Page 58 of The Right Kind of Wrong

“Oh my goodness!”

My eyes widened at the voice.

No, no, no. This could not be happening.

“Oh shit,” Nathan said, pulling me to his chest and the sheets over my exposed body.

“Nathan Maxwell, what the hell are you doing?”

***

I played with the hem of my shirt nervously, intimidated by the two pairs of eyes set on Nathan and me. He squeezed my hand in comfort but I didn't miss the suspicious gazes directed towards us. It was hard to blame them; they'd found their son naked in bed with his sister-in-law. There was no way that was going unquestioned.

The Maxwells, from what I knew of them, were sweet and understanding. Humble, yet respected in the community they lived in. They had a reputation for reasons completely different from my parents. They were helpful; always giving back to their community. I always admired them even though at the moment, I was sure I wasn't on their good side.

“Did you use protection?”

My eyes snapped up, meeting the accusing gaze of Deborah Maxwell. Nathan opened his mouth to speak up but when his mother raised her hand, stopping him, he pressed his lips together, squeezing my hand under the table yet again.

“Uh, I—” I stuttered.

Nathan's dad, Frank Maxwell snorted, an amused glint in his eyes. He nudged Deborah with his elbow, whispering something in her ear that made her suppress a laugh. Remembering that we were still there, she cleared her throat and put on a serious face.

“You know the grandmother train is fast approaching and I've yet to have grandchildren, right?”

Alarmed, I looked over at Nathan who now looked like he was at the verge of laughter. He wrapped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me into his arms before chuckling. “Ma, leave Evie alone, you're freaking her out.”

The woman smiled compassionately, extending her hand over to me. I took her hand, reveling at the warmth. Her grey eyes were tender on me, showing me more care than my mom had in the past few days. I gulped. “Where are your parents? Your sister?”

Shrugging, I replied, “I don't know. I haven't seen them since yesterday.”

She nodded, but I didn't miss the way her husband stiffened next to her; his gaze meeting Nathan's.

“I'm not sure what else to say,” I said nervously.

“Are you…dealing better with the circumstances?” She asked.

“I think so,” I replied. “It's still surreal.”

Nathan's father surprised me by walking towards me, extending his hand to me. I shot him a confused look but took his hand and stood up, completely confused as far as what to do.

“Yesterday we weren't able to properly give you our condolences because of the drama,” he said, his accusing glare directed towards Nathan. “But we truly are very sorry about what happened to your grandmother. She was a lovely woman and we cared about her very much even if we only met her a few times.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

He hugged me then, catching me off guard. It was strange having a man hugging me in such a fatherly way other than Carter. I didn't get those type of hugs from my own father. I sighed, thanking him briefly before he let go of me. His wife followed, and her hug, it lasted longer.

“I know we've barely talked, but if you need something you can always give us call or come visit,” she said softly. “Always make your grandmother proud. Be brave and strong like you've always been. Don’t sell yourself out to the people that surround you, okay?”

“Thanks,” I said once again, feeling incredibly odd.

After a few moments of silence, the couple cleared their throat and looked between Nathan and me, smiling as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

“Now,” Deborah said, clapping her hands together. “I do believe you two have a lot to tell us so please begin whenever you’re ready.”

As if he'd been waiting for the moment, Nathan spoke up and explained to them everything that happened since I came back. There was no judgment coming from the Maxwells, just understanding and the occasional question of “are you sure of what you're doing?”

To my surprise, they seemed relieved that Nathan was finally getting divorced.

---