Beyond the Breaking Point (38 page)

Instantly, Cassidy was all business. “Of course, Dr. Manning. We’re ready for you to take the samples.”

Dr. Manning quickly and smoothly took the saliva samples and rushed them out of her office. As Cassidy was leaving, Dr. Manning said, “Cassidy, as the client you know you have the right to bring anyone with you to your visits, but might I suggest next time, you only allow one man at a time?”

Cassidy felt her face flush and knew she was red with mortification. “After we get the results, this won’t be a problem,” she assured the woman, trying not to wonder what the woman was thinking of her.

She nodded kindly. “Take care of yourself. On your next visit, I want to see that blood pressure down and your weight up. Doctors make the worst patients, you know. Too busy putting everyone else’s needs first. Start thinking of that child you’re carrying,” she admonished.

Again Cassidy could do nothing but agree, knowing every word the doctor spoke was the truth.

When she re-entered the waiting room, only Max was waiting for her. Surprised, she asked, “Where’s Phillip?”

“He had a meeting with a client, as do I. I’ve got to go. Tonight, six o’clock. I’ll be there to pick you up for dinner at my parents,” he reminded her.

“I’ll be ready,” she promised, feeling her stomach knot. As they walked to the elevator together, she suddenly turned to him and said, “Maybe we should wait until after we get the results.”

He stopped walking and caught her in his arms. “You think I care about the results? I want to show you off to my family, Dr. Cassidy Brannon.”

“But—” 

Max kissed the protest off her lips, and then gave her a slow and sexy grin. “Sweetheart, don’t worry. They’ll love you.”

Max lied.

His family hated her. Oh they were polite enough, but Cassidy, already sensitive about how she’d come to her position in Max’s life, could feel the underlying antipathy.

The evening started off well enough. During the drive to South Philly, Max had kept up a running dialogue, explaining who was married to whom and how many kids each sibling had. Cassidy hadn’t tried to absorb any of it. If something came of her and Max’s relationship, well then there’d be plenty of time to learn everyone. Right now her focus was on surviving the evening.

They parked on a car-lined street and walked the block and a half to his parents’ bungalow-styled home. Max ushered her up onto the porch, opened the door and stepped into…bedlam. There were people everywhere—on the couch and love seats, on the hardwood floor, another group had taken over the stairs and yet another group was seated in the dining room around the table. Beyond the dining room Cassidy could see still more women in the kitchen. Children ran around throughout.

“Max is here!” someone called out as they came down the stairs.

“Max!” several voices shouted out his name in greeting. A few of the children ran over to hug him chanting, “Uncle Max!”

Someone—a sister, a cousin?—came over and took the dessert from Cassidy and carried it to the kitchen.

“Maximillan.” Mrs. Desalvo came forward and greeted Max with a big smile, a warm hug, and a kiss on each cheek.

Max curled an arm around his mother’s shoulder and together they faced Cassidy. “Momma, this is Cassidy,” he said, the pride in his expression ringing in his voice.

Mrs. Desalvo greeted her with a polite incline of her head, her previously smiling face now totally expressionless. “Dr. Brannon, thank you for joining us.”

Cassidy, feeling the chill where she stood but expecting nothing less, put on her professional face and replied, “Thank you so much for having me.”

She turned to Max, placed another kiss on his cheek and said, “I need to go supervise the cooking.”

As soon as she walked away, Cassidy tugged on Max’s arm to get his attention. “You didn’t tell me so many people would be here,” she complained.

Max shrugged and grinned. “I didn’t know. It’s open to all who want to come. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

He took her by the hand and led her forward, going from group to group. There were four sisters, their husbands and/or significant others, three brothers, two wives and one girlfriend, aunts, uncles, cousins, and lots of children. By the time she’d met everyone, Cassidy felt like she’d walked into the middle of a family reunion.

They all greeted her politely but she bet if she left the room, they could describe in detail her face, body, and attire, right down to the underwear she wore for a police artist and the resulting sketch would be better than a photograph. That’s how close they scrutinized her.

Thank God she’d followed her instincts. Despite Max’s admonishment to dress casually and that most of his family would be in jeans, she’d worn loose, cotton knit pants and a coordinating sleeveless tunic in earth tones, which hid her growing baby bump. She’d paired the outfit with gold sandals. Her hair was pulled into a bun at her nape, and she wore only enough makeup to boost her confidence—mascara and lip gloss. She kept her jewelry minimal as well, wearing only a small gold necklace and gold studs in her ears. Her goal was to appear cool, confident and relaxed, even though her insides were a jumbled mess.

