Billionaire Playboy

8

I am shaking like a leaf. I don't know how I am supposed to act around his mother. She's high class, and I'm an ant she can step on. Max has his fingers wrapped in mine, guiding me through a beautiful garden. I can smell honeysuckle, and my mind flooded with my childhood home. I kind of really wish I was there right now. 

We approach a beautiful white gazebo surrounded by rose bushes. In the garden around it are fountains hidden in the bushes. It's beyond dreamy, what I'd give to have a place like this to relax. I rose my head in confidence as soon as I saw his mother. 

She was wearing a gorgeous blue summer dress with a hat to match. I smile at her kindly to give my respect. The ladies around her had strange looks in their eyes as soon as they saw me. 

"Everything will be okay; if not, I'll make it up to you," Max whispered reassurance in my ear, but I felt like I was going to collapse. "Mrs. Novak, you look beautiful." I smile softly. 

Max sitting next to me, is killing me. I am burning up just smelling him. He's beyond delicious, but I shouldn't be thinking like this. I know my situation is nothing but a sham, but maybe I can enjoy a bit of it. A smile grows in the corner of my lip, and I look down at the fabric of my dress, rubbing it between my fingers. Max puts his arm around me, and it felt like someone sucked the air from my lungs. 

I can tell by everything he is doing; he's trying so hard to convince his mother. She looks up from her teacup, and the ladies join her gaze. "My sweet girl, do you want to marry my son?" I screamed into my head without displaying any emotion. "Well, ma'am, if I make him happy enough to do so, then yes. I only want his happiness." I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my head. I turn my gaze towards him and look into his eyes. I smiled brightly and softly traced my fingers down his jaw. 

"Well, my son, you surely brought a pretty big waste of time." My heart dropped, and Max's eyes snapped onto her; I knew she wouldn't like me. The ladies across snickered. "Mother, watch what you say next." He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to his chest and smothering me in his scent. He is trying so hard to protect me. He doesn't know that I read everything from her in that one sentence, and it hurt. 

It's not necessarily because of Max's situation, but I'm not a wealthy person, and I am working to pay off the debt from school. In college, others would point out that I wouldn't make it. I wasn't pretty enough or rich enough. I would get mocked every day. That's exactly how my head directed pain. It just flooded the words of everyone. You aren't enough; look at you. "Max, she's poor. It literally screams from her. She isn't worthy of you. She will try to take everything for herself." 

I couldn't help the tear that fell from my face and landed on Max's jacket. Great I ruined his jacket; let's add on more. Then Max did something I wasn't expecting him to do. He removed me from him and got up from the bench we were on. With Grace, he picked me up in his arms and whispered in my ear. "I'll never let her get away with hurting you." 

With a purpose, he walked away from the group of women. He stopped once and quickly turned, staring down at his mother. "Don't you dare disrespect her." A gasp fell from all the ladies. His grip tightened on me as he turned and headed towards the car. 

As soon as we settled into the car, I couldn't hold back from crying. It just spilled out of me, and I was so embarrassed. Max punched the back of the front seat, and it jolted forward from the force. "I wish my father was still alive. She is an evil woman. Like she has any room to talk about class. Father married her, and she wasn't the pedigree grandmother wanted." I grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down. It just felt like what I am supposed to do. 

I kept my grasp on his arm, and he relaxed very slowly. Our eyes met, and warmth swept through my body. "I'm so sorry, I tried." I looked down, ashamed of the failure I was. "Abby, you are an amazing woman, and if she doesn't see it, then too bad." I smiled a bit, but does this mean we are done? She'll do anything to break us up if she believes I'm not worthy. Panic started to flood through me. I gathered my thoughts and tried to be reasonable, but I can't sit here and act like I didn't think about him almost every day. I want him.  I have to take this the way it is, though. "Max, are we done?"