cross my arms to avoid showing how nervous I was. Was Jace going to tell Alec? Or worse his family?

"Please, call me Robert." He said with a huge smile.

As I had guess, Maryse had arranged our sits. The table was round and she managed to place me between Jace and Alec. I tried to trade places with Alec but a stern look of her made me shut up and sit down, wishing this night to come to an end.

The dinner Robert had cooked was delightful and even though I was hungry earlier, now it seemed as my stomach was ready to explode. I couldn't eat and I moved my fork between small bites trying to look as I was enjoying what I was doing. I could feel Jace next to me, his aroma getting me dizzy and felt him stiff, trying to avoid eye contact with me as much as possible. The dinner was awfully quiet.

I did small talk with Robert while Maryse look at her husband and me nodding as she was too tired to participate. We didn't talk about the wedding and I was grateful about that.

After dinner we moved to the living room the fire still burning and sat down for a drink and dessert. I declined and settled for a drink that I so much needed. The atmosphere was heavy between Jace and me, barely making conversation with the others.

"Alec has told us all about you parents. We're so sorry for your lose. It's been a year right?" Robert said to me; and Jace who wasn't paying attention before lost in his own thoughts, jerked up. He looked surprised and concerned as he looked up to me.

"Yes. It's been exactly one year since last week." I drank more. I wasn't comfortable talking about my parents and it was certainly unsettling to talk about it with his parents.

"I don't want to be rude or anything but who is going to walk you down the aisle?" Maryse asked me.

"I haven't really put a though on it. I guess I'll walk alone." I said looking at my drink.

"I'm sure we can find someone willing to walk with you. Any other relatives? It won't look good if-"

"Mother!" Jace said. He hadn't spoken since dinner and we stared at him. I was more anxious about what he had to say. "Can you leave this subject alone?" his voice lighter now. "We just met her and you're already making her more anxious. Besides it's non of your business who she walks down the aisle with." He said and walked at the mini bar to get another glass of whiskey before giving me a bland stare.

After that the talk about the wedding was minimum and I suspected that, that was the goal Jace wanted to achieve. I didn't believe he cared about what happened at the wedding but he rather cared about his own peace of mind.

After a long hour Robert and Maryse said their goodnights and headed upstairs leaving me with a very quite Jace and a grinning Alec.

"I think that went well." Alec said. Jace locked his eyes with me his expression unreadable. I would give anything to know what he was thinking right now. I bet he was mad and was contemplating whether to tell Alec or not. I had to stop him.

Alec stressed himself and grabbed my hand giving me a light squeeze and a kiss. Jace looked away. "What are you saying? Go to bed? I am so tired I didn't even realize it." He said and got up.

"Don't you remember? You mom put us in different rooms. I would hate to see her mad in the morning."

Jace chuckled at that. "Different bedrooms? Oh, well I'm not surprised."

"Go on," I said to Alec. "I'll stay a little longer." I gave a look at Jace telling him that I need to talk to him.

"But she won't even tell the difference. You're going to be my wife for crying out loud!" He said but I could see that he was thinking about his mother because he was halfway out of the room. "See you in the morning then." He said tiredly.

I was staring at him going up the stairs when Jace spoke. "I'm surprised how you can look at his eyes without the guild killing you." He spoke softly, not angry but I could see it in his eyes the hurt and guilt.

"Jace you have to understand that I tried to tell you, to let you know what was happening but… but…"

"But what? What on earth did stop you from telling me? Why on earth did you let this," he gestured between us, "happen? What were you thinking?" He stood up now pacing in front of the fireplace without looking at me. "I can't even imagine how Alec-"

It was my time to stand up. "Please don't tell him," I begging him. He turned around abruptly.

"Are you insane? Of course I won't! He won't even believe me when I tell him I had no idea I was screwing his fiancé."

I reached for him. "Please don't talk like that."

He walked away from me. "Like what? We were just fucking each other right? No feelings attached. It was just sex. Not need to upset him for something foolish." He walked away.

