He groaned.
“Then we’ll go to breakfast for our first official date.”
He tripped over a barbell sitting nearby but righted himself quickly. “Date?”
Man, who knew his voice could pitch that high and still sound masculine? She winked. “Grab that kettlebell and let’s get to it.”
His shy grin had her pulse racing, doing a workout all its own.
CHAPTER 26
Sunday night, Xavier did his best not to laugh at Justine’s nerves. Just as she’d been at her own parents, she turned on the anxiety while waiting outside the door to his mother’s home.
“I swear. She’ll love you. Now, remember how much youlikeme, my lovely girlfriend.”
She blushed. “Not love?”
“Well, not yet. That kind of feeling takes time.”
He felt all kinds of weird about the L word with Justine. Mostly because he was scared he felt that raw, untamable emotion for her despite doing his best not to feel anything but mutual admiration and a healthy dose oflike.
But hell, after their weekend of marathon sex and spending time together, he couldn’t help himself. He’d done his best to leave her alone yesterday but had caved by eight last night and asked her over to watch a movie.
Except they spent their time on the couch doing anything but watching the TV for entertainment. Several orgasms later, she slept in his arms, and he didn’t have the strength to wake her to see if she’d rather go home. Instead, he’d carried her into his bedroom and curled up next to her.
He’d never slept so well. As if he’d finally found home.
Which freaked him the hell out. As a therapist, he knew he should delve deeper to find out why he’d panicked. But the cowardly side of him wanted to enjoy his time with Justine without thinking too hard about it.
And now, standing in front of the home he’d grown up in, he was about to introduce his fake girlfriend to his mother, when everything about his relationship with Justine felt more real than anything he’d ever had.
“Ha. Now who’s looking stressed?” She was even cute when smug.
He leaned down to kiss her, and of course his mother opened the door just as their mouths met.
“Ah ha. The mysterious Justine is in fact real.” Cynthia sounded way too pleased with herself. “I knew it.”
Xavier hastily tore his mouth from Justine’s but kept his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Mom. Meet Justine. Justine, my estimable mother, Cynthia Hanover.”
Cynthia pulled Justine in for a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
Justine was flushed when she pulled back, but her shy smile told him she liked the embrace. “So nice to meet you too.”
She let Cynthia tug her inside. Xavier followed and shut the door behind them. “Are we waiting on Auggie, Mom? I don’t see her car.”
“Oh, your sister is busy. It’s just the three of us tonight.”
“Is that so?” What was his sister up to? He had a tough time believing she wouldn’t have wanted to interrogate Justine at a family dinner. For that matter, his sister had been surprisingly quiet lately. He’d chalked that up to her ramped up training, but now he wasn’t sure…
His mom started pestering Justine about all sorts of details, taking her attention. But Cynthia did it in such a nice wayJustine immediately seemed at ease. She helped his mom prepare the salad while Xavier had been tasked with firing up the grill.
He compared dinner with Justine’s parents to dinner with his mom and noticed the difference in his date. Here, she laughed and was at ease. She answered honestly, well, with the exception of their fake dating.
Unfortunately, his mother was all over that. “So, you’re Rosie Gallo’s niece. Xavier’s a big fan of your aunt. I only met her once, but she made an impression.”
Justine laughed. “That sounds like Aunt Rosie. She has definite opinions about everything and lives her life the way she wants it.”
“I respect that.” Cynthia slanted a glance at Xavier. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”
