23. Theo
23
THEO
W e’d said no complications, yet here I was, strolling through the farmer’s market holding Max’s hand, with my mother on one side of us, Renee on the other, and a surly, skateboard-toting Rafe bringing up the rear.
My mom had suggested a family get-together the week prior, and I knew the minute it came out of her mouth that it was going to happen. I’d inherited my own persistence from the petite force of nature beside me. I could try to tell her that it wasn’t an option, but resistance was futile. What Elena wanted, Elena got.
“Renee, have you heard of these candles?” she asked, reaching out to grab Renee’s hand. “They’re soy, made by a little brother-sister team. Come look.”
Renee allowed herself to be dragged away, and Rafe drifted off to stare at his phone. I took advantage of the moment alone with Max to check in.
“You okay?” I whispered to her. “Is this too much?”
She watched our moms sniffing candles with a little smile on her face. “It’s a lot, but I sort of like it. I had a feeling they’d get along.”
I pushed down the conflicted feelings rumbling inside of me. This merging of families stuff wasn’t at all normal for me. Sure, my mom occasionally met the women I was dating, but it was rare for her to spend this much time with them. I knew she’d pushed for it this time because she liked Max, and she wanted to get a read on her “people.” As much as I felt a little strange about the togetherness, I was happy to get to know a more relaxed, warm Renee. Rafe was as standoffish as ever, but at least I knew his bad attitude wasn’t reserved just for me.
Max joined the moms, so I wandered over to where Rafe was perusing a stall.
“Stickers, huh?” I asked him, looking down at the array of brightly colored options spread out on the table in front of him.
He nodded. “I like this guy. He does street art.”
The skinny, beanie-clad young guy behind the table gave us a nod. Rafe was right, the artist had talent. Most of his wares were small prints and stickers that sold cheaply, not more than twenty dollars, but he had two large paintings on easels next to him, realistic images of rabbits that had ribbons of a star-filled galaxy wrapped around them. They were incredible, thoughtful works that looked museum-worthy.
“How much for the paintings?” I asked him.
The artist seemed to steel himself to say the number. “They’re, uh, two thousand each.”
“Dimensions?” I asked, squinting at them.
“Thirty-six by forty.”
“Are they signed?”
The artist pointed to the lower right corner. “Real small. Right there. Horatio Suarez.”
“Sold, Horatio,” I said, thrusting out my hand to him.
Both he and Rafe stared at me with their mouths hanging open.
“Bro … seriously ?” Horatio asked.
“Yeah, I like your style.” I glanced at Rafe and saw that he was laying out a dozen stickers in front of him, as if he was trying to pick between them. “And whatever stickers he wants. Get all of them, Rafe.”
“No way.” Horatio laughed. “Is this a joke?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I think it’s important to support local artists. And I’ve got the perfect spot for them in my office.”
“Can you, like, swing back later? I need to wrap them up for you.” Horatio was shaking his head in disbelief as I handed him my credit card.
“You got it. Ready, Rafe?”
He scooped up the stickers. “You mean it? All of them?”
“Of course. I don’t think you’ve got enough room for them, though,” I pointed to his skateboard.
“I’m only going to put this one on.” He held up a cat head with galaxies for eyes. “The rest will go in my box.”
We started walking together, back to where the ladies were still inhaling candles. “Your box?”
Rafe seemed to go bashful. “I have a hard time actually sticking them, so I keep them in a box. I just like to look at them.”
I chuckled. “So you’ve got an eye for art as well, like your sister. I get it.”
We paused at the edge of the candle stall as they made their purchases.
“Thanks for these,” Rafe said, holding his pile up to me.
“Glad you like them,” I said.
Rafe shuffled his feet. “Listen, I need you to know something.”
The tone in his voice made me turn to give him my complete focus. He was locked onto me, frowning, looking more like Max than I’d noticed before.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Don’t hurt her,” Rafe said. He pointed a finger at me. “Okay?”
He said it in a way that I imagined he considered menacing, but my heart fumbled at how the boy was practicing manhood. It was a movie version of intimidation, his take on protecting someone dear to him, and it was remarkably endearing. I liked him all the better for it.
I was about to answer him but I paused, realizing I couldn’t make that promise. Max and I had an arrangement that had morphed from just business to whatever we were doing at the farmer’s market surrounded by family. We could try to deny it, but feelings were involved now.
