He put his hands on her waist and pushed her back a little. He wanted to see her face. He wanted to see her dark brows and the way they arched over her eyes. Her slightly upturned nose. Her tempting, plush lips. In this light, she looked almost dreamlike. He kissed her. He lingered, his kiss reverent in a way it probably wouldn’t have been had this night not happened.
She kissed him back, sinking into him, her arms tightly around him. But then she sighed, and it sounded weary and sad, and he felt weary and sad. “Let’s talk,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Max whistled for the dogs. They came romping into the house, their paws covered in dirt. They’d been digging. “Great,” he said. “I’ll go see what they—”
“No, no, I’ll look tomorrow. It’s the herb garden, I’m sure. Once Baxter tasted basil, there was no turning back. Come on,” she said, and took his hand, pulling him into her living room, all the way to the couch. They fell on it together like they’d just run a race. Hazel trotted off to explore, and Baxter trotted after her.
“Do you want something to drink?” Carly asked.
He shook his head. He had an early start tomorrow. He was meeting with Drake to go over his presentation. He’d meant to work on it tonight, but he’d stayed behind after Carly and Evelyn had left to have a talk with his dad.
“Max? I’m so sorry,” Carly said.
He frowned with confusion. “For what?”
“For what,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “My mother, for starters. And everything that happens from here on out.”
He didn’t understand her, exactly, but he shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is just . . . wild.” He took in her face and stroked her hair. “I had a long talk with my dad about it.”
“You did?” She twisted around on the couch to face him. She looked so hopeful, like he would fix this thing for them. He couldn’t fix it. No matter how badly he wanted to fix it for her. For them. He wanted to do whatever Carly needed. He wanted to be the one to do it all for her. He really liked Carly. He might even be falling in love with her. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to lose her.
Maybe her mother was right. Maybe you could meet someone and just know.
“Oh no. I can tell by the way you’re looking at me that it’s bad. It’s bad, isn’t it? Are they already married?”
“No,” he said with a bitter laugh. “But he really loves her, Carly. And I don’t know how to feel about it. My dad has been lonely for a long time, and devoted to Jamie, and I . . . I can’t help but be grateful he’s found someone to love.”
“I know, I understand,” Carly said. “But not my mom, Max. Anyone but her.”
He snorted.
“I’m serious. You don’t know her. She’s going to . . .” Carly looked off a moment as if trying to find the right word. “She’s going to ruin it. Not intentionally. But she’s really impetuous.” She groaned and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “This is hard to explain.” She dropped her hands. “I love my mother. I do. But loving her doesn’t mean I don’t see her. She makes emotional decisions and acts quickly, and then . . . everyone around her pays the consequences.”
“What, you think this is a whim for her?”
Carly shrugged. “Maybe. Probably. I don’t know, I just . . . I know how she is.”
“I know my dad, too, and he’s a good judge of character. I can’t believe he’d be so head over heels for someone who wasn’t . . . totally into him?” he said, looking for the right word.
“Right,” she muttered. “My mother is totally into him. At least for right now.” She picked at the fringe of a pillow that looked like it had been chewed on. “So you think this is really happening with them?”
Max sighed. “Dad seems pretty determined.”
“Did you try and talk him out of it?”
The temptation to talk him out of it had been strong, but Max couldn’t and wouldn’t tell his father how to live his life. And his father did not ask for his opinion, which spoke volumes, really. His dad always asked for Max’s opinion. But not in this. “I cautioned him, but honestly? He didn’t want to hear it. My dad has been carrying the burden