Page 30 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

I was tempted to scream at my mother and tell her the truth. I felt the words bubble up within me and threaten to pour over like a wave that had been held back for too long. I wanted her to know that the man she was praising was the same man she once rejected. I wanted to tell her everything, but I didn’t. Soon she would realize that the man she was trying to make me date was the same man she’d forced me to break up with five years ago.

I had no idea how my mother would react when she found out. Would she stand by the statements she made back then or would she continue to believe that this version of Matteo was worthy of being my husband?

It was all so confusing. I hated the amount of uncertainty that surrounded my relationship with Matteo. It made me feel like I was floating in the air and I never knew when I would touch the ground again. We still hadn’t spoken about the two kisses we shared and now that my mother was around, we probably wouldn’t.

It was starting to feel like the kiss had never happened. Maybe I’d imagined the whole thing. I considered that but I knew it couldn’t be true. How could it be true when I could still feel the press of his lips and the urgency of his kisses?

I could visualize the desire in his eyes and feel the passion in the way he held me to him. These feelings were too real for it to have been a dream. Matteo and I kissed but it seemed like that was the only thing that would ever happen between us.

I almost wished I could speak to him about what happened between us. I had to know if he still thought about the kiss the way I did or if he had already forgotten about it. Talking to Matteo proved difficult lately because my mother was always hovering around us.

Matteo and I were sitting in the kitchen, drinking our morning coffee and getting ready for work. It felt good to have this kind of routine with him. It made me feel like I was part of his life. Every morning, we would sit here and drink coffee together.

We hardly ever spoke but it was enough for me to just be in his presence. I also loved going to work. I loved waking up every day and knowing I had somewhere to be.

I lifted my cup to my lips and glanced at Matteo as discreetly as I could. He was frowning at something on his phone. The skin on his forehead bunched up and he furrowed his brows. I couldtell from the tight way he gripped his phone that he was looking at bad news.

I’d planned to talk to him about the kiss this morning but seeing him so upset made me want to change my mind. The last thing I wanted was to discuss things when he was in a bad mood. Still, I couldn’t help noticing that this was the perfect opportunity. My mother was still asleep so she couldn’t take over the conversation like she usually did.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

Matteo gave me a confused look and I gestured to his phone. His features relaxed as he answered. “Nothing major. Just a bit of a nuisance at work.”

“Oh.”

We lapsed into silence again. I was scared but I knew I had to talk to him about it. I searched for the right words but I could barely string my sentences together. I stared at the counter as if the words I wanted to say were written there like a script for a movie.

“The other day… b-before my mom came in, we… ”

“Kissed.” Matteo supplied the rest of my sentence after my voice trailed off.

I lifted my head and I met his gaze. Our eyes held. Silence fell again but this time it was filled with our rapid breathing. The kitchen clock ticked in the distance, its sound receding until I couldn’t hear it anymore. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart, beating at a frantic pace.

“I’ve been thinking—”

My sentence was cut short when my mother walked into the room. She looked like a character out of a movie with her long white button-up gown, large beach hat, and wide-rimmed sunglasses. For someone who likely just woke up, she looked well put together. My mother prided herself on her ability to lookexpensive at all times. Even indoors and hungover, she dressed like she was on a runway.

Her five-inch stiletto heels hit the kitchen tiles, creating an almost melodic beat. Graceful as always, except when she’s had a few glasses of wine, my mother traipsed in and took the seat beside me.

“Thinking about what dear?” she asked me.

“Oh… um… nothing. Just work stuff.”

Even with most of her face covered by the glasses she wore, I could still see the grimace she offered me. “Work. I still don’t understand why you insist on that.”

“I like it. I like working,” I said.

“If you insist.” With that, she dismissed me. My mother turned her attention to Matteo. Her red lips opened up to expose sparkling white teeth. “You’re off to work?”

“Yes, I am.” Matteo’s answer was courteous but I could hear the hint of annoyance in his tone. It was difficult for him to pretend like she wasn’t the same person who insulted him years ago.

He moved to leave but my mother spoke again before he could. “I have some pretty bad news.”

“Is Dad okay?” I asked my heart already in my throat.

“Joseph is fine. I wanted to tell you two that I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

My mother said it like it was somber news but the truth was, it took everything in me not to leap for joy.

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