And feelings could lead to pain. I knew that all too well.
“I’ll do my best, Rafe,” I finally answered. “Please understand that I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt your sister.”
“Good,” he harumphed, looking down at this skateboard.
Max strolled over and bumped her shoulder into his. “What’s going on over here? You two look so serious.”
“Just talking sticker placement,” I said, nodding toward Rafe’s board.
“Oh yeah? What’d you get?” she asked him.
“Theo bought them for me,” he said, fanning out his new collection for Max to examine.
She glanced at me and smiled. “That was nice. Thanks.”
I winked at her.
“Who’s hungry?” my mom shouted to us. “Crepes for lunch? There’s a great food truck down there.”
“What’s a crepe?” Rafe asked.
“Oh, child,” Elena said with a grin. “Let me educate you. C’mon.”
She grabbed his hand, getting a loud laugh out of Renee as they barreled down the middle of the street.
“You holding up okay?” I asked Max, taking her hand in mine.
“Yeah. Total shocker. I thought double moms meant double trouble, but they’re like automatic besties.”
“That’s my mom’s best trick. Even if people don’t like her, she levels up the charm until they relent.”
“What’s not to like?” Max asked.
I squinted at her. “Seriously? Have you met the woman? She’s a lot.”
“A lot of fun, just like her son.” She squeezed my hand. “Thanks for being nice to Rafe. I know he’s a pill right now.”
“He’s in a tough stage. I don’t blame him.”
We walked along, dodging a bikini-clad woman handing out smoothie samples and a tarot card reader who called us “honeymooners.”
“Your brother said something to me.” I glanced at Max out of the corner of my eye. “He told me not to hurt you.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Or else what? He’ll break your knees with his skateboard?”
“Stop,” I scolded. “He’s looking out for you. That’s sweet.”
“It is,” she nodded. “What did you say?”
We walked a bit before I answered. “I said I wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt you.”
Max laughed again. “Well that’s … carefully worded. Almost worthy of a politician. Leaving some margin for error with that wording, huh?”
“It’s the truth, right? We mapped everything out to avoid exactly that.”
Her hand loosened a little in mine. “I guess we did.”
We wound up at the crepe truck, where the line wrapped around the vehicle and down the sidewalk. We joined Renee, Rafe, and my mom.
“Insane,” I said, pointing at the line. “Are they that good?”
“Oh yes,” my mom said. “I sold them on crepes, so we’re waiting no matter how long it takes.”
“I’m excited to try them,” Renee added. “So is Rafie.”
“ Mom ,” he protested when she wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
“Well, I’m too hungry to wait. Gourmet tater tots it is,” Max said, dragging me to a truck down the lane.
We got in line and I noticed that Max seemed less chatty, opting to people watch.
“You still okay?” I asked as we edged closer to the order window.
“Just thinking,” she shrugged. “About what Rafe said to you.”
“And?”
She pointed to where they were all waiting in line. “I’m starting to think that this was a mistake, letting them all meet and hang out. They think we’re in a real relationship, and they’re going to get invested in us, and each other. Meanwhile we know we have an expiration date. It’s weird, Theo.”
I felt a zap of tension behind my eyes. I knew she was right, but I wasn’t willing to admit it aloud. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
Max seemed to be getting more agitated. She leaned closer to me. “And what if they find out the truth? That we’ve been lying to them about being in a relationship?”
“My mom would definitely have a problem with that, yeah,” I admitted.
“Rafe too. He’d never forgive me.”
The line edged closer to the order window, and I wracked my brain for something to say to try to get things back on track.
“What if we try something?” I asked.
Max tilted her head at me.
“What if we just … focus on the here and now? Be in the moment. That way we can enjoy one another’s company without worrying about what’s on the horizon.”
She frowned. “I guess we could do that. But still …”
I grasped her shoulders and turned her to face me. “I know this, uh, situation , started off weird, but I’m really enjoying myself with you. And I get the feeling you are too.”
Max nodded.
“Good. So let’s just take that perspective instead of overthinking everything.”
“Okay,” she sighed.
I pulled her into a hug and happened to see Renee watching us in the distance. Shit. Max was right. We were getting in too deep.
I tucked Max against my body, trying to outrun what was surfacing inside.
It feels real to me. And I like that more than I should.