by Sammi Franks
“It is. We must go.” Max nodded adamantly. “Next school vacation. We pack up Penelope and go.”
“I already promised her Disney. I’m making payments and everything. I can’t waste that money.” I frowned. “I don’t have the kind of life where I can be frivolous.”
“Then we’ll make the Maldives our honeymoon. Just say when.” His arm slid between me and the seat as he wrapped it around my waist.
“We’re on our first date, and you’re talking marriage.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re impossible.”
“In my defense, I was talking marriage before this.” Max laughed.
I studied him a moment. There was something in his eyes. “I can’t play at this, Max. If I get married again, I need to know this time it’s forever. I need to be sure that Penelope and I will both be happy. I’m no Liz Taylor.”
“I know,” he murmured as he pressed his forehead against my temple. “This is one of the things I like most about you.” He was quiet a moment before continuing. “See, my father didn’t take marriage nearly as seriously as he took his pre-nups. So, while he protected his money, he didn’t think a thing at all about his kids. It was always about the next pretty, shiny new toy with him. Oh, and the toys were his young wives.” He looked at me pointedly.
“I picked right up on that, thanks.” I reached up and caressed his cheek with the back of my hand. “So, why me? You could have any woman in the world. Is this a pity marriage? Is this a business move? I don’t get it.”
The limo stopped before Max could respond. “I’ll tell you in the restaurant,” he whispered as the door opened. He stepped out and offered me his hand.
When I took it, I felt calm and comfortable in a way I’d only dreamed. I glanced at our hands and realized he was staring too. While we walked, I tried to understand what was happening between us.
Once inside, we were quickly brought to the private dining room where we were seated and the doors closed behind us. My eyes widened. Max grinned. “I thought we could use some alone time.”
I hid behind the menu. Soon, Max had placed our order for wine and food and after they collected the menus, I was left to feel exposed. I didn’t know what to say, but apparently, he did.
“You’re real. You’re feisty. You’re sophisticated, elegant, and understated.” He reached out and laid his hand on mine. “You’re intelligent, trustworthy, and direct.” Max stared into my eyes. “These are all characteristics I admire. I might not know you, but that should be half the fun of marriage, getting to know you better, understand you, and growing closer with each passing day.”
I was mesmerized by his words and his touch. Shocked silent by his openness.
“I’ve dated many women. And I told you I’ve never wanted to marry before. It wasn’t a lie or an exaggeration.” He shook his head sadly. “I tried to feel for these other women. There were many my father approved of, even more that he didn’t. I had to have him weigh in because I didn’t trust myself, didn’t know what I wanted. Yet in you, I’ve seen everything I ever needed and more. Does any of this make sense?”
I swallowed hard. “It does.”
“I believe we could have an amazing marriage and a true partnership in every respect. This is what I always wanted, but never thought I could have.” Max eyed me quietly as the waiter returned with our wine, never breaking our gaze. And when the man finally departed, he raised his glass for us to toast. “Let’s drink to our happiness and the future. Will you give us a chance?”
My cheeks flushed as I nodded. “Yes,” I murmured.
Our first course soon arrived and we enjoyed the meal with pleasant dinner conversation. Thanks to the delicious food and help from the alcohol soothing my nerves, my face actually hurt from smiling. How long had it been since I’d done that?
“We have one more stop before we return to the yacht,” Max announced quietly while signing the credit card receipt.
“Where are we going?” I asked, feeling far less anxious than I had earlier in the evening.
“It’s a surprise.” He stood and walked around the table to come pull out my seat.
“I can work with that.” I sighed happily. “You know, this wasn’t so bad.”
Max groaned. “I suppose I can work with that,” he jokingly repeated “Now we’ll see how you feel in an hour.” He winked as he laid a hand on my lower back and walked me out of the restaurant.
As we rode in the car, Max held my hand and studied my fingers. “I need for you to understand how serious I am about marrying you,” he murmured as he brought my knuckles to his lips for a kiss. “I need you to see the kind of life we could have together.”
“Oh, how’s that?” I asked calmly as I rested my head against his shoulder.
“Well, for one, if you wanted, you could stop what you’re doing.”
“I love my work. I could never quit.” I sat up and shook my head. “I need the security of having my own money.” I could feel my heart racing in fear.
“Could I finish, please?” Max sighed. When I nodded, he completed his thought. “I meant you could stop the long hours, the worrying about sales. You could be strictly my realtor. Your hours would be less. Your commission would probably be more. You could still be earning, but you’d be able to be there for Penelope more. That is everything you’d need to ensure you keep custody.”
“And forgive me for my pessimism, but if this goes south, then what happens? I could actually be worse off than I am now,” I reminded him.
“My lawyer can draw up paperwork protecting you, if this eases your concerns.” He nodded seriously. “Or you can use your lawyer, whatever eases your fears.”
I inhaled deeply. “That would make me more comfortable.”
When the car stopped, I realized we’d parked beside a curb and Max was stepping out of the vehicle. Again, he held a hand out to me. And when I finally emerged, I realized we were standing in front of a jewelry store.
“Why are we here?” I began shaking slightly, a combination of fear and excitement. “It’s closed.”
