“Yeah, usually,” I said. “But she’s been taking last-minute bookings more and more recently. Honestly, she’s not all that concerned about losing money by closing on a busy night. She would rather have the customers be happy.”
“That’s nice of her,” Ashley said, sounding slightly suspicious.
I laughed.
“It’s not as magnanimous as it sounds. You’ll find out that Lindsey is one of the nicest people on the face of the planet, but the reason she’s so willing to take time off and close down the bar so that people can rent it out is because she is marrying a multimillionaire. Multi-multimillionaire. Some whispering around here says he could be a billionaire. But nobody really knows for sure.”
“How does nobody know for sure?”
“He just doesn’t talk about it. He’s one of the Freeman brothers. That’s the family Greg works for at the racing company. They are all extremely wealthy, but you wouldn’t know it by hanging out with them.”
We carried the eggs and a fresh pot of decaf coffee over to the table.
We sat and ate, gradually rediscovering the friendship that had fallen by the wayside. I didn’t want to mention any of the awkwardness, but it seemed there was something heavy weighing on her mind.
“I need to tell you something,” she said.
That didn’t sound good. Very rarely do conversations that start with that phrase ever go well for the person on the other end.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“I didn’t want to tell you this at first, because I thought it might sound like I was just making excuses or was lying to make things better. But I really want you to know. Marshall and I didn’t sleep together until after you two broke up.”
I looked at her strangely. “By the way you were talking, it sounded like the two of you were embroiled in some huge, dramatic love affair.”
“That’s the thing,” she said. “That’s how he wanted me to look at it. He made all these big gestures and talked about us like we were the epic reincarnation of all the great relationships throughout history. But I wouldn’t have sex with him knowing that he was still with you. I think it was all a game to him. He liked knowing he could control my emotions so much. And he enjoyed the chase. He was trying really hard to convince me to sleep with him. But I just wouldn’t. I think that’s why he asked you to move out so suddenly.”
“Asked me is kind of a gentle way to put that, but that does make sense. If he got tired of waiting for you, he would do whatever he needed to in order to convince you to give him what he wanted. He is manipulative as hell.”
“So, you believe me?” she asked.
“I do,” I said. “I’m sorry he put you through that and hurt you the way he did.”
She gave me half a smile. “I am, too,” she said. “You didn’t deserve what he did to you either. He should have been honest with you. Actually, I should have been honest with you. I should have told you from the beginning what was going on and let you make the decision, not him.”
“Not your responsibility,” I said. “That was his job. But you know what? We don’t have to worry about him anymore. Greg is picking up your life and bringing it here, and you are starting over. You and your little one are going to be just fine.”
36
Greg
The mission to go get all of Ashley’s stuff from Marshall’s house in Shelby was surprisingly anticlimactic. The guys and I were all pumped up for a showdown if it had to happen, but it didn’t.
The most dramatic part of the whole experience was just being back in Shelby. I hadn’t been in my hometown since the day I left it five years ago, and it was almost like traveling through time. As soon as we drove into town, I was right back to my high school years. Absolutely nothing had changed. It looked exactly the same as I remembered it, which was both reassuring and a little unnerving.
It almost felt like if I stay there too long, I would get sucked right back into it and never leave. When we got to Marshall’s place, he wasn’t there. We knocked on the door several times and attempted to look through the peephole, but it seemed empty. I used Ashley’s key to unlock the apartment door, and we went in armed with a couple of boxes, duffle bags, and the list of what she wanted.
The entire time I was in there, I was braced for Marshall to show up. I wondered if he would recognize me. If he didn’t, I would make sure he remembered me. It was petty and possibly a little childish, but I wanted him to look in my face and know the boy he’d talked down to and treated like trash had grown up to be not only a more powerful and influential man than he was, but also independently wealthy.
I also wanted him to know Maya was in my bed now and carrying my child. He had lost everything.
But he never showed up, and we were able to gather everything and get out in a relatively short time. When we got back to my apartment, I found Maya and Ashley cooking together in the kitchen. I stood quietly and watched them for a few moments. It was good to see her at peace alongside the woman who had contributed to so much pain.
In all honesty, it didn’t matter to me so much if they rekindled their friendship and became as close as they used to be. I wanted to make sure Ashley was alright and help her get a new start in life. In the end, what mattered to me the most was Maya’s happiness. Being able to put that conflict behind her would do her good.
Not able to stay away from her any longer, I went into the kitchen and wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss the side of her neck. She giggled and curled into the kiss, reaching up to put her hand on the back of my head. She turned over her shoulder and kissed me.
“I didn’t even hear you come in,” she said.
“That’s because the two of you were talking so much,” I said with a tease in my voice. “Something smells good in here. What are you making?”
“Ashley’s famous fajitas,” Maya said. “She even taught me how to make fresh guacamole.”
“Sounds amazing,” I said. “When’s it going to be ready?”
