Lily and the Pea #OnceUponNow

Chapter Four

Getting out of the Kenning mansion by herself was easier said than done. It was so sprawling, she couldn't find the front door again to go check out her car. She couldn't even remember where her room was. She must have gotten turned around because she ended up in a hallway she didn't think she'd been down before. Halfway down the hall, voices drifting from a cracked door made her pause. Evelyn and Max.

Of course, her parents would have been ashamed to find their daughter eavesdropping, had they been around to see her. But the Kennings were talking loudly. Lily didn't set out to overhear them, it just happened.

"Maxwell, you know what this means. She couldn't sleep. She was uncomfortable. No one has ever been uncomfortable in that bed."

When he replied, Max sounded weary, as if he'd had this argument with Evelyn before. "Mother, everyone gets uncomfortable sometimes. That doesn't mean she's destined to be my wife."

Max's wife? Confusion was making her head spin. What in the world was going on in this place?

"It means that you have to give her a chance. You promised me. The first woman bothered by the pea would be the one."

Lily heard Max's heavy sigh clear out in the hall. "You know she has a say in this, right? Just because you want me to marry her doesn't mean that she'll be willing. You have to let this develop between me and Lily, even if nothing comes of it."

At least someone around here thought about what Lily might want. As much as she wanted to resent Max for scheming with his mother, her heart softened. He was trying to consider her feelings while keeping some promise to Evelyn. An honest-to-goodness nice guy.

"Yes, of course. We should get back to our guest now, Maxwell. I expect you to find a way to keep her here."

Keep her here? A chill ran through her. Oh no, Lily James was not about to let herself held hostage by a crazy woman. Even if her son was the most attractive, kindest man alive. Nope, she was getting out of here on her own. Lily retraced her steps down the hall with as much speed as she could manage while staying quiet. She followed the same path she thought she had taken to get there. The dining room had doors that led out to a terrace. If she could get outside, she could at least get away from the property. Even if she had to scale that silly gate.

Max found her hanging halfway out a window. When she hadn't been able to find her way back to the dining room, she decided escaping out the nearest window couldn't be too hard. But once she got up onto the sill, the ground was much further away than she expected. To make matters worse, the designer jeans got caught on the window when she tried to climb back in. She was wiggling around, trying to get unstuck when she glanced at the door. There was Max, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. He looked completely amused.

"I take it you had some trouble with the layout of the house?"

She refused to give him the pleasure of seeing her squirm. "Actually, I prefer to exit buildings by the most creative means possible. It hones my survival skills."

He laughed. This time, it was a full, deep belly laugh that made her skin tingle. Pushing away from the doorframe, he walked over with one hand outstretched. "Let me give you a hand."

Lily just stared at him. "I don't think I want to come back in."

Max sobered, shoulders drooping. "You heard my mother, didn't you?" At her nod, he raked a hand through his dark hair, leaving a few strands out of place. Which only added to the attractiveness she was trying to ignore. "I'm sorry about that. If you can trust me, I'd like a chance to explain. I have no intention of keeping you here against your will."

Looking into his eyes, all Lily could see was honest hope. After all the years she had spent fending for herself, reading people came as second nature. And no matter how crazy his mother was, all she could see in Max Kenning was sincerity. She reached for the hand he held out again and let him help her back into the room.

He led her to a formal settee and they sat close together, knees almost touching. "Let me tell you about my mother. You've heard the story of the princess and the pea, right?"

"The old fairy tale? Sure. The poor girl has to sleep on a huge pile of mattresses with a pea underneath. And her bruises in the morning are proof that she's the perfect princess to marry the prince. It's so silly..." Lily's voice trailed off as the dots connected in her mind. Evelyn talked about a pea in the bed. And Lily marrying Max.

He must have seen the comprehension dawn on her face. "Lily, it isn't quite as crazy as it sounds. My mother comes from a long line of old money. And many members of the family, including my mother, claim that we're descended from that prince and princess. They take it very seriously. All my cousins married people who couldn't sleep on mattresses with a pea underneath."

Max stood and paced as he continued. "I'm an only child. As my mother's heir, it means the world to her that I uphold the family tradition. I promised her years ago that if she found a woman who couldn't sleep with a pea in the bed, I would make an effort to get to know her. That's all."

Lily studied her hands as she took in his words. All the pieces fit. It was strange, sure. But it matched the little she knew about him and his mother. And the story explained their strange behavior.

"I'm sorry that you got caught up in this silly scheme of my mother's, but I hope you can see it as a compliment. From the moment she saw you out there in the rain, Mother liked you. And honestly, I did, too."

His words made her heart race. Max was the kind of man she had dreamed of meeting since her first crush broke her heart by laughing at her hand-me-down clothes. Maybe this situation was a little odd, but she had to admit it was also romantic. And Lily wasn't the kind of woman who let opportunities pass just because they were unconventional.

Making up her mind, she rose from the settee and headed straight to Max. She stood close, surrounded by the scent of his cologne, light but masculine. Looking up into his eyes, she gathered up her courage to kiss him.