by Rachel Angel
“Quite an adjustment,” Mom said. “Especially for you.”
“Yup,” I nodded. “I’ve never had siblings before, and I’ve never lived with anyone other than you, Mom.”
“Sorry about that,” Mom said.
“So, how did you meet Terrence Triton,” I asked.
“Can you believe…through Betty Bradshaw?”
Chapter 5
Max
“Mom,” I said, sitting to lunch with my mother in our dining room. It was a rare occasion when Mom was in town and at the Bradshaw Mansion.
Even rarer when she would stay long enough to sit down to have lunch together with me. Although I was already dressed and ready to go to the Triton Mansion to get Haven so we could talk…and I could get Megan’s purse back, I had to sit down to have lunch with Mom.
“Max,” Mom said, giving me most of the steak on her plate. “Eat up. You’re still growing.”
I took a bite of the filet mignon and said, “Oh, this is delicious.”
Mom said, “It should be, after how much I pay the chef. You know,” she said. “You’re supposed to bring lunch to school in one of those bento boxes. I like how well-proportioned it keeps the meal, but you don’t eat the lunches the chef prepares for you. Why?”
“I eat lunch like everyone else at school,” I said. “I like getting in line for the food, and paying for it like everyone else.”
“I also see how it could be because you’re seeing Haven Hillshire-Triton,” Mom said. “You’re getting in line for lunch with her and eating lunch together.”
“I want to date her,” I said. “She’s everything I want in a girlfriend, Mom,” I said.
Mom pursed her lips. “Not yet,” she said.
“Not yet, what, Mom?” I asked.
“You can’t have her yet,” Mom said.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Because Haven hasn’t come into her inheritance yet.”
“I know the Hillshires were a powerful and wealthy family in England,” I said, “But what does it have to do with me having to wait for Haven to inherit?”
“Because, Max, my dear son,” she said, “If you knew how our partnership with the Tritons was really like, and how volatile our companies have been in the last few years, you would be careful how you approach Haven.”
“Like Megan?” I said bitterly.
“Don’t even mention her name in my presence,” Mom said. “She’s dead to me.”
“Well, that she is,” I said, almost amused by the pun.
“She almost ruined everything!”
“Unbelievable!” I joined in.
“Now that she’s gone,” Mom said. “I need you to step up into her place. From now on, you will be helping me run Bradshaw Industries. You will also get to know the other subsidiaries we have around the world. Megan had the stupidity to try to auction off Haven like some idiot, not really knowing the full worth of a girl like Haven. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!”
“And she thought she was so brilliant,” I said.
“She was brilliant in getting Haven and her mother to come out to Heartbreak Falls,” Mom said.
“I concede that was brilliant,” I said. Anything to get Haven here would be brilliant, and something I would fully support.
“She was getting too extreme and uncontrollable, though,” Mom said.
“Yes,” I said, finishing off my plate.
Mom gave me the rest of her steak and lobster tail. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around so much when you were growing up. When your father died, all of a sudden, I had to take over his work, his family legacy, and everything else he had going on. I was happy just raising you and staying home with you. Thank God for Rose Triton, who helped me raise you. What that husband of hers put her through, though…I will never forgive Terrence…”
“Mom,” I said, “What happened? Why is Terrence so distant and cold to me?”
“It’s a long story, and it has nothing to do with you, Max so I’m not going to burden you with it, but I wouldn’t trust him with you. I wouldn’t trust any of the Tritons.”
“Except Haven,” I said. “I can trust her.”
“I wouldn’t even dare you to trust her,” Mom said.
“But you want me to get together with her…”
“It’s a game you have to play when you’re in the big leagues with the Tritons, the Bradshaws, and the Hillshires,” Mom said. “You are cordial with everyone… even when you stab them in the back.”
Chapter 6
Tristan
“Shit,” Drake said, trying to zoom in closer to see the fingerprint that was on Megan’s purse. “It was smudged.”
“Not clear?” I asked. “Aren’t there any fingerprints inside the purse? Maybe they left prints when they looked through the purse?”
“I’ll try,” Drake said. “But whoever mailed it to Max knew how to clean up their trail pretty well.”
“Nothing was in the purse so they took what they wanted from inside and mailed back the purse to Max,” I said. “Why did they mail him the purse? Why didn’t they mail him Megan’s phone, too? Why mail me the phone?”
“I could only guess that Megan’s murderer wanted us to know that Megan was trying to use Haven to get at us, to bring down the Tritons.”
