The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set

by Carly Phillips

  The subject was an easy one for Hailey to talk about, and she answered every question that Kristen asked, and there were plenty. Her career was an endless source of fascination to a lot of people, and Hailey was used to their curiosity.

  Kristen took a moment to sip her lemonade, and Grace took that as her opportunity to jump into the conversation, asking Hailey where she’d grown up and about her family. She told them everything that Max knew about her past, her parents’ deaths, and being raised by her aunt and uncle. She knew they were curious about her—and had every right to be considering they believed she was marrying Max. It wasn’t quite an interrogation, and neither did they ask their questions with suspicion, but she definitely felt as though she was in the hot seat.

  “Max mentioned that he’s helping out at an upcoming charity event for Mercy Home for Boys & Girls,” Grace said. “A carnival, I believe, yes?”

  Hailey nodded. “I’ve been involved with the charity for the past year or so through the agency and roped Max into helping, too. It’s next weekend, and I’m not sure which booth I’ll be working at, but if you’re free, it would be great to have you stop by and support the charity.” She glanced at Kristen. “And there’s plenty for the boys to do, too. Rides, games, food, and more.”

  Kristen smiled. “That sounds like a fun day.”

  “There are a group of us ladies who are always looking for a good cause to support,” Grace said from across the counter. “I’ll let them know about it, as well. Are donations accepted, too?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then I’ll make sure I bring a check with me.”

  An unexpected donation would make Maureen happy, Hailey knew.

  “So, I’m dying to know . . . have you and Max talked about a wedding date?” Grace asked unabashedly. “His father and I got married three months after we first met.”

  Hailey inhaled a deep breath as she settled her hands in her lap and absently twisted the ring on her finger to stave off her anxiety. It was so much easier to talk about her matchmaking business, and even her family situation, instead of addressing the future with Max. Hailey smiled at Grace as her reply came to mind.

  “No date set yet,” she answered honestly. “Everything has happened so fast between Max and me, and now that we’re engaged, we just want to slow down and enjoy each other for a while.”

  “Well, you can certainly do that while being married, too,” Grace suggested oh-so-helpfully.

  “Mom, give poor Hailey a break,” Kristen said, exasperated. “It’ll happen when they’re ready. Just be happy that Max is finally getting married. We all thought he’d be a bachelor for the rest of his life.”

  Kristen’s comment was laced with amusement, but Hailey realized that what she’d just disclosed matched exactly what Max had said to her the day they’d had lunch together, when he’d told her about Addison. What my mother doesn’t understand, no matter how many times I’ve tried to tell her, is that I’m perfectly content with my life and being a bachelor.

  She’d known that about Max. While this fake engagement was fun and flirty for the time that they were together, and he was great at playing the loving fiancé in front of his family and when it mattered, his sister’s remark solidified what Hailey already knew—that no matter what happened between them over the next few weeks, Max would never really be hers. Bachelor comment aside, did she really have what it took to keep a man like Max interested beyond a fun, flirty affair?

  The pit in her stomach also revealed that she’d secretly been harboring hope things between them might . . . last. Thank goodness his sister had set her straight on that account, reminding her exactly where things stood between her and Max. No more lying to herself, even if she hadn’t realized she’d been doing it.

  “I never believed Max would be a bachelor for the rest of his life,” Grace said, contradicting Kristen’s statement. “I know he said it, but I also knew it was just a matter of him finding the right girl to change his mind.”

  Hailey hated the uneasy sensation settling over her. She was also starting to feel a bit antsy and in need of fresh air but wasn’t sure how to gracefully excuse herself from the conversation. She certainly didn’t want to be rude or offend Grace or Kristen, but stepping outdoors and being in a wide-open space instead of feeling confined in the kitchen was starting to sound really good at the moment.

  As if Max had telepathic powers and knew she’d reached her limit for now and needed a break, he walked into the kitchen, triggering a sense of relief in Hailey.