“Is it?” Max smiled as he made a call on his phone. Soon, all the lights came on and the door opened to us. “Come with me. Let’s take one more step toward our future.”
19
Max
* * *
After we bought the ring Victoria picked out – a three carat diamond cushion cut with a diamond-encrusted platinum band - we swung by the bookstore where Bodhi was entertaining Penelope. If we hadn’t already decided he would open his own bar on the boardwalk of Westport, he would have made an excellent babysitter. Or a manny. Maybe he would meet an older woman with a child who would whip him into shape.
Maybe I wanted everyone to feel a fraction of the happiness I felt with Victoria, but first, we needed to include Penelope and get her approval. We wandered into the store and found them in the children’s section. Penelope lit up when she saw her mother. My hands closed nervously around the velvet jewelry box. I was more nervous about this than I’d been of her mother rebuffing me.
“We have something we want to talk to you about,” Tori began quietly as she sat at the low table where Bodhi and Penelope had been waiting. She glanced up at me and I took that as my cue to sit.
My brother moved over a seat so I could sit beside Tori. I felt ridiculous with my knees halfway up my chest. My palms sweat as I waited for some signal it was my turn to speak. Tori and I had practiced this in the car. That didn’t mean I still couldn’t mess it up.
“What’s that on your hand?” Penelope asked pointing.
Her mother covered it nervously and glanced over her shoulder at me for help.
“Are you getting married?” The little girl’s brow furrowed. I watched as Tori turned six shades of pink. Then Penelope looked at me. “So, you want to marry my mom, huh?”
I nodded. “Yes, tater tot. I’ve grown very fond of her. And you.”
The girl frowned. “Do you love her though? If mom is gonna get married, I want the guy to love her.
”
I cleared my throat. “This was pretty sudden, but I believe I do. And these feelings will only grow stronger with time.” I tugged at my collar. “This marriage isn’t just about love. It’s about you too.”
“Me?” Penelope made a face.
“Yes, we want you to be safe and happy. We want you to have a good life. And more than anything, I want to share my life with you and your mother.” I inhaled deeply while I pulled out the box and opened it. “I bought your mom a ring, but I want you to know you’re part of this marriage and family too. So, I’d like to give you this heart necklace as a symbol of the love I have for you and your mother.” My hands shook slightly as I pulled it out of the box and held it out to her.
Penelope looked at her mother. “She looks pretty happy. Mom hasn’t been happy for a long time. Did you do that?”
I laughed. “I’d like to think I had something to do with it.”
“Then I just have one more question.” She reached for the necklace. I handed it over and watched her examine it.
“What’s your question, tater tot?” I swallowed nervously. This kid was putting me through the wringer.
“Can you help me put this on?” Penelope smiled at me.
My brows rose. “Is that the question?”
She nodded. “Yes. I need help.”
“Well, I’m happy to help you, tater tot.” Then she turned around and I worked the clasp on the necklace while her mother watched, her eyes filled with tears.
Half an hour later, Victoria boarded the yacht with Penelope. They asked for a couple of hours of girl time which probably meant Victoria and her daughter were having a private conversation about what our marriage would mean. I hoped Penelope was okay with it. I had never cared what anyone thought of me before, but for some reason, I deeply cared what the little tater tot thought. And it didn’t have anything to do with her mother. I cared about Penelope in her own right.
As the yacht sped toward Westport, I stood at the bow of the ship, my hands tucked awkwardly in my pockets, staring out at the sea. I had never felt content this way before. I’d never been happy just for happiness’ sake. It felt good. The change in my attitude felt like it had shaved ten years from me.
“You look different,” Bodhi murmured, coming up behind me to stand by my side. “It’s weird. I think I miss that stress wrinkle between your eyebrows.” He paused. “You and Victoria...”
“I know,” I murmured with a nonchalant shrug. “The whole marriage thing.”
Bodhi wrinkled his brow, nodding his head. “That’s the one thing you and I had in common,” he noted. “Our inability to commit to women.”
“Who knows, Bodhi?” I wore a small smile on my face as I turned to look at him. “You might find your own woman you eventually commit to.”
“I’m just starting to wrap my head around running a bar,” Bodhi said. “Baby steps, bro. Although, I will admit I like kids. Which I didn’t expect.”
I snickered. “Why not? You’re practically a kid yourself.” I teased.
He snorted, a smile on his face.
We were silent for a moment, listening to the waves slapping against the boat and taking in the beauty of the ocean.
“I get it now,” I said finally. Bodhi turned and stared at me with a curious expression on his face. “The whole ‘being spontaneous’ thing. I literally proposed to someone I barely know because I wanted to. It’s something you would do. Maybe now we can have that in common.”
“Besides the whole marriage part, yeah.” He nodded. “And I get the whole having roots. Westport is quiet, it’s beautiful, it doesn’t buy into the Seattle money and business bullshit. I don’t want to have to worry about what anyone thinks of me, of what Dad thinks of me. At least running this bar is for me. Granted, you bought the bar, but besides that, the business end is on me. I don’t have to be under his thumb, worry about failing to meet his high expectations.”
