Alpha Billionaire Series
The Wrong Choice Chapter 18

MADII

"All set!" I picked up my climbing bag and headed for the door. It was a gorgeous day for a climb, and Gavin and I were headed to the new gym in town. He followed me through the living room and out my front door, jingling his keys as we walked. He was in a bit of a somber mood, and I wondered if something had happened at work, but I didn't want to pry. Things like this had a way of working themselves out most times.

He took my bag for me as we approached the car, and popped the trunk, tossing it in beside his. Then he opened the door for me. I tried to give him a kiss before sitting down, but he seemed distracted. So, I settled in, intent on trying to cheer him up even if I didn't know what was going on.

He slid behind the wheel and started the car, and I waited until he was in gear before reaching for his hand. He held mine, but it was not an intimate touch he offered.

"Is everything okay?" I studied his face as he drove but couldn't read him.

"Yeah, it's okay. Just ready to hit the gym." He drove a bit faster than normal, the sullen expression still plastered on his face. I hated that something was bothering him, and he wouldn't tell me what it was. I thought we were much closer than that, but maybe I was wrong.

I rode in quiet, not really sure what to say. I could tell something was wrong with him, but if he didn't want to talk, I couldn't make him. And I didn't want to start an argument with him by insisting he should speak about what was bothering him. So, I stayed silent. The gym was on the other side of town, so Gavin hopped on the belt to avoid the traffic. We'd been driving nearly 15 minutes when his phone rang. Usually, he ignored his phone when we were together, but this time he pulled it out and answered it-another red flag. He scowled as he held the phone to his ear and I heard the grating nasally voice of a woman, though I couldn't tell what she was saying. The conversation lasted only a few minutes before Gavin hung up.

"We have to go to my mom's house." He tossed the phone into the center console of the car and flipped on his blinker, indicating he was exiting the highway.

"What why?" A sudden anxiety struck me, making my pulse race and my hands sweat. I hadn't met his mother yet. He hadn't even broached the topic of his mother with me.

"She's having an issue she needs help with. If it's not okay, I can drop you back at home. I am not sure how long it will take." His eyes flicked at me then back to the road. I didn't know how to take it. Did he want me to go with him? Or was he trying to get rid of me? I sat nervously picking my fingernails until he stopped at the red light at the end of the exit ramp. He turned and grabbed my hand. "It's okay if it is too much too fast. My mom needs me. My dad is traveling for a while and when he does, I have to take care of things she needs. If you want to go home, I can take you home. I can come back and pick you up when I'm done. We can still do the gym; it will just be later."

I sighed, realizing I was being too uptight. "Of course, I'll go with you. I just feel a little anxious, that's all. Like, is your mom going to be upset that I'm along with you?"

Gavin turned his attention back to the road and his hands to the steering wheel as the light turned green. "My mother is going to be my mother."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing." I chuckled, trying to clear the air.

"Just a little background for you. I had three serious relationships that looked like they were going somewhere before you came along. My mother was certain that each of them was the one. I was not. Mom wants me to marry someone who will be a perfect baby machine for her and give her grandbabies, while simultaneously adding to the family reputation and not embarrassing her."

I couldn't help but smile at his description. I could tell he loved his mother very much by the way he'd spoken of her on a number of occasions. And based on the way he described her; I could tell she was likely a little high maintenance.

"Don't worry, Gavin. I can handle Momzilla." I rested my hand on his thigh and his shoulders relaxed a bit.

"Good because you'll have to be very patient. I'm warning you; she's going to ask you about having children."

I wanted to tell him that we should talk about that topic anyway, that I wanted to know how he felt about kids. But I held my tongue. He was upset about something anyway, and with this side trip, I didn't think now was the time. As we drove toward his mother's house, he warned me about the dog-Mittens-and the barking. Then he told me about the time his ex-girlfriend got bitten by Mittens. In fact, he told me how every woman he'd brought over to meet his mother hated that dog. It didn't leave me with high hopes that the experience would be good, but I kept a brave face.

We parked in front of her home, a sprawling ranch in a ritzy neighborhood. Large weeping willow trees shaded the house on all sides, and a water fixture next to the front door greeted us as we approached. Gavin didn't even knock; he just walked right in, closing the door behind us.

"Mom?" His voice echoed around the entryway that seemed more like a foyer at a law firm than a home. Marble floors and mirrors on every wall made it too impersonal for my taste. I was glad Gavin had not gotten his taste from his parents.

I followed him down the hallway through the kitchen to the back door. Giant picture windows framed in the back side of the house, overlooking a massive deck and pool. A beautiful woman sat cradling a dog-Maltese maybe? -and appearing very impish, as if she had ulterior motives for calling Gavin away from his date with me. Her hair was styled in a short bob, silver streaked throughout the blonde, and she wore what I can only describe as "rich-lady clothes." A white blouse and white, loose-fitting capris. Her nails were manicured and her makeup perfect.

"Well, who is this?" She looked up at me over the rim of her chunky black sunglasses. "You didn't tell me you were bringing company. I would have set out some drinks." She rose, shoving the dog into Gavin's hands. "Gavin, introduce me to your friend." Gavin rolled his eyes behind her back and mouthed "I'm sorry." I tried not to smile at him, but it was difficult to keep my composure when he took his hand and drew a circle in the air by his ear-a gesture to indicate he thought she was acting crazy. I smiled brightly as I extended my hand and introduced myself.

