Page 72 of Burning Love
Not having the wealth that they did. Not even close.
Instead they were focusing on the one thing that couldn’t be changed.
“We aren’t being rude,” Aileen said. “Just stating facts. You’ve never dated anyone older than you. Or not this old. I don’t think it’s a big deal. I for one think maybe you need to be grounded by someone more mature.”
He looked at Talia and saw her flush. “Mom, you’re getting ahead of yourself. What did I tell you?”
“He’s here, Talia. Give me a break. You’re both just fooling yourselves, but whatever. I’ll go check on dinner.”
“Let me show you my apartment,” she said, grabbing his hand.
Jace was happy she was doing that because he wanted to know what the hell was going on.
“What did your mother mean with her comment?” he asked when they got to the bottom of the stairs.
She turned into her living room and he realized the place was much bigger than he thought. It appeared to be about the same size as the first level.
“I told my mother where our relationship stood.” She’d held her fingers up and put air quotes around the word relationship.
He couldn’t dispute it because he was clueless about what they had also. His uncertainty of what he even wanted scared him enough to play the coward and put his head in the sand.
“Okay. What are we fooling ourselves about then?”
“She thinks if it was only sex then you wouldn’t have come here today.”
He frowned. “I never once led you to believe it wasonlysex between us, have I?”
“No. I told her that too, but she had to get her opinion in there one way or another. That’s my mother.”
“Did you not want me to come today?” he asked, still frowning. If that was the case, he could have saved himself some nervous jitters he’d never admit to anyone.
“I wanted you here,” she argued. “I told you that. I will admit I’m surprised you came.”
She didn’t help his case any. Maybe she did think the same as her mother, that it was only sex.
Which could mean that she could be turning the corner to thinking it was more too.
“I’m not sure why. I said I would. I even said I wouldn’t have a problem if your brother was here. Though he better not think of knocking my head.”
“He wouldn’t dare. Elias is more bark than bite. I think he has to do that in front of my mother so he doesn’t get her on his case.”
“It looks like he’s got Phoebe to contend with for doing it.”
Which he found funny. More so when Elias looked confused and unsure of how to answer.
“Yep,” she said, smirking. “He’s learning. I love Phoebe. She’s very independent, but she had two older brothers who were a bit protective of her at times too.”
“Two is nothing to you, right?”
“Elias is the one who did the most. When he was at college, that left Rowan and Nelson. I was in school with Nelson for all but my last two years. By then most knew what to expect if they dated me.”
“That had to be annoying.”
“It was. You were an only child back then. You didn’t have that issue.”
He wouldn’t say his mother was always asking questions and wanting to meet the girls he dated. He’d brought a few home and wanted her approval.
Until she lied to him.