“So they’re on our side?” Drake asked.
“Could be or they could be someone who want us to believe they are so we would trust them,” I said. “Or they could be doing this to spur us into making a move that would fall into their plans.”
“What about Megan’s purse?” Drake asked. “If they are on our side, why would they mail the other crucial evidence to Max?”
“Like I said, they could be pretending to help us, but really be helping the Bradshaws. Maybe they found Megan’s purse and wanted the Bradshaws to keep it?”
“Or,” Drake said, pulling out his pocketknife and punctuating the lining of the purse. “There could be something hiding within the purse itself.” He pulled the lining out of the purse, and tipped the purse upside down.
A small object fell out onto the table set up like a lab in my lair, the hangar I had turned into my own private lab, complete with a silver trailer.
Drake picked up the small silver object shaped like a heart with his gloved hand and said, “It looks like some kind of flash drive.”
Chapter 7
Haven
So Mom already knew about Triton’s family tragedies. And she didn’t seem worried about it.
“Haven,” she said, “I have to get ready for a few television interviews tomorrow when I head into New York. I’m afraid I need to stay at the office all night to catch up. I’m so far behind because of the honeymoon.”
“Okay, Mom,” I said, “Can I get you anything for dinner?”
Mom smiled and walked over to her desk. “I can just order something from the café downstairs. Their food is amazing.”
“I know,” I said. “They’re so friendly too.”
“Oh you met Jenny?” Mom asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“She owns the place,” Mom said. “Inherited from her grandmother. She’s a little older than you.”
“In college?” I asked.
“Graduated from college and business school. Has an MBA.”
“Wow,” I said, “she looks so young.”
“Must be all that fresh air out where the farm is,” Mom said.
“Let’s visit her farm this weekend,” I said. “I want to spend time with you together, just the two of us, Mom!”
“How about you come with me to the tapings tomorrow?”
“Into New York?” I asked. “I’d love to, Mom!”
“It’s Saturday tomorrow, so you can, right? No plans?” Mom asked.
“Not that I know of,” I said.
“Good, we’ll have a Mother Daughter Day out in the city.”
“Yay!” I clapped. I missed my mother, and being without her these past weeks felt like an eternity.
My phon
e rang, and I looked down to see who texted me.
Dillon.
DILLON: Hey. We won!
HAVEN: Congrats!
DILLON: Celebrate with me?
HAVEN: What about your team and the cheerleaders?
DILLON: I’m not celebrating with them. When the cheerleaders’ around, it leads to something else. I’m a one-woman man now, and I only want that something else with you.
HAVEN: I’m touched.
DILLON: It’s true. Where are you? I’ll pick you up. I’ve got a surprise for you.
HAVEN: I’m downtown near the café and library. My mom’s new office is on top of the café.
DILLON: I’ll pick you up.
HAVEN: I have Mom’s car with me.
DILLON: Does your mother need the car?
I looked over at Mom. “Hey Mom, do you need the car?”
“Well, I have a new one…”
“What?” I asked. “When?”
“This morning. Terrence surprised me with a new car…an Audi convertible.”
“Nice,” I said. “That he’s spoiling you. You deserve it. Guess the SUV is mine then?”
“Of course, Honey,” Mom said, getting back to working on her computer.
HAVEN: The car is now mine.
DILLON: Then I’ll meet you at the library. We can go from there.
I turned to Mom and said, “I have to go.”
“Okay,” Mom said. “I’ll see you at home tonight.”
I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door, stopping to kiss Mom on her cheek on my way out.
“I’m so excited for Mommy Daughter Day,” I grinned. “And visiting my old haunts in New York!”
Chapter 8
Dillon
“Hey Haven,” I said, walking up to her sitting at a library table, reading. She was smiling blissfully like she was in heaven.
My God, she looked like an angel with her white blonde hair glowing against her face, her clear flawless skin almost ethereal. And her blue eyes sparkling like stars.
How did we get so lucky to have a girl like Haven fall into our laps?
“What are you reading?” I asked, slipping into the chair next to her.
“A book of fairy tales,” she smiled. “I’ve always wanted to read a picture book in a cozy library like this one.”
I playfully touched her perky nose and said, “I’m glad you can check it off your bucket list.”
“I love it in here,” Haven said, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. I wished I could cover her up in diamonds. It would match how exquisite she was.
“Do you want to stay here then?” I asked, just enjoying sitting next to her. Being with her alone without my brothers.
