“It was my fault. I got tied up with work.” Titus easily takes the blame, hooking one arm through the handle of the insulated bag holding the cinnamon ice cream I made, and using that same hand to balance the still-warm pan of peach cobbler. “Things are crazy right now.”
Crazy doesn’t begin to describe things right now. Not from my end anyway.
Somehow, instead of coming here and simply doing the job I was hired to do—by Deidre—I’ve ended up accidentally developing feelings for the guy I’m working for and taking over his house as if our futures are already intertwined. I’ve made a plan with no footing to set it on. No foundation to keep it from crumbling around me.
So, basically, I’ve done what I always do. Raced two steps ahead into a fantasy world of my own creation, pretending reality isn’t hot on my heels and breathing down my neck.
Deidre gives us a wink. "Crazy isn't always a bad thing." She reaches for me, hooking an arm through mine as she drags me out of the closet and away from Titus.
I glance back over my shoulder, checking to make sure he'sokay. I know he loves his family—and that they love him—but he’s lived alone and isolated for years. Even something as familiar as a family dinner is probably a lot for him. Especially considering how loud his freaking family can be.
"Mariah’s here," Deidre announces as she all but drags me into the kitchen.
The rest of Titus’s brothers are circled around the island, just like they were last time. They’re sneaking bites and stealing tastes of just about everything they can get their hands on, and it makes me smile. I never had anything like this, but—not so shockingly—I always imagined what it would have been like if I did. How different holidays would be with a bunch of people milling around, opening presents, joking and telling stories.
I've gotta say, I'm a pretty good imaginer. Because it looked a heck of a lot like this.
Deidre deposits me into one of the stools along the island where I sat my very first day on the property, then goes around to the other side. She starts smacking at grabbing hands and doling out tasks, redirecting her sons’ attention before they manage to eviscerate the glazed ham she's prepared.
Everything about Deidre Bradshaw is impressive, but seeing her be such a good mother might take the cake. The love she has for each of her sons—even the one she didn't birth—is easy to see. Easy to feel. She passes out affectionate pats and sideways squeezes like she’ll never have too few to give. Like physical affection isn't a commodity not everyone can afford.
I'm watching her so intently that Titus's low voice in my ear makes me jump.
"What would you like to drink?"
I bring a hand over my racing heart because he genuinely did startle me. "I didn't even hear you coming."
"That's because my brothers are loud as hell." He reaches up, smoothing my hair back behind one shoulder. "We're going to have to give them strict instructions when the baby’s here, or theywill derail naptime, and whatever sleep schedule we manage, every time."
He's speaking quietly, but I shift uneasily in my seat because no one here knows I'm pregnant besides Titus, and I'm still not sure how to disclose that information. Especially to his mother.
I feel like a liar. Like I tricked her. Technically, I never told her Iwasn'tpregnant, but I also didn't mention that I was.
Titus’s hand moves to my face, thumb gently catching my lower lip and pulling it free from where I'm assaulting it with my teeth. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."
As someone who’s told herself the same thing countless times, only to be proven wrong every single one of them, I’m finding it difficult to agree.
"Would you like a sparkling water, Mariah honey?" Deidre is suddenly beside us, her eyes fused to me. "Maybe a limoncello?"
If she thinks the way Titus is touching me is weird, she doesn't show it, and that makes it slightly easier to breathe.
I nod. "That would be fantastic."
"I'll get it." Titus steps away, going to the fridge and leaving me alone with his mother.
Well, notalone, alone. We're still surrounded by his unruly brothers. But they might as well not exist because Deidre is giving me her undivided attention. Must be where Titus gets his extreme focus from.
"How is everything going? Are you enjoying being here with us?"
"Of course." I give her a bright smile. "Dinner smells fantastic, and it's nice to socialize with everybody."
Deidre gives me a pat on the shoulder. "That's good, but I didn't just mean tonight." Her gaze gains intensity. "How are things going living with Titus? I know he can be..."
Attentive? Doting? Generous? Calm and caring?
"Aloof."
That… is not a word I would use to describe him. Yes, he is most assuredly an introvert who requires a lot of quiet time in his house to feel comfortable. But aloof?
