35. An Awkward Introduction

35

W aking up tangled in Chance's arms the next morning almost made having to get up so early bearable. A round of sleepy morning sex couldn't be helped, once Chance stirred.

Lying next to him, I found it hard to believe how far we'd come. It had taken me months to get past my initial feelings of embarrassment at how we'd met and to push through a lot of my own shit to feel worthy of Chance and to be open to the idea that maybe I was deserving of being wanted by someone like him.

"Turn your brain off, muse…" Chance trailed soft, wet kisses along my collarbone. "Or would you prefer I do it for you?" The gleam in his eyes turned devilish.

I pushed him away, with laughter on my tongue. Not to be outmaneuvered, he trapped me in his arms quickly enough. "You wanna get out of here before we run into my parents?" he asked while nipping at my ear.

"Yes." I nodded emphatically.

We'd been lucky to avoid them the night before and had only narrowly missed Thomas Roberts, who had thankfully allowed our retreat to the atrium.

"Promise me you won't get all weird again when we're back at Montgomery." Chance hadn't yet released me.

"I promise." I turned in his arms to face him. "But we need to be careful. I know everyone says that rule isn't enforced, but I can't risk it."

"I'll do anything and everything to keep this"—he gestured between us— "a secret. You don't have to worry." He kissed the tip of my nose for good measure.

"Ugh," Chance groaned, "you brought the pants?"

I had just exited the bathroom after having changed into the spare clothes he had told me to bring. I thought he might enjoy seeing me wear the cat burglar leggings again. I couldn't have been more pleased at his reaction.

He lifted me into his arms. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his hips, before he dumped me on the bed. "We're never getting out of here." Chance leaned down to kiss me thoroughly, still occupying the space between my legs.

"I want coffee," I moaned through his kisses.

"In a minute."

"You're messing up my makeup."

"You're not wearing any."

"Chance!" I shoved him away. My lips were still bruised from the night before, and I was sore all over. Not that I would have really minded having him again, but I was itching to get out of the house. I felt as though I was an intruder. I'd never been in a house as nice as his, and even breathing made me worried I might break something worth more than my life.

Chance reached a hand out to me and helped me off the bed. He glanced over at his desk. I had neatly laid Amanda's dress over the back of the chair. "You're not going to take it with you?"

"It doesn't belong to me."

"I'm sure she said you could have it," Chance argued. "She usually only wears nice dresses once and then donates them. You should have it." He walked over and ran his fingers over the bodice.

I shook my head. Even though Amanda had offered it to me, it didn't feel right to take it. It would just sit in my closet, gathering dust and making me sad I'd never have an occasion to wear it again. "I don't make it a habit of attending operas or galas," I told Chance.

"Let's bring it with us," he pleaded, taking the dress from the chair. "You can wear it to my first photography exhibition," Chance suggested.

My eyes met his. I could tell he'd been thinking about what I had said on Christmas when I'd returned the negatives to him. The thought of being able to see his work on display made my chest tight. I wanted that so badly for him. And the dress would look nice at an event like that… "Okay."

Chance beamed at me, picking up the backpack, where we had both stowed our spare clothes, and slinging it over his shoulder before folding the dress over his forearm.

"Ready?" He reached for me with his free hand after opening the door to the hallway, and likely shattering the little bubble we'd been inhabiting since first stepping foot in there. Chance led me down the hallway, protectively winding his unencumbered arm around my waist, tucking me into his side.

"Coffee?" I whispered, looking up at him through my lashes.

"Should be some in the kitchen."

But that wasn't the only thing we found when we arrived.

"Violet!" Amanda barreled toward me. "Everyone was talking about how gorgeous you looked in the dress last night!"

I could feel my cheeks heat as her words sunk in. Chance dropped the backpack and the dress onto a chair and went about fixing us coffee.

"Did they?" I gave a nervous laugh.

"From the moment you arrived, they were whispering about the mystery woman that had taken Chance off the market." Amanda gossiped. "The prevailing theory is that you're a French heiress!"

"What?" I spluttered.

"I know ! I told you, you looked so sophisticated in that dress. It was made for you." Amanda glanced at the heap of black velvet. "I'm happy it found a new home. It looked miles better on you."

I choked a laugh at the thought that I would look better in anything than Amanda.

"Stop pestering her," Chance snapped at his sister.

"Pestering who?"

The room fell silent, for Cynthia Roberts had just crossed the threshold. And I was wearing ten-dollar Walmart leggings and a ratty old university hoodie. I heard myself gulp when her blue-grey eyes met mine.

"Well, hello," she purred, eyeing me from head to toe. I remembered Chance telling me how his mother loved children's charities, and how he had gone to her to help him convince his father to aid Daniel. I knew I shouldn't be frightened of her, but she was his mother…how could I not be?

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Roberts." I robotically extended my hand to shake hers. "I'm Violet."

"Don't be silly." Her once composed face broke into a soft smile that was identical to Chance's. "Call me Cindy." She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

It was the hug only a mother could give. I felt a pang of guilt, thinking about my own mom. I couldn't remember the last time I had hugged her.

Pulling back, she examined me again. "I'm surprised you don't have a French accent, if rumors are to be believed." Cindy laughed, making her way over to Chance, where she ruffled his hair and kissed him on the cheek. "You might have introduced me to your friend before last night, dear," she chided.

"Girlfriend," Chance corrected her.

My face grew impossibly redder. We hadn't had that discussion. But I supposed labels weren't really important. What mattered was that we were together and that there was no one else. That was enough.

Cindy raised a brow, leaning against the kitchen counter, not willing to let Chance get away with such a bold statement so easily. "The first girl you bring home in—what? Seven years? And that's all I get?"

