Page 79 of Yours, Forever

Eva

I didn't expect Max'sjoking to come to our rescue one day, but I appreciated his outrageous type of humor that morning, when my mom asked inappropriate questions over breakfast.

"When are you going to give me grandchildren?" she asked.

"Don't," I started.

Max stopped me with a hand on my forearm. "Eva and I have talked a bit about that. We want two kids each, so maybe we'll have four."

I snorted. That was such a twist on the conversation we'd had when Javier visited us the first time.

"You'll have four kids?" She looked at us like she couldn't make up her mind between confusion and delight.

It may have been a terrible idea to say something like that to my mother, but I let Max continue his very skilled distraction technique. Like jingling keys in front of a baby.

I only had time to send a silent thank you his way, for his effort, and to our own awkward conversations in the past. Because of them, I didn't need to worry about how much Max went on and on about our future children. I was familiar with his antics.

"Four. Six. Or none," I said. "Please don't have any kind of expectations."

She didn't seem to process my words at all. "Where are you going to fit all those children in here? You will have to move! I have a friend in the city. She's a realtor. She can start looking for you guys—"

"I have a realtor, thank you, Olga." Max picked a slice of apple and bit on it thoughtfully. "Eva and I are considering a property in town."

"In town? But what about schools and college options? I'm sure none of those are better here now than they were when Eva was young. And teens can get into trouble all the time out of boredom alone."

"Something tells me Eva never got in much trouble but, if she did, please do tell." He winked at me.

I smirked and rolled my eyes.

My mom continued as if nothing happened. "No, I don’t suppose she did. She was always so quiet, and happy to go with friends to the beach, sit on driftwood, and… talk. I don't know. I think the group was into music at one point."

Max's face contorted into a mix of humor and anguish. "There has to be someone who played the guitar for you, and serenaded you with the one song they knew, over and over again."

"Isn't that a rite of passage?" I asked.

He took my hand and gave me a comforting squeeze. "I'm so sorry."

"Are there even houses here anymore?" My mom interjected out of the blue. "Ones that are not decrepit, in any case. What about that house you always liked? The one you used to say looked like a fairytale house. Ha! Can you imagine? I don't know what's fairytale about all that wood and stone. Maybe the fact that it's organic materials? The shapes are so stocky, though, rather than— I don't know— airy."

"I can't wait to see it." Max picked at another apple slice. "I personally think this is a very quaint town with lots of potential. I'm happy to be living here, and can't wait for the day I can convince Eva to let me check out the Venturelli house."

I chewed on my toast and studied him. Two conversations happened in tandem; the one my mom thought we were having, and the parallel one Max and I had. It helped; I could easily imagine my mom's chatter was nothing more than radio background noise.

"Wouldn't you be more interested in a nice condo in a tall building full of amenities, with a gorgeous view of the city? Maybe a penthouse with enough rooms for your six children?"

"I have a condo in a skyscraper already. The views may have their charm, but the ones in town are incredible as they are." His eyes sparkled in my direction.

I smirked. "You're a flirt."

"Can I call my realtor?" he asked.

"Does the Venturelli house even have room for you, your six kids, and grandma when she visits?" My mom asked.

"Max's condo in New York definitely doesn't." I cast my eyes at her. "And we may not have any kids, remember?"

"Or we may have only two." Max's lips curled in a teasing smile, before he sipped from his coffee.

Regardless of how many fantasy children we told people we'd have, the Venturelli house was still my dream home. I was pretty sure it had plenty of room for me and my husband, those two kids, and even people visiting us from out of town. Good thing I didn't think my mom would be one of those. She'd tire of the novelty of Max's presence, and go back to the dazzling life she led in the city.