The Trouble With Love: An Age Gap Romance (The Forbidden Love 1)

I sigh heavily with annoyance, pulling my phone out of my purse to send Will a text.

Me: People in airports are annoying. I’m this close to pulling the spoiled brat card and asking my Dad to buy a plane.

Will: Your dad wanted to buy a plane, but your mom said no. Something about the money going to better use like charities.

Me: That sounds like a fight they would have. I’ll text you later… if I get out of here alive.

Will: You better, gorgeous.

I smile at his text, but the smile quickly disappears when a woman’s suitcase knocks on my leg. Quickly, I turn around, rubbing where she knocked it to alleviate the pain, only to notice that she has sped off to the gate without an apology.

My jaw clenches, the urge to shout profanities, although she can’t hear me, becomes challenging to control. After traveling for almost the entire day, I want nothing more than to be isolated with zero people bothering me. A hot shower and proper meal wouldn’t hurt either.

What you want is to be in Will’s bed, naked.

I bow my head to gain some patience, reminding myself that it’s Christmas, and I’m supposed to be spending time with my family. It’s the season to be jolly, not fantasize about lying in a bed with my legs spread and a gorgeous man between them.

Grabbing the handle of my suitcase, I wheel it behind me and toward the exit where I’m supposed to meet Mom. I told her not to park in the parking lot nor bother trying to meet me at the gate, given the chaos.

Ten minutes later, the black Mercedes SUV pulls up to the curb, and Mom’s face lights up behind the windshield.

“Hey, Mom,” I greet, throwing my suitcase in the back while she jumps out of the car. Her arms wrap ar

ound me, the familiarity easing my momentary stress.

“I missed you, kid.”

“Missed you, too, Mom.”

We both get in the car, knowing that LAX’s traffic controllers are brutal if you linger around. Mom speeds through the traffic—peak hour, the usual pain in the ass in LA. As Mom converses, I take in the familiar sites—rows of palm trees, worn-out buildings, and bumper-to-bumper traffic—a far cry from the skyscrapers I’ve grown accustomed to in Manhattan and the leafy tree-lined streets in New Haven.

“Since we’re stuck in this jam, tell me how school is going?”

“Hard,” I respond with a yawn. “A lot of work. I mean, I knew it would be, but it’s different.”

“It’s still early days. You need to find your groove.”

“How did you find your groove?”

“Well, I had no life. So, studying was it. Rocky was relentless with parties. Nikki was a bit in between, but, of course, their world changed early on.”

It’s almost like I can never escape Will, even if I try. Or maybe, he was always there, but I’ve been oblivious. With only Mom here, I encourage the conversation involving Will, careful not to raise any suspicion.

“That must have been hard for them to welcome a child so early on. I can’t even imagine it.”

Mom purses her lips, letting out a small sigh. “It’s one of those moments in life where you lose all hope, but in the same breath, you’re blessed with unconditional love.”

It was an excellent way to put it. When I think of myself, Liesel, and my fellow classmates, we all seem too young to start a family. I can’t even imagine having that stress on my shoulders. And to think Aunt Nikki was only a year older than me when she had Will.

“But it worked out? Look at how amazing Will is.”

The moment I say it, my lips part with adoration. Shit. I follow with a small cough, then play aimlessly with my hair pretending to appear bored with the topic of Will.

“It worked out,” Mom agrees, knowingly. “But it wasn’t without its challenges. Nikki really struggled being a working mother and so young. It was a big decision to make, and one they almost decided not to go ahead with. In the end, what a beautiful son they made.”

I keep my smile fixed, not alluding to just how beautiful he really is, in and out of the bedroom.

“Tell me about you and your dating life. Anyone interesting?”