AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re kidding. She’s never come back to see you?”
“No.” I took his hand. “I came to terms with it a long time ago, Lee. Yeah, she’s my mom, and I miss her, but she’s living her own life, and as far as I know, she’s happy. I want her to be happy, and I know she wasn’t when she was married to my father.”
“You are a better person than I am, Rox. I would probably be bitter if my mother decided to leave me behind.”
“She didn’t leave me behind,” I told him and then paused. “Okay, maybe she did, but like I said, she is doing what makes her happy. She has a life to live, just like I do. Why should she have stuck around here being miserable when she could be happy doing something else? Yeah, it would have been nice to have a mom around, but lots of people lose their parents when they are young.”
“But she’s not dead. She just walked away.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know it’s hard to understand. It took me a long time, but I have come to terms with it. Don’t be upset about it. It made me much more independent.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He studied me. “You’re a pretty unique woman, Roxy.”
I leaned forward and kissed him. “I’m glad you think so. Now, since you don’t want to get me naked and have your way with me, how about you help me get clothes on so we can go downstairs and enjoy the party?”
“Damn—” He inhaled sharply and held his breath for a moment. “Don’t give me ideas. It’s not like I don’t want to.”
“Glad to hear that.” I winked at him.
He took my face in his hands. “When you feel a little better, I promise you, I will worship every inch of your body.”
“I’m feeling great right now.” I grinned, and he laughed.
“You’re going to kill me, Rox.”
“Fine,” I sighed dramatically, “help me get dressed. You can’t blame a girl for trying. It’s been a while.”
He collected my small suitcase. “Yeah, how long?”
I cocked my head to the side as I pondered. “Um, yikes! It’s been two years.”
“You haven’t gone out with anyone in two years?”
“No, I’ve gone out on a few dates. I just haven’t slept with anyone in that long.” She hiked a brow. “What about you, Lee?”
“Well, it hasn’t been that long,” he stated cryptically. “Maybe four or five months.”
I laughed. “No wonder I’m more interested in getting you into bed than you are.”
His gaze zeroed in on mine, and in them was a heat I hadn’t expected. “I highly doubt that, sweetheart. If this house wasn’t about to fill up with people, and you didn’t have fresh stitches, I’d show you just how much I want you.”
My core clenched, and I inhaled slowly, releasing it. “Fine, I guess we can say that the feeling is mutual.”
“That would be accurate. Let’s get you dressed and out of this room before I change my mind.”
“Promises, promises,” I replied as I dug in my bag to find a skirt that I had packed for the party.
Lee told me where the bathroom was and said he’d meet me downstairs when I was ready. I dressed carefully and then visited the bathroom to brush my hair and reapply my makeup. I looked a little pale, and my eyes were a bit glassy thanks to the pain medication, but I didn’t look that bad.
Before I went down, I grabbed the gift I had for Lee’s mom and made my way carefully down the stairs. There were quite a few voices in the living room, and Huntley came to help me down the last few steps, putting his arm around me protectively. I was a little in awe how quickly I had been accepted into the family, and I smiled sweetly at him.
“Is this your fiancée, Huntley?” a woman asked as she approached us.
“Oh, no, this is Roxanne Novak, she’s a guest of Henley’s.” He turned to me. “This is my mother’s best friend, Marla.”
We shook hands. “Dear, what happened to you?”
I knew that while the bruises on my face were harder to see below my makeup, and I’d removed the tape from the bridge of my nose, it was still apparent that I’d been injured.
