Smokescreen

“Honey, look at me.” I finally stand and walk over to him, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let her ruin this for us, please don’t.”

He glances at me sideways then yanks me tight against him. “You don’t understand, babe, Edward did this on purpose as a kick in the balls. I’m supposed to be the face of JOS athletic wear. My body, my face, my commitment to the world that I stand by my brand. Edward just fucking screwed me up the ass. And something tells me she will have an iron clad agreement I can’t change.”

Dread washes over me and I sink into him. My mind spins with possibilities of the two of them together on photo shoots and her slinking her claws back into him. As always, he reads me and holds me closer. I’m thinking even the bottle of scotch in the corner won’t help our moods.

It’s been three days since the presentation and things have been quiet between Stella and me. I’ve hated every second, but my mind has been preoccupied with getting Erica away from the business. Chris looked over her contract that Edward signed and it’s almost impossible. She gave up a large percentage of her regular commission to get the job and there’s no way to reverse the contract.

I’ve held Stella close at night reassuring her of my feelings. The plans to celebrate Thursday night were crushed by the fact that I would now be working with Erica. Laci brought over champagne but the mood was somber. I went to answer some emails and walked in to hear Stella crying softly. It broke my heart and I vowed to make sure she knew how much she meant to me. In her mind, it’s too soon to harbor such deep feelings, but she’s never dealt with a man like me. I know what I want when I see it, and when she walked into the boardroom almost a month ago, I wanted her.

Stella tried to keep her mind off the Erica situation and called my mom to ask if she could bring dessert to the party. I learned she may not be able to cook well, but she can bake. Of course my mom went crazy with this. So I watched quietly last night as Stella turned her kitchen into a small bakery and had every surface covered.

Laci tried to help but kept eating the dough and Stella lost her shit. Between the stress of the day before and meeting my family, she pushed Laci into the other room. I sat with Laci for a few drinks until Stella finally brought in some samples. Once we sampled and approved, my sweet Stella reappeared and invited us both back to the kitchen to talk to her while she finished. Even though my entire body was aching for her, I didn’t touch her again sexually. I felt like she needed time.

This morning I woke up with a new sense of determination. Stella is going to meet my family today. My mom’s excitement has me a bit nervous because I’ve never brought a woman home before. I warned my brothers to behave, but it’s Mom I have to worry about. She finally stopped texting me and started in on Dana to learn about Stella. Today is more than a birthday gathering; it’s my family meeting my woman.

When we pull up to my mom’s house, Stella exhales loudly.

“Is this your house?”

“It was, but now just my mom and brothers live here. My brother, Matt, was only twenty-one when dad died, so he moved back in after college. My brother, Mason, is twenty-eight and lives in the guest house in the back. I haven’t lived here in fifteen years, since I went to Georgia Tech. Unless you count summers.”

“It’s huge! My God, you could fit ten of my little houses in here.”

“Why would we want to? Your place is perfect.”

Her face softens and she smiles slightly.

“Come on, I can’t wait to introduce you. But fair warning, you are the true guest of honor, not Mason.”

“That doesn’t help my nerves, Max.”

Ignoring her, I get out and run to her side to help her. We get the bags from the trunk and walk hand and hand to the door. Before we’re both on the porch, the door flies open and my mom stands there beaming. She looks so petite, but for the first time in ages, she looks happy.

“You’re here!” she screams, running to me. I hug her tight and kiss her cheek, holding onto Stella’s hand. I can feel her trying to pull away.

“Hey, Mama.”

She steps back focuses her attention on the visibly freaked woman next to me.

“You must be Stella.” Mom pulls her into an embrace. Stella looks stunned, but relaxes and wraps one arm around her shoulder. “So nice to finally meet you.”

Chaos erupts in the house and Mason shouts something about it being his birthday. Both my brothers appear at the door along with Mia and her whole family.

Fucking great, we aren’t even in the front door yet.

“Who’s the babe Mom’s hugging?” my youngest brother, Matt, says eyeing Stella.

“That is my babe, you dipshit,” I growl and everyone laughs. Even Stella.

She introduces herself and each brother gives her a warm hug, watching me. My mom takes her arm, pulling her away, and leads her into the house. My brothers snicker with shit-eating grins.

“Good luck getting her away from Mom,” Mason says.

“Let’s get a beer. Mom has ten minutes.” I walk past everyone and head to the bar.

Stay for a few hours I keep telling myself. Then we’ll have all night and tomorrow alone. No obligations, no interruptions, nothing. I’m usually a lot more excited about family functions, but when I see both my brothers checking out Stella’s ass in her tight pants, I lose my shit.

“I’ll pummel you both if you don’t quit staring at her ass, or anything else for that matter.”