Page 42 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2

Devotion - Chapter 10

Friday

Yes, I may have had a crush on Rory in high school. But that in no way reflected on the fact that his food seriously was amazing. It was even better than the restaurant he used to work at. La Patisserie was probably going out of business without him. Plus, after the stress of the day, I hadn't realized how hungry I was until there was food right in front of me.

It took me awhile to realize that James was staring at me. I wiped my napkin across my mouth. "Sorry," I whispered.

"About what?"

I laughed. "Eating like a ravenous animal."

He smiled. "That's not why I was staring at you."

"Then why were you staring?"

He grabbed my hand on top of the table and ran his thumb along my palm. Whenever he did that, I automatically felt comforted. "Because I'm so happy that we're here. And that you forgave me. This morning, I woke up and realized what I had done and I...I couldn't breathe. I thought I lost you. Baby, I don't ever not want to be staring at you when I wake up."

He had said something similar to me once before. About how his house growing up felt stifling, like he couldn't breathe. He used to escape to his tree house. And when he grew up he found other devices; booze, drugs, sex, anything that made him feellike he was still breathing. Why did he keep saying stuff like this to me? Why was he tainting what we had with his insecurities? What we had was so much more than booze or drugs or sex. We had talked about this, and I thought he was going to accept that our love was just that...love. But it seemed like he was going backwards. I didn't know how to make him stop falling.

"James..."

The clinking of a glass made us turn our heads.

Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell slowly stood up. "For those of you who don't know us, we're Mason and Matthew's parents." Mrs. Caldwell gestured to her sons. "Our boys and James basically grew up together, mostly getting in all sorts of trouble. And I'm not excluding you, Rob," she said and pointed to him. "He was the most troublesome of the four."

Rob laughed and winked at James.

"James, you have always been a part of our family. And I just want you to know how much we care about you. And how happy we are that you found someone who sees you the way we see you. Max," she said and squeezed her husband's arm. She had grabbed a napkin and was blotting her eyes.

Mr. Caldwell cleared his throat. "James. I see the lives that you and my boys have carved out, and I can't help but feel proud. I know you're not my son, but I knew you as a baby. I saw you grow up. I taught you how to play catch and ride a bike, and..." he cleared his throat again. "I'll always be there for you. We'll always be there for you." He put his arm around Mrs. Caldwell. "And Penny. You make him happier than we've ever seen him."He smiled at me and raised his glass. "Here's to hoping that your life will be blessed with children as wonderful as ours and an extended family that shares equal space in your hearts." He lifted up his glass. "We love you both. And we're so happy for you. Here's to the happy couple."

James and I clinked our glasses together.

A slow clapping from the doorway made me turn my head. James' parents were standing there. "Maxwell, that was a wonderful speech," Mrs. Hunter said. She laughed, but it came out icy. "I always wondered why James begged us to play little league. Such a waste of time if you ask me. I guess we can blame that on you. I should have known. Honestly, Maxwell, you really should have asked us if it was okay."

Okay to play catch with their son who wanted to be outdoors? Laughing and having fun and just being a kid? Was she being serious right now?

Jen was the first one to acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation. She quickly stood up and walked over to them. "Mom, Dad! I didn't think you were coming." She kissed them both on the cheek.

"We didn't even realize the wedding was back on. We had to hear it through the grapevine. The girl told me it was over."

The girl?God, did she even know my name?

I saw some people turn toward me and James out of the corner of my eye. Only a few people knew about last night. My parents weren't among them.Shit.

James cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, thank you so much for that wonderful toast. Being at your house was the highlight of my childhood. As you might have guessed. I'm sorry, if you'll all excuse me." He tossed his napkin on the table. His chair squeaked against the floor and he made his way over to his parents. He walked out the front door without saying a word to either of them. Mrs. Hunter smiled at me and then followed her son out of the apartment with her husband in tow.

"You knew and you didn't tell me," James said coolly as the door closed behind them. But even after the door closed, you could still hear their voices. "Why didn't you call me? She came to you because she couldn't come to me and you just let her leave? Do you have any idea what I was going through? Did you even care?"

"Of course we care about you," his mother said back. "That's why we were happy it was over."

"Then why the fuck are you even here?"

"Do not raise your voice at me, James."

God, everyone can hear this. Music! "Rob!"

He was staring at the door in horror.