"It was…" I started and he stopped. His chest hovered up and down his hands clenched at his sides. He was waiting for me to finish my sentence but I couldn't find the words.

He shook his head. "As I thought." And stormed out of the room.

That night I didn't sleep well. My thoughts were scary and confusing but most of all worried. Worried what Jace thought of me and us. He had made it perfectly clear last night that there was no reason for me to worry. He wouldn't hurt his brother and he had made it clear what he thought of us. He didn't think it as anything and that confused me. Because from the moments we spend together I could see that what we had wasn't something temporary or a spur of the moment. I tried to convince myself what it was but I couldn't quite believe it. I wasn't so sure about my feelings. Because I had some for him but I had no idea what they were and I wasn't ready to find out yet.

The next morning found me sitting by the window of my room refusing to go downstairs. Jace's words had made me mad and I wanted to show him he was wrong but how would I do that when I couldn't figure out my feelings first. So I settled there and wished Alec would come and bring me food.

Minutes passed and I was surprised how he wasn't up yet. He normally got up early no matter if he worked or not. He was a morning person while I was not. But I couldn't sleep in today. Not after what happened yesterday.

My window looked outside the back yard and the few trees enveloping the house. I could see a glimpse of something that looked like a small pond. That would be an interesting walk since this place didn't have Internet connection. I was surprised it even had a TV.

On my way downstairs I paused outside the boor beside my bedroom, Jace's bedroom. I made a move towards it and paused again. Then I took the steps two at the time.

Maryse was sipping her coffee reading the newspaper when I came in. Jace was nowhere to be found. I sighed.

"Where is Alec?" Maryse looked rather annoyed that I had disturbed her from reading what appeared to be the financial section of the paper.

"He went with his father to the country club. Meeting old friends. There is breakfast over there," she pointed at the other side of the kitchen.

"Are they going to gone for long?" I said trying to decide what I wanted, pancakes with lots of syrup or cereal? Jace had made me pancakes last time and I had a slightly suspicion that he had made these as well from the way he had placed the bacon around it. I chose cereal.

"I guess so. Whenever they go to that stupid club they tend to be late." Her voice held a tone of sarcasm. I sat down across of her.

She looked up. "Won't you have a coffee?" she asked me.

"She doesn't drink coffee, not until a couple hours have passed since she gets up." Jace answered for me and went for the coffee. His eyes looked tired.

Maryse looked between us. "Oh, I didn't know."

I stepped in before it was too late. "Yeah, we were talking about coffee habits with Jace last night. That's how he knows." I gave her a nervous smile. She gave one back.

"Of course." She looked at me above the newspaper. Jace looked at the plate full of pancakes and then at my plate. He gave me a nod and left the room. Being alone with Maryse felt intimidating so I focused on my cereal.

"Since the boys aren't here I was thinking taking you at a bridal shop in town to look for a dress. If you haven't found one already of course." Her words were carefully spoken. I could see she wanted to take me there even though her face said otherwise.

"What about Jace?"

"Will take him with us. We want a male's perspective don't we?"

"But… but he might-"

"Alec told me you haven't found a dress and I know that this is usually what mothers and daughters do and since your mother has passed away I thought I could fill in the spot. For the experience I mean." She said sifting in her chair. It made her uncomfortable to talk about it so I made it easy for her.

"I would love to." I said with a smile on my face that she returned. I was planning to politely decline her offer to put us both out of trouble but seeing her like that, toying with the paper I couldn't say no. She didn't have a daughter so I guess I was filling that spot as well she filled my mother's spot. But taking Jace with us wasn't something I would let it happen.

"You know, I don't think Jace would like to come. I mean… he'll be all bored and all."

"Nonsense. He'll love it. You know, when he was little he always begged me for a little sister. He said he wanted a little sister so he could be her hero." She laughed. "Instead he got Alec. So you see, he'll be excited in participating. It'll give him time to learn his new sister," she smiled gently, "and my new daughter."

Oh, boy.