by Alexa Martin
My head whips to her and I look at her, really look at her, for the first time since she came inside. She looks tired. There are dark circles underneath her bright blue eyes. Her normally perfect hair is disheveled. Her shirt is wrinkled and she’s in flats instead of her usual steep stilettos.
I stand up and round my desk to face her. “Are you okay?”
“Not great.” She squeezes my shoulder and cracks a smile. “But I’m thinking still better than you.”
An unexpected bubble of laughter falls out of my mouth. It might be the first time I’ve laughed since Maxwell left, and it makes me remember how good it feels to laugh and smile when it’s not forced or fake. Even when it’s at my own expense. “That’s probably true.”
“Please,” Vonnie says. “You’re both a mess. So let’s move this along so you can get back to your normal, wild selves.”
“I’m in.” I shrug because . . . well . . . things couldn’t get much worse for me and because I know that these women would never intentionally lead me to more pain.
“Then load up.” Vonnie spins her finger in a circle. “Everyone is waiting for us at Poppy’s.”
Oh lord. Maybe I should’ve thought this through a little bit more.
“Maybe we should grab milkshakes before we get there.”
Vonnie’s face crinkles into a look that says, What the fuck? without her having to say a word. Then she starts shaking her head and walking out the door mumbling about crazy friends and being owed an abundance of French martinis when this is over.
* * *
—
WHEN THEY SAID we were meeting at Poppy’s, I thought we were just meeting at Poppy’s. I didn’t realize they had an entire investigation headquarters set up—complete with a giant whiteboard and everything.
“Where did you even get that from?” As soon as I walk in, I point at the whiteboard that stretches across almost the entire wall.
“TK is very serious about coaching Ace’s soccer team. They watch film and then draw up plays at night.” Poppy says this like it’s a completely normal occurrence.
“Oookay.” I still think it’s weird, but hey, what do I know? “Why do we need it though?”
“There’s always a big board in situations like this,” Aviana says.
And if I thought the whiteboard was strange, seeing Aviana with her hair in a tight bun and wearing thick-rimmed glasses that she definitely does not need and a fucking turtleneck makes me wonder if I’m hallucinating this entire freaking thing.
I pinch myself . . . a little too hard. “Ouch.”
“Why did you do that?” Aviana frowns, looking at the red spot blooming on my arm where I pinched.
“I was making sure I wasn’t dreaming this situation up,” I say. “So . . . does anyone want to fill me in on what you guys have been up to?”
“Oooh! Me!” Poppy jumps up and down, holding one hand under her cute little—but not that little—belly. “My whiteboard, my presentation!”
“That’s not a real rule.” Jacqueline pouts.
“Is so.” Poppy sticks her tongue out at Jac before turning to the rest of the group. “Now, everyone have a seat so we can fill Brynn in.”
Poppy has a ruler in her hand for some reason, and all I can picture are the stories my grandma used to tell me about the nuns slapping her with rulers. So even though I want to run back to my office and hide under my desk, I sit down.
“Brynn”—she looks as me, and I have a sinking feeling that she has practiced this—“while you’ve been moping and eating ice cream and still not gaining a pound, which we all find to be insanely unfair, we’ve been busy proving that Maxwell is innocent in this.” She yanks the lid off of her marker with impressive theatrics and then points it at the whiteboard because it’s not a marker . . . it’s a laser.
Then I almost slide all the way off the couch because I’m officially dead.
I cannot with Poppy.
“A laser, seriously?”
“Yes, a laser.” She points it in my eyes. “And you’d do well to remember that I know how to use it.”
“Geez, sorry!” I rub my eyes, hoping my vision hasn’t been permanently damaged.
“As I was saying, we don’t believe Maxwell is guilty of what he was accused of. In fact, after a little investigative work of our own, we think he’s the victim of a much more sinister plot.”
“Girl,” Vonnie says from a chair across the room. “This is not a Netflix original. Get to the point.”
There are a lot of silent nods of agreement around the room, but everyone is equally afraid of Poppy’s pregnancy hormones, so no words are said.
“Fine.” She scrunches her nose. “We think Theo is blackmailing Maxwell.”
