“You’re beautiful,” he breathed.
Christian’s gaze moved from her eyes to her mouth. Her body stilled as he moved closer, the distance between them slowly disappearing. With her eyes closed, she only knew he was close when she felt his body heat surrounding her. She struggled to remember how to breathe. He repositioned his hand and held her in place as his mouth grazed hers. The kiss was gentle, and she wasn’t sure if he was holding back because of her or because his mother was in the other room.
“Christian,” she breathed against his mouth.
He tightened his grip and claimed her mouth. Her lips parted as she gasped in surprise, and he used the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. Her sigh turned into a whimper as she eagerly kissed him back, her tongue twining with his. She wanted to feel his hands on her body, but she remembered his mother was right in the other room as he eased back, breaking the kiss.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’ve been wanting to do that since day one.”
Before she could return the sentiment, she heard his mother call them from the other room. “Dinner is ready! Come eat, before it gets cold!”
Christian stood and gripped Mallory’s hand to help her up. Once she was standing, he maintained the grip on her hand and led her into the kitchen. His mother glanced at their joined hands, but she didn’t say anything. She simply smiled and gave Christian a long look before inviting them to take a seat at the table.
Mrs. Ramirez rushed around the kitchen, placing mismatched serving dishes filled with food onto the table. The meal wasn’t something Mallory would usually eat, but it looked and smelled amazing. Everything was so relaxed she nearly forgot about her nerves.
He gave her thigh a quick squeeze under the table before he picked up her plate and served up small amounts of everything. She glanced up in time to catch his mom smiling warmly at them from across the table.
“Everything looks amazing, thank you, Mrs. Ramirez,” Mallory said when Christian set her plate down in front of her.
“I hope you like it. These are all of Christian’s favorites.”
“Mom,” he groaned.
“What?” Mrs. Ramirez asked. “They are.”
“Is today a special occasion?”
Mrs. Ramirez’s smile widened. “No. But even though I see my Christian all the time, it’s rare I get to have him over for dinner. He’s so busy, you know. So, when I know he’s coming I try to make it worth it. I always make plenty anyway, so I try to send him home with leftovers when I see him during the week.”
Mallory felt a pang of sadness at their interaction. She wished she had a mother to make a fuss over her. The sadness of not having a mom was always there in the background, but watching Christian and his mother brought it up to the forefront.
“Do you have a big family, dear?”
And there it was. The question she’d been dreading. Aside from Dan, she usually kept people at just enough distance to nothave to discuss her life story. When people did bring it up, she was pretty good at avoiding the details or telling a half truth. But she felt guilty even thinking about lying to Christian’s mom.
“Oh, Mrs. Ramirez, you’re about as bad as your son at picking questions,” she said with a nervous laugh.
When Mrs. Ramirez creased her eyebrows in concern, Mallory rushed to explain. “It’s nothing you said. When I was at dinner with Christian, he kept accidentally making the wrong small talk. It’s okay. My mom died when I was in first grade. Dad remarried right away, so I have a brother and two stepsisters, but we aren’t close.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry about your mom. That must have been hard. You’re always welcome here. Christian and his brother do a lot to help this old woman out. Mostly Christian,” she said before pausing to look at her son. “But I love having a full house, so come visit anytime.”
Mallory believed her. She usually struggled with feeling welcome, but she had no problem accepting everything Mrs. Ramirez said at face value. Even though it did make her feel better, she still missed having that connection of her own. Christian firmly squeezed her thigh as she was regaining control of her emotions. A sane person wouldn’t cry over an open invitation to “come back any time”. The firm touch on her thigh brought her back to the present, and after blinking several times she was able to return Mrs. Ramirez’s smile with a fake one of her own.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m just glad I let Christian talk me into coming over. I needed this.”
Mallory laid her hand on top of Christian’s which was resting easily on her thigh. Everything she’d told his mom was the truth. If Christian hadn’t talked her into coming over, then she would be up to her usual routine of spending time alone doing things toconvince herself she was fine. Affirmations and manifestations had their place, but if she was honest with herself, she needed more.
“Are you ready for dessert?” Mrs. Ramirez asked, already clearing their plates away.
“Oh, I shouldn’t,” Mallory answered, patting her stomach. “I already ate more than I normally would because everything was so delicious.”
“I madearroz con leche.At least try it. I’ll fix Christian a bowl and give you a spoon, how about that? It’s his favorite.”
Mallory found herself giggling. Everything was Christian’s favorite. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was a bit of a mama’s boy. Without much prompting she accepted the offer of an extra spoon. One taste of the rice pudding quickly turned into half of Christian’s bowl. There was no question why it was his favorite. If he ever invited her over to his mom’s for a meal again, it would be an automatic yes.
Christian turned to her with a playful grin as he watched her scrape the last bit from the bottom of the bowl. “Good?”
