Page 56 of Ravaged For You

I feel like a scolded schoolboy, embarrassed by his mom in front of his friends. I can’t imagine what’s going through Maddie’s head right now. She must be so weirded out. I look at her. Just as she was getting used to my boys, now she has my mother to deal with. In the flesh.

“Well, you seemed so secretive on the phone, what with the scandal you got yourself into the other day and now the fact that an actual girl answered your phone when I called. A girl you said wasn’t your girlfriend. I got on the first flight over.”

“You didn’t have to…”

I try, in vain, to explain. Mom has other plans, though. She stops me in mid-sentence by glancing down at the girl sitting next to me.

“Is this the girl I had the pleasure of talking to earlier?” Mom asks, still looking at Maddie, figuring things out all on her own. “Will you be a gentleman, Axel, and introduce us to each other?”

I grunt. I can never turn my mom away, even if she is being totally annoying by rocking up here unannounced in her typical dramatic way.

“This is Maddie Leaver, my girlfriend. Maddie, this is my mom, Astrid Stoll.”

I try to rush through introductions, but Mom spins back to me.

“Hang on, Axel. I want to take my time and get to know the woman who snared your heart.”

She then brushes past me to sit where I was just sitting, right next to Maddie. I grunt again, but Mom completely ignores me and starts to speak with Maddie. They shake hands.

Oh, both Mom and Maddie are clearly enjoying this. How much it’s riling me up.

“Axel hasn’t mentioned me yet, has he?” Mom asks my new fake girlfriend.

“Not a word.”

“Typical. Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself.” The whole band is continuing to listen to this, enraptured. I roll my eyes and grip my glass of champagne tightly. I was planning on these two women never meeting; I didn’t need that kind of complication in this fake relationship. Mom doesn’t even know the whole thing’s a sham, and I want to keep it that way. I remind myself to mention that to Maddie later. Before the cat’s out of the bag.

I just want Mom out of here and back to Crystal River before all hell breaks loose.

“Go on,” Maddie encourages Mom. “Tell me about yourself, Astrid.”

Yep. She’s loving this.

“I’m an elementary school teacher back in Crystal River. In fact, I taught all these boys at some point…”

“Mom…”

“Be polite, Axel. I want to talk to Maddie.”

Great. I just know that this is all going to be used as ammo against me in the future. Mom loves sniffing around places where she shouldn’t sniff. She would’ve made a brilliant detective in another life.

“You all were taught by Astrid?” Maddie asks the rest of the band.

“Mrs. Stoll was one hell of a good teacher,” Drake says.

“Yep,” Bishop agrees.

Caspian just nods.

“See?” Mom asks me, turning around. “Everyone wants me here.”

“Everyone except for me,” I reply churlishly.

“Is Chloe here?” Bishop asks Mom. I shoot him a warning look.

Now is not the time to talk about my younger sibling.

“That’s Axel’s sister,” Mom explains to Maddie. “He’ll never mention her as well, though he should. They were very close as kids. I couldn’t stop them dressing up in my clothes and dancing along to power ballads.”