“You should know, Maxi, your father was very proud of you. Very proud,” she stated as she dabbed her eyes with the kitchen towel hanging from the handle on the refrigerator. I stood across from her, leaning against the sink.
“I know, Mom,” I said carefully as I turned and began to rinse a couple of plates with the remainders of mixed berry pie. I wasn’t about to remind her of the major guilt trips dad would lay on me when I came home on holiday breaks from school. Today and for the rest of her life I’ll let her believe my dad was proud that I wanted to be a teacher instead of running the family business. Now I just wonder if this is the best time to tell her about my father’s last turn of the knife in my back? Probably not.
“He loved you kids so much,” she cried as she came over to me and rubbed my back. Her tiny, warm hands pressed softly against my back.
“I’m glad Dad had a chance to meet Wilson,” I said trying to change the images of me being CEO of GP that wanted to take over my head.
“Me too. You know your father absolutely adored her…Maxi, we never really talked much about my reaction when I found out about Wilson…being…so much younger than you. It was selfish of me…to worry about our family’s reputation instead of your feelings.”
“No, Ma, it’s over. Let’s keep that in the past where it belongs,” I said as I choked on my words. I kept rinsing dishes.
She tapped her fist a couple of times in a dull rhythm just below my shoulder blade. “Well, Maxi, I don’t want you to feel like I don’t love Wilson, because I do. She makes you happy and that makes me happy.”
I stopped rinsing and snatched a small towel off the counter as I turned around to her. “Thanks, Ma, that means a lot to me, with Wilson not having family now,” I murmured as I focused down at the towel I twirled between my fingers. I didn’t expect to feel my mom’s delicate hands catch either side of my face and push my head up to look at her.
“Wilson most certainly has a family! She has us. We are her family now,” her voice broke into a serious tone. Her emerald eyes swelled with tears, mirroring the same expression that must have been broadcasting across my face. She leaned in and stretched up and gave me a kiss. It was like I was a kid again. I wrapped my arms around her petite frame and gave her the same type of hug that I would whenever I needed my mom to make my life better.
“Thanks, Mom,” I mumbled as I locked my chin across her shoulder.
“You’re welcome, sweets. And don’t think I didn’t notice the marks on your neck and your knuckles. You want to talk about it?” she asked.
I knew she noticed, but part of me wanted to believe in the theory of “if she doesn’t ask, don’t volunteer the information.”
“Nothin’ for you to worry about, Ma; everything’s fine,” I replied.
“Well, if you want to talk—”
“I know,” I interrupted.
“Okay, fine. So, where is that little lady of yours?” she asked as we broke from our embrace and she brushed her hand across the spot where her face had been buried in my chest.
“She’s with Camille and Dan. She insisted that I take a moment alone with you, to make sure you were okay,” I answered her honestly.
“Oh, phooey. Go get her from that room. Poor girl, she should be with you,” she hissed as she pushed me out of the kitchen. I turned back just in time to see her drag her fingers across her forehead and drop her gaze to the floor.
“Go on, I’m fine, go on now,” she responded when she saw me falter, waving her hand high in the air.
“Love you,” I said in a low rumble as I pushed through the black shiny door.
I hurried through the dining room, weaving between the chairs that were still pulled out from the table. I kept thinking about Wilson’s insistence that I go talk to my mom alone. All at once, the images of Wilson and me in the bathroom flashed through my head.
I froze in the doorway of the great room as I came upon Wilson in a conversation with Dan and Camille. She didn’t see me standing there, so I just took advantage of a stealthy moment and watched her. She was sitting on the large stone hearth of the fireplace, her legs crossed alluringly in front of her. Her curvy lips danced when she spoke, and loose pieces of her blonde hair tumbled across her cheek before she flipped it and wedged the loose strands behind her ear. Her eyes glazed over as she tried to stay engaged in the conversation, but I could tell she was preoccupied. She shifted her body and slowly rubbed her hand against the lower part of her stomach before pulling her knees up against her chest. She was my breath. She was the thought that moved me. She was my world, and the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It took everything I had not to bust in there and snatch her up. I tucked my bottom lip into my mouth, biting it as I dragged it back between my teeth. I took a deep breath and ran my fingers across my hair, trying to cool off before I entered into the great room to save her from the droning conversations she’d been having with my sister and her husband.