Max kept her close to his side the entire night, but otherwise appeared oblivious to the fact that his family wished her elsewhere. Well, not the entire family. It was mostly the women. The men were, for the most part, downright cordial.

As conversations swirled around her, Cassidy glanced around avidly. The three-story home, though obviously very old, was beautifully maintained. The hardwood floors gleamed in the late-afternoon sunlight. Like most of the older homes in Philly, it wasn’t very wide, but extremely long. This was a house people lived, loved and relaxed in, not the showplace she’d halfway expected.

“Everybody quiet so Poppy can bless the food,” a young voice yelled out.

The den of conversation immediately ceased. As Cassidy bowed her head in respect, she couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. The sooner they ate, the sooner they could leave. She couldn’t even use the job as an excuse because she’d told Max she was covered. Any emergencies would be handled by on-call staff.

When the blessing ended, Cassidy felt even more conspicuous as she was the only one who didn’t make the sign of the cross. Others noticed. Their stare was so heavy, she could literally feel her nape tightening.

There was a mass exodus as everyone rose and headed toward the kitchen, instead of the dining room.

“Where are we going?” she asked Max, who urged her along with his arm around her waist.

“To the basement,” he said.

The kitchen was as she’d imagined for a family whose business centered around food. Between the luscious, appetizing scents lingering and those emanating up from the basement, Cassidy’s stomach growled rather loudly, embarrassing her.

Max, who was now standing directly behind her, slid a hand through the side slit of her top and unerringly found her baby bump. Cradling it, he leaned down and murmured in her ear, “Someone’s hungry.”

Then he nibbled the spot on her neck that never failed to drive her crazy. She shuddered and arched like a cat, rubbing her butt against his groin. The damn man chuckled and did it again, getting the same results.

“Max, behave,” she chided in a voice gone husky.

“Yeah, Max, behave, you’re holding up the line,” his brother, Nicco, echoed, adding a friendly shove for emphasis. Since Max was plastered to Cassidy, the push moved both of them forward a step.

 Nicco, Cassidy learned, was the brother closest to Max in age. They were less than a year apart, and the two were extremely close. Of everyone, he’d been the friendliest.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just jealous his woman isn’t as sexy as you,” Max said loud enough for his brother to hear.

“She’s definitely better than the last one. Your taste is improving, brother. That still doesn’t mean I want you slowing down the line,” Nicco grumbled good-naturedly.

“You could always go around us,” Max suggested.

“And have you elbow me in the side? I know not to come between you and food,” Nicco said.

Their bantering kept Cassidy smiling as the line worked its way down the stairs. At the bottom, she could see why it had taken so long. Along one wall, the food was laid out buffet- style. People were fixing their plates before heading to the long table in the center of the room covered with white, restaurant-styled tablecloths. There was a hand-sanitizing station at the head of the food tables and the doctor in her approved.

Max handed her one of the over-sized disposable plates and took one for himself. “Grab our eating utensils,” he instructed.

Obediently, Cassidy collected two of the wrapped bundles. Then they walked through the line with Max loading both of their plates. When they reached the end, Cassidy’s plate felt like it weighed five pounds. “You think I can eat all of this?” she asked, bemused.

Serious blue eyes met hers as he said, “I told your doctor I’d fatten you up. Don’t worry. I’ll finish whatever you can’t.”

He found them a seat at the table somewhere in the middle. They were far enough away from his mother and the majority of his sisters that she was able to relax and enjoy the meal.

“What do you want to drink? We have a cooler filled with soft drinks,” Max said, having set his plate down.

“Water, if you have it,” she told him, knowing she needed to drink more. Dehydration was a contributing factor in hypertension.

Max brought back two bottles of water for her, and two cans of soda for himself.

“Thanks,” she said as he pulled out his chair and sat.

The food was as good as it looked. In the last two weeks with Max, she’d eaten a lot of Italian food. Once he discovered she loved the stuff, he’d plied her with it whenever possible. Nicco settled across from her and Max and kept them entertained. Before she knew it, she’d eaten every morsel.

“Oh,” she groaned. “You’re going to have to carry me out of here. I don’t think I can walk.”

“Good, isn’t it?” Max asked, his eyes twinkling. “See what you’ve been missing?” To Nicco he said, “I’ve been trying to get her here for a month.”

Nicco shrugged. “I don’t blame her. We’re an intimidating bunch.” He glanced down the table at his parents and sisters. “Don’t worry. They’ll warm up once they’re used to you. They do this to everyone. Consider it a test.”