Reluctantly Royal
Page 64
“I’m not opposed—”
“Mom!” Marty’s voice sounded from the hallway and I sat up straight, grabbing for the blankets.
Max hopped out of the bed and tossed me my dress. I pulled it on over my head and almost jumped out of my skin when I felt Max’s fingers sliding the zipper up.
“Just a minute!” I called to stall Marty.
“Are you in Max’s room?” Marty knocked on the door.
I glanced over my shoulder and shoved my hair out of my face. Max was pulling on his pants, his shirt already in place, and nodded at me.
“I’m here.” I opened the door and looked down at my son.
“I couldn’t find you.” His eyes were accusing.
“I’m sorry.” I looked back at Max. “I was talking with Max and we didn’t want to wake you up.”
I cringed. I never lied to Marty. Well, except about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but those didn’t count. And technically there had been some talking. Some very . . . interesting talking.
“Oh.” Marty’s gaze shifted past me toward Max. “Were you sleeping?”
“Yes.” Max nodded his head decisively. “We were sleeping.”
“I thought you were talking.” Marty narrowed his eyes.
“We fell asleep while talking,” I rushed to clarify.
“Okay.” He wasn’t convinced. I didn’t blame him. Max and I looked guiltier than a couple of kids found at make-out point.
“What did you need, sweetie?” Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my panties on the floor next to the desk and kicked them out of sight.
“I wanted to know if I could go feed the birds, but Alex said I had to let you know where I was first.” He looked up at me with big eyes. “Can I go? I’ll be fast so we won’t be late for dinner. Please?”
I scanned the room, searching for a clock. It was late afternoon and almost time for dinner.
“Have you eaten anything?”
“I had some fruit.” He smiled up at me.
“Grab your jacket. It’s getting cold at night right now.”
“Woo-hoo!” He tore out of the room.
“Your brother will take good care of him, right?” I looked back over at where Max was sitting on the bed. “He’s not going to have his eyeballs pecked out or anything, right?”
Max chuckled and stood up. “Marty is in the safest of hands.”
“Has he ever watched kids Marty’s age?” I let my hands fall to my sides as he walked toward me.
“Alex is the favorite of all the cousins.” He tilted my face up toward his. “We have a very large family. Lots of little ones running around all the time.”
“Why aren’t you the favorite?” He had such an affinity with Marty, I couldn’t imagine him not getting along with all of his cousins.
He shrugged uncomfortably. “I suppose I never really tried.”
“Were you scared of them?” I laughed, but his frown stopped me. “But you’re so good with Marty.”
“Alex has always wanted kids.” His eyebrows drew together. “And they just gravitated to him.”
“Huh.” I studied his face. “So you don’t want kids.”
“No.” He frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
I cringed inwardly. He didn’t want children? I was a single mother. Marty was my world. But he wasn’t sure. Had something happened to change his mind? Had we changed his mind?
“Don’t look at me like that.” He reached out and tugged on my hair.
“What has you waffling?” I knew better than to put on an act. Somehow Max saw right through me. Instead I chewed on my lip.
He opened his mouth and then closed it. Mr. Confident looked nervous. “I don’t know.”
“Huh.”
“Don’t do that.” He stroked my cheek.
“What?”
“ ‘Huh’ me.” He shook his head. “It’s what Cathy and Sam do when they think they know something I don’t.”
“Are they usually right?” I raised my eyebrow.
“That’s not the point.” He smiled. “The point is that I’m . . . I’m not sure what I want anymore.”
“Not sure about anything?” The words fell from my mouth before I could rethink them.
“I’m sure that I want to do what we just did again.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m sure that I want to go fishing with Marty again. That I want to spend more time with both of you.”
His eyes traced my face, looking for something.
“What do you want?” he asked.
You, my mind screamed. I want you. But my mouth wouldn’t say the words. Instead I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.
His arm slid around my waist, tucking me against his body. I leaned into his kiss, trying to convey what I hadn’t been able to say aloud.
Someone cleared their throat and I broke our kiss, but Max kept me pinned to his side.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Cathy was looking anywhere but at us.
“What do you want?” Max growled at his sister.
“Well, we just thought you might want to eat dinner, but if you’re too busy, I’ll just let the others know . . .”
“No, thank you. I’m starved.” I lifted my hand to my mouth. Well, I guess the cat was out of the bag.
“Oh, thank God. I would hate to have interrupted and you weren’t hungry.” She motioned between us. “Because this could have been all awkward for no reason.”