I walked over to Wilson and stood next to her. The fire was raging and blazing hot as the heat penetrated through my pants, burning my legs. I couldn’t believe she’d been sitting in front of the fire as long as she had. When I lowered my hand against her back, she was scorching hot.
“Holy shit, Wilson, your back is on fire; maybe you shouldn’t sit there,” I said as I grabbed her hands to pull her up.
“Oh, it’s not that hot,” she said.
“Come here,” I countered.
Wilson stretched her feet down to the floor and I watched her unfold, bit by bit, away from the fireplace and into my arms.
“Well, it’s a perfect opportunity to cool off in my arms,” I mumbled against her ear as I pulled her closer to me, swallowing her in my embrace.
“I don’t think this is the best way to cool off,” she teased before kissing my neck where my collar separated from my skin.
As I looked over at Dan and Camille, I guessed the conversation that they were having was over. At least from my perspective. We stood for a silent moment as I just held Wilson against my chest.
“How’s your mom?” Wilson whispered.
“She’s doing better than I thought. How are you?” I slid my hands down her spine and rested them in the small of her back, whispering low, “You still trust me?”
“I’m fine. And yes, I still trust you,” she breathed back before she stretched up and tickled her lips against mine. She slid her tongue along the edge of where my lips met. I pushed into her and our mouths opened, our tongues exploring each others. Tasting the sweet flavor of our kiss, she let out a slight moan from deep within her throat. We became the only two people in the room. Finally Wilson pulled slightly away from our kiss, just far enough away to formulate a sentence.
“I think we cleared the room.”
“Good,” I growled against her lips. My hands drifted down around her ass. I just wanted to pull her up against me. Wilson’s fingers climbed up my around my neck and knotted in my hair.
Unexpectedly, I heard my brother clear his throat.
“Shit, you two…get a room.”
“Shut up, Cal,” I spat toward him, going in for another kiss. Wilson pulled away, though. Her cheeks blushed red and her eyes constricted, like she was embarrassed to kiss me. She swept her eyes toward Cal.
“Alright everyone, I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day, and we have another long, emotional day tomorrow. I think we should all hit the hay,” Mom said as she walked in behind Calvin. When she passed him she locked her hands together on his shoulder and pulled him down toward her to kiss his cheek. “Good night, sweetheart, I love you.”
“I love you too, Ma,” Cal replied as he kissed her cheek then turned and gave her a tight hug, longer than usual. She let go first, rubbing her hands across his back.
Mom walked toward Wilson, pushing her arms out in front of her.
“Come here, sweetheart,” she beckoned.
Wilson’s breath caught as she let go of me and slipped into a hug with my mom. I watched as thei
r breathing became synchronized.
“I’m glad you came home with Maxi,” she whispered before pressing her lips to the side of Wilson’s head. “He loves you beyond aching. Just like Frank loved me.” Her voice cracked and she struggled to hold her tears back.
Wilson tightened her arms and held her just that much longer. And, right there, was why I fiercely love my girlfriend.
“I know, I’m so sorry…I wasn’t there today,” Wilson whispered.
“But you’re here now,” my mom answered as she pulled back from their embrace and played with Wilson’s hair, bringing it into a loose ponytail.
“Thank you for accepting me back into your home,” Wilson finished with a wavering tone. They stood holding each other an arm’s length away, keeping a gap of just enough comfort between them.
“You are always welcome here, honey,” she said as she let go of Wilson.
I liked watching my mom fuss over my girlfriend. There was something satisfying about seeing Wilson with my mom. They let their arms drop and my mom continued toward me. I stood, frozen, waiting for the moment she was going to lose it in my arms. It always seemed like all her major break-downs were saved for me. I don’t know why. Surprisingly, though, she didn’t cry.
