Page 43 of Mr. Irrelevant (Rock City Renegades #1)

THIRTY-THREE

LIVVY

“I’m nervous,” I say, looking over at Maddox as he puts the rental car in park. My hands are balled tightly in my lap, my foot bouncing so fast that I swear it’s vibrating the entire floor.

He kills the ignition, turning toward me.

“Baby, we don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with,” he reassures me for the hundredth time in twenty minutes.

“I told her I was leaving everything up to you, and that if we didn’t come, it was nothing personal.

I’m staying an extra day, so I can see her after you go back to Cleveland if you want to get out of here. ”

After our shower, Maddox told me what he had in mind for the weekend.

Some of it is being kept a secret, but when he asked me if I’d like to meet his mom, I had mixed feelings.

Of course I want to meet her. I’m planning on a very long and happy future together—one that our families would play a huge role in.

He told her that we’re keeping things quiet for now so we don’t disrupt the remainder of the Renegades’ season, and she understood, so it’s not a matter of worrying that it may get out.

The anxiety that has me ready to bolt like an Olympic sprinter right now has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with me.

I lift my head, my uneasy gaze locking onto his. “What if she doesn’t like me?” I ask. My stomach churns at the thought, and I take a deep breath, shifting in my seat because I can’t seem to sit still.

He reaches over, pulling my hand from where it’s clutched inside the other, and weaves our fingers together.

“Baby, she’s going to love you. Even before things changed between us, every one of our phone calls somehow made their way to you.

I tried talking about other things, but even if it was just to tell her how the owner’s daughter ripped me a new asshole over my throwing form—which she thought was hilarious, by the way—I just couldn’t stop myself from bringing you up.

She even called me out on my obsession a few times. ”

I can’t stop the smile that melts across my face, making the tightness in my chest release a little. “What did you say?”

He shrugs, his boyish charm on full display as he dips his chin.

“What could I say? She’s right. I’m Founder and CEO of the Olivia Grant Fan Club, Dimes.

I’m a fucking fool for you, and as soon as you’re ready, the whole world will know it.

” He huffs a quiet laugh, squeezing my hand.

“My mom sees how happy you make me, and she’s already so grateful for it.

All you have to do is be yourself, and she’s going to fall in love with you just like I did. I promise. ”

My shoulders drop, the remaining tension in my body ebbing away at his reassuring words. I sink back into the seat, nodding. “Okay.”

“That’s my sweet baby,” he replies with a wink.

“Now, stay right where you are. If I know my mom, she’s watching from the window.

I’ll get an earful if I don’t open the door for you.

” I bark a laugh, whipping my head toward the house, and sure enough, the silhouette of a petite woman lurks behind the sheer curtains.

Maddox gets out of the car, running around the hood before pulling my door open with an exaggerated sweep of his arm.

“After you.” I stand, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles from my long-sleeved dress as a shiver passes through me.

We’ve had a very mild early winter in Cleveland, which is pretty normal for us until the lake effect snow turns the entire city into a snow globe after New Year’s.

Maddox told me to plan for cold weather, but I certainly didn’t do a good job of packing accordingly.

I expected to be holed up in a hotel room for three days because that’s our norm—not freezing my proverbial balls off in an upscale Connecticut housing development.

“I tried to tell you,” he teases, tucking me into his warm body with an arm around my shoulder.

I roll my eyes at his reprimanding tone, knowing he’s right, but refusing to admit it out loud.

I’m grateful for the warmth that radiates from his skin, soothing me in more ways than one as he leads me down the stone walkway.

Even though he reassured me that everything would be okay, nervous energy still buzzes through my limbs as he pushes down on the door handle and ushers me inside, pressing his lips to the top of my head in a comforting gesture.

“I know you were stalking from the window, Mom,” he yells, removing his coat and laying it across the wingback chair in the foyer.

“Stop acting nonchalant.” Just then, a loud thump followed by the distinct sound of something solid hitting the hardwood floor comes from the next room over, and he throws his head back in mock annoyance just as a beautiful woman emerges.

