Page 56 of Hard Limits

“Love you too.”

Mr. Vale was checking in boutique windows by the time I caught up with him, searching for me among the shoes and purses. As if I needed another purse. The one he’d made me buy was perfect.

“Sorry, I had to use the bathroom. Is everything okay? You look stressed.”

“My mom had a fall. I need to go to Virginia.”

“Is she okay? Was she injured? I’ll book you a flight right away.” Should I go to the desk? Or try calling the airline? We’d already passed through security screening, and the ticket counters were outside. “Can I have my laptop?”

He hung onto it for a long moment, then finally held out the bag.

“Change your flight as well.”

Huh? “You want me to visit your mom with you?”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

He was the boss.

The sexy, demanding, sweet, unpredictable, mysterious boss.

I swallowed hard. “No, there’s no problem.”

CHAPTER 22

BRAX

“Do you spend a lot of time in the gardens, Leonora?”

“Call me Leon, darling. And yes, I love the outdoors. There’s such beauty in nature.” Brax’s mom glanced at her swollen ankle. “At least, there is when you look where you’re going.”

“You’ll be back in the sun in no time.”

Brax watched the two women in his life, past and future. Meera was curled up on a floral couch beside his mother, a cup of tea in her hand. His mom’s leg was propped on an ottoman, the ankle bandaged and flanked by ice packs.

Meera was handling the situation far better than he was. His mom had only tripped over a step, but when he looked at her black eye, he saw his father’s handiwork and all the bad memories came rushing back. His mom crying in the bathroom, the endless apologies to a monster, her whispered claims that things were fine when they clearly weren’t. Brax had seen today’s injuries and felt anger, while Meera had stayed calm and businesslike, asking how long ago the accident had occurred, then requesting an aide fetch a fresh ice pack and a stool to elevate the leg.

And now they were chatting like old friends.

Call me Leon.

Throughout Brax’s marriage, his mom had insisted that Carissa call her by her full name. Every time Carissa forgot, she called her Carri in return, which his wife hated. When they shared an apartment, the two women had sniped at each other behind closed doors without him realising until his mom had another breakdown, something he’d never forgive himself for.

This was why he’d brought Meera to Virginia.

If he was going to give up everything for her, then he needed to know that she’d get along with his mother. That she wouldn’t upset the fragile equilibrium his mom had spent years regaining. Meera had passed the test with flying colours, and she didn’t even realise it was a test.

“Will you be okay here if I make a few calls?” he asked her, his voice thick with emotion he had trouble hiding.

“Sure, we’re doing great. Do you need help with anything?”

“No, just keep my mom company.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” his mother told him. Then to Meera, “Do you play bridge?”

“Is that a card game?”

His mom nodded. “We can play with Matthew and Elda.”

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