"I'm Madison Springer. Nice to meet you."

She looked at my hand like I had the plague and then back to my face before lifting her glasses and resting them on top of her head.

"Margret Bloom-Carpenter." She eyed me, then my hand. When she looked back at my face, I retracted my hand awkwardly. "How do you know my son?"

I assumed her question was meant to learn more about me, but it sounded almost hostile. If she wanted Gavin to meet a woman and give her grandbabies, this sure was a horrible way of making his date feel welcome.

"Uh..." I looked up at Gavin and choked. I couldn't tell her how we met. It was too embarrassing.

"I know her from the hospital, Mom." Gavin shifted the dog in his arms. "Mom, Madison. Madison, Mom... Now that you know each other, what's wrong with the dog?"

Margret kept her eye on me for a moment but slowly turned toward the scruffy furball. "He has a broken nail. Look." She pulled out one of the dog's feet and stretched his arm out so far, I thought she'd break it off. "You called me for a broken dog toenail?" Gavin sounded irritated. I didn't blame him. I would have been furious too.

His mother shrugged innocently and handed him a pair of nail trimmers. "He won't sit still. What if he gets it snagged on the carpet?"

Gavin huffed and scowled at her, taking the trimmers. He sat down on the chair she'd just vacated and went to work, and I tried to maneuver closer to him, but Margret stepped in my way.

"So why were you at the hospital?" She sounded polite enough, but I could hear the edge in her voice. And judging by the way Gavin's shoulders tensed, he could too.

"I was visiting someone." I tried to change the subject. "You have a lovely home, Mrs. Carpenter."

"Bloom-Carpenter. I kept my maiden name and added the Carpenter bit. No need to lose the prestige that comes with being a Bloom in this town." She picked at an invisible thread on her shirt as she spoke. "And where do you live?"

"I live here in the city, but I was raised up north in a small town." Gavin fidgeted with the dog, and I wanted to rush to his side and hold the poor thing so he wouldn't squirm so much, but Margret stood planted in my way.

"And you have designs on my son?" Her brow furrowed. "You realize that he is quite the surgeon, and he needs a wife of good reputation."

I took a step back nervously. I had never felt so uncomfortable in my life. The dog yelped but Margret did not turn around. It seemed she was more intent on grilling me than making sure her beloved pooch was okay. She stared me down. "What do you do for a living?"

Intimidated, I looked around her at Gavin who seemed focused on the dog. I took another step backward, praying somehow, she'd leave me alone.

"I'm a photographer."

"Oh, for a newspaper?"

"I, uh... No. I take family portraits, wedding pictures, that sort of thing."

She inched closer to me as I spoke, and I took yet another step backward. She wasn't exactly being rude, but I didn't feel it was polite to intimidate a guest like this.

"So, you have no real job?" Her eyes narrowed at me, and she was about to say something else when my phone rang.

I had never been more happy to see my own mother's name on the caller ID. "Sorry, it's my mom. I need to take this."

Before she could say anything else, I swiped right to answer and held the phone to my ear, heading back in the house. "Hey, Mom." I headed down the hall toward the front door, not stopping until I was standing next to Gavin's car. He had locked it, so I had to stand next to it in the sun to talk to my mother, who I now wanted to get rid of. But at least she had been my reprieve from the hawk in the backyard.

"Dear, how are you? The way you left when you were here just upset me. I worried about you, but your father wanted me to leave you alone. It's been weeks. You haven't called."

"I'm okay, Mom. Things are okay." If I told her that I had moved on it would start a deluge of suggestions: date this boy, go to this place to replace a nice man, try this dating service. I had no intention of telling her anything had even changed.

"Okay, dear. Your father and I were just worried about you, that's all. You know Violet will be home in a few weeks. We'd like you to come stay with us for a while. That is, if Drew will be okay with you not being there."

I shook my head at her veiled attempts to make me feel bad for clinging to emotions I had for Drew.

"I'll see. Listen, I have to go." I noticed Gavin coming down the sidewalk and felt a bit anxious again. "I'll call you later, okay."

I hung up before Mom could respond, just in time to catch a huge hug from Gavin that took me by surprise.

"Wow, what is that for?" I chuckled, as I draped my arms over his shoulders and locked my hands behind his head.

"I'm so sorry my mom is so awful."

"No worse than mine, which is exactly who called."

Gavin kissed my forehead then my lips, lingering there for a moment. When he backed away, he had a confused look. "Your mom... Is she the one who visited the hospital a few times? Dark auburn hair and glasses?"

I nodded, stepping aside for him to open the car door. "Don't get me started, okay? Let's just agree that parents can be the worst at times and leave it at that."

As I sank into the car seat, prepared to head to the climbing gym, I recalled a time when Mom had visited me at Drew's bedside. The conversation we had had been overheard by Gavin and it was not a pleasant one. Mom had been herself that day, insisting I just dump Drew and move on. I was "too good to wait around." Gavin had been a saint, coming to my rescue just when I needed it to ask Mom to leave so he could administer therapy. He wasn't even the therapist, but it had gotten Mom out of the room, so she stopped badgering me. I should have known back then how amazing Gavin was.

As he sat down next to me to drive us away from this horrible experience, I sighed contentedly and took his hand. Whatever had been bothering him before was no longer bothering him and that was all that mattered.