Page 52 of Faking With You

She shakes her head. “No, but I’ve watched a lot of Bob Ross videos online in my attempts to sleep some nights,” she says with a chuckle. Looking at her painting, I would have never guessed that she hadn’t spent a lot of time with a paint brush and a canvas.

The studio helps us pack them into something for our walk back, and we find food along the way. It’s amazing what you can learn about someone through simple conversation while walking the streets of the city. It’s not always the big things either, it’s the way conversation brings up how her favourite flowers are orchids or that her music taste is all over the place and she goes through phases where she changes the genre she listens to. Right now she’s listening to music that makes her feel nostalgic. All of these little facts are these building blocks of her clicking into place for me that have me falling for her even though I know I shouldn’t.

When we make it back to the flat, we settle on the couch and pull up a movie which quickly turns into us making out and me carrying her to bed.

For the rest of the week, I make sure I leave the office in time to be back for dinner and to head to bed with Eliza. I take my time with her each night, loving the way she lets me make her feel good. On Friday night as I hold her in bed, I have trouble sleeping. We’re visiting my mom for dinner tomorrowand then heading to the airport first thing Sunday morning. Heading home leaves so much uncertainty. I don’t want to go back to spending nights apart. We have three months left in this arrangement, and I want to have her with me for all of it.

CHAPTER 38

Eliza

Ihave more anxiety around meeting Mac’s mom than I did his dad. With his dad I know he feels pressure, especially around fitting a specific ideal he has for him. The way he’s talked about his mom and his memories with her tells me he has an immense amount of love for her.

I’ve changed my outfit three times. I’m twisting in front of the mirror in the new dress I bought here, trying to decide if it’s appropriate for this situation. I spot Mac in the reflection leaning against the doorway and watching me, a soft smile on his face. I bite my lip, returning my gaze to my own reflection and the dress. I move towards the bed and the other clothes I have laid out, and Mac comes behind me, wrapping his arms around me and placing a kiss behind me ear.

“Don’t change,” he says

I subconsciously melt into him, loving the feeling of being wrapped in him. There’s a feeling of safety I have in his arms like this and when we’re in bed together. It’s like my own personal cocoon that I never want to leave. I close my eyes and take in the heat of his body pressed against mine and his breath on my neck.

“This dress isn’t right for tonight. I’m meeting your mom.”

He places another soft kiss on my skin. “I know. It’s perfect. You’re perfect. She’s going to love you.”

His words fill me with warmth. I don’t know why I want her to like me so much. It’s unlikely I’ll ever see her again, but I guess it’s my heart's way of reminding me that I wish I’d be seeing her again. That I’d have a reason to be developing a relationship with her.

He unwraps his arms, and I spin to face him. He tips my face up, and I meet his eyes. “You don’t need to worry. It’s all going to be okay.” He kisses me softly, and I nod.

I slip into my heels and grab my jacket, and we head downstairs to the car waiting for us. It takes us in a direction I haven’t gone yet and delivers us to a small restaurant with little string lights around the window looking in. The restaurant is set up intimately and not overcrowded. We’re brought to our table, and there’s a woman in her mid-sixties already here. She smiles immediately when she spots us and is out of her chair and hugging Mac. He towers over her in the same way he does me, and it’s strange to think that he’s her child. She turns her gaze to me, and I smile as she pulls me into a hug.

“You must be the infamous Eliza.”

“I am,” I say, surprised Mac’s already told her about me.

“Eliza, this is my mom Isobel.”

I smile at her as Mac pulls my chair out for me and kisses my cheek before taking a seat across from his mom. She beams at the two of us, and I find myself ducking my head to avoid her gaze. I don’t like the fact that we’re lying to so many people about this relationship, but lying to his mom seems worse than everyone else so far. There’s something about her and the warm hug she gave me that makes me want nothing more than her approval and love.

“How are you two? You’ve been here for nearly two weeks now, right?”

I nod and take a sip of my water, trying to ground myself. “Yes. It’s been busy. We’re both working while here, but we’ve fit in some sightseeing, too.”

“You’re both working?” she asks.

“Yes. It’s a work trip for Mac, and it’s busy season for me, so I’m working remotely. I wanted to be here with him, so we made it work.”

Her eyes soften as if that’s all some big declaration. “I’m so glad that you’re here. Mac has told me so much about you, it’s nice to put a face and voice to the stories.”

My eyes cut to Mac, and he looks at me unashamed. In the short time we’ve been here, I’ve learned two things. First that while Mac’s dad only calls him Mackenzie, his mom seems to respect his choice of a shortened version of his name, and second, Mac’s been talking to his mom about me. I have so many questions about what he’s told her.

“I’m glad I get to meet you, too. Mac’s told me stories of growing up and his favourite memories with you.”

She pats the top of his hand, and he smiles at her. The more we talk, the more I fall for not only Mac but for his mom, too. I see where his sweet side comes from because I can’t see it coming from his father. She tells me stories of Mac as a little kid, and where I’d maybe expect him to be embarrassed, he looks at his mom with so much softness and love. He obviously holds so much love for her, and it has my heart cracking for him even more.

“Please tell me you’re coming back soon,” she says. “We need to spend more time together. Mac has never brought a girl for me to meet. I think next time we’ll need to spend some one-on-one time together.”

I roll my lips and look at Mac and see zero hesitation or worry on his face despite the fact that it’s now eating me from the inside out.

“We’ll be back in June for Reginald’s retirement party, but I’m not sure how long we’ll be in town.”