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My mother wants me to fall in love.
She wants me to have a wife who will love and care for me.
And she wants grandchildren.
I hate that I’m deceiving her with my marriage. Watching her happiness now while talking with Adeline causes guilt to slice through me.
She will be devastated when I divorce Adeline, and that is something I didn’t think through very well.
“Oh, there you are,” Mom says when she catches sight of me.
Adeline finds my eyes and takes the glass of wine I offer her. “Thank you.”
I watch her for longer than is required, slowly running my eyes down to the swell of her breasts under the black top she’s wearing. The top dips between her breasts, giving me a glimpse of skin, but nowhere near enough.
“I’m sorry, Reese,” Bill says, coming into the living room, “but something has just come up and I have to leave.”
Mom stands and moves to him so she can hug him goodbye. “Hopefully we’ll see you next week?”
He nods. “Perhaps.” He then eyes me. “Have Shantel call Lisa. I want dinner in the next week.”
After he says goodbye to Adeline, he leaves. I pull out my phone to ask Shantel to get in touch with his assistant about that dinner. I also make a mental note to talk with Adeline about it. She needs to be prepped. This is a test; one I won’t have fucked up.
Hudson and I finish preparing the tacos, discussing Paulina’s strategies while we work. I rejected the strategy involving Adeline, but she came up with a lot of other great ideas that I signed off on. I’m hopeful this month’s figures will begin reflecting the changes we’re going to make. If Paulina is known for anything, it’s turning business around fast.
I pour drinks while everyone takes a seat at Mom’s large dining table. When I take my seat, I shift it closer to Adeline’s. She smiles at me as I do so, but that’s not for my benefit. I see the warning in her eyes. She doesn’t want me too close. However, this is for my mother and I’m not changing course. I’ve no doubt Bill will grill Mom about my marriage and her thoughts on it. I need her to help me convince him it’s real.
Putting my arm around Adeline’s shoulder, I lean in close and brush my lips over her cheek so I can murmur against her ear, “Mom needs to buy this. Make it so she does.”
Her hand comes to my thigh, and she squeezes it as she says, “I love you too, darling.”
Letting her go, I give her one last pointed look before turning to dinner.
“Adeline,” Mom says as she fills her plate. “I was talking with your mother at the wedding, and she mentioned she’s thinking of visiting this month. Has she confirmed when? I’d love to invite her to dinner while she’s in town.”
Adeline’s mother lives in Wilmington, just over two hours from here. I haven’t visited her home, and Adeline hasn’t shared much with me. From what I know, she lives with Sabrina, and neither comes to New York often.
Adeline reaches for her wine and takes a sip. “She hasn’t told me yet. I’ll let her know you’d love to have her over for dinner. She’d like that.”
I hear it in her voice that she has no intention of telling her mother about this. It doesn’t surprise me. Adeline wasn’t keen on inviting her mother and sister to the wedding. I had to put my foot down and insist on it.
Observing the three of them at the wedding, I noted the tension. If I read the dynamics correctly, Adeline spends her time trying to keep the peace between the three of them, while Sabrina doesn’t appear to give a fuck about peace. Adeline’s mother seems to live in her own world, interjecting every now and then to give her opinion on how her daughters could improve themselves.
My mother is good at reading people and by her expression, I suspect she’s picked up on Adeline’s hesitancy to invite her mother over. Her face softens and she says, “If you’d prefer to have her to yourself this trip, I understand. I don’t want to force myself upon her or interrupt your time together.”
Adeline’s shoulders relax. “Thank you, Reese. I appreciate that.” Her shoulders may have relaxed but her voice still holds threads of tightness.
Mom reaches out to Adeline and places her hand on her arm. “Always, my darling. I haven’t seen my mother for a long time, but I remember how precious my time with her was.”
I’m unsure if it’s the sadness in Mom’s voice that catches Adeline’s attention or something else, but she looks at Mom and says, “It must have been hard to lose contact with your mother.” Adeline knows the basics of my mother’s history, but since they’ve not spent a great deal of time together, they’ve never discussed it.
Mom nods. “Yes, it was, but my father forbade her from seeing me after I chose to marry Jameson’s father, and she never went against his wishes. I was young and too blinded by love to fully understand what I was giving up.” She pats Adeline’s arm. “You take all the time by yourself with your mother this trip. I’ll have many more opportunities to spend time with her.”
Adeline takes a breath and wraps her hand around her wine glass like she’s about to lift it. She doesn’t, though. She simply holds it for a moment before letting it go and saying, “Actually, Mom and I aren’t that close. Not by my choice, but we just have never really found our way there.” She stops speaking and swallows like she’s trying to get rid of her thoughts that way.
Mom listens closely and I see her softening even further toward the woman she believes I love. “I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe she’s coming to visit because she wants to change that.”
“No.” Adeline shakes her head. “She may have told you she’s coming to visit, but I don’t think she’ll come. Mom is full of big plans that she never follows through on.”
