Until April (Until Her/Him #10)(59)

“I think you should totally do that.” Myla laughs, and Kai chuckles.

“I’d personally pay to see that.” Melanie grins at me, and I smirk back, then look up at my guy when he gets close, shivering when he places his lips next to my ear.

“Do it, and I’m taking it out on your ass.”

“Don’t threaten me, sir,” I whisper back, then turn to meet his gaze and hold his stare, the emotions I see shining back at me making my heart beat a little funny. Not with aggravation or frustration, but with something that is deeper, richer, sweeter. Love. If I’m not wrong, this complicated, sometimes aggravating, and amazing man loves me, and without even knowing it was happening, I fell in love with him too.

Holy shit.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” Melanie says, breaking into the moment, and Maxim lets out a frustrated sound while I turn to face his sister, who has the fridge open like it’s her house and she is going to prepare a meal with the contents.

“There is a really good Mexican place not far from here,” I tell the room, and Myla’s eyes light up.

“Do they have margaritas?” Melanie asks.

“They have the best margaritas.” I smile at her.

“I could use a margarita,” Melanie says, and Maxim groans, probably remembering our last dinner where tequila was involved, and Kai just shakes his head.

_______________

AN HOUR AND a half later, with my belly full of delicious food and my body warm from the margarita I drank with dinner, I sink into Maxim’s side. It’s been a good night catching up with his parents and sister, and as the air cools, the dimming light of the sun casts a warm glow across the table and our waiter gets closer carrying a slice of cake with a candle sticking out of it, I know it’s about to get better.

“You didn’t,” I hear Maxim grumble when the waitstaff around the room begins to sing for him at the top of their lungs, with a cute waitress coming over to place an oversized sombrero on his head.

“This is epic.” Melanie laughs, and I catch her pulling out her phone, I’m sure to take some photos that will be used as blackmail later. I turn to face Maxim and smile at the look on his face, then take the piece of cake the waiter starts to set on the table. While I hold the plate, the candle is lit, then I hold it in front of Maxim and wait for him to blow it out.

Not surprising, it takes him a minute to give in, but when he does, he holds my gaze, letting me know with one look that I’m in so much trouble. I also couldn’t care less, because the happiness I see in his eyes is so totally worth whatever punishment he’ll come up with later.





Chapter 18


April

“HEY, BABE. MOM sent a text. She says you haven’t responded to her message, and she wants to know if you still like the leather couch or if you want to go with something else for in front of the fireplace in the living room,” Maxim calls from the bedroom.

I look at my reflection in the mirror and watch my nose scrunch before I duck my head to finish brushing my teeth without responding. Once I spit, rinse, and wipe my face on the towel hanging next to the sink, I walk to the doorway of my bathroom and look at my bed. My bed where Maxim is sitting up with his laptop in front of him, giving me the smallest glimpse of his defined chest. A sight I’ve gotten really used to seeing most evenings when the day comes to an end and we’re both ready to call it a night.

“I love your mom,” I start, and his eyes lift from his computer to meet mine. “Really love her, like a lot.” He raises a brow as I walk across the room to the bed. “But I think that if I want to keep loving her, I’m going to have to throw in the towel, and you’re going to have to take over the whole shopping for your house thing.”

“Babe.” His lips twitch, and I shake my head as I climb onto the bed.

“I’m being serious. It’s all too much. You closed on your house over two weeks ago, and you haven’t been able to move in, because she keeps changing her mind about the stuff she’s picked out, and the furniture store has had to cancel and reorder things about a dozen times. And since you’re not getting the stuff from one of the big box companies and almost everything is made to order, it’s pushing the delivery date back by weeks each and every time.”

I fall to my back and rub my face. “Not to mention that she decided the entire place needed to be repainted, which it really didn’t. So now you couldn’t even move furniture in even if you had it, unless you wanted it possibly ruined. And since your couch—in whatever color your mom ends up deciding on, because she obviously doesn’t like the one I picked—costs as much as my car, that would just be stupid,” I groan, then let him tug my hands away from my face.

“Are you done?” he asks, looming over me.

“Are you going to take over so I continue liking your mom?”

“Yes,” he says, and I blink at him.

“Really?”

“No, but I will talk to her.”

“Are you crazy?” I sit up quickly and spin around to face him, smacking my palms against his chest. “You can’t call your mom and say anything about this, unless you’re going to tell her that you’ve decided you want to be more hands on because it’s your house and you think you should be making the decisions, not me.”