“Just a few minutes,” Ashley said. “We’re just finishing up the vegetables and warming the tortillas.”
“Perfect,” I said. “I’m starving. But that’ll give the guys and me time to bring everything in.”
Leaving them to finish up dinner, I went back outside and Darren, Colby, and I took three trips to bring in everything. We had even managed to snag a couple pieces of furniture Ashley told us she had moved into the apartment and wanted back. It left Marshall’s place looking pretty picked over, but he deserved the shock when he got home.
We all sat down to dinner, and Ashley thanked us for going on the recovery mission for her.
“Not a problem,” I told her. “Oh, I almost forgot. It’s a very good thing we went and got all of your stuff today.”
“Why?” she asked with a questioning expression in her eyes.
“Because I got a call from Lindsey when we were on the way back from Shelby, and she let me know that the apartment is ready for you to move into tomorrow.”
Ashley’s face lit up, and she jumped into my arms for a tight hug. The mood for the rest of the evening was celebratory, and we all went to bed happy.
Monday morning dawned bright with Ashley no longer in the spare room, everything of hers transferred over into the apartment, and Maya naked in my bed. I liked that last bit the most. Lying there for the first few blissful moments of the day was wonderful. I was beyond glad that we had finally gotten our shit together and worked everything out.
We were good and we were settled. The drama was mostly over, and it felt like life was just waiting for us. But that meant now we really needed to get serious and talk about our baby and what we were going to do about our future. The first thing that came to mind when it came to that topic was my apartment.
When I’d picked this place out, it was fully intended to be a bachelor pad. That’s all I was at the time, and I didn’t see any point in the near future, if at all, when I would be anything else. It definitely wasn’t the type
of place I wanted to raise a child. Now I had the means of finding a real home, and I wanted to talk to Maya about that as soon as possible.
She was still asleep when I left for work. I stopped at the doorway to the bedroom just to look back at her for a few seconds. It was so good to have that rhythm back. Right down to leaving lunch for her in the refrigerator. The sticky note told her that I would be coming by the bar for dinner later, so she didn’t need to make anything. But again, I would always accept dessert.
The thing that Minnie Freeman did not make that Gus absolutely loved was donuts. I stopped by my favorite donut shop on the way into work and grabbed a huge assorted box. I also got a couple of bags of Gus’s absolute weakness: gourmet vanilla coffee. Topping my order off were two cups of fresh brew. When I headed to the complex, my first stop was Gus’s office.
Technically, since he was retired, he shouldn’t have an office anymore. But he never really moved out and just ended up hanging around. He still stopped at the office every morning to check emails and read the news before heading down to the garage. That morning I caught him right as he seemed to be getting up to make his way down there.
He looked surprised when he saw me but invited me in. I sat down and offered him one of the cups of coffee I was carefully balancing on top of the box of donuts. He took it and smiled happily as he breathed in the sweet vanilla smell wafting up from the cup. I sat down with the box on the desk in front of me.
“I wanted to come by this morning and thank you for being so amazing to me,” I said. “I know things have been a little crazy recently and you could have just sent me on my way.”
“No, I couldn’t have,” he said. “That’s Quentin’s job. Quentin could have sent you on your way.”
His face was absolutely straight for a few seconds, and then he grinned, his eyes sparkling as he started to laugh. “There’s no way we would let go of you,” he said. “Greg, you’re family. We would do anything we could to take care of you. And that includes Maya.”
“That actually brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk to you about,” I said.
He took a sip of the coffee and looked at me curiously. “Oh?”
I didn’t want to tell him everything, as Maya and I hadn’t decided how to tell people about the baby yet. So far, Lindsey knew, along with Ashley, but I didn’t want to just start spreading it around without her being involved. So, I just skipped over that detail.
“I want some real estate advice. Now that I’ve come into this money, it doesn’t make as much sense for me to just stay in that apartment anymore. Especially with Maya here. I think I’m ready to buy a house and really put down roots.”
“That’s fantastic,” Gus said. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I just have no idea where to start,” I said.
“I’m happy to help you however I can,” Gus said.
By the end of the day, I had a stack of listings Gus had found for us along with the contact information for a realtor. I headed right for the bar with the three listings I had narrowed the options down to. Maya was already out of the kitchen, standing behind the bar with Lindsey when I walked in.
She smiled when she saw me and stood up on her toes to lean over the bar and kiss me.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“It was really good,” I said. “I have something to show you.”
“Okay. What is that?”
I handed her the papers for the three listings. She took them and looked over them. Her eyes slid back up to me, and one eyebrow lifted. There was something about that look. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but that simple little quirked eyebrow combined with her crisp white chef’s jacket seriously got to me. My jeans got a little tighter, and I had to fight to control myself.
This woman was definitely it for me. I never thought anybody would be able to affect me so much, and she did it effortlessly with just the simplest of moves.
