Page 193 of Scandalous Contract

“I was wondering... would you be open to meeting me for lunch sometime this week? Just us?”

“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “Just tell me when and where.”

We met at this charming little French café near downtown, elegant, cozy, not many people, you know, just in case she got upset and started yelling when I told her I wanted to date her son. We hugged briefly when she arrived.

Then we were seated and placed our orders. We made small talk at first while waiting for our food and continued after the food had arrived. We chatted about our girls. Their classes. College drama and teenage tantrums.

We laughed more than I expected. There was no tension, no awkwardness. Just two mothers who’d walked through fire for their children. But I wasn’t there to talk about our daughters. I was there to talk about her son.

I folded my hands on the table and said, “I have to be honest with you about the reason I invited you to lunch.”

She raised an eyebrow, sipping her tea without blinking. “Go on.”

“I was...” Here goes everything. “A little while ago, I was kind of dating your son, Julian.”

Her smile didn’t even twitch. “I know,” she said.

My eyes widened. “You do?”

She laughed. “Aubrey tells me everything.”

My jaw dropped. “Aubrey knows?”

“She knew he had a crush on you before you knew,” she said with a wink.

I shook my head, stunned. “Oh my God... I thought I was being so discreet.”

“Oh, sweet girl,” she said, patting my hand. “We mothers always know. And big brothers can’t keep secrets from little sisters. Especially ones as nosy as my Aubrey. Trust me, I knew it the minute Julian started smiling every time he watched you on the news. My son doesn’t smile for just anyone. And when you finally let him in, I knew it too. That boy lit up like the Fourth of July. He was glowing.”

My chest ached. “And when I ended it...?”

“He dimmed,” she said softly. “My beautiful, stubborn boy became a shell of himself.”

Tears stung my eyes. I looked down at my lap.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I thought I was protecting him. And my daughter. And myself. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I know you didn’t. And I understand why you did it.”

“You know that, too?”

She nodded. “You’re a mother. You protect your child first, and worry about others later. I knew you would be a good mother even back then. Now look at that child, smart as can be and so well-mannered, I wish she would teach Aubrey a lesson in manners. I take it she’s now on board with you dating Julian?”

I nodded.

“That’s great. What do you plan to do now?”

“If you’re okay with me being with him... I want to court Julian Cattaneo. I want to do it right this time.”

She smiled so wide it lit up the whole damn table.

“Stefanie, I would be honored to have you as my daughter-in-law. Just... please treat my son well. He’s a good man. He loves hard. But he can be intense, and his world isn’t always gentle. Just be understanding. Of him. Of his work. Of the parts of him he doesn’t always know how to share.”

“I can do that,” I said softly. “Do you or will your husband feel... awkward about my age?’

“What about it?”

“I’m thirty-nine.”