ALREADY FALLING

JOSEPH

We sat in the back of a town car, my driver heading toward my mother’s penthouse.

Once we were buckled in, Sutton turned to face me. “We really need to get our stories straight.”

“You’re right,” I agreed, and we worked out a few details—making up some bullshit story about how we had run into each other one night, recognized one another, and I’d asked her out on the spot—before arriving at the front of my mom’s building and pulling to a stop.

“We’re already here?” Sutton looked nervous.

“We’ll just play it by ear. She’s not going to grill you until you crack,” I tried to reassure her, but honestly, I had no idea what my mother was capable of or what she planned on doing.

Kayla wasn’t wrong when she said the woman had superpowers. She definitely did.

“She won’t leave you alone unless you’re in love. Have you forgotten that small detail?”

Apparently, I had. “What’s your point?”

“We are not in love. We barely even know each other.”

“It will be fine,” I said again before I stepped out of the car before moving to get her.

“Good evening, Mr. Martin,” the doorman said as we neared.

“Evening, Alexander,” I said in response as he held the door open for us.

We walked to the bank of elevators, and I pressed the button. We stepped inside, and I swiped a card and hit the PH button.

“I’ll let Mrs. Martin know you have arrived and are on your way up,” Alexander said before the doors closed.

We rode up in silence. I held her hand without even thinking about it. I wanted Sutton to be calm, to realize that I wouldn’t bring her to someone who was going to hurt her. Hell, I wanted her to trust me.

“Here goes nothing,” Sutton said under her breath when the elevator dinged and the doors opened into my mother’s waiting area.

“Oh, Joseph. You’re finally here!” My mother appeared from the sitting area, her hair and makeup perfectly done. “And this must be Sutton.”

Sutton dropped my hand as she smiled, and it lit up the whole damn room. “I’m sorry we’re late. It’s my fault. I had extra patients to check in on at the hospital.”

“Nonsense. You do important work. I can wait,” Mom said with a smile of her own before planting a kiss on my cheek. “I’m glad you’re both here. We need to talk about all the press you two are getting. They’re asking me questions I can’t answer, considering I haven’t even met my son’s girlfriend until now. Well, unless you count that one other time,” she added with a wink, and Sutton turned bright red.

“Let’s not,” Sutton said, and my mother laughed.

“Agreed. Let’s go into the sitting room,” Mother directed.

Sutton shot me a look that told me she thought our house was over the top, but it was all I’d ever known. This shit was normal to me.