Her hair is the same coffee-brown color as her son’s, with the exact shade of gray eyes that have become my safe space over the last several months.

He’s a spitting image of his mother, save for the fact that she’s barely taller than me, and he towers over us both.

“I wasn’t stalking,” she says sheepishly, a pink blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.

He raises a brow. “Oh, no? Then why did I just hear the Tanner Lake bobblehead you keep on the table over there fall when I said your name?”

She cringes, knowing she’s busted. “His head fell off. Can you fix it?” He huffs a breath, making me giggle as her eyes slide my way. Her expression softens, and she places a palm over her heart, tilting her head thoughtfully.

“You must be Livvy. You’re even prettier than Maddox described.” She extends a hand between us. “I’m Kelly. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

I smile, wrapping my fingers around hers and shaking. “It’s nice to meet you, too. You have a lovely home. Thank you for having me. ”

A smirk tugs at one corner of her mouth.

“This one’s been talking about how amazing you are,” she says, tossing a thumb in Maddox’s direction.

“I was starting to think he fabricated you to stop me from setting him up on any more dates.” I look up at him, and he shakes his head in annoyance, making me giggle again.

“That funny to you, Dimes? This little menace,” he says, pointing an accusing finger her way, “has been on a mission to get grandchildren since the day I graduated college, and she plays dirty. The last time I went out with one of her friends’ daughters, the poor girl cried through the entire dinner.

Turns out, she had found her fiancé of three years cheating on her two nights earlier.

It ended with me watching a slideshow of their happier times while she sobbed into the sleeve of my sweater. ”

I bark a laugh, slapping a hand over my mouth in an attempt to hold it, but it’s no use as a mental image of Maddox with dried snot on his arm, grumbling at his mom, plays vividly in my mind. It’s adorable that he humored her by letting her pick his dates, but I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way.

She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, looking at me.

“I’m not nearly as crazy as he’s making me sound, but if I’m blessed with any grandchildren at all, I’d like it to happen before I’m too old to play with them.

” Her palms shoot up between us cautiously.

“I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here. I don’t know if you guys are?—”

“Alright, Mom,” Maddox interrupts, making a rapid slashing motion in front of his neck.

“Let’s not get into that .” My cheeks heat with embarrassment, but he shoots me a playful wink as butterflies flutter giddily in my stomach.

I shouldn’t be recalling what it felt like to be bound and used while we’re standing in his mother’s house, but here we are.

Kelly leads us to the living room, where football highlights play on a large TV above the stone fireplace.

Flames dance wildly inside it, casting a beautiful glow across the dark mahogany flooring.

The sectional and matching accent chairs are plush and inviting, giving the coziest vibes.

All the anxiety I was feeling about meeting her fades away, only to be replaced by the comfort of a welcoming environment.

Maddox takes my hand, leading me to the sofa next to his mother before lifting both pieces of the broken bobblehead from the floor.

“You know they make these of me too, right?” he asks, his tongue poking out in concentration as he attempts to reattach the springy head.

“Yeah,” she replies with a sigh. “But yours looks so…judgy. Tanner’s is almost as dreamy as he is in real life.

” He scowls in her direction, placing the repaired figurine back onto the table a little harder than necessary.

I’ve only been here for about twenty minutes, but I already adore their dynamic.

The way they joke and banter reminds me of myself and my dad, although we haven’t spoken much lately outside of football.

I thought learning to run the Renegades would allow us to spend more time together—which it has, in some ways—but it never seems like there are enough hours in the workday to get team matters taken care of, let alone ca tch up on our personal lives.

He loves spending quality time with my mom now that Syd and I are out of the house, and I’ve been sneaking around with Maddox, so there hasn’t been much of an opportunity for us to do the things we used to do.

I miss it, but hopefully, after the season is over, and I can stop hiding what I’ve been up to, we’ll be able to strengthen our father-daughter bond.

“So,” Kelly says, breaking me from my thoughts. “What’s on the agenda for the weekend?”