“Night, sweetheart,” she mumbled to me before she wrapped her arms around the back of my head and pulled my forehead down to her lips. “Thank you for looking out for me,” she stammered a little. Her words shook, but no major crying.
“No problem, Mom.”
“Love you, Max,” the words rolled off her tongue.
“Love you too, Ma,” I answered back automatically. She pressed her finger into my chest. “Take care of that love, and never take it for granted. Trust me.” And with that pearl of wisdom, she walked away to go to bed.
Calvin stood for a moment longer before he looked around the room and realized he’d just become the third wheel.
“Gary will be here at 10:00 tomorrow,” he murmured as left through the dining room.
I turned to Wilson, inhaling an exaggerated breath and pulling her against my chest. I felt her breathing become ragged, and without warning, I felt the pain of the day swell in my chest.
“I love your mom,” she said as she looked up at me. I shifted her body in my arms. I could see it in her eyes, she was about to tear up.
“She loves you too. But obviously not as much as I love you,” I teased, dragging her leg up around my hip.
“Obviously,” she uttered deliberately before pushing me down on the couch. She slipped on top of me, her knees burrowing into the cushions on either side of my legs as she lowered herself onto my lap. She knotted her hands in my hair, pulled my head back, and dropped her lips down against my mouth. I guess she doesn’t want to talk about my family or what happened in the bathroom earlier…fine by me. I slipped my hands between her shirt and skin, sliding my fingertips up her back, causing her to shiver and me to smile.
~ Wilson ~
Maybe making out with Max right then gave me the reprieve I needed to just be swallowed up by him. Was I scared about what happened between us in the bathroom? Hell, yes. But I was also anxious about going back to California and finishing my senior year at Wesley without him. The irresistible comfort of always knowing that Max was nearby turned into nothing more than a vacant desire. It tore my soul open and encouraged an unsolicited, searing pain into my heart. Why did Calvin have to remind us about Frank’s will? All it did was create a frenzy deep in my core. Tomorrow they would read their dad’s wishes, and every fear I had of living without Max for the next five months would be cemented by the words Frank had written before he even had a chance to meet me. I guess that’s when reality will take over, for all of us. So right now, whatever I can give Max, whatever we can share before his life becomes something different than he ever expected, I’m going to do it.
The heat we were generating smoldered between us. It didn’t help that the raging inferno in the fireplace made the room feel like it was over a hundred degrees. I could feel the humidity our bodies created, especially with my arms wrapped around his neck. My fingers continued to entangle in the loose wisps of his silky black hair. I wished, silently, that he’d open his breathtaking green eyes, as I kissed him, but he didn’t.
Max dragged his hands up my spine, memorizing every sway and curve before reaching their destination at my shoulder blades. He pulled me tight against his chest. We both realized that my bra couldn’t pad the evidence of what he could do to me. In his desire to feel me completely he shifted his body, pinning me under him on the brown leather couch. And that’s when his eyes opened. I became breathless, melting in his gaze. I felt my eyes rush damp; I couldn’t help it. A tear dropped from the edge of my eyelash, tracking down the side of my face toward my ear.
Max noticed this and dragged his thumb across my face, dissolving the evidence in his touch.
“You okay?” Max’s words delicately danced and tickled against my lips.
I nodded.
“What is it, Wilson?” he asked as I felt him shift his weight across my body. Every curve and bump of him communicated his intentions and he became awkwardly heavy.
“Noth—,” I began.
“Don’t say nothing. Come on, Wilson,” Max stated as he moved his body off of me, leaving me between him and the back of the sofa. I twisted to face him as he wedged his arm under his head and swung his leg over mine. He pushed his fingers into the side of my head, clearing my hair away from my face.
I felt the words surge up through my throat but I couldn’t find a way to tell him. I didn’t want to be selfish or make him feel even worse knowing he had no choice. So I came up with a compromise.