  “Guests are starting to arrive, ladies,” he announced. He came up to Hailey and slid a hand up her back and beneath her hair in an intimate caress, until his fingers were touching the nape of her neck. “You’ve had your time with Hailey, and now I’m here to steal away my fiancée.”

  Grace beamed at her son. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for the two of you.”

  “I know, Mom,” he said, his tone wry. Folding Hailey’s hand in his, he brought the backs of her fingers to his lips. “We’re happy, too.”

  Oh, boy, was he pouring it on thick. As Max stared into her eyes in the pretense of being a love-struck fool, she was certain he could see the amusement glimmering in the depths of her gaze, and his own mouth quirked in an equally playful smile.

  Keeping her close to his side, he escorted her outside at the back of the house, which was just as astounding as everything else on this property. The patio was enormous, with tables and chairs set up for dozens of guests and an area to use as a dance floor if anyone wanted to take advantage of the music the DJ was playing. Off to the side was a fire pit, and down a pathway was a pool with a waterfall.

  As people started arriving, Max shook hands with family friends and introduced her, as well. While everyone was nice and amicable, Hailey couldn’t deny that she felt a bit out of place. There was no refuting the guests were all wealthy based on their designer clothing, the jewelry they wore, and that certain air about them that just spoke of upper class. Max’s mom also proudly announced Hailey as Max’s fiancée, and she did her best to accept everyone’s congratulations with poise and grace.

  As Max drew her away from an older couple they’d just met and Hailey thought she’d finally have a moment to breathe without the pressure of being the center of attention, he gave her hand a squeeze and bent his head so his mouth was closer to her ear and no one else could hear what he had to say.

  “I know you’re probably tired of meeting new people, and I hate to do this to you, but Addison and her parents are right over there, and we might as well get the greetings over with.”

  She nodded in understanding, and sliding her hand into the crook of his arm, she let Max lead her toward Addison and her parents. The gorgeous young woman was already eyeing Hailey critically. . . and no doubt finding her lacking in comparison to herself. Truth be told, Addison was everything that Hailey wasn’t—slender, refined, and sophisticated. The other woman was certainly intimidating, and most of all, Addison fit in with this wealthy crowd like the socialite she was.

  Hailey’s stupid insecurities tried to claw their way to the surface, and she reminded herself that Max had never, ever made her feel less than beautiful, and she was the one currently on his arm, not Addison. And it was that thought that gave her the fortitude to put on a smile and greet the other woman with decorum and confidence.

  Chapter Nine

  “Max, it’s nice to see you.” Addison’s mother, Priscilla Brooks was the first to greet him, the pleasant tone of her voice contradicting the judgmental look on her face.

  Like mother, like daughter, Max thought, but refused to give either of them the satisfaction of making this any more awkward for himself or Hailey.

  “It’s nice to see you as well, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks and Addison,” he said, addressing the trio like the polite gentleman his mother had raised him to be, no matter the circumstance. “This is my fiancée, Hailey Ellison.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hailey said graciously
, and offered her hand to Priscilla, then Addison, both of whom tentatively responded with a limp, weak handshake, as if being forced to touch something distasteful.

  A tight, fake smile pulled up the corners of Priscilla’s lips. “I truly thought your mother was joking when she told me that you’d gotten engaged,” she said, the underlying censure in her voice coming through loud and clear. “It was only a short while ago that you were in a relationship with Addison.”

  Oh, yeah, shots were being fired. He’d gone out with Addison a total of three times, two of which had been forced upon him by his good-intentioned mother. Hardly a relationship by Max’s standards, but he wasn’t about to argue the point. Neither was he about to call out Addison for her stalker-ish behavior over the past five weeks or the passive-aggressive texts she’d sent him in her attempts to change his mind about her. Priscilla was friendly with his mother, and her husband was one of Max’s father’s biggest clients. There was no way he was going to say or do anything that reflected badly on him. It just wasn’t his style.

  Before he could reply to Priscilla’s comment, Mr. Brooks cleared his throat, seemingly uncomfortable with his wife’s dig, as well. “I think I’m going to head to the bar for a drink. Care to join me, Max?”

