Sculptor: A Steamy Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

tell her. “To my mom’s, that is. Aaron’s there too, so we’ll probably have dinner together…”
    “Oh? I can come with; I love your mom’s cooking,” she says quickly.
    I give her a confused, suspicious look.
    “I thought you just said you had some errands?”
    “They can wait,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’ll be nice to say hi to everyone.”

    * * *
    W hen Celeste’s eyes light up as my brother hobbles into the living room, I finally get it and wonder how long it’s been going on.
    I’m definitely going to grill her about that later.
    My mom has already started on dinner, and she has an extra pep in her step because of all the attendees.
    I suddenly feel a bit guilty I don’t see her more often.
    My studies take up a lot of time, and I hope to make up for it when I graduate.
    As a billionaire’s wife, I’ll probably have more time on my hands despite getting thrust into working with charities and such.
    Since Celeste is busy yapping with my brother, I head to my mom.
    “Mom, you won't believe what I got you for your birthday! I can’t wait for you to see it.”
    “Eh?” she says with a sly smile. “One of those Hemsworth boys?”
    I let out a chuckle.
    “No, but I hope you like it. I'm super excited about it.”
    She gives me a strange look, folding her arms as she sizes me up.
    “Something's different about you,” she says, and I freeze, my heartbeats quickening.
    I'm hoping like hell a drip of Derek's sperm didn't dry somewhere on me and she spotted it, or that she can smell a man on me or something.
    Everyone knows I'm still a virgin, and since I’m so inexperienced in the ways of love, there's a good chance I'm giving myself away in some capacity.
    Do you smell different after being intimate with a man? How strong is it?
    "You look happier than I've seen you in a while.”
    I let out a breath of relief.
    “I'm always happy when I come to see you, Mom.”
    “Nice try. What's going on with you?”
    “Mom, I...I'm excited about your gift. It's pretty unique and I'm proud of myself for finding it. Plus, I'm getting married in a few weeks. To a billionaire! We'll never have to worry about money again. I can help you with your treatments, Aaron can get that bionic upgrade—the one he can't stop talking about..."
    "Eh eh. That's not it. Don’t try that.”
    Damn, I really thought that was convincing.
    “ What an old man sees while lying down, a young man can never see even when he climbs up in a tree ,” she says with too-wise eyes. "You met someone.”
    My heart speeds up a little more.
    "I..." Would it really do me any good to deny right now? Clearly, my mom can see right through me.
    "I ran into an old friend, that's all."
    She narrows her eyes at me while smiling knowingly. 
    "An old friend," she repeats dryly, skeptically.
    I lower my voice, not wanting Aaron to hear.
    "You remember Aaron's old friend, Derek?"
    "Ah!" 
    Her dark face breaks into a wide, satisfied smile.
    "I get it now," she says. "You still have a crush on him, eh?"
    "It was good to see him, Mom, that's all. Especially with what's about to happen. Sort of closure I didn't know I needed, you know?"
    "You're only fooling yourself. How is he?"
    "He's doing great! He's got his own business, he looks healthy and happy..."
    "Watch yourself,” she says. “ He that doesn’t want to be splashed with water should not come near the stream .”
    Sometimes I think I know what my mom’s saying, and sometimes, I’m pretty sure she’s screwing with me for kicks and pulling things out of her ass.
    I’m never sure because of the slight culture gap—she grew up in a different country than me and now she’s sort of a weird hodgepodge of both.
    Needless to say, I really don't know how to read her right now; I don’t know how she’s taking this.
    She's amused by the news, obviously, but I also know she wants what's best for me, and what's best for me is stability. Right?
    I want to ask her what she's