“I’m sorry. I know that must be hard.”
I take off my work clothes and slide on the skirt and top. Max watches me with heat in his eyes and I love it. I sit beside him on the bed and turn my focus to the picture. I’m standing in between my parents, all of us grinning wide at the camera. It was taken right after my divorce. I remember feeling determined to get my life back on track.
“It is,” I admit honestly. “They wanted me to move in with them after my divorce, but I knew I needed to do all of this by myself. I’m too old to depend on them.”
Max places a hand over mine. “I think you’re doing pretty damn good. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Thanks,” I say, turning to him. “I’m trying.”
He squeezes my hand. “You ready to go? My mom’s dying to talk to you. I had to calm her down at lunch today. She’s really excited to spend time with you.”
“Speaking of your mother, thanks for not warning me.”
With a heavy sigh, he nods. “I know and I’m sorry. I just felt like I could tell her about you.”
“What exactly does this make us?” I ask. My heart is thumping so hard I’m surprised he can’t hear it. What do I want it to mean? I wish I knew the answer.
Max looks right into my eyes. “I don’t know. What I do know is that I want to be with you, London. No more sneaking around. No hiding. But I’ll leave it up to you though.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “This is all new to me, so I have no clue what to do.”
He chuckles and helps me up. “Same. We’ll get through it together. Now let’s go before my mom calls asking where we’re at. The sooner we get there, the quicker we can leave.”
I’m definitely down for that. “All right, I’m ready.” Actually, I’m not but I know how to pretend to be.Hand in hand, we walk through the hotel lobby and everyone acknowledges us with smiles. I keep waiting for them to look down at me but none of them do. Maybe that’s just me being self-conscious. For three years, I’ve been talked down to by club members. The only reason I’ve put up with it is because of the money.
Max and I take the elevator to the top floor and my palms grow sweaty the closer we get to their room. We stop outside the door and he turns me to face him. “My mom and her husband aren’t like the people you’re used to. Just relax and have fun. We won’t stay long, I promise.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay. I can do this.”
He knocks on the door and it bursts open. His mother squeals and jerks me away from him, folding her arms around my body. “You’re here. I’ve been looking forward to this all afternoon.”
“Don’t scare her, Mom,” Max chuckles.
Kitty lets me go and waves him off. “Oh, hush. I’m just excited.” She takes my hand and leads me into the penthouse suite. It’s bigger than my entire house.
Mark comes over and holds out his hand. “It’s good to see you again, London. Would you like a cocktail?”
I shake his hand. “Sure. That’d be great, thank you.”
He walks off to the bar where two glasses await the fruity concoction. Mark fills each glass up and hands them to us, both with a single raspberry on the rim. Max kisses the side of my head. “You gonna be okay if I leave you alone with my mother for a few minutes?”
Kitty grins at me and it makes me smile. Usually, I get a fake vibe from people who are putting on an act, but she doesn’t come across like that. “I’ll be fine.”
Max squeezes my hips and winks at me before walking out the door with Mark. Kitty sits down on the couch and pats the seat beside her. “I have to say,” she begins, “I’m so happy to see a smile on my son’s face. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about a woman the way he does you.”
“Not even Alyssa?” I counter.
Kitty snorts. “Definitely not. I was so happy when he broke things off with her. She was not good for him at all.”
“And you think I am?”
She stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Of course, I do. You’re smart and beautiful with a good head on your shoulders. You’re working hard to build yourself up after everything that happened to you.”
I cringe. “Max told you about my past?”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart.” She pats my hand. “I’m divorced too. And because of that, I found an amazing man who loves me. And speaking of Max’s father, I’m going to warn you, he and his wife aren’t very friendly. When you meet them, keep your head up high. They like to talk trash about anyone and everyone who aren’t like them.”