I chuckled. “Right. Now you’ll have to meet mine.”
“This is true.” He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Still, it’ll be nice to not have to run away from something.” He glanced over at me. “So, when’s the big day, and are you allowed to have a bachelor party? As your best man, I thought…”
“Oh, this is awkward.” I gripped the back of my neck and shot him a look. “Penelope is actually my best man. You’ve been given the honor of flower girl.”
Bodhi nodded as if this didn’t surprise him at all. “Then I’ll be the best damn flower girl you have ever seen,” he said.
I laughed. “For the record, I called our sister. Isla will be here in a few weeks,” I told him. “She’s going to help Tori coordinate things for the wedding. I figure it will give her something to do.”
This brought a genuine smile to Bodhi’s face. We both loved our little sister. Granted, she was only two minutes and twenty-seven seconds younger than Bodhi, but he never let her forget it. I couldn’t remember the last time when all of us were together like this.
“So,” Bodhi began slowly. “Since you’re getting married and you’re overseeing the building of the bar, do you plan on moving down here? At least, temporarily?”
I rubbed my lips together, feeling light ocean spray hitting my face. It was so nice to just relax and not worry about mergers and acquisitions, stock, marketing. It was nice to not worry about anything. “Yeah,” I nodded. “I still haven’t talked to Dad about this. He won’t be happy obviously, but I can still work from here. He’ll just have to deal with it.”
“Dad isn’t happy about anything,” Bodhi grumbled. “Why do you think I don’t stick around? I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.”
I nodded. “I just thought in order to be successful, I needed to work hard and not worry about being happy, because happiness could be snatched away at any point,” I murmured. “But being here with you, being with Tori, I realize that isn’t true.”
“Glad you’re finally figuring it out. So, where are we going now?” Bodhi asked.
I smirked. “Home.”
20
Victoria
* * *
It was nearly sunrise when we reached the outskirts of Westport. Max and I were wrapped up under a blanket in a loveseat on deck, watching the glowing orb rise up over the horizon. I’d had my head leaning against his shoulder, but as we neared my dream house, I had to sit up and take it in. Owning it seemed like an actual possibility these days. Then, my face fell and I clapped a hand over my mouth and leapt from the seat so I could get a closer look. Sadly, nothing changed. My eyes hadn’t deceived me.
“Tori, what’s wrong?” Max frowned at me as he glanced around.
“My house.” I sniffled. “Okay, it wasn’t my house, but I’d come to think of it as my house. And it seemed like we were destined to be together. Then, I go away for one weekend and it’s sells. See that angry red sign over it?” I stumbled back to his side, blinded by tears.
Max reached up and helped me find my way, tucking me against his side and wrapping the blanket around me. “The sold sign?” His brow furrowed.
I nodded sadly. “Yes.” My voice came out a whisper.
“Babe, don’t be sad,” he began quietly.
“How can you say that? The house has been my dream for the last ten years. When have you ever had to want something more than ten minutes and not get it, let alone ten whole years?” I grumbled.
His mouth hung open for a moment, then he shook his head. “Tori, it’s sold because I bought it for you.” Max stared into my eyes and willed me to calm down.
“You did what?” My eyes widened. I couldn’t be hearing him right. “I don’t know why I’m struggling with this. After all, I watched you buy three condos in Seattle, but…no one has ever been this good to me.” My head hung and my cheeks burned in shame.
“Get used to it, babe. I plan to spoil you and Penelope. And any other children we may have.” He bit his lips, but I could feel the question hanging in the air between us.
/> “You make me want to start on the other children right now,” I murmured.
He laughed and held me closer.
My hand slid over his thigh and then rested on the growing bulge. I waggled my brows at him.
“Oh, wow. You’re serious.” He inhaled sharply.
“I am.” I giggled. “Is it about the time?” I eyed him curiously. “Because it has been a really long time since I’ve done this so I’ll be quick. Or is it about the privacy because I’m pretty sure we could have Bodhi entertain Penelope, if that’s what you’re worried about.” His mouth hung open, but he said nothing. I was starting to feel stupid, and moved away. “Okay, maybe you don’t think of me like that yet. I get it. No worries.” I stared out over the water and tried to hide my emotions, which were swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other with alarming speed.
Max reached out and turned me to face him. “Tori, I’m wildly attracted you or I never would’ve suggested we marry. I’m not that good a guy,” he admitted.
I laughed. “You are. I’ve known you a little more than a week and you’ve saved my life by buying no fewer than five properties from me, one for me, and offered to marry me to save Penelope.”
He shook his head. “I hate to disappoint you, Tori, but I wouldn’t have done any of that if I didn’t want to get you into bed. From the moment I saw you, I was drawn to your fiery personality and your beauty.”
My cheeks burned. “Then what?”
He slowly began to explain. “I thought we were going to wait until we were married. It’s the right thing to do with Penelope…”
“Uh-huh. You’re right, and wrong. I’m not some virgin and this isn’t the sixteenth century. Having hot, animalistic sex with the man I’m about to marry isn’t even really a sin anymore.” I took his hand and tugged him to standing.
“Dear God. I’m going to crumble under the pressure,” Max joked.
