and her husband are healthy enough to make the flight to the U.S. She hinted that if they aren’t, she would feel guilty about leaving them behind.”
“Wait, Max, are you saying your mom is suggesting she might not be coming to the wedding?”
“Yes,” Max forced out.
“After all the work she and my mom have put in?”
“It’s a powerplay, Ethan. She’s trying to force us to move the wedding. That’s what she’s wanted from the beginning. Suggesting a second ceremony was only delaying the inevitable. My parents want us in England and are trying two different angles to get us there.”
“Normally I’d say it’s great to be wanted, but that doesn’t apply in this case. Your parents are demanding.”
Max would have snorted at the oversimplification if doing so wasn’t so uncouth. “Coming to America is a commitment of more than time and money. It’s a commitment to us as a couple. It’s also acceptance of our lives here. We’ve seen how they fare with both of those things.”
“We’re hoping they’re changing,” Ethan reminded him gently.
Max wanted to lash out, or the opposite, freeze him out. But Ethan wasn’t his enemy and he wasn’t even wrong.
“We may hope,” he conceded reluctantly, “but there’s no guarantee that that hope is justified.”
The first course was cleared, silverware switched out, and the second course served. It was explained as a saltfish and parsley soup, in demitasse cups.
“I think the chef heard my challenge and is embracing it,” Ethan muttered as he stirred his tiny spoon in the cup. “Something tells me that by the end of dinner, my taste buds will be wowed but my stomach will be growling.”
“We can stop by Burger King on the way home.”
The quick grin Ethan shot him lifted Max’s mood better than any pep talk.
“I’m trying to remain open-minded about what’s happening,” he told Ethan. “I may be jumping to conclusions. I may be assigning negative motivations where there are none. Please don’t take me as being overly negative or quick to blame my parents.”
“Please. If anyone has a right to, it’s you. Your dad especially has pulled some wild super villain stuff, even if it was inept super villain stuff. They have to earn our trust. And unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to take longer than we’d like.”
“I agree.”
Ethan pushed his cup away. “I had a thought earlier today before any of the stupid stuff with Theo happened. After hearing what you’ve been dealing with, I’m thinking it’s a pretty good idea: what if we hit up Indiana for a couple of days? It lets us get away from everything and we can check on the status of the wedding. My parents will be thrilled and they’ll pamper and spoil us which, to be frank, I think we could use.”
Max mentally ran through his schedule for the week. It wasn’t promising.
It didn’t matter.
“I’ll book us a flight for tomorrow.”
Ethan gaped at him. “Just like that? Don’t you have—”
“I’m the boss,” Max cut him off. “If I can’t change my schedule at a moment’s notice, who can?”
“That’s ballsy, Max. I know for a fact you’ve got meetings lined up.”
Max gave him a quelling look. “It won’t be a problem. We leave for Indiana tomorrow. Inform your mother as soon as we leave here.”
He watched Ethan shift in his seat. “I gotta admit, Max, I’m kind turned on right now.”
“Attracted to take-charge men, are you? That’s new.”
Ethan bit his lips to hold back his laughter. “Is it?”
Max felt his own body reacting to Ethan’s admission. It never failed to surprise him how quickly he could respond whenever Ethan revealed or admitted to sexual arousal. The moment he learned that Ethan wanted him was the same moment Max wanted to take him.
“Are you enjoying your meal so far?” he asked.
Ethan was caught off-guard by the change of subject. “Er, yeah. I mean, so far I’ve eaten about a hundred and fifty calories, but they’ve been a tasty hundred and fifty calories.”
“Do you wish to taste the remaining six courses?”
His groin grew warm at the startled look that crossed Ethan’s face, a look which quickly shifted into intrigue.
“You’d blow off the hottest reservation in town?”
“I’ve grown hungry for a different delicacy.”
Ethan grinned. “Let me guess: a super sexy, blond submissive?”
“I’ve heard he’s offering a tasting menu that lasts all night,” Max said, gazing at him intently in a way he knew made Ethan hot.
“Holy hell.” Ethan looked around him, anxious, but for the right reasons. “This is going to look weird.”
“If