A Date for the Regatta (The Dating 9)

“Great,” I grumble. “Maybe Max doesn’t want me to meet them.”

She takes a sip of her cocktail and shakes her head. “I don’t think you’ll have a choice. They’re in town for the regatta. Max will want you to be there.”

“He hasn’t asked,” I inform her.

Her lips pull back into a smile. “Oh, he will, honey. But don’t worry, you can sit with me and Mark.”

The door opens and Max and Mark walk in. I don’t want to think of the regatta. If he asks me to go, I can’t say no. Max lifts his brows in question as if he’s asking if I’m okay. I nod and his shoulders relax. We all sit in the main area of the penthouse and I listen to Kitty tell stories about Max when he was a little boy. The stories sound so normal. When you think of the rich and famous, you don’t think of them being like everyday people. We all talk for about an hour about life in general, politics, and just all the things going on in the world. Mark continuously filled up my glass with raspberry cocktails and I can feel the effects of it. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Being around Max tonight has shown me a side of him I’ve never seen before.

Max drapes his arm over my shoulders. “You about ready to go?” he asks.

I nod. “If you are.”

He grabs my hand and helps me up. Kitty holds out her arms and hugs me again. “Thank you for coming tonight. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Same. I had a good night.”

She turns to Max and hugs him, kissing him on the cheek before he lets go of her. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom,” he says back. He shakes Mark’s hand and we wave at them before exiting the penthouse.

Once out in the hall, I smile. “I had fun. I love your mom.”

Max chuckles. “She’s the best. I can tell she loves you too.” That warms my heart. We walk to the elevator and he pulls me into his arms. “Question.”

I narrow my gaze at him. “What?”

His eyes twinkle. “Would you like to stay with me tonight?”

“I don’t know,” I say in a sing song voice. “What will we be doing?”

“I was thinking a repeat of last night.”

My body trembles in anticipation. How can I say no to that? “I think we can pull that off. We going back to your boat?”

Shaking his head, he pulls out a key from his back pocket. “I thought maybe we could stay here? We’ve both had a little too much to drink.”

I can’t argue with him there. Plus, it’d be nice to stay in the finest hotel in the state. “Sounds good to me.”

The elevator doors open, and we ride it down to the floor below. When we get to our room, Max opens the door and I gaze around in awe. It’s three times the size of any normal hotel room. The king-sized bed isn’t just a regular bed, it’s an antique four poster bed with a canopy. Very elegant and classy.

“Wow,” I breathe. “It’s gorgeous.”

Max comes in behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I have to ask you something.”

I turn my head to the side, and he kisses my nose. “Anything,” I whisper.

“Will you come to the regatta with me? I know it’s not your thing, but I want you there.”

The breath hitches in my lungs. The regatta is the social event of the year. Everyone who is anyone will be there. People will also see us together.

“What about your dad and stepmom? I’ve been warned about them. They won’t approve of me.”

Max turns me around to face him. “I don’t give a shit what they think. And you shouldn’t either. I don’t need my dad or his bitch of a wife in my life.” He lifts my hand to his lips. “Please, London. One way or another, we can’t keep our relationship a secret forever.”

I want to be strong, to show him that I can handle it. “Okay,” I give in. “I’ll be there.”

He lifts me up in his arms and twirls me around. “You won’t regret it. I’ll win for sure now knowing you’re there, rooting for me.”

“Is that what you had on your mind earlier?” I ask.

He shakes his head and beams. “No. That’s something different. What would you say if I opened a restaurant and made you the manager? You would practically own the place.”

Excitement bubbles in my veins. “Seriously?” It’s like a dream come true, but then reality steps in. “How exactly would that work?”

“Dawson’s Marina,” he replies. “I know it’s a shithole right now, but I can fix it up. The beach there is immaculate. Just think of all the tourism we could bring to the area. And the restaurant there, I could renovate it and you would get the promotion you’ve always wanted. You wouldn’t have to deal with the scumbags at the yacht club.”