Chapter Twenty
Wine and Cheese
Kaylen was running around in a mad flap as she tried to get everything sorted out. Emma-Leigh and her friends had agreed to be waitresses for the evening and make sure people had access to snacks and drinks. She really wanted to be there and her mother wouldn�t let her come unless it was to help Kaylen. Ashton was busy helping Kaylen set up as well. He would be entertaining people while Kaylen was downstairs, ushering people inside and welcoming them to look around the apartments on their way upstairs. At one point Ashton grabbed Kaylen while she was making another trip around the room to make sure everything was okay. He wrapped his big arms around her and gave her a kiss. It helped her calm down, until she looked at her watch and decided it was time to go downstairs. One of the waitresses would come down stairs and hand glasses to people as they entered for them to enjoy on their tour.
Kaylen was happy to spy Lord Albert�s car pull up at the curb with the first guests. Kaylen went down to the curb and opened the door for Charlotte and Albert. The rest of the family arrived soon after; they were all staying at the London residence tonight. It was interesting to see what Kaylen had done with their old home. Kaylen showed them through the first apartment and the one on the next floor as well. They were all impressed at the great job she had done. They continued upstairs and Ashton was doing a good job helping to host the party. Kaylen headed back down to the door to wait for guests.
Builders, plumbers and more of the workers arrived. The next people to pull up outside were the Campbells and Gayles. She handed them their glasses with choice of wine or grape juice and welcomed them inside. Kaylen would have followed them up for a couple of floors but she saw a taxi pull up and Caroline and Ethan checked the address with the driver, paid and climbed out. They were visually stunned at the place they had been dropped in front. If Kaylen had not been standing there they would have had no idea if they were in the right place.
�Well, Kaylen you have certainly done well for yourself. Is this whole place yours?� Ethan asked, without a hint of jealousy, just admiration.
�Yep, every floor and door is mine. I�m just going to lend it out to people. Are you interested?� Kaylen joked awkwardly. It was still a bit tense but at least they were all trying.
�I think it would be a bit out of my price range, although I would be willing to make an offer. How does a fiver a week sound?� Ethan joked and Kaylen swatted his head playfully. No one else expected if anyone did arrive they could push the buzzer. Kaylen walked upstairs with her aunt and cousin. It was easier to accept him as such because his father was never a father to her. Ethan supported her; at least he was able to see her now. They were impressed with the apartments as Kaylen showed them through each one. Upstairs things were not going quite as smoothly.
Ashton saw the Chapman clan arrive and went over to welcome them inside. They talked easily about the success of the apartments and Emma-Leigh had great delight in serving her family. Emma-Leigh was telling them all a joke heard at school that afternoon when Ashton spotted his sister and mother enter the door. They came over and Ashton kindly introduced them to Kaylen�s grandparents, aunts and uncles. Jennifer explained that the men were taking great joy in exploring the arches in one of the rooms downstairs, but were on their way. As soon as she finished talking, Will and Shawn arrived.
Will took one look at the people his family were talking to and did a double take. Shawn continued walking over and Will joined him by the side of his wife. �Well, hello Lord Albert, Lady Charlotte. How are you doing?� Ashton was a bit shocked, as was Jennifer. They had no idea that he knew the Chapmans. Jennifer was the most surprised.
�William, it has been awhile. We did not expect to see you here, we had no idea Kaylen had been in contact with you.� Lady Charlotte was shocked, and saddened that Kaylen had surprised them with this.
�Kaylen? I have just met her through Ashton, he is my wife�s brother.� Everyone else was standing back a bit. Caroline suddenly recognised who it was and gasped. No one else knew anything about this.
�How do you know Kaylen? What brings you here? I mean your whole family is here.� Will was still trying to figure out what was happening. Up the stairs Kaylen was travelling but she was unaware of the conversation happening above her.
�These are Kaylen�s grandparents.� Jennifer told her husband from where she was standing. Will suddenly did a bit of math and realised why she looked so familiar.
�Oh, my god. I don�t believe it. Kaylen?� Will put his hand to his mouth and spun around as he heard Kaylen�s voice travelling up the last few steps and into the room.
�You mean you did not know, until now?� Lady Charlotte asked, feeling a bit better that Kaylen hadn�t hidden this from them.
�Emily�s baby.� Will�s voice faded out and Jennifer suddenly realised what had happened. Kaylen walked up to them all, chatting away until she saw all the stunned shocked faces. Ashton was still behind and didn�t really have any idea.
�Hey, what�s wrong? What happened? Ashton, what did you do to these people? Emma, you didn�t tell them that joke did you?� Kaylen said happily and laughed, but it died down to a grim look when no one answered. People were looking at her very oddly; mostly it was coming from Will. Kaylen had no idea what was happening. Lady Charlotte sprung into action and pulled Kaylen away and out of the room to the bathroom.
�Sweetie, no one expected you to find out this way. We had no idea this was going to happen and we just realised this now when he arrived. Honey, Will Campbell is your father.� Charlotte had sat Kaylen down on the edge of the bath but could not think of any other way to tell Kaylen the truth. Kaylen paused and let the information seep into her brain. Her thoughts were suddenly very muddled. She had decided that she hadn�t been ready to meet her father and thought she would have more warning. At least she knew why he looked kind of familiar.