“Houses?” she asked. “This is what you wanted to show me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I asked Gus for some advice about good realtors, and he gave me the contact information for one. He found these listings for us, and they had everything I told him I was looking for.”
“And that is?”
It was almost as if she was so hopeful, she didn’t want to really accept what I was saying for fear of disappointment. I was going to need to be up-front and straightforward with her so she could understand I was building our future.
“The apartment was good for me. It was even good for us. But maybe it’s not so great for when the baby makes three,” I said. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I saw Lindsey go completely still beside her.
“Are we talking about this now?” Lindsey asked cautiously, keeping her voice low.
Maya met my eyes again, tilting her head just slightly toward me to ask me to make the decision. I nodded.
“Yeah, we’re talking about this,” Maya said.
Lindsey let out a shout of excitement and threw her arms around Maya. All I could do was laugh.
37
Maya
Lindsey held me tightly and jumped up and down as she laughed and cheered. I looked over her shoulder at Greg and rolled my eyes at him. He shrugged, trying to look innocent. I couldn’t believe he just blurted it out like that. It wasn’t like nobody in the world knew. Ashley knew, and I had a feeling Greg had told somebody. But we hadn’t talked about making an announcement yet. I was still very early on in my pregnancy and hadn’t decided yet how or when to tell everybody in my life.
It was not so much something for me to think about anymore. From the way Lindsey reacted, it occurred to me that Greg had already told her. I didn’t know when or why, but he had spilled the news already. She had done admirably well not telling everybody in creation. But now that it was out in the open, the news was fair game.
That was why it didn’t surprise me in the least when she immediately whipped out her phone to call Vince. While she talked to him, I leaned against the bar toward Greg. He tried to avoid my stare but finally looked at me.
“So, when did you tell Lindsey?” I asked.
“Um,” he said, “maybe when I called to talk about Ashley and the apartment?”
The tone in his voice was funny, and I laughed, shaking my head. “Can’t keep a secret at all, can you? I managed to keep it in for two whole weeks.”
I gave him a mischievous smile, and he grinned back, nodding.
“Making fun of yourself and the misunderstanding that nearly ended our relationship. Nice.”
“Too soon?” I asked.
Greg shook his head. “Not at all. You are ridiculous, and I love you.”
He pushed down on the bar to lean over and kiss me.
I had to go back into the kitchen to work, but it seemed like only a few moments later when Lindsey called me out to the bar again. I walked out and saw what seemed like the entire Freeman crew gathered around Greg.
The boys were all patting him on the shoulder and giving him slap-on-the-back-hugs while the women were smiling and whispering to each other. They all cheered as soon as they saw me. I laughed, getting that overwhelmed feeling again that I got the first time I spent time with them. But it was still a good feeling.
I walked out from behind the bar and immediately into a cloud of hugs and kisses on my cheek. They were coming at me so fast and continuously I could barely process who I was interacting with at any given point. All I knew was I heard women’s voices telling me they were so excited to talk to me all about my pregnancy and for our babies to grow up together and the men telling me how happy they were to have me part of the family. When I got to Minnie, she held me close in a warm, maternal hug that brought tears to my eyes.
“Welcome to the family, honey,” she murmured. As I stepped away from her, she slipped an envelope into my hand. I didn’t have the time to open it right at that moment, and she didn’t seem to care whether I did. I slipped it into my pocket, wanting to look at it when I was alone.
I tried to make my way through the crowd to get to Greg, but by the time I got to the stool where he had been sitting just moments before when I was standing behind the bar, it was empty. I looked around, and Lindsey leaned toward me.
“Darren and Colby snagged him for a game of pool,” she said. “If it’s like any of the epic showdowns they usually have, it’ll probably be a while.”
I laughed. “Well, they’ve already met her, so it’s not a big deal. But I think this would be the perfect opportunity for everybody to meet Ashley.”
“That’s a great idea,” Lindsey said. “Why don’t you go get her from the kitchen?”
I went into the kitchen and found Ashley scraping plates into the trash can to hand to the dishwasher. She was already working extremely hard and was very popular among the customers. I could tell she was going to do really well here.
The best part about it, though, was that she looked happy. She seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere and the job itself. It would be months before her pregnancy progressed to a point where she would have to stop working, and I was confident Lindsey would make sure there was something available for her when that time came.
It was good to see her having fun and feeling good about herself while she worked. She looked up at me and smiled when I came into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s all that commotion going on out there?”
“Actually, that’s why I came in here,” I said. “Why don’t you come out there with me?”
She looked at me strangely. “Why? Is there a table who needs me?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “Come on. I have some people I want you to meet.”
She set the dishes down and wiped her hands, nodding. She had only been in town for a little while, but she was already looking healthier and stronger. She was wearing long sleeves to cover up the bruises, but they were starting to fade, and soon she would have no more trace of Marshall’s violence visible.
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