Page 56 of His Savage Bride
“What has this woman Vanessa been to you in the past, Trenton?” Melissa turns to him and asks with a teasing smile.
Trenton doesn’t answer and instead leans over and gives Melissa a gentle kiss on the cheek. Her face has almost completely healed, and she looks just radiant as she laughs and then grabs his arm to pull him close and give him a more thorough kiss on the lips. “I’m just playing with you. We’ve already made it clear with each other that we don’t ask too much about our past relationships,” she adds as an aside to Constance.
“I’m, uh, going to walk with Maximo.” Trenton blushes as he stands up and walks over to open the door to the library. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t fall and hurt himself.”
“You just want an excuse to go smoke,” Melissa accuses.
“That too,” he agrees without a hint of shame. “You can’t ever say I hid who I am, at least.”
“You two are cute together,” I tell him as I limp past him into the hallway.
“If your mother gets here, send her in to help us!” Constance calls after me.
I raise my free hand to acknowledge her with a wave, then make my way slowly down the hall toward the kitchen. “I need a drink,” I sigh as I laboriously work my aching hip. The last couple of weeks of therapy have been hell, but I’m slowly getting back to being the man I used to be.
“You sure that’s a good idea with the meds and all?” Trenton asks me.
“I’m not taking those damn pills,” I snort dismissively. “I did at first when I absolutely couldn’t stand the pain, but all they do is mess up my stomach.”
“And whiskey doesn’t? I mean, you did get a bullet through the liver.”
“You’d be surprised. Other than almost bleeding out at the hospital, my guts haven’t hurt nearly as much as this hip. Reach up there and get me a clean glass,” I order Trenton with a nod to the cabinet. “Besides, those opiates are probably as hard on my liver as alcohol.”
“Hey, whatever you say, boss. You’re already getting one wife. You don’t need me watching over your shoulder,” Trenton replies with a laugh.
“You and Melissa seem to be getting along well,” I comment as I retrieve a bottle from my liquor cabinet and pour two fingers worth into the glass Trenton set on the counter for me.
“I promised her I would take her out for dinner once she’s feeling better. You know, back when she was in the hospital? She took me up on it a couple of weeks ago and we’ve been hanging out ever since. I need to thank Constance for that sometime. I think she helped play matchmaker for me.” Trenton pours himself a drink as he talks and then clinks his glass against mine. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” I reply as we drink. I limp over to the front window by the breakfast nook when I see a shadow cross the wall, checking to see if someone is pulling into the driveway. “Looks like Leonard is here with my mother,” I call back to Trenton. “I’ll have Leonard prepare a room for her in the estate. She usually prefers staying in the guesthouse, but…”
“Eh, it’s probably best to keep her out until we clean it up a bit. We’ve been rotating our boys in and out to provide twenty-four-hour security on the grounds for months now. She’d probably stroke out if she saw the mess they’ve made. I’ll go open the door for them and help with her luggage.” Trenton downs his drink and then leaves me alone in the kitchen.
I finish mine then pour another before making my way slowly out into the foyer. When Leonard opens the door and my mother enters, she immediately breaks into a broad smile. “Look at you, Maximo. Up and around greeting your visitors. You look like you’re feeling better.”
“I am.” I hold out the arm carrying my drink and give her a one-sided embrace, being careful not to overbalance. “Constance has been taking excellent care of me.”
“Don’t I know it,” she says as she beams at me. “When you were recovering in the hospital, she wouldn’t leave your side. It made it difficult for the rest of us to plan around!”
“You wouldn’t have her any other way,” I chide her gently.
As she glances around the foyer her eyes fall on a huge crystal vase filled with flowers just to the side of the door. “Oh my, those are gorgeous! Did you get those for your bride-to-be?”
Trenton and Leonard enter the foyer behind my mother, both of them struggling with her luggage. “Please take those upstairs to the bedroom,” I wave them past us. “No,” I tell my mother as I turn my attention back to her. “The flowers are from Salvatore Bianchi. I’m sure you remember him.”
“The old white devil himself? Oh, I couldn’t forget him. He and your father butted heads more than a few times.” She smiles wistfully as though I’ve triggered some distant memory.
“He’s been sending an arrangement every week, with notes thanking Constance for her help with that business regarding his son, Gregory.”
“You never did tell me how all of that got settled. All I saw on the news was that awful Volkov woman and some of her associates were killed over at Delfino Park.”
“And I never will.” I swallow the amber liquid in my glass with a grimace. “You know I can’t talk about that sort of business. It’s settled, and that’s all that matters.”
“You say that, but I see you’ve still got your… associates patrolling the grounds. One of them scared me half to death popping out of the garden when I got out of the car!”
“Whatever it takes to keep my ladies safe,” I say with a smile before turning away to hobble back into the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink?” I offer as I place my tumbler in the sink.
“I’ll ask Leonard to make some coffee once he comes back down,” she replies. “Now, where is Constance? I want to see my new daughter and see if she’s showing any signs of a tummy yet!”