  He felt Hailey stiffen beside him at the thought of being left alone with these two women, which wasn’t something Max would ever deliberately do. Ever so gently, he skimmed his thumb over the back of the hand still holding on to his arm in a calm, soothing gesture and shook his head at Mr. Brooks. “No, thank you, sir. I’m good.”

  Priscilla’s husband was quick to take his leave, and for some reason, with him gone, the tension between the four of them grew thicker. Max was just about to excuse himself and Hailey, but before he could say anything, Addison spoke.

  “I have to say, Max, from what I’ve heard, I thought you had a type,” Addison said, as if Hailey weren’t even there. “You definitely surprised us with your new fiancée. She’s not quite what we . . . expected.”

  Max clenched his jaw. Addison’s words weren’t a direct insult, but he knew that had been her intention, and he found her comment offensive. No, Hailey didn’t look like the slender women he usually dated, but then again, he’d never deliberately dated a woman solely based on her size. He fucking hated that Addison was shallow enough to judge Hailey without knowing her and find gratification in tearing down another woman’s self-esteem.

  Any other time, any other place, and he would have had some choice words of his own to say to Addison. But his father’s sixtieth birthday party, around a few dozen influential guests, was not the place to engage in a confrontation. He couldn’t imagine what his mother had seen in Addison to believe that she’d be someone he’d ever be interested in. On the other hand, his kindhearted mother was the type to believe the best of everyone, and obviously somewhere along the way, Addison had portrayed herself much differently than the woman standing in front of him now.

  “Actually, Addison, just so we’re clear, I never really had a type,” he said, addressing her rude remark in the politest way possible. “But Hailey is, hands down, everything I could ever want in a woman and a fiancée, so I have to consider myself damn lucky that I met her.” Which was Max’s way of letting Addison know she hadn’t been the right female for him. Just as he’d been trying to tell her for the last who knew how long.

  The spiteful look in Addison’s eyes as she looked from Hailey to him made his blood boil. And Priscilla was just as bad as she looked down her nose at Hailey just as disdainfully. He wasn’t about to spend another minute subjecting one of the kindest, sweetest women he knew to this bitch and her snooty mother.

  He exhaled a calming breath and kept his tone neutral. “I hope you both enjoy your evening,” he said, and led Hailey far away from the duo.

  “Jesus Christ, I need a drink,” he muttered irritably. He headed for the bar as he glanced at Hailey, unable to imagine how difficult that encounter had been for her. “I’m so sorry about that. About them. Are you all right?”

  “Max, I’m fine. Really,” she assured him with a brittle smile that told him she’d been affected by the hurtful things Addison had said. “You warned me what she was like, and I’ve dealt with plenty of judgmental people. Hopefully, after today you won’t have to put up with her any longer. Let’s just try and enjoy your father’s party, okay?”

  God, he felt like shit. And here she was, thoughtful and caring about his parents’ party. After what had just happened, after she’d been a direct target of Addison’s and her mother’s nasty comments, she was more concerned about him than herself.

  Abruptly, he stopped walking, and not giving a damn who was watching, he brought his hands up to Hailey’s face. Her eyes grew wide in startled surprise, and he didn’t hesitate to touch his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. An affectionate yet intimate kiss that hopefully told her how rare and special she was. He felt her sigh against his mouth, felt her body relax as she tentatively placed her own hands on his waist.

  “Ahhh, to be young and in love,” he heard his mother say dreamily from somewhere nearby, which made Max grin against Hailey’s mouth before he lifted his head and ended the kiss.

  “Yes, it’s awesome to be in love,” he said in response to his mother’s comment, playing the part of devoted fiancé.

  But as he said the words and stared into Hailey’s warm blue eyes, his heart felt as though it had expanded in his chest. No, he wasn’t in love with Hailey, but he knew without a doubt he was quickly heading in that direction, and he was oddly okay with that because it felt right. She felt right.