“Mom!” Marty’s voice sounded from the hallway and I sat up straight, grabbing for the blankets.
Max hopped out of the bed and tossed me my dress. I pulled it on over my head and almost jumped out of my skin when I felt Max’s fingers sliding the zipper up.
“Just a minute!” I called to stall Marty.
“Are you in Max’s room?” Marty knocked on the door.
I glanced over my shoulder and shoved my hair out of my face. Max was pulling on his pants, his shirt already in place, and nodded at me.
“I’m here.” I opened the door and looked down at my son.
“I couldn’t find you.” His eyes were accusing.
“I’m sorry.” I looked back at Max. “I was talking with Max and we didn’t want to wake you up.”
I cringed. I never lied to Marty. Well, except about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but those didn’t count. And technically there had been some talking. Some very . . . interesting talking.
“Oh.” Marty’s gaze shifted past me toward Max. “Were you sleeping?”
“Yes.” Max nodded his head decisively. “We were sleeping.”
“I thought you were talking.” Marty narrowed his eyes.
“We fell asleep while talking,” I rushed to clarify.
“Okay.” He wasn’t convinced. I didn’t blame him. Max and I looked guiltier than a couple of kids found at make-out point.
“What did you need, sweetie?” Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my panties on the floor next to the desk and kicked them out of sight.
“I wanted to know if I could go feed the birds, but Alex said I had to let you know where I was first.” He looked up at me with big eyes. “Can I go? I’ll be fast so we won’t be late for dinner. Please?”
I scanned the room, searching for a clock. It was late afternoon and almost time for dinner.
“Have you eaten anything?”
“I had some fruit.” He smiled up at me.
“Grab your jacket. It’s getting cold at night right now.”
“Woo-hoo!” He tore out of the room.
“Your brother will take good care of him, right?” I looked back over at where Max was sitting on the bed. “He’s not going to have his eyeballs pecked out or anything, right?”
Max chuckled and stood up. “Marty is in the safest of hands.”
“Has he ever watched kids Marty’s age?” I let my hands fall to my sides as he walked toward me.
“Alex is the favorite of all the cousins.” He tilted my face up toward his. “We have a very large family. Lots of little ones running around all the time.”
“Why aren’t you the favorite?” He had such an affinity with Marty, I couldn’t imagine him not getting along with all of his cousins.
He shrugged uncomfortably. “I suppose I never really tried.”
“Were you scared of them?” I laughed, but his frown stopped me. “But you’re so good with Marty.”
“Alex has always wanted kids.” His eyebrows drew together. “And they just gravitated to him.”
“Huh.” I studied his face. “So you don’t want kids.”
“No.” He frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
I cringed inwardly. He didn’t want children? I was a single mother. Marty was my world. But he wasn’t sure. Had something happened to change his mind? Had we changed his mind?
“Don’t look at me like that.” He reached out and tugged on my hair.
“What has you waffling?” I knew better than to put on an act. Somehow Max saw right through me. Instead I chewed on my lip.
He opened his mouth and then closed it. Mr. Confident looked nervous. “I don’t know.”
“Huh.”
“Don’t do that.” He stroked my cheek.
“What?”
“ ‘Huh’ me.” He shook his head. “It’s what Cathy and Sam do when they think they know something I don’t.”
“Are they usually right?” I raised my eyebrow.
“That’s not the point.” He smiled. “The point is that I’m . . . I’m not sure what I want anymore.”
“Not sure about anything?” The words fell from my mouth before I could rethink them.
“I’m sure that I want to do what we just did again.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m sure that I want to go fishing with Marty again. That I want to spend more time with both of you.”
His eyes traced my face, looking for something.
“What do you want?” he asked.
You, my mind screamed. I want you. But my mouth wouldn’t say the words. Instead I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.
His arm slid around my waist, tucking me against his body. I leaned into his kiss, trying to convey what I hadn’t been able to say aloud.
Someone cleared their throat and I broke our kiss, but Max kept me pinned to his side.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Cathy was looking anywhere but at us.
“What do you want?” Max growled at his sister.
“Well, we just thought you might want to eat dinner, but if you’re too busy, I’ll just let the others know . . .”
“No, thank you. I’m starved.” I lifted my hand to my mouth. Well, I guess the cat was out of the bag.
“Oh, thank God. I would hate to have interrupted and you weren’t hungry.” She motioned between us. “Because this could have been all awkward for no reason.”