"You wouldn't have gotten anything if Violet didn't need coffee." He smiled at his mother, clearly trying to egg her on.

Folding her arms across her chest, she glanced over his shoulder at me. "I hope he's nicer to you than he is with me."

Amanda giggled at the counter, enjoying the entertainment.

"Well, now you've met her." Chance moved around his mom to grab two travel mugs from the cabinet.

"Chance…" His mother's tone softened as she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Is there any way you'd consider calling your father?"

Chance froze. "Why?" His tone was clipped.

Cindy gave Chance a long, hard look. "You're his son. He misses you."

Chance laughed while he poured coffee into the mugs, shaking his head, as if her response was meant to have been a joke. "He doesn't miss me. He misses having a son on a leash to parade around at parties for his business associates. He misses having a male heir he can tell them will be taking over operations when he's gone, so they'll invest more money with him. He misses not having to lie on the golf course when someone asks if his family is well, because he has no idea where I am, let alone how I'm doing."

Cindy bristled. She appeared to have known she'd be in for a fight, but I don't think that she'd expected him to clap back so sharply. "Well, think about it," she suggested warily.

"Think about it?" Chance paused, tipping his chin down to look his mother in the eyes. "Does he think about Daniel? Does he think about anyone but himself?"

"That's enough." She pursed her lips, seemingly aware of how this must look to the interloper who was standing in their kitchen with hair that looked like she'd been freshly fucked and sneakers that had a hole in the sole.

Chance poured a fair amount of sugar into one of the mugs before tightening the lids securely. "We have to get on the road." He handed me the mugs, and I made a note of which one held my precious sweetener.

Grabbing the backpack and dress in one hand, he placed the other at the small of my back, pressing firmly to steer me outside into the cold.

"It was nice to meet you!" I called out. "Thank you for the dress, Amanda!"

Chance was quiet for quite a while, fuming as he drove.

Occasionally I would hand him his coffee, so he didn't have to look down to reach between the console for it. It wasn't until we were almost halfway back to Montgomery that he finally broke his silence.

"I'm sorry."

I turned to face him. I didn't know what he was apologizing for.

"I know you're upset."

"No, I'm not."

Chance's brow furrowed. "You aren't?"

"Why would I be upset?" I asked, bewildered.

"Because I didn't properly introduce you to my parents. Because I called you my girlfriend without asking. Because I didn't think my mother would be down there, so I didn't prep you beforehand. Because I picked a fight with her," he rambled, stopping only when I began to laugh.

When the furrow in his brow deepened, it only made me laugh harder.

"I'm confused," he finally said, taking a moment to stare at me.

"I'm not mad at you." I grabbed his hand across the console, so he could feel the words. "I don't care about any of that. Sure, I probably would have dressed a little differently, but I'm just glad it wasn't your dad who strolled through. I'm not strong enough to pull you off him."

Chance visibly relaxed.

"Did you think I was angry the whole ride?" I used my thumb to rub circles in his palm. "I was only giving you time to think and calm down."

"So we're okay?"

"We're better than okay." I smiled at him, glad to have cleared up the misunderstanding so easily.

"But you still seem stressed. If it's not me, then what?"

I sighed. I hadn't realized it was so obvious. No wonder he was worried. "Just school," I began. "I'm nervous about the kids coming back, and not being able to be like this with you all the time. How am I supposed to hide the way you make me feel?"

A lazy grin spread along Chance's face. "How do I make you feel?"

Oh, so we're playing that game?

"C'mon." I gave him a playful nudge.

"Won't you tell me anyway?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling a blush creep up my neck to my cheeks. "Just butterflies. All the time. And really fucking good orgasms. But don't go getting an out-of-control ego about it." I pointed my finger at him.

"Too late." He shook his head, still grinning. "Never letting that go. Ever."

I grumbled.

"I'm glad you came with me. I think it's the only Roberts party I've ever been to that I actually enjoyed."

"You only liked it because of what happened after the party." I snorted a laugh.

Chance merely shrugged in agreement before moving on. "At school, maybe we can come up with a signal, so we know we're okay, even though we need to keep things private?" he offered, maneuvering back to the original topic at hand.

"What kind of signal?"

"Maybe you can touch your necklace?" He glanced over at it. "Which I know you won't be taking off, because my feelings would be terribly, terribly, terribly hurt. And my grandmother would probably be spinning in her grave—"

"Alright, alright," I gave in. Because he was right. I had planned on taking it off and squirreling it away the second we got back, too terrified to go around wearing something so valuable. "But you don't have a necklace."

"I'll just put my hand over my heart. That's where you live now anyway." He gave me a cheesy wink, and I shoved him again.

"I'm going to have to lie to Jolene," I said soberly. "I'm still worried about putting her in danger. If we were to be discovered, I wouldn't want her to get in trouble for knowing. If I keep it from her, I'll feel like an asshole, but at least she'll have plausible deniability."

"I know it doesn't feel right." He squeezed my hand. "She'd do the same thing, to keep you safe."

"I just—this big thing has happened, and I—I wish I could share it with her. I wish I could tell her how my world has completely shifted on its axis." I slumped against the seat. "I know you're right. But it hurts all the same."

"It won't always be this way. We're dropping the Daniel stuff, so you won't have to worry about hiding that from her. And maybe we can talk to the headmaster and see if we can get an exception to be together or something."

That wasn't a terrible idea. If it had been long enough for the administration to take it seriously, and they could see that it was a real relationship, maybe they would be willing to be more open-minded.

"I'd like that." I smiled up at Chance.