Chapter Fourteen
Gina stuffed the last piece of clothing into one of Sabrina’s extra suitcases. No way was she bringing her ratty bag that she moved around with to Max’s parents’ house. While he hadn’t said it in so many words, his comments about his dad’s job and his college fund left her with the strong impression that Max’s family was wealthy.
Best to make a good impression off the bat with a suitcase not bought secondhand then traipsed all over New York with each of her moves.
She glanced at T-Bone, who lay curled up on the bed beside her bag. “Did I forget anything?”
He raised his head, as if double-checking for her, and she chuckled. She was sure she hadn’t. Taking a leaf out of Max’s book, she’d made a list to pack with. She’d even shown it to him, thinking he’d laugh or at least smile at how he’d impacted her life in some small way. He’d just nodded, though.
After that night in the gym he’d been…different. Not closed off necessarily. Unavailable, definitely. He’d claimed a lot of work kept him busy, but a small voice of doubt had her wondering if he’d been avoiding her.
He couldn’t avoid her now, though.
Despite her confidence in her handy checklist, Gina ran a critical eye over it once again. What if his family hated her? What if she’d chosen inappropriate clothes? Again, she reconsidered her outfit. Max had said casual, but she’d lay ten-to-one odds he was wearing one of his suits. She’d opted for soft gray slacks that fit her beautifully, paired with a red V-necked sweater that was festive and sexy, but not too sexy. But what if they thought her outfit was too sexy?
Of course they won’t, you nut. She gave herself a mental shake.
One thing she’d learned after moving from school to school in neighborhoods all over New York—ranging from the ultra-rich to barely able to keep food on the table and everything in between—was how to become a chameleon and fit in. Regardless of if his parents were wealthy but down-to-earth types or super snobs, she could act the part. She wouldn’t embarrass him.
But these people were Max’s family. Obviously, they were important to him. She wanted to like them…and she wanted them to like her. Gina ran a hand over her face, then swore, knowing she’d probably smeared her lipstick. Damn she was a nervous wreck. No two ways about it.
Why did meeting Max’s family now feel like a way bigger deal than some stupid bargain she’d been blackmailed into weeks ago?
After fixing her lipstick, she eyed the pile of presents to go down to the car. Including T-Bone, of course. All his paraphernalia—bowls, food, bed, etc.—ready and waiting. She was going to miss the little mutt, even though she knew Mateo would love him as much as she did. However, over the course of the last month, T-Bone had become…hers.
Just like Max.
Quit that! She straightened her shoulders and pushed both thoughts away. She’d visit T-Bone often. Max…that was another matter left for after the holidays, after the farce, which no longer seemed like farce to her, was officially over.
“Come on,” she said as she gathered T-Bone up. “Let’s go see if Max is ready for us.”
She snagged a box she’d wrapped herself, having a bit of fun. She’d gone with blues and silvers, but wrapped it so the gift resembled a tuxedo front, with the bow at the top, a swath of silver “shirt” down the middle of the darker blue overall wrapping, and silver buttons down the middle. Her gifts for his family and two more for him for Christmas Eve were also wrapped in her professional style. This one, though, she wanted to give him before they left.
After a quick peek to be sure no one would spot T-Bone, Gina snuck down the hall and knocked on Max’s door.
He opened it with a serious expression, not a scowl exactly, but not a happy face, either. With effort, Gina ignored the dread sinking in her stomach and inched past him into the apartment. When he didn’t close the door, she nudged it shut.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
“Not quite.” His voice was strained.
Gina took a mental step back. Why did he suddenly look like the Grinch before his heart grew? While he’d been a little tenser than usual, she’d chalked it up to the holiday and upcoming visit to his parents, but this… This felt like something else.
Hoping to cheer him up, she held out her gift for him. “Merry early Christmas!”
Max eyed the box. “I’m still packing.”
Gina shoved her disappointment down deep, along with the lingering dread that something serious was wrong. Maybe the trip had him dialed up another fifty notches?
She shook the box in her hand. “You might want to pack this, too,” she hinted.
Max grumbled under his breath as he reached for the gift. His gaze kept darting down the hall toward his bedroom. Gina relaxed a tiny bit, figuring his mood was obviously tied to packing for the trip. Mental note, Max was a grumpy packer.
At least he bothered to glance at the wrapping, his tight lips quirking. “Your handy work?” he asked, holding it up.
Gina grinned. “Not bad, right? I tried to do a manly wrapping job for you.”
He didn’t comment as he ripped into the paper.
She watched, amusement kicking in. “I sort of expected you to be a careful unwrapper, trying to save the paper.”
He shook his head without looking up. In the box, he found a sweater she’d splurged on as a Christmas gift for him—navy to bring out his eyes, with a slight V at the neck.
He just stared at it.
“I thought you could wear it today, instead of another of your usual suits.” She softened the sting of her words with another grin. She actually loved the suits because they were Max. Plus he looked hot in them with those broad shoulders.
“So, we’re back to fixing me, huh?” His words came out low, and not angry exactly, more…
She couldn’t tell what the emotion was in his voice. Or in his expression for that matter, as he glanced up, an eyebrow raised. She did know that she would like to take a hammer and chisel to the wall he’d thrown up between them.
