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“So why are you here?” she asked. “And don’t say I invited you. We both know it’s something else. You haven’t texted or anything.”
He reached into the tub and took his time opening a box of antique ornaments that had been her great-grandmother’s. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t going to come because it’s a family thing and at best we’re acquaintances but then…here I am.”
“Here you are. Okay, well, you should know my mom is like a gold-level matchmaker and she’s going to be coming in hard with the questions for you and baby pictures of me.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Now you’re making it sound interesting.”
“Are you interested?”
“I’m not sure. Listen, to be honest, I hate Christmas. I know you jokingly called yourself Ms. Scrooge but there isn’t anything you don’t like about people or this time of year. I genuinely just try to get through it. I wanted to take the month of December off but Reg suggested that working might be better and more distracting and it was…until you showed up.”
“So now I’m distracting you?” she asked, not sure that was a compliment but the truth was he was distracting her. He was helping her stop feeling so scared of being herself and maybe he was going to help her forgive herself.
“Oh, you’re a distraction. I haven’t slept a single night—”
“Don’t. I don’t want to hear anything like that come out of your mouth when I’m in the same zip code,” Nico said. “Heads-up. Mom googled you, Max.”
“Am I going to be asked to leave?” Max asked him.
“I’m pretty sure that if you aren’t interested in Angelica, she’s going to start throwing Cosima in your direction,” Nico said. “She likes that your family supports so many charities and the mission statement of your foundation and conglomerate.”
Angelica groaned. “I’ll go head her off. I mean we haven’t even had a date yet.”
“Ange. Why would you do this to Max?” Nico asked.
She wasn’t entirely sure herself. To be fair, she hadn’t realized the implications of inviting a man she was interested in home. Also she hadn’t been sure he’d show up.
“Trial by fire,” she said with a wink then leaned in toward Max, whispering in his ear, “I haven’t slept well either.”
She turned and cut her mom off as she was hurrying over to them. “Mama, not tonight. He’s new and I like him.”
“You like him?” Mama said.
“I do. And I think he needs time to adjust to all this before you go in for the hard sell,” she said.
“I’m just happy you like him. I’ll keep my distance.”
“Thanks, Mama,” she said, kissing her mom on the cheek.
She glanced back to find Max watching her. If nothing else there was a deep bond of sexual attraction between them. And knowing he hated Christmas…well maybe she could bring some of the joy of the season to him after he’d given her a second chance.
*
Nico turned tohim as his sister left. A serious big brother look in the other man’s eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on with you both, but I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”
“I can’t be hurt.”
“Maybe, maybe not. The viral video really shook her and she hasn’t been the same since. Like I said I like you both, but she’s my sister and I will come for you if you hurt her,” Nico said.
“Fair enough,” Max said.
“Now that that is out of the way, Jack, Ollie and I are going to play a game of pool while everyone else decorates the tree if you want to join us,” Nico said.
Before he could respond he heard Mrs. Rossi’s raised voice.
“Pool? We are decorating the tree as a family,” she said.
He glanced over to see the eldest Rossi brother, Jock, was the target of her ire. “Mama, you have all the women to help.”
