“Why would he do that?” I asked, still whispering furiously. “The last thing I needed was for your mother to find out I’m sleeping with her precious baby before she even meets me.”
“Somehow, I don’t think it’s the fact that we’re having sex that’s bothering her,” he replied at his normal volume. He shrugged when I widened my eyes at him. “If it makes you feel any better, she didn’t bring it up at all. It’s not your moral compass she takes issue with.”
“Yeah, I know,” I replied dryly. “It’s my heritage. Is there any way to avoid meeting her for a little while?”
“Nope. If I don’t take you to her, she’ll come to the office to find you. She knows you work with me.”
“Great. That’s just fucking great.” I felt a headache creeping up the back of my skull. Pouting as I propped my elbows on the table and laid my head in my hands, I met his concerned gaze. “It’s going to be bad, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitating for so much as a second. “I don’t know how bad but bad. Whatever she says, it’s important to me you know I don’t share her views.”
“I’d hope not,” I grumbled. Then I reached deep down inside for my big-girl panties. Mentally putting them on, I took a deep breath and forced my mouth to form a smile. “You know what? I’ll be fine.”
His brow furrowed. “Well, yeah. She’s not going to murder you. It’s the damage to our relationship I’m concerned about.”
“I won’t hold anything she says against you,” I promised and reached across the table for his hand. “I’m actually glad it’s going to happen now. We can get it out of the way. I know what to expect, and it’s not like I’m going to get more ready to be hated the longer this goes on.”
Marco paused, then wound his fingers around mine. “You don’t have to go, Addy. If you don’t want to, you can say no.”
I was shaking my head before he’d even finished his sentence. “I’m ready to meet her. I promise.”
Releasing a heavy breath, he kept his eyes on mine. It allowed me to see the regret already entering them. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I guess I’ll pick you up for dinner on Saturday?”
“Consider me warned.” I pulled back my shoulders and lifted my chin, hoping that if I tried to look confident, I’d feel it too. “Don’t worry, Marco. I’m not afraid of your mother.”
It was a lie—such a gigantic lie— but I had two days to keep repeating it to myself. Maybe I would eventually start believing it.
Chapter 25
Marco
Addy might not be afraid of my mother, but I sure as hell was afraid of what was about to go down at this dinner.
As I got dressed, I tried to remember all the nasty things my mother had said about Americans over the years. There were a lot of comments, and none of them were remotely good.
I didn’t even really know why she felt the way she did, other than that she came from a different generation. My mother was super conservative and very patriotic. It wasn’t an excuse, but it was all I had.
I felt sick at the thought of what she might say in front of Addy and how much pain those opinions might cause a girl that I genuinely liked. Mother’s tongue could be sharper than a blade, and she wouldn’t shy away from saying hurtful things.
Addy could handle herself. She’d proven it time and again, but that didn’t mean I wanted to watch my mother do her best to obliterate her. There wasn’t a sliver of doubt in my mind that my mom viewed this dinner as a test. One that would be impossible for Addy to pass.
Once she inevitably failed the test, Mom would be on my ass to break up with her. Probably fire her, too. I sighed into my empty bedroom, watching as the sun set over the terracotta rooftops of the city in the distance.
Somewhere in that city, Addy was getting ready for a night that was going to be brutal. I’d tried to discourage her from going to dinner again on Friday, and then I’d sent her three texts earlier to make sure she really knew what she was getting into.
The only reply I kept getting was a series of thumbs-up emojis. I didn’t know what she was thumbs-upping, but I was assuming it meant she was still of the opinion that she was ready to meet my mom.
Since it seemed nothing was going to stop the two females in my life from meeting and clashing like runaway fucking trains, I’d decided to take a page out of Addy’s playbook. I’d seen the moment at lunch when she’d accepted her fate and tried to be gracious about it. That was all I could do now, too.
Well, that, and strangle my brother. I still couldn’t believe he’d put us in this position. Despite how good his intentions had been, they had definitely paved the road to hell for Addy and me tonight.
I could deal with it if she decided she wanted to call off the benefits part of our relationship. It would suck, and I’d spend most of my time at the office with blue balls, but I could suck it up.
What I was more afraid of was her resigning as a result of this evening. It had taken me a long time to find someone with the specific touch she had with clients, and replacing her now would be a bitch.
My clients were getting used to her, and everyone she’d dealt with had commended me on hiring her. It would be really annoying if she resigned now, even if I would completely understand it.
In the back of my mind, I knew dealing with the consequences wouldn’t be as easy or as cut and dry as I was