  “There’s someone I want Hailey to meet,” Grace said, interrupting the thoughts in Max’s head. For now, anyway, because that realization he’d just come to was definitely worth revisiting later.

  Grace led them to an older couple. The man was one of Max’s father’s oldest friends. Introductions were made, along with congratulations on their engagement. From there, the next few hours passed quickly as he and Hailey mingled with friends and family, though it irritated the hell out of Max the numerous times he’d caught Addison watching them from a distance. A bit too obsessively if you asked him. He knew that Hailey had seen her watching, too, which made him feel even more protective of her—and determined not to give Addison any opportunity to be alone with Hailey at any point of the evening.

  A delicious barbeque dinner was served buffet-style with ribs and chicken and an assortment of side dishes. While he’d piled his plate high, he noticed that Hailey was more moderate in her selections, which he understood better now that she’d explained her struggle with her weight. Considering her childhood, he could only guess that she had a love-hate relationship with food and tried to be conscious about what she ate, but he never wanted her to feel like a number on a scale mattered to him. She was healthy and curvy and sexy as hell, and he liked her just the way she was.

  The afternoon turned to dusk, and as the sun went down, the twinkling lights stringing across the lattice patio came on. The guests enjoyed the great playlist of music the DJ had put together, and Max even managed to coax Hailey out on the dance floor a few times, enjoying the way she smiled and laughed as he and his brother entertained everyone with a break-dance routine they’d choreographed when they were teenagers and shockingly still remembered.

  When that was over and the next fast-paced song began, Max’s father grabbed Hailey’s hand, spun her around, and proceeded to dance with her—giving Hailey his stamp of approval in his own quiet, unique way. And again, Addison watched them from the sidelines, drinking glass after glass of champagne and looking more and more jealous and resentful as the night went on.

  The two-tiered birthday cake was brought out and placed at a dessert table that was already overflowing with an array of cookies, candies, tarts, and a tray of sliced fruits to dip into the chocolate fountain. His father blew out the six and zero candles on top of the cake, and the caterers began slicing and plating the dessert for everyone.

/>   “Let’s go get a piece of cake,” Max said as he led Hailey off the dance floor, loving the effervescent sparkle in her eyes and the flush on her cheeks. “My mother told me it was red velvet with cream cheese filling, which is not only my dad’s favorite but mine, too.”

  She grinned at him. “I think I burned enough extra calories to enjoy a slice of cake, and maybe even a few pieces of fruit dipped in chocolate.”

  Even if she hadn’t, he wanted her to enjoy every aspect of the evening, and he would have insisted she indulge. They started toward the dessert table, but a family friend stopped Max on the way, wanting to talk real estate and the current market. He didn’t want to be rude and brush the guy off, and he must have looked torn, because Hailey gave his hand a squeeze and said, “You two talk. I’ll go grab a few pieces of cake and meet you back at our table.”

  He watched Hailey walk away, and while he answered all of Joe Kershaw’s questions, Max managed to keep her in his line of sight. At the dessert table, his mother and sister stopped to talk to her, and she laughed at something they said before picking up two slices of cake, then moving over to the chocolate fountain, where she added a few pieces of drenched fruit on both of their plates.

  As Joe went on about his interest in investment properties, Hailey headed toward the table where they’d eaten dinner, a happy smile on her face, until Addison stepped right in front of her, a little unsteady on her feet—most likely from too much alcohol—and brought Hailey to a sudden stop.

  He couldn’t see Addison’s face, but as she spoke to Hailey, her entire body stiffened and her expression gradually changed—from cheerful to wary to pained. Hailey flinched, as though whatever words Addison had spoken were the equivalent to a physical blow, and every protective instinct Max possessed surged through him in an adrenaline rush of anger.

  Max quickly excused himself from the discussion with Joe, telling the other man to give him a call at the office and they could talk more in depth about his interests in a more focused setting, then strode toward Hailey. Before he could reach the two women, Addison walked away, leaving Hailey standing there in shock, her complexion pale and her features reflecting her distress.