All the air leaves me in one whoosh as memories I’ve been working hard to suppress come rushing to the forefront of my mind. Warnings he gave me about Theo. The look of concern he wore when I told him Eloise was seeing him. His insistence that I not ever be alone with Theo.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, my sinuses on fire as guilt threatens to consume me.
“We were already talking about how something wasn’t right when Eloise came into HERS looking for you. It only took a little bit.” Poppy’s eyes widen and she lifts her hands in front of her chest. “Okay, we basically kidnapped her and demanded that she tell us what she knew. But—wait, Eloise, you tell this part, you’re way better at it.”
Poppy doesn’t wait for Eloise to answer before she plops down onto the couch next to me and sips her sparkling water out of a wineglass.
“Well.” Eloise stands slowly and makes her way to a table that I’m only now noticing is covered in papers and manila folders. “Theo had come to me about a month ago and asked if it was possible for me to look into a case. He said he was worried that Maxwell was in trouble and he wanted to make sure his name couldn’t be found. I didn’t see the big deal, so I said yeah. I like doing that stuff anyways, I’m a little nosy, so this is a perk to my job,” she says, and I’m reminded how much we are alike. “But once I looked into the case, a few things stuck out to me. The names were all blacked out. Theo told me that he was the one who took the fall for Maxwell, but in the papers, it mentions the defendant’s brother was willing to testify against him. Why would Maxwell do that if Theo was helping him? It didn’t make any sense. So I made a few calls.”
I’m pretty sure my heart is about to beat out of my chest. The cuts on my legs, even though they are healed now, start to ache behind my jeans.
“By telling me and you about the attack and settlement, Theo broke the NDA, and I was able to get in touch with the lawyer from the case. And while she did confirm that Max paid her client, she insisted that it wasn’t to keep the woman quiet and that Max paid her attorney’s fees. She said that her client hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it at all, but once Max got drafted and received his first paycheck, he sought out her client and told her she deserved justice and he’d pay for all of her legal fees if she chose to do so. Then, when she realized what a trial would entail and decided to settle out of court, Max paid the settlement because he knew Theo never would.”
“Wait . . .” I put my head in between my knees. This sick sensation of overwhelming relief and gut-wrenching regret makes me feel like I’m suffocating. She’s telling me too much, and while everything she’s telling me should make me feel better, it does the opposite. I knew I should’ve trusted Maxwell. But even though I thought I was ready for a relationship, I used the very first excuse I could find to run away. And by doing that, I believed the worst about him. I fucking hurt him.
Our first hurdle and I ran in the other direction.
Forty-two
I don’t know what happened for the rest of the meeting.
And not because I couldn’t focus.
Because as soon as the room stopped spinning, I grabbed Poppy’s car keys and took off.
I think I heard them whooping and clapping as I ran out the door, but I can’t be sure that I’m not creating my own upbeat, romantic-comedy movie ending in my head.
Both are very likely.
It’s actually a really good thing that I took Poppy’s car because I forgot about the guard protecting Maxwell’s gated community from crazies who steal their friends’ cars and show up unexpectedly at their exes’ front doors. But Poppy’s car is on the list of preapproved cars, so the guard lets me in without any issue . . . like calling Maxwell and having the mortifying moment where I’m turned away.
And I continue to push my luck by using the code he gave me and entering his house without knocking. I’m not too sure about the legality of it all, but I’m hoping he won’t call the cops and I will never have to know.
“Maxwell!” I shout, running into his house like a fucking maniac. “I’m so sorry! I know Theo lied. But I have to talk to you, you have to know—” I stop screaming and come to a sliding stop when I find him sitting on his couch . . . but he’s not alone.
A woman is sitting beside him. Both of their eyes focus on me as I stand in front of them panting and out of breath.
“Um . . .” My eyes shift between them, and I try to talk over the bile rising in my throat. “I used your code, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have . . . I should . . .”
“Why don’t I come back later?” his new . . . companion . . . asks.
