The Affectionate Player - Part2

Chapter 12

"She's twenty one, Max, and not a silly girl," I say trying to offer some comfort.

"But she's still... You know what I mean, Gracie. She's not very worldly."

"Well, that might change tonight," I tease. His face drops and I can almost feel him cringe.

"Exactly my bloody point! And you," he continues, grinning.  "You can stop winding me up. My mother will go mad if Connie comes home pregnant. She's still to finish uni."

"Oh behave, will you!" I grab a cushion and pop him on the tummy with it. "I was married at her age, Max. Let her live a little."

"We'll see. Maybe I should follow her," he says, deadpan.

"What?! No way! I won't let you."

"And how would you stop me?" he laughs, nestling sweetly into the crook of my neck.

"I have ways."

"What ways? Because unless it's you wrapped up in red satin and chained to my bed I'm not interested."

"Sorry, I forgot to pack the cuffs," I giggle.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, beautiful. I told you, I bought a few things."

"Perv."

"Now you're talking." He begins to kiss my jawline only to be interrupted by Monty calling through the monitor.

"I'll go, daddy." Clearly irritated, Max falls back against the sofa adjusting himself. "Back in a moment." A few minutes later I've settled Monty with Rexy the dinosaur, who had caused the disturbance by slipping to the floor out of his reach. Entering the snug I notice an opened bottle of Shiraz and two glasses, and pulling a pew I'm thrilled to see Max has stoked the fire.

"How is he?"

"Tucked up and happy."

"And how are you? Are you feeling better now that you've had food and a good old laugh at my expense?" Handing me a glass of wine, he takes the seat next to me pulling my feet up unto his lap.

"Oh, Max. Not this, again." I groan, annoyed that he's reminded me. "I was just starting to forget about it."

"I'm sorry, love, but you need to think this through. If you want to find out the truth about Geri then you need to talk to your mother sooner rather than later."

"I think I'd prefer to just go home and forget about it."

"And then what? Geri goes to jail while Jonny runs free? If we can learn something that puts us ahead of her game then we might just force her into talking. She may even know where he is and that's bound to be worth facing your fears for. You've already had to bear being in custody, surely meeting your mother couldn't be any worse." I feel the blood rise from my toes to my neck. How the hell would he know that?

"Actually, it could!" I snap. "At least I wasn't forced to manage the feelings of another person throughout that ordeal. If you'd care to remember, I had to face that on my own!" Furious, I take a long drink from my glass.

"Yes, you did and I'm sorry it had to be that way." I ignore his sentiment, instead growing even more frustrated.

"So, is this more about you getting your revenge than me getting any peace of my mind?"

"Of course it's not!"

"Well, I'm relieved to hear it."

"Look, Gracie. I'm not going to lie to you. I want him caught and thrown in jail but more than that I want peace of mind for us all. How can we live our lives while he roams free? The reality is that while he's still out there no one in this family is safe and believe me, I hate what you've all had to suffer because of me. If we want to build a future together then I don't see how we have any other choice."