“Another warning,” he muttered, his eyes locked on mine.
“What?” I asked when he didn’t say anything further.
He looked at me a second then I saw his jaw tense, his hand got tight in mine and his fingers gripped my hip.
“Max?” I prompted, his apparent battle to gain control over something I didn’t understand was beginning to worry me because it didn’t seem at all like Max.
“The right thing to do would be to let you do what you need to do,” Max stated.
I felt my brows draw together in confusion and I repeated, “What?”
“Not gonna do that, babe.”
“What?” I asked again.
“You think to slide back, settle for something that made you run away because you think it’s safe, because it’s familiar, because you’re scared of takin’ a gamble on me, I’m warnin’ you now, Duchess, I’m not gonna allow that.”
Oh my God.
He was worried. In his Max way, he was worried I’d walk in, take one look at Niles and go back to my old life. Or let Niles and my father talk me into it. That was why he was silent in the Jeep and that was why he didn’t take my hand, because this was on his mind.
“Max –” I whispered, moving closer and putting my hand to his chest.
“You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”
My hand slid up his chest and curled around his neck as I got closer. I felt tears prick the backs of my eyes and my stomach melted. I was back to thinking settling for Max would be perfectly all right. Definitely.
“Max –”
“Fair warnin’.”
My fingers tensed on his neck and I squeezed his hand. “Okay,” I whispered, “fair warning.”
He dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine, let me go but his arm curled around my shoulders, mine curved around his waist, my thumb going into his belt loop and we walked to the hotel. We no sooner opened the door when we heard it.
My mother screeching, “You dare!”
My head whipped to the side and up and I saw Max already looking down at me, his face both surprised and amused.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
Over my words, I heard my Mom scream, “Let me at him!”
Max’s arm dropped but he grabbed my hand and walked quickly with long strides and I had to rush double time to keep up with him as he dragged me to the hotel restaurant. When we entered we saw everyone in the restaurant had their heads turned to a corner table.
This was because, at the corner table, Steve was holding my mother back and her arms were outstretched toward my father, her fingers curled as if she was imagining strangling him.
Niles was standing, looking somewhat troubled and uncertain what to do but Dad was sitting, staring up at my mother with an ugly smirk on his face.
Upon sight of this scene, I realized my mistake at being late.
Perhaps I should have come as wet-haired, makeup free Nina.
“I see you haven’t changed, Nell,” I heard Dad remark acerbically.
Oh dear.
“I… you… I… argh!” Mom screeched.
Max and I hit the table and I opened my mouth to speak but Max got there before me.
“What’s goin’ on?”
Niles was now staring at Max, not me, but Max, not looking somewhat troubled but looking like he’d been punched in the stomach which, I had to admit, made me feel more than a little guilt. Dad still didn’t move. Steve kept struggling to control Mom but she suddenly stopped fighting and turned to Max.
“You didn’t say yesterday what he did!” she shrieked, her arm swinging out in an arc to point at Dad on the word “he”.
“No point,” Max calmly replied to Mom.
“No… no… no point!” she yelled, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Mom, what on earth is happening?” I asked but before Mom could answer, Dad spoke.
“Nina, good God, aren’t you even going to say a single word to your fiancé?”
I glared at my father then I looked to Niles and tried to rearrange my features into something a little less angry and a lot more sensitive.
“Hello Niles,” I greeted softly.
Niles’s eyes had moved from Max to Max’s hand clasping mine and he’d grown pale.
Then he looked at me and stated, “I don’t understand.”
I blinked at him, not understanding what he didn’t understand.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“I don’t…” His eyes went back to our hands and then came to my face. “What’s happening?”
I felt Max tense beside me but I was still blinking at Niles.
“What’s happening?” I repeated.
“This is… you’re standing there holding hands with another man,” Niles replied.