TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Max swallowed hard, silently muttering incantations in his head to keep himself from fainting. Facing Vonda’s extended family was proving to be more nerve-wracking than he had expected during the car ride earlier.

“Have you been seeing Vonda for a long time?”

“Why did you just come now?”

“When did you meet Vonda?”

Max did not know what questions were bombarding him in rapid succession. He only knew one thing; he would have collapsed if a member of Vonda’s family had not hurried into the room and said, “Come on, Yale and his family have arrived.”

Phew!

Max did not care if anyone laughed at him for reflexively tapping his chest twice. Just as everyone’s attention shifted to the news of the Munro family’s arrival, Max let out a sigh of relief. He needed a moment to compose himself before he joined them at the front.

“You’re just like a little kid being scolded for stealing the neighbor’s mangoes,” Vonda’s voice sounded as a handkerchief wiped away the beads of sweat on Max’s forehead. He looked up to find Vonda standing half bent over in front of him.

Vonda smiled sweetly. Max thought she was trying to reassure him.

Max exhaled deeply and let Vonda wipe the sweat from his face with the handkerchief before he said, “It seems worse than that. You have five younger siblings, both your parents, not to mention aunts and uncles whose names I can’t remember. Imagine that. Oh my God. I thought I wasn’t going to make it out of here alive.

Vonda chuckled, straightened her back, and took a deep breath. “There’s steak on the menu tonight, by the way. Do you like it?”

Max narrowed his eyes. “Trying to bribe me, huh?”

Vonda laughed again, not denying the accusation at all. And of course, Max did not mind.

Moments later, Vonda and Max joined the others in the living room. Sarah, who had been there earlier, waved at Max as a form of greeting.

Remembering the previous incident, Max had a tendency to think that Sarah would find it difficult to maintain a professional demeanor around him. Consequently, he perceived her wave as a form of mockery.

Speaking of waves, something else puzzled Max. He noticed a guy next to Sarah who immediately pulled her along. Not by holding her hand, but by her chin. Max’s eyes widened in disbelief.

In a public place like this? Seriously?

Max’s confusion continued as he watched Sarah’s nonchalant reaction to the guy’s actions. She lightly patted the man’s chest and exchanged a brief word.

Deciding not to dwell on Sarah and the guy, Max turned his attention to the engagement ceremony.

Walking solemnly, Max was puzzled by something. He realized that the women who had been on the porch earlier were still watching the engagement ceremony.

The atmosphere was magical. At least that’s what Max felt. Sitting next to Vonda, he could clearly see the happiness on her beautiful face.

Max was proud of Vonda. Maybe it was her mature nature. Maybe it was the radiant love she had for her younger siblings. Or maybe it was both.

So Max was not surprised when Vonda gave Kania a big hug. She would have almost cried if her other siblings hadn’t teased her.

“Don’t cry now, Vonda. Just wait until the wedding.”

“I know. Even though she’s all grown up, she’s still crying. Ugh, so sensitive!”

Vonda cursed playfully. “Okay, okay. I won’t cry.”

“If you cry, people might think you’re getting engaged.”

The event continued with dinner. Some of the guests sat comfortably. Sarah, who knew Vonda’s family, moved gracefully around the room. She greeted several people as she allowed her waist to be held gently.

“That is Evan, Sarah’s husband. Evan Burton.”

Max turned to see Vonda. “Ah.”

“If I were Sarah, I might not be able to handle this,” Vonda commented.

Max took a sip of the tea. “Why?”

“Why?” Vonda snorted quietly. “Haven’t you seen how protective Evan is of Sarah? Let me tell you. Even when they’re at the mall, Evan waits for Sarah outside the ladies’ room. He can’t let Sarah out of his sight. But it’s the opposite of what you saw. Even if someone has to act protective, it’s definitely Sarah. Evan was a former model, he had a lot of ex-girlfriends, they could be used for the parade”.

“Um, but I didn’t see it that way. In fact, the guy looked at me like he wanted to fight. Sarah was just enjoying it.”

Vonda nodded. “It’s the other way around who’s being protective, isn’t it? I didn’t even think Sarah could talk that guy into letting her work. Um.” She stroked her chin and whispered, “Maybe it has something to do with some of her costumes.”

Max’s forehead wrinkled. “Costumes?”

“Huh?” Vonda chuckled, then took Max’s hand. “Never mind, Sarah. Let’s just eat.”

Vonda invited Max to leave the bustling living room and her family behind and head for the kitchen-a more comfortable place. Max grinned. That meant there would be more food, right?

Vonda and Max sat down at the dining room table, ignoring the bustling family. They decided to dig into their belated dinner.

“Why are you eating in the kitchen? You should be up front. Even Sarah and Evan are in the front. Feels like she’s my daughter. Not you, Vonda.”

Heidi’s long chatter could be heard as Vonda and Max enjoyed their meal. They exchanged glances, both looking a little embarrassed.

“Um, you considered Sarah to be your own child, right?” Vonda laughed. “Well, just think of Sarah as my replacement.”

Heidi blinked. “You, when you’re told-”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Clang!

Max, who had stopped eating to watch the mother-daughter interaction, was suddenly surprised by the ringing tone on his phone. Even Heidi stopped talking and looked at him.

Without waiting much longer, Max reached into his pocket and decided he should not have to guess who was calling him on a video call. The same went for Vonda, who immediately looked at him. Max cleared his throat.

Answer or let it go, it’s only getting worse.

At first, Max did not answer the call. But Heidi, who was still there, asked.

“Why don’t you answer, Max? Who’s calling?”

Not just a simple question, Heidi also looked at Max’s phone screen and read the caller’s contact.

“Just answer it. It’s your mom calling.”

Max nodded and got out of his seat. “Let me get that. Excuse me for a moment.”

“What?” Heidi reached out, stopping Max with a furrowed brow. “Where do you want to answer? It’s pretty crowded out there. Just answer here. It’s okay. I understand.”

Glek!

Understand?

It did not mean that Max pretended to be considerate of the host. He did not think it was rude to answer a video call in front of Heidi. Not at all.

“Um. That…”

*