“I’m just thinking about how I’d feel if I lost you.”
“Well, you won’t. I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered as his eyes converged with mine. His blinking gaze tugged at my heart.
That’s right, you’re not. You’ll be here with your family and I’ll be the one who has to go back to Wesley. Without you.
He leaned in slowly as his eyes gleamed with every hidden plan to keep me wrapped up in him forever. And just as if there was a force that wanted to keep us from kissing, our lips grazed right as my phone started vibrating in my pocket, shattering the trance we had.
His breath rolled, firm and short, across my mouth as he growled, “Let it go to voicemail.”
Normally, being consumed by Max, I would; but seeing that I hadn’t heard from Joanie in quite a while…
“What if it’s Joanie? I can’t let it go, knowing she’s with—” I stopped talking before mentioning Nick. I noticed his expression shift slightly to annoyance before he seemed to forget about it. He watched me lean back as I retrieved the phone from my pocket. It wasn’t Joanie calling me after all. It was Dax Fuller, the lawyer for my grandparents’ estate. My heart crashed down into my stomach. I didn’t really want to hear what he had to say so, as Max suggested, I let it ring until it stopped mid-jingle and got swallowed by voicemail.
“I take it that wasn’t Joanie?” Max ribbed. I shook my head and attempted to toss the phone over him and onto the coffee table, but Max jetted his hand into the air and stopped it.
God, he’s so quick. He clipped the bottom of the phone with his fingers, causing it to somersault over and over in the air above me. I covered my head and shrieked, hoping he was going to catch it so it wouldn’t bonk me. He bobbled it, one-handed, over me until he had it securely in his hand.
“No, it wasn’t Joanie. Oh my God, you scared the shit out of me,” I said, instinctually thrusting my hands against his chest. He swiftly caught my arms and hooked his leg around mine as he slid off the slick leather sofa and onto the floor. I sailed off, too, and landed squarely on top of him.
Max smiled wide. It was the type of smile that was uncontrollable and hurried to keep up with his twinkling eyes. It was filled with spontaneity, and reflection, as he twisted my hair in his fingers and pushed it behind my ears.
“If it wasn’
t Joanie, are you going to tell me who called and interrupted our kiss?” he asked as I watched his sultry eyes draw me in, slowly and deliberately.
“It was nobody,” I said as I lowered my face closer to his, waiting for him to kiss me again. I could feel my body ride the swell and lull of each breath he took.
“Nobody? Then I guess you won’t mind if I check?” he teased as he held my phone up. My heart thrashed against his chest.
“Give me my phone,” I commanded, wiggling to reach for my phone.
“No, I wanna know who was rude enough to call my girl when she was about to kiss me,” he rebutted as he held the phone farther away from me. I stretched, trying to get it from his hand, but he wrapped his other arm around my waist and clamped me down against his body.
“Max, give it to me, please,” I insisted, my voice flat and serious. I really didn’t want to deal with telling him who called. I didn’t want him to get all serious about something I had no control over until I got back to California. I just want to be with him tonight. I wanted to touch him, play with him, kiss him, and live in the discovery of how we both felt as we made love.
I felt his body shift and his embrace tighten as he took a huge breath and exhaled. His whole demeanor changed and his eyes filled with everything he felt he needed to say, yet his lips tightened as if he was trying to hold back words.
“I can’t make you…tell me. All I can do is let you know that I want to be the person you share every part of your life with. Good, bad, or whatever. Wilson, I want to be it for you.” He set my phone onto his chest, in front of me. His moody green eyes twinkled with just enough dampness to pull at my heart before he looked away. I knew he was speaking from that space in his soul that needed me to respond. That place within him that ached to be made whole again. His breathing lengthened in an effort to keep from losing it. Seconds felt like minutes as every attempt to work out the words in my head kept rolling over and over. Finally I just spilled my guts as tears, filled with the whole day’s stress, cluttered my eyes.
The Wilson Mooney Box Set Page 63