She shut the book she was reading and said, “It’s nice in here. So quiet, but I know you’d rather be somewhere else.”
“We can stay if you want to finish the book or you can take it with us…check it out.”
“I can?” Haven’s eyes lit up again. I couldn’t help smiling at her. She was so sweet, so innocent, yet so fucking sexy.
“Yes,” I got up and helped her out of her seat before leading her over to the library’s checkout counter. I was surprised I remembered how to check out a book, since the last time I did was when Mom was alive.
“Dillon Triton?” the old librarian said at the counter. “Haven’t seen you in years. My how you’ve grown. Tall and big. Like some kind of football hero.”
“Well, I do play football,” I said.
“I remembered you being about four or five with your brothers running around disturbing everyone in the library.”
“Well, that’s probably why we haven’t shown up in so long,” I joked. I looked at the nice old lady’s name tag and said, “Gladys.”
She giggled and blushed. “What I’ve give to be young again!” She looked at Haven and said, “Who is this ravishing beauty? Your sweetie?”
I smiled down at Haven, wanting to pull her closer to me to hold her. I wished she could be my sweetie. I wished I could openly hold her in my arms and kiss her all the time without caring what people thought of us.
“Wait,” Gladys said. “She’s Haven?”
Haven nodded, looking a bit shy, but wonderfully sweet. No wonder every granny, moms, teachers, and dads who sees Haven immediately want to take her under their wings.
“My, she’s so much prettier than I imagined. Finally, I get to meet our own Heartbreak Falls’ newest celebrity.”
Gladys pulled out her phone and leaned up against Haven and me to take a selfie.
I laughed along with Haven, who said, “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Me too,” I said.
Gladys laughed too and then said, “To prove to my grandkids I really did see you. Now let’s get down to business.” She eyed the book I was carrying and said, “Place it here,” and she handed Haven a form. “Fill this out. You’ll get a temporary library card today to check this out, but you will have a permanent one in the mail in a few days.”
Haven shoved me playfully and said, “Now I can read all the books in the world in here. I could spend weeks here.”
She quickly filled out the form and handed Gladys the form. Gladys scanned the book’s barcode and Haven’s temporary library card before handing her the book.
“Oh, that was fun!” Haven said, grabbing my arm to walk with me out of the library. “Now, what surprise do you want to show me?”
Man, I wanted to kiss her. “We’ll take my car?” I asked.
“Okay,” Haven said, walking to my blue Ferrari.
She slipped into the seat next to me as we drove off down Main Street and headed towards Heartbreak Falls High Academy. “It’s at school?” Haven asked.
“Close to school,” I said. I was so nervous about whether she’d liked it, I couldn’t even focus on the road.
“I can’t wait,” she said smiling that smile that lit up her whole face, that made everyone smile with her.
I pulled up to the new development walking distance away from the Academy. It was a nice luxury condo high-rise that had five pools, a game center, tennis courts, and modern amenities.
I parked the Ferrari into a reserved space and handed her the keys.
“What is this for?” Haven asked.
“Come with me, and you’ll see,” I said.
I grabbed my duffle bag out of the trunk of my car and hoisted her backpack onto my shoulder. Then I led the way into the elevators going up.
When we got out of the elevator, I led her over to a door and asked her to unlock it. “Baby,” I said, finally able to kiss her before she opened the door. “This is the surprise. I hope you like it.”
She unlocked the door, and screamed happily, “I love it!”
My heart couldn’t have thump against my chest any harder.
She walked into the room, pulling me in and said, “I knew you wanted to get your own private place near school, but I didn’t think you’d go through with it.”
“I did,” I said, looking at the corner unit of the penthouse suite of the new high-rise. “And Haven, you own this place with us – Tristan, Drake, and me.”
“Was this your idea?” she asked, looking at me through her lashes.
“I couldn’t stand having to sneak around our parents at home just to be able to hold you, to touch you, and to make love to you.” I pulled her into my separate bedroom and onto the California King size bed. It didn’t take long for us to be completely naked and making passionate hot love in my bed.
How can sex with a person get better and better each and every time? With Haven, it did.
When we climax together, I held Haven tightly before saying, “I don’t ever want to be without you, Haven. You mean the world to me. I love you so much.”
“Dillon,” she kissed me, “Thank you for your surprise.”
“No need to thank me, Babe,” I said devouring her mouth when I kissed her back. “It’s for all of us. Tristan, Drake, and I wanted to get this place for you so you have a pl
ace of your own, too.”
