Her mother's eyes misted like she was about to cry. "You don't know what you ask."
Crocodiles used tears to manipulate people, and Alice was tired of the dramatics. It was not nice to strike out like she did when upset. "And you don't explain, so there is nothing else to say."
Her mother's face grew wet and she sniffled. "Alice, your father and I will always love you. When that Morgan breaks your heart and leaves you broken, come home."
Families were supposed to trust. Her mother missed the memo. Alice's jaw began to loosen, and her eyes welled. She'd not cry in front of her mother and let her comfort her. It was all part of the plan to control, but Alice was not buying it. "You could have some faith in me."
Ellie opened her arms to hug her. "Likewise. I need you to trust me."
No. Alice stepped back and turned on her heels. Manipulation wasn't part of this. She was no longer a child. Alice left her bedroom. "Goodbye."
Alice went to the living room, where John straightened and took her bag from her. He had no idea of the drama he'd caused, but she decided she'd deal with him later. Right now, she marched for the front door. She had everything she needed to run the finances virtually. She'd never darken her mother's door again.
She let John help her, but that didn't ease the pain in her chest. Not everything in life needed to be a movie or a horrible telenovela. She turned around and glared at her mother who dried her eyes. The puppy dog look was all an act.
John placed his hand on her back. "Are you okay?"
She turned around, took his hand in hers and a spark of electricity shot through her. "Let's go."
At least, her mother said nothing else. Probably because John was a Morgan, but at the moment, Alice needed the silence.
She kept her back straight as she headed to the door. Her mother had disowned her over John. The marriage comment was inappropriate, but it was time Alice made the choices in her life. Angry, she picked up her phone and blocked her mother's phone number. In a few days, she'd think about talking to her again.
John followed her and once they reached the patio, her mother slammed the door behind them.
John's hand on her back made her skin prickly. She'd get no peace. She didn't budge or move from her spot in the driveway. Then he said, "So your mother didn't like me."
"I told you to keep quiet near her." She swallowed as her eyes misted but she wouldn't let her mother see her reaction. "Let's just get in the car."
"I'm sorry. I don't know why that came out of my mouth." John opened the trunk to place her bag in the back. "Are you upset?"
She hugged her arms and waited at the passenger seat for him to unlock the Mercedes. "Yes."
He rushed to her side, and the wind he created cooled her cheeks. "That wasn't my intention."
He'd lied about marriage to her mother for some reason that she couldn't even fathom. That lie was horrible, but he didn't know her mom. She kept her chin from trembling as she sucked in the inside of her cheeks. "It's not you, but what you said was wrong too. Please hurry, I don't want to cry until we're off the property."
He opened her door and she slid into her seat, her body numb. This wasn't what she'd intended. She shivered despite the heat.
John's presence set off her heart in a different way, but she was glad when he drove away from her old house.
Lies about marriage only made everything worse. Her mother was ridiculous, but then so was she. Marriage to John in jest was like being offered one piece of chocolate instead of the whole bag. They'd never be together. Kings of the world did not spend eternity with peasants and farmers.
Chapter Seventeen
John closed the door to his house as they parked the car in the garage and left Alice's bag beside him. Outside the walls, the security gate still closed automatically, but her ears mostly burned as she stormed down the hall. In the distance she heard John enter the house and lock the door.
First her heart had to accept her mother's actions, but what he did was wrong, on so many levels. She took a deep breath, ready to finally speak after that silent car ride, so she turned to face him though she only reached his broad shoulder. "Why did you tell my mother we're getting married?"
He covered his face with his hands as he studied her. She swore his blue eyes seemed to glow with regret. Finally he said, "I didn't. Exactly."
What? "I heard you."
This was outside the box of acceptable. She shook her head. "You never asked me, and you told my mother we were. She already has a thing against your family, but this made it so much worse."
He took her hand in his. "I said I intend to marry you."
If it was anyone else, she'd take him seriously. But this was John Morgan, son of one of the wealthiest families alive, and potential heir to a business kingdom. People like him did not marry people like her, so there was no way he'd be serious about marriage. She wasn't a complete idiot. "That's insane. My mother officially wishes you dead now."
She tried to take her hand back, but he asked, "Does your mother's opinion matter so much?"
She stilled and averted her gaze. Maybe John didn't understand because he never had a family that cared. "No. Yes. I want my mother to retire and be happy with my dad while I live my own life."
His fingers traced her knuckles. "So you gave up your freedom when you moved back home?"
John would never get it. "My dad had a heart attack. Colt was serving overseas. They needed me, and when you love your family, you give up a little freedom in exchange for their well-being."
His hand left hers, and traced her face. "That's noble and sweet, and you're right. I wouldn't know how that feels."
His touch sent her body into overdrive. "John, our lives are different."
She hoped he'd rip off her clothes and take her right here, right now. She ached for another kiss, but he dropped his arms to the sides and shrugged. "Our lives shaped us, but they don't define our future."
She caught herself from forgiving him carte blanche. Her lusty thoughts for John clouded her judgment, again. She rubbed her neck and tried to cool down. Her mother fit into the Morgan family. "True. I don't want to talk about my mother and her dramatics anymore. We go to your family tomorrow."
He reached backwards and picked up her bag. She followed him down the long hall as he said, "Yeah we do. The reading will not be fun."
She must have misread him earlier. He hadn't even thought about a kiss. "Are you sure you want me there?"
He turned around at her bedroom door and she gazed right into his clear blue eyes. "Victoria asked for you."
John opened her door and dropped the bag on the inside. She stepped closer to him and caught his hand in hers. "What about you?"