“I don’t want to fix you, but this girlfriend thing”—she waved a hand between them—“is your idea to get your family off your back. I was thinking of that.”
“And a new look accomplishes that?” Skepticism twisted his lips.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “Because it’s a new look.” Irritation spiked in her chest and in her voice. “They’ll say something about the sweater being a change, and you’ll say I bought it for you, and the illusion of us dating will be…bolstered.”
“You spent a lot of your Christmas money, that you practically dropped into bed exhausted each night over the last few weeks to earn, on a nice sweater for me so that our…illusion…would work?”
Gina crossed her arms, mimicked his expression, and raised her own sarcastic eyebrow. “I don’t know, Max. Maybe I thought you’d like a nice sweater as a gift. It’s the same brand as your suits, so I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a departure.”
He stared, then seemed to shake himself and nodded. “Thank you for thinking of me.”
Gina’s stomach hollowed out. He’d said thank you and backed off a bit, but she could still see the tension radiating off those stiffly held shoulders.
“You’re welcome.” She knew when to back off. She shrugged as if it didn’t matter to her either way.
Max turned and headed back to his room. She followed him, and T-Bone followed both of them, hopping around Max’s feet, obviously deciding Max had waited long enough to greet him, putting his paws up on his legs.
“T-Bone,” Max said. “Down.”
Gina picked the dog up. “He just wants you to pet him.”
“I’m trying to get packed.”
“Would you like help?” She cast her gaze over his shoulder into his bedroom where his suitcase sat on the bed, clothes folded neatly beside it in rows. What could be so complicated?
“No, thanks. I think I’ve got this.”
Right. Control freak. With effort, she held in an irritated sigh.
“T-Bone and I will wait out here until you’re ready to load the car,” she murmured.
This was not a promising start to the holiday. That was for damn sure.
…
Max sent another furtive glance in Gina’s direction and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The drive thus far had been quiet with neither of them eager to talk, although she didn’t seem to be pouting or angry exactly. Just quiet. Not her normal state.
He didn’t like it even though he deserved it. He’d been a total ass about packing and the damn sweater. He’d overslept this morning, something he never did until she showed up in his life, and had been behind on packing. And, if he were honest, he’d already been freaking out about Christmas Eve with his family.
Now that the time had come, he found himself supremely reluctant to go through with the charade. Then she’d shown up dressed in classy clothes that just weren’t “Gina”—changing for him?—and with that gift. He had a fairly accurate idea how much she’d spent on him, making the sweater an extravagant present, and he’d essentially thrown it in her teeth.
More than that, the conversation with Drew and Brandon kept popping up in his head. He needed to end this before he really hurt her…before he got so attached he couldn’t let her go. But he couldn’t. Not until tomorrow.
Max drained his coffee as if he were never going to have coffee again. When he felt Gina’s gaze on him, he calmly put the travel mug down and kept his eyes on the road.
“Do you mind if we stop at McDonalds or something to grab lunch? I skipped mine.”
“Any way you can wait? We already got a late start.”
Max cringed at himself. He was acting like a jerk but couldn’t manage to turn it off. Yes, he tended to get this way when things weren’t going to plan, but still, that was no excuse. He wished this entire fucking holiday was over and he could return to his well-ordered existence.
“Pull over.”
He jerked his gaze over to where Gina sat ramrod straight in her seat, not looking at him. “Why?”
“Pull over and let me out.”
Careful about other drivers, he pulled into a drugstore parking lot.
Gina reached for the door handle, but he put a hand out to stop her. “Wait. What are you doing?”
She rounded on him, lips white. “I’m about done with your pissy attitude, Maxwell Carter. You’ve done nothing but snap my head off since I came over. What’s up with you?”
Max raked a hand through his hair. See, no way could she handle the real him. He’d eventually drive her away if he let this go any further. “Sorry. We got a late start, and I’m stressed out about lying to my parents.”
“And you’d be just as pissy if I weren’t here?”
He glared. “This is who I am, Gina. I get irritated when I get off plan.” Deal with it. He left those last words unsaid, but he could tell by her narrowed eyes that she caught them anyway.
“You getting…irritated…about being off plan is fine, but I don’t think that’s what has you acting like a jerk.”
Max clenched his jaw. “Do explain what you think is wrong with me, Dr. Freud.”
She ignored his sarcasm. “Us. That’s what’s wrong. Is it just me, or has this thing between us moved past the bargain we made?”
She was too damn close to the issue he’d had no intention of touching. But if she was going to force him… “I can’t do relationships. You know that.”
He glanced away from the hurt pooling in her big brown eyes.
“So, everything we’ve shared was, what? Temporary? I’m, what? Another notch, or something?”
Max grimaced. She was definitely not another notch. “I’ve already given you more than I’ve given anyone else. Can’t that be enough? After the holiday is over, maybe we can…” He shook his head, not having worked out where they went from here. Not to something permanent, but he didn’t want to let her go, either.
She stared back at him, searching his face for what? Max resisted the urge to shift in his seat. He couldn’t give any more than he had.
Finally, Gina glanced away, hugging T-Bone to her like he’d absorb all her emotions. “No. That’s not enough,” she whispered. “Not anymore. Not for me.”