My breath hitched in my throat and I could feel my eyes go wide.
“Don’t be rushing things now,” Max said, his eyes still on me. I knew the look he was giving me was his way of trying to calm me down, but it wasn’t really working. “You’re gonna scare her off.”
“It’s a natural way for a woman of my age to think. My arms need a grandbaby in them and you’re my oldest and clearly in love with that young lady. What do you want me to think?”
I looked up to see Brielle shooting daggers at me. She turned her attention back to the potatoes. “Is your date tonight, Sam?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Where are you meeting him?”
“He’s taking me to Bobe’s. It should be fun. I’m excited.”
“A new man?” Fern asked, putting the cubed potatoes into a colander and rinsing them off. “Where did you meet him?”
Sam laughed. “I met him at a bar, actually.”
Fern blanched, causing Sam to laugh even harder. “Don’t worry, Mama Fern. He’s really nice and really cute.”
“Make sure you tell someone where you’re going and when you leave.” She dumped the potatoes into the boiling water on the stove. “It’s not like the old days when you met someone at a reputable place.”
“It’s a bar, not an AA meeting!” Sam exclaimed.
“Just be careful,” Fern said, shaking her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Sam looked over her shoulder at Max and then back to Brielle. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
KARI
Max was lying on the bed, the sheets bunched around his waist. Titus was lying at the foot of the bed, chewing on a red knotted rope that we had picked up for him at PetSmart. Max held the Kindle Jada had given to me for Christmas.
There’s nothing sexier than a guy reading.
Dinner at his parent’s had been interesting, to say the least. Fern made a couple of comments about grandbabies, especially when Pierce and Isa arrived with Joselyn. I had a nice conversation with Isa and we had made plans to go hiking the following week. I dodged glares from Brielle throughout dinner. Before leaving, John had pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Don’t let Brielle bother you. I’ll have a talk with her when y’all leave. You just keep doing what you’re doing, darlin.’”
Our ride home had been quiet, Max talking to Cane most of the way about something work-related. Once we arrived, I had taken a quick shower and slipped on a green gown.
I watched Max swipe the screen of the Kindle and I giggled out loud. He turned his head and looked me over from head to toe. He grinned sexily, making me melt on the spot. “You read this stuff?” he asked, nodding subtly towards the e-reader.
“I do.” I walked slowly to the bed. “Got a problem with it?”
“Not if you are going to let me try some of this.” He popped the Kindle back up again. “I mean, this is some good shit.”
I laughed and stretched out beside him. I rolled over to face him and stroked his abs with my fingers, feeling each ripple beneath them. “It is.”
He sat the Kindle down and rolled onto his side, facing me. “You’re so damn beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He watched me for a long time. “I’m sorry about my mom tonight. She can be a little overbearing.”
“It’s fine. She’s just proud of you and wants the world for you.”
“I already have the world.” He tipped my chin so I was looking at him. “You’re all that matters to me in this whole world.”
My lips betrayed the cool confidence my brain told my body to portray. My face broke out into a huge smile. “You don’t play fair.”
“I’m not playin’ at all, sweetheart.” His voice was heavy, his accent thick in the late hour. “I know I ask you to marry me all the time and it sounds like a joke at this point. I guess it kinda is because I know you’re gonna say no. But know this . . .” He bent down until our eyes were even. His greens pierced mine, cutting through all the crap that I tried to hide. “I’d marry you in a heartbeat. I’d be so damn honored to call you my wife. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to fight the swell in my chest.
“I mean it. I know there’s a bunch of garbage in your head, but I’m tellin’ you right now it’s a bunch of shit. All that matters is me and you.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m not sure what’s going on in there,” he said, tapping my temple gently, “but I’m gonna figure it out and fix it.”
He rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling. “I don’t want you thinkin’ I’m pressuring you or anything. I just want you to know where I stand.”
“I love you,” I said softly, not sure what else to say. The simple truth seemed like the best response. They were words I usually had a hard time saying, words I didn’t want to toss out there. But Max just made it so easy.
“I know ya do. And I love you, too.”