Page 21 of Kiss me Forever

I finally shut off my brain and fall asleep with a smile on my lips. This feels like home. My mom might even get her wish for grandchildren after all, because the thought of making a life with this woman isn’t scaring me one little bit.

Chapter Thirteen

Piper

Somehow I find myself in the vehicle with Magnus as he makes his way out of the city on his way to his mother’s place for Sunday dinner. I’m not sure how he talked me into this, because my stomach is dancing with a mixture of nerves and cowardice. It’s clear we’re dating now, but isn’t it far too soon to meet his mother? I’m scared.

Then again, I’ve decided to jump in with both feet, and this is what he wants. I need to remember who I am, remember that I’m the person who always has a glass that’s overflowing. With this thought I try to calm my racing thoughts. Meeting his mother isn’t a marriage proposal. I don’t know why this is freaking me out as much as it is.

“We’re getting closer to his mother’s place when he turns and grins at me. “I thought I should warn you that my mother doesn’t know you’re coming,” he says with a mischievous smile that instantly sends my stomach into my throat.

“You’re kidding, right?” I demand. He shakes his head, still smiling, looking completely at ease. Of course he is, he’s not the one about to be a stranger in a mother’s kitchen. I never should’ve agreed to this.

“We can’t just show up, Magnus. What if she doesn’t want a guest? What if she hates me?” I demand.

He chuckles as he reaches over and takes my hand, brings it to his lips, and kisses my palm. The gesture does manage to calm me . . . slightly. He’s still not out of the doghouse though.

“My mother will love you, Piper. Trust me, this is a surprise she’ll be delighted about.”

“I’m not trusting you right now, but as I’m held captive in your vehicle, it looks like unless I want to go running and screaming down the vineyard I have to come,” I tell him. He kisses my palm again sending heat through me. I don’t know how he manages to turn me on when I’m annoyed with him, but he’s doing it.

“What do we tell her?” I ask.

“That we barely got out the door to arrive on time for dinner because you jumped me in the kitchen,” he says in a serious tone.

“That’s so not funny, Magnus,” I tell him as my cheeks heat.

He laughs, finding himself very amusing. “We tell her you’re my . . .” He pauses for a second. “Girlfriend,” he finally finishes, and my gut clenches again. We haven’t put a label on what we are. It’s not like we’re in middle school where he officially asks me to be his girlfriend. It’s so much harder to know where you stand in an adult relationship because we don’t do those labels, though. No wonder dating is so difficult. I might like it a bit too much that he’s calling me his girlfriend though.

This man is so different from the one I met a year ago who was cold and barely smiled. This man beside me is sweet, playful, and seems to not want to let me go. This gives me the courage to meet his mother. I’m still scared, but it seems that both of us are truly jumping in with both feet and our eyes wide open.

He sends me a wink as all of these thoughts pass through my head. We continue driving in a comfortable silence before we turn off the road, and then drive for another ten minutes. We take another turn and then we’re moving down a windy paved road between beautiful grape vines that are about ready to be harvested. I lose the last of my fears as I look out at the stunning scenery.

“This is beautiful,” I tell him, not willing to tear my gaze away from the incredible vineyard. “I can’t imagine how wonderful it would be to live in a place like this, to wake up with this view every morning, and take evening strolls through the sweet, scented air.”

“I love leaving the city and coming out here. I even love harvest time, and helping my sister prepare the grapes for the wine. There’s something about fresh country air that heals the body and mind,” he tells me.

We pull around a final corner and see a beautiful, charming home on a hill with such a welcoming aura about it that I’m instantly in love. Beautiful gardens of vegetables and flowers surround the home, making it look like the entire property was picked up and moved straight from Italy. Paradise, it’s absolute paradise.

“This is incredible, Magnus,” I whisper, afraid if I talk louder I’ll be breaking the spell I’ve been placed under. I finally turn to look at him and he’s gazing back with what looks like awe. I don’t know what to think of this.

“I thought you’d like it,” he tells me.

“Who wouldn’t love it here?” I ask with a laugh. I’m still scared, but this place is homey, and far less intimidating than his house in the city. Then again, his mother is inside this home which makes it a tad scarier. I just have to hope she doesn’t chase me out with a rolling pin.

Magnus exits the vehicle and I fumble with my seatbelt as he walks around and opens my door. I take his hand as I step out, then try to pull away, not wanting to be hand in hand as we go inside. He doesn’t let me go, though as he leads me inside through the front door. The smell that hits me immediately makes my stomach grumble. We had a very light breakfast and now it’s closer to dinner time and I’m starving, especially after all of our activity the night before and this morning. He assured me we needed to come with a full appetite as there is going to be a lot of food we’ll want to eat.

Magnus moves through the home straight into the kitchen. His mother is facing the stove as we step into the room. She’s a petite woman with salt and pepper hair tied into a bun on the back of her neck. As she turns around, her stunning beauty shocks me. She doesn’t look old enough to be his mother. She’s wearing a smile as she looks at her son, but then her gaze focuses on me, and her smile grows.

“Magnus, Darling, you’re late,” she says. She moves over and kisses his cheeks before she focuses all of her attention on me. “And who is this lovely young woman you’ve brought with you?” There’s a youthful sparkle in his mother’s eyes that has me wanting to look at the floor. I’m desperately trying to keep my cheeks from flushing.

“This is Piper,” Magnus says, his voice filled with pride that sends a little zing through me.

“Hmm, Piper. Why has my son been hiding you from me?” she asks, making me shift on my feet. I have no idea how to answer this. I certainly don’t want to tell her that we’ve only been dating for about a month, not even that if you count how many dates we’ve actually had.

“I’m very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Carter,” I tell her, my voice quiet.

“You must call me Isabella,” she says as she reaches up and cups my cheeks, turning my head from side to side as she gives me a nice long look. She then pulls me from Magnus. “You come help me. You’re too skinny and need to be fed.”

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