Page 13 of Unravel You

“I’m sorry. I got it all over you.” She jumped off her seat to wipe my shirt.

“Don’t worry about it. Wait until you have these burgers.”

I took a bite of mine. When Valentina ate hers too, she moaned.

The meat was amazing, though I wasn’t sure it was moan-worthy. Maybe I got used to being the only one she had orgasmic reactions to.

“Good?” I reached for the wine the chef had left out for us.

“This is better than good. It’s orgasmic.”

I coughed, trying not to choke on the wine. She drove me to distraction, no matter what she did or said. I loved that about her. I loved her. I couldn’t believe she was mine. I couldn’t believe she was willing to put up with my bad moods and all my crazy work.

“Finish your burger. Maybe we can do some of that later.”

“I’d like that.”

When I first met Valentina, she thought she was done with men and falling in love in general. Her son’s dad did quite a number on her. By leaving her, he’d done her a kindness. Bit by bit, she’d let go of the past and given in to what we had. Before, sex didn’t even register on her radar. Now she was willing to explore and show me that side of her, the side that couldn’t have enough of it.

“I was thinking we could fly out Monday. Max is more than welcome to come, if you’re comfortable with that.”

She glanced at me, her eyes big—always so protective of her son. But she had to be. For so long, it was just the two of them. “He already started school. I don’t know if I want to take him out. And I don’t want to expose him to a situation where he’ll feel scared.”

“Okay. My family is not scary, but I understand. How about you come with me, and after a week, when you see they’re good people, he can join us?”

“That might work. He can miss one week of school. He’s used to living with my parents. Maybe they can come over and stay with him? They would love that. They miss him so much.”

“He could visit every weekend. Like when you were in school. Whatever you want to do. I want to make this as easy as possible.” I refilled her wine glass. She did that thing she always did where she opened her mouth to speak, but then no words came out. That was her not saying what she wanted to say. She should know by now that there was nothing she could say to make me love her less. “Out with it.”

She drank some more and steeled herself. “I was on board with meeting your family until you dropped the “we need their blessing” bomb on me.” She said it so fast I had to take a minute to digest her meaning. “What if they don’t like me? Would you leave me?”

“No. Of course not. What I meant was I know they’ll love you. So of course, they’ll give us their blessing.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, and I felt as if she could see right through me, which she could. “What’s the deal with your mom?”

I raked a hand through my hair and let out a breath. Valentina had already seen how big of an asshole I could be. How quickly I could get lost in my work and my vision for all the things I wanted to do. In a way, Mom had been my first victim, the first person to get left behind because of the goals I had set for myself and my company. I left her alone with her business and did nothing when it went under without my help. Since then, I had tried to make amends, but the damage had been done. Mom had to rebuild on her own and wanted nothing to do with me.

“I hope you don’t think less of me.” I had to tell her.

She took a long sip of her wine before she came to stand next to me. I gripped her waist and pulled her closer. Her hands slid from my shoulders and up into my hair as she wedged herself between my legs.

“How could you think that? I love you. Whatever you did, I’m sure you had a reason for it.” She flashed me a crooked smile. “Out with it.” She used my own words against me.

“Before I started out, I was working with Mom. She had a wealth management company that was doing quite well for a while. She basically taught me everything I know.”

“What happened?” She tunneled her fingers through my hair. Her patience was so alien and so soothing to me.

“When I came up with the idea of starting a communications company, I asked her for money.” I rolled my eyes. Only a spoiled brat would think it would be okay to put his hand out and ask his parents for a hundred thousand dollars.

“She said no?”

“She said no. I was mad. I knew the only reason she’d said no was because she wanted me to stay and work for her after I finished college. I was good at investments, made her quite a bit of money, even though I was so wet behind the ears. Anyway, Grams, Dad’s mom, passed away that same year and left all of us money. My brothers trusted me enough to give me their share of the inheritance.”

“Wait? They’re all owners in your company?”

“Yeah. I own seventy-five percent. The four of them split the rest. Believe me, they do well enough.”

“I bet. Talk about putting your money in the right pot.”

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