Lost In Me (Here and Now 1)

The sound of a woman’s screech has me jumping off the couch. My feet tangle under me and I go down, falling to the floor and knocking my head on the glass coffee table.

Max’s eyes go to the door, where my mom’s standing, her back already turned to us, her hand thrown over her eyes.

“Shit,” he mutters.

“I didn’t see anything,” Mom sing-songs. “Just here to check on my daughter and drop off some groceries.” She hoists a plastic bag into the air as evidence.

Max quickly pulls himself together, zipping his pants before sinking to the floor next to me. “Are you okay?”

I rub my head where it hit the table. “I’m fine.” A little mortified that my mother just walked in on me grinding myself against Max’s hand. But hey, I’m an optimist, and the optimist in me is just glad she didn’t find her way in the front door, say, five minutes earlier—when I was on my knees.

“We didn’t lock the door, did we?” he whispers.

“Apparently not.”

“Yeah, next time—”

“Absolutely.”

He helps me off the floor, and I give my girlie parts a silent little lecture about patience because they’re down there whimpering, “Not fair! Make her leave! Things were just getting good!”

“Is everyone decent?” Mom asks, already turning around.

“Now we are,” I say under my breath. “Mom, maybe you should knock next time?”

“You just got out of the hospital. I didn’t think…” In her defense, her cheeks are beet red, and I’m fairly confident she will be knocking next time. And every time after. “I was young once too. I remember those weeks leading up to my wedding. Your

father and I could hardly—”

“Mom. Please?” Somehow I don’t think hearing about how horny she was before marrying Dad is actually going to make this situation less awkward.

“I’m just here to make sure you don’t need anything, but obviously Max was taking care of you—”

“Mom!”

She throws her hand over her mouth, but I can see her smile peeking out the sides. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She drops her hand and sighs as she sets the single bag of groceries on the counter.

“Thanks for checking on her and”—Max rubs the back of his neck—“sorry about that.”

She waves away his apology. “So we haven’t had a chance to really celebrate your engagement, what with this accident nonsense. Max, would you allow me to host an engagement party at my house? I don’t want to be the over-intruding mother-in-law, but I would really love to celebrate.”

Max wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my hair. I love that he seems to always be touching me. Like he can’t help himself. “That would be wonderful, Mrs. Thompson. There’s nothing I want to celebrate as much as Hanna agreeing to marry me.”

She presses her hand to her chest and tears swell in her eyes. “It does my heart good to see you two together and so happy. The news of your engagement was what really got me through worrying about my daughter.”

“I’m okay, Mom.”

She nods and blinks away her tears. “I know, I know. But it was a shock. Oh, look at me! Keeping you up when you should be getting your rest.”

Even after her touching display of emotion, I want her to leave so I can be alone with Max again. I blame those girlie parts down south. They apparently have a mind of their own, and an active imagination to go with it.

Mom adjusts her purse on her shoulder. “Try to sleep tonight. I know it’s hard, but it’s important if you’re going to recover.”

“I will,” I promise.

Mom turns her smile on my fiancé. “Max, would you be a doll and walk me out? I know you need to get going too.”

Max nods, and it takes everything in me to keep the smile on my face. Effing seriously? He’s leaving me?