Page 48 of Seduced in Ink
“I have no idea. I’d really prefer you just standing by me the whole time so we’re not alone in this. I cannot believe I said yes.”
“I believe it,” he grumbled.
“Because I can’t stand up for myself?” she asked, her tone sounding a little hurt.
Thankful that they were on a straight part of the road, he reached over and gripped her hand, squeezing it. “That’s not what I meant. I believe that you’re doing this, and you told me you were doing it because you were standing up to your mother and planned to be yourself this weekend. I’m all for that. And if we get to have a couple of nice meals and maybe a little vacation in the middle of it, why not?”
“But you said you had a meeting with a big client. Now, you’re missing it.”
He shook his head, taking his hand back so he could pay attention to the road better.
“It was always a phone conversation. They live in New York and can’t fly down all the time. They just want to talk about a few things. Not even over video. Should make it interesting for my art, right?”
“I cannot believe you can create with your hands the way you do. It’s insane. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but the best I can do is what I do with my cupcakes.”
“First off, you know exactly what I can do with my hands,” he purred.
“Aaron.”
“I’m just saying. If you’re going to leave a hook for a dirty joke like that, you’ll just have to deal with the ramifications.”
“Just don’t make those kinds of jokes in front of my parents.”
“What kind of guy do you take me for?” he asked, oddly a little affronted.
“You’re right. I’m just overthinking everything and am nervous.”
“I’ll be honest and say I’m a little nervous, too. Probably not for the same reasons you are, though.”
The lodge was just around the bend, and he was grateful for that because he wanted to be able to look at her when he spoke. And that wasn’t easy when he was trying not to fall off the mountain.
“Why would you be nervous? And why would it be different than my nerves?”
“First, I’m nervous that I’m going to do something that’s going to make your mother hate me and ruin the whole thing we’re doing here.” It was bound to happen since he wasn’t sure of Maeve’s intentions.
“My mother will only hate you if she doesn’t feel like she has a hand in orchestrating all of this.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, not sure what else to say because he hated that they were in this situation to begin with. He loathed how her mother treated Madison. But they were trying to change that, or at least how Madison reacted to it. And that was the main reason he was here. Not because he wanted to be near Madison even more.
No, not that at all.
“So, is that all you’re nervous about? Because that’s sort of what I’m nervous about, too. Onlymemessing things up. Because I need to stand up to her, and I’m doing it. I’m not doing what she wants, other than coming to this.”
“It’s hard to stand up to her if you’re not in front of her to do so,” he said honestly. “I guess that sort of makes sense.”
“Maybe a little,” she said.
He smiled at her for a second before turning his attention back to the road.
She smiled over at him. “What else are you nervous about?”
“Mostly that.” He wasn’t sure he should say anything else, but he was already halfway there, so he might as well take the leap.
“Anything else that I need to know?”
“Not really. Just the normal guy meeting the parents thing.” As if there was anything normal about what he was feeling and what they were doing.
“I see.” She was silent for a moment as if going over her thoughts. “Though you have already met them.”