His eyes went to Mindy in my arms, her face in my neck and he nodded.

“Buckle up, Duchess,” he said quietly.

I nodded back, buckled Mindy first, used the middle seat buckle for myself and held her shaking with tears frame all the way back to the Max’s house.

Chapter Six

Somethin’ Else

I was slightly jostled but I was comfortable, warm and mostly asleep so I didn’t let it bother me. I could also hear a tone which was familiar but I didn’t let that bother me either.

Then I heard a deep, gravelly voice quietly say, “Yeah?” but I didn’t let that bother me either.

I also listened when the voice went on, still quietly. “Yeah, she’s here but she’s sleepin’.” Pause. “Yeah, you want me to have her call you?” Pause while the sleep slid from me, it hit my consciousness that it was Max’s deep, gravelly voice, it was his bed and his body that were making me comfortable and warm and that the familiar tone was my mother’s ringtone.

Then my eyes flew open and I shot up to an elbow, my thigh still thrown over Max’s, my hand sliding up to his ribs when I pulled up.

Max’s clear gray eyes locked on me.

“She’s awake,” he spoke into my phone.

I started panting.

“Hang on,” he said to who I assumed was my mother then he held the phone to me. “You wanna talk to your Mom?”

I took my hand from his ribs and snatched my phone away. Then I sucked in breath and put it to my ear.

“Mom?”

There was silence on the line.

“Mom, you there?”

More nothing and then, “Neenee Bean, are you in bed with a man with an amazing voice?”

I closed my eyes tight then twisted, getting up on my bottom, my knees coming to my chest.

“Mom,” I said, opening my eyes.

“Holy cow, sweetie, holy… holy cow.”

“Mom, um…” I twisted and looked at the clock, seeing it was seven thirty-two and also seeing Max lying on his back; the covers down to his waist; one hand behind his head, the muscles in his bicep well-defined and naturally flexed; his chest exposed to the na**d eye, nearly searing my retinas with its magnificence; and his eyes in his soft face on me. I took this all in, the searing sensation in my retinas burning a direct path southward and I twisted back saying, “It’s early. Can I call you later?”

“I take it you made a decision about Niles without me,” she noted the obvious.

“Yes.”

“And, considering the situation as it seems, it was the right one.”

I closed my eyes again then opened them and said, “Mom, really, can we talk later?”

“He know about Niles?” she asked, indicating that she didn’t feel like talking later which was kind of her way.

“Who?”

“What’s-his-name who answered the phone.”

“Yes, he knows.”

“You work fast sweetie,” she remarked then asked, “What’s his name?”

I played dumb since Max wasn’t moving in order to give me privacy. “Who?”

Mom didn’t like me playing dumb, then again she never did so she nearly screeched, “The man who answered the phone!”

I started to throw back the covers and find my own privacy since Mom was in the mood to talk. But Max was of a different mind and his arm hooked around my waist before I could even get the covers back. Then I felt him at my back and his other arm went around my waist.

My neck twisted so I could give him a glare over my shoulder.

His response: he dropped his head and kissed my shoulder.

I pulled in breath.

“Nina!” Mom called.

“I’m here,” I replied, twisting back around.

“What’s his name?”

“Max,” I answered and felt Max’s arms get tight and his face went into my neck.

I put my hand over the phone, twisted my neck, his head came up and I snapped, “Will you stop? I’m talking to my Mom!”

He grinned and dropped his chin to my shoulder. I growled and turned away.

“…there?” Mom called in my ear.

“I’m here.”

“What’s going on? Are you okay”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Have you broken it to Niles?”

I tested Max’s arm strength, unsurprisingly got nowhere considering their steely nature, settled in again and said, “I sent him an e-mail.”

Max’s arms convulsed as Mom had the same exact reaction as Max.

“You sent him an e-mail?” she asked incredulously.

“I know, Mom, but you know I’m better with words when I write them out.”

She didn’t answer at first then asked, “When?”

“Mom, can we talk about this later?”

“My daughter is in the wilderness with a strange man with an amazing voice having just changed the entire course of her life and you want to talk about it later?”

I sighed because it might be irritating but this was Mom’s way too then I answered her earlier question, “A couple of days ago.”

“What’d he say?”

“Who?”

“Niles!” she cried.

“I don’t know, nothing, unless he e-mailed back.”

“E-mailing,” she mumbled, “insane.”

“Mom –”

“He hasn’t called?”

“No.”

“That boy,” she mumbled again.

“I… it’s just the way he is.”

There was a pause then she said, “You know I liked him, Neenee, you know I did. But I think you made the right decision.”

“Mom –”

“I mean, you e-mailed or not, he should call you. It’s not like you said, ‘This isn’t working out,’ after a couple of dates. First, you fly halfway around the world for a ‘timeout’, whatever that is, which he allowed you to do, and in my humble opinion, that’s insane. Then you broke off an engagement!”

This sounded familiar too.

“Mom, I know.”

“He was any man at all, he’d be at your doorstep.”

“Okay, but, Mom –”

“Though, don’t think that would be good under the present circumstances.”

“Can I talk, Mom?”

Apparently I couldn’t for she kept going. “It’s just that,” her voice got soft, “I think, sweetie, this is good. It shows you the way. It shows you that you’ve decided on the right path. And I know you were so worried and I’m glad you’ve found the right path.”