“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh, Michael and I are working through some issues,” she said, not meeting my eyes. “I needed a break so I thought I’d come see my kids for Christmas.”
“Oh.” More like, “Oh, shit,” but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
“And I can get to know Christopher while I’m here,” she said, giving him a huge smile.
“Come sit down,” Bennett said to me, wrapping an arm around my back. “You look tired.”
He led me into the living room, sat down in my recliner, and then put his hands on my hips and moved me onto his lap.
“You don’t look tired,” he said softly in my ear. “You look like you’re about to be sick.”
I laughed a little at that. My legs hung over the side of the chair, and he cradled an arm around my back. I relaxed against him.
“Did Riley propose to you?” he whispered.
My head shot up from its spot on his shoulder. “What? No, he called me a whore.”
“He what?” Bennett’s gaze darkened angrily.
“Why would you ask if he proposed to me?”
“I was at lunch with Liam today, and Riley called him and asked for his blessing to marry you and raise our baby as his own.”
“That asshole,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “He’s got a lot of nerve.”
“It was all I could do not to flip the fucking table,” Bennett said.
I reached up to his cheek and ran a hand over his dark brown stubble. He was here because he was worried I’d said yes to Riley.
“I wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on Earth,” I said.
“What are you two young lovers in here whispering about?” my mom said, sitting down on the couch.
“Oh, just catching up,” I said.
“Charlotte, I’m impressed. That is one attractive man you’ve got yourself.”
“Well, we’re not . . . I mean, it’s early,” I said, my cheeks warming. “We’re still getting to know each other.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’d say you’ve done that already.”
Bennett rubbed his hand in slow circles on my back. I snuggled closer to him, grateful I had an ally here for my mom’s surprise visit.
“Well, this is just perfect,” Mom said brightly. “We can all have dinner together. I called Liam. He should be here in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Oh, Christopher can’t stay,” I said, scrambling off of Bennett’s lap. “He has to get to work.”
“Where do you work, honey?” my mom asked him.
“I’m a . . . police officer,” Bennett said.
He stood up and Mom stood too, giving him a hug.
“I hate that you have to leave,” she said, holding on to his neck. “You just got here.”
“Mom, two-second rule,” I said, tugging on Bennett’s arm.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“She’s only allowed to hug men I date for two seconds.”
“Honestly, Charlotte,” Mom said, sliding her hands off of Bennett. “I am not a cougar. I’m just a woman who can appreciate a good-looking man when she sees one.”
“Whatever, Demi Moore. Christopher has to go.” I hooked my arm through Bennett’s and led him to the door.
James came in, his hands a mess from the egg cleanup.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem.”
I walked Bennett to the back door of my building and opened it for him.
“Maybe this is meant to be,” he said. “Why don’t we just come clean? Liam’s less likely to go apeshit in front of his mom, anyway.”
“Soon,” I promised. “I don’t want us to tell him in front of my mom and James. He deserves to hear from just us. This is going to be a big shock to him.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Bennett pulled me into his arms. I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek to the soft flannel of the shirt he wore beneath his leather jacket.
“I’m so glad you came over,” I said softly. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
“Can we get together tomorrow night?”
“I’m leaving for a road trip in the morning.”
I groaned. “Damn.”
“I know. You gonna watch my games?”
I looked up at him. “You know I will.”
He leaned his face down to mine and kissed me, the warmth of his mouth on mine making my body respond eagerly. We kissed for a full minute before I pulled away.
“So let’s compare schedules on our phones and set up dinner for one night soon,” I said. “I’ll ask Liam to be there and we’ll tell him.”
“Okay.”
“Text me and call me from the road,” I said.
“I will.”
I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his solid chest again.
“I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said. “But I’m glad you get to spend some time with your mom.”
“Me too,” I said halfheartedly.
Yeah, spending an open-ended amount of time listening to her bemoan the end of her third marriage would be great. Very festive. Merry Fucking Christmas to me.
Liam spent less than five minutes telling Mom about his season over chicken and noodles before he switched subjects abruptly.
“So how do you feel about Charlotte’s secret baby daddy?” he asked, giving me a pointed look.
“Secret?” Mom furrowed her brow. “Christopher seems great to me.”
“Christopher?” Liam shot me a dirty look this time.