�Will is Billy, from the photo?� Kaylen asked, and her grandmother nodded. Kaylen sat there silent for a moment before the tears began. She had no idea why she was crying. This was meant to be a happy time. The apartments were finished and the bookshop was going great. The speed at which the changes had been happening suddenly hit Kaylen with the force of a hurricane. Three months ago she had a completely different life and had just decided to embark on a holiday adventure. What Kaylen had found in those three short months could not be described as anything less than life changing and was a definite adventure. Kaylen was not ready to face everything that was in that other room. She grabbed a tissue to blow her nose and threw it into the bin. In one movement Kaylen breathed in, threw the bathroom door open and ran like a demon back through the people and up the stairs to her room, where she slammed the door shut and locked it before exhaling. She walked to her bed and collapsed on top of covers.
During the stint in the bathroom, the situation was explained to Ashton and the guests who were not family had decided the party was ending before it had begun and left. Ashton was scratching his head and everyone else was beginning to find seats when Kaylen made her mad dash and Charlotte came wandering back. Will began to walk toward the stairs, explaining that he needed to talk to Kaylen. �No, do not go and be with her. She needs to be alone. The last few months are catching up with her and you are the last person she needs right now. If I know Kaylen, when she wants to talk to someone it will not be to a family member.� Carolyn knew exactly what Charlotte meant as she spoke to the group.
�I know, with what Kaylen has been through lately I think family is pretty much the cause of it, both good and bad. I hate my sister for everything. This is all her stupid fault, and we are all here fixing up her mess!� Carolyn had lost a lot of respect for Joanna throughout this awful process.
�I think I would like to take some responsibility for this awful mess. Seeing as I helped create Kaylen, I think I am responsible.� Will was beginning to pace. He had always wanted to meet his daughter and had even tried but he understood Kaylen�s parents not wanting him to see her, but where were they now? This seemed like a big night in Kaylen�s life.
�I don�t think Kaylen�s birth was the big problem here, Will. Kaylen is one of the best people in the world and I guess I can thank you for helping to bring her here, but do not take credit for the mess. I think the mess Carolyn is referring to is the fact Kaylen only found out she was adopted a couple of months ago. Her adoptive parents both died within the past year and never told her, it was Carolyn who had to tell Kaylen after the Chapmans decided it was time to find out what Kaylen had been doing with her life.� Ashton�s phone began to ring and he stopped talking. As soon as he heard who it was he shut it down and ran up the stairs to Kaylen, who had been on the other end.
Caroline, Alicia and Samuel all left with their families and headed back to their parents London apartment. Jennifer drove her parents home, leaving Will to catch a taxi. The only other remaining people were Charlotte, Albert, Carolyn and Ethan. Carolyn found her way around the kitchen and made coffee. No one was really in the right spirits to continue drinking the wine. Ashton and Kaylen remained holed up in the bedroom. His only job had been to rub her back as she lay their crying. She hadn�t talked yet and he wasn�t going to force the issue.
�Why does everything like this have to happen to me? Things were going really good and I was even dealing with my parents� deceit. I was getting used to having a nice extended family and just being able to be with you with nothing else happening. Now I find out that I have met my birth father, it changes everything.� Kaylen sighed as the tears were subsiding; she had no more liquid left to expel.
�Why does it have to change anything? It doesn�t mean that any of your other relationships will suffer. I would have thought this would be a good opportunity to find out a bit of where you have come from. I remember one such conversation about how you had always wondered of your culture and that you had never really known where you had come from.� Ashton was continuing to rub her back and calm Kaylen�s nerves.
�And I was prepared to look for it, just not right now. I have found part of where I come from in the Chapman�s. When I first learnt of their existence and met with them, before I knew what had happened to my mother, I didn�t want to see her. Everything was happening so fast and I didn�t want to lose anything from my past that quickly. I am not saying that I thought that by knowing my birth mother I would lose anything I felt about my adoptive mother. I just wanted the chance to know of my mother and something about her before I actually met her. Everything happened so fast that it was scary to be put in that. And it is the same with my father.� Kaylen rolled over and put her head in Ashton�s lap. He began to play with her hair, combing it with his fingers. He was beginning to see things from where Kaylen was coming.
�Kaylen, no one is going to make you do anything you don�t want. I will not let anything happen to make you sad again. I don�t like seeing you cry. Since I know Will fairly well, he is almost like a brother-� It came out quicker than he had time to think. �I�m sorry, I don�t mean it to sound like that! I just meant that if you want to know more about him, in small doses, I can teach you. Without the pressure of actually seeing him.� Kaylen was up on her knees now with a cheeky look on her face. She grabbed a pillow and they started having a pillow fight. After a few minutes Kaylen collapsed in Ashton�s arms again.
�I think that would be a good idea. Would you be able to go and see if they are all there? Can you tell Albert, Charlotte and Carolyn I will phone them? Then come back here.� The tears were gone and almost forgotten. Ashton went and did as he was told and the remaining guests were dispatched. He told Will that he would phone him tomorrow and talk further and not to let anything worry him at this stage. Then he returned to Kaylen and curled up behind her, spooning until she fell asleep. Ashton rolled her away and put the blanket over them before he too slept.