She stands up, straightening her skintight pencil skirt, and I have the sudden urge for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
She is stunning. Her skin looks as if she’s just made of gold—warm and rich and glowing even in the middle of winter. Her hair is masses of beautiful, black coils. And her body . . . dear god . . . her fucking body. Even being conservatively dressed in a pencil skirt and a blouse buttoned all the way up to her neck doesn’t detract from the curves she’s been blessed with. Her butt is so round that even I want to cry tears of joy from the opportunity to see such perfection in person. I want to hate her, god do I want to hate her, but I can’t. Her smile is too open and her eyes are so kind that, even though I know I’ll never have a chance with Maxwell again, I have to just appreciate her . . . and maybe ask her if she also would like to work at HERS.
“Ugh, no. Sorry.” I start to step away slowly. “I’ll just call Maxwell later, I shouldn’t have barged in like this.”
I turn around and am taking painful measures not to run, when Maxwell’s hand on my elbow stops me. “Brynn,” he says, and just the sound of his voice that I’ve missed so much over the last two weeks causes tears to brim in my eyes. “I’d like you to meet Monica Laris, my attorney.”
And when I say that Maxwell has to tighten his grip around my arms because I almost sag to the ground in relief, I’m not exaggerating.
“Well, one of many.” Monica smiles her bright smile at me and reaches out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Maxwell has told me so much about you.”
“Oh my god.” My eyes bulge out of my face. “He’s not going to sue me, is he?”
Monica throws her head back laughing like I just told a joke, but after the last time I talked to Maxwell, I most definitely am not.
“You’re right, Max, she is funny.” She wipes a finger beneath her lashes that, if she wasn’t physically perfect, I’d think were fake, but they’re probably hers because the world is so unfair. “Well, it looks like you two have things to catch up on. I’ll take these back, draw up some papers, and get back to you later this week. Nice to meet you, Brynn.”
“Um, yeah, nice to meet you too,” I say to her back as she sashays out of the room.
“So . . . you’re here,” Maxwell says once we hear the front door close.
“Looks like it.” I roll back onto my heels, not knowing where to start. Maybe one day I won’t act so rashly, because I’m seriously regretting not forming a better plan.
Maxwell takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips, dropping a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I’m glad.”
“You are?” My jaw falls open at the same time the butterflies I thought died a horrid death with Maxwell’s departure start fluttering back to life.
“I didn’t handle what happened well. I should have tried to explain to you, but there were so many legal details and I didn’t want his victim dragged into this mess all over again. I didn’t know what to do and I was so fucking angry. At Theo . . .” He drops his gaze to his feet. “At you,” he says quietly.
“I was so wrong.” I squeeze his hand tighter, afraid to get any closer, but never wanting to let him go. I’m so worried that he’ll come to his senses and remember how I betrayed him. “Even if you didn’t warn me about Theo, there is no reason I should’ve believed him without talking to you. I just . . . things were too good between us. Good things don’t come to me so easily. I knew something had to be wrong and that you couldn’t actually be that perfect. And so when Theo came to me, I latched on to him and his lies. I used it as a reason to push you away before I could fall any deeper for you.”
He takes my other hand and pulls me into a hug. He burrows his nose into my hair and I nuzzle into his neck, smelling him, feeling him, remembering everything I almost threw away. Tears leak onto his shirt, but I don’t care. I want him to know exactly what I’m feeling. I don’t want to hide any part of myself from him.
“There’s a lot to sort out there,” he says. “We can start with you finally admitting that I’m perfect.”
I roll my eyes and let out a very unattractive snort of laughter, but I don’t pull away. “I knew you weren’t going to miss that.”
“I think that you see yourself in a completely different light than probably every other person who comes across you. You are not only the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the pleasure to be around, you’re also the kindest. I’ve never met another person who so freely hands out genuine and meaningful compliments, who hands out jobs like they’re candy, and is so fiercely protective of her friends. You started a business in an industry where women are not seen or heard, and you are thriving. And not only that, you inspire and encourage other women to follow in your footsteps. Maybe things don’t come easy for you, but that’s because the people and things you’ve surrounded yourself with are things worth working for.”
It’s a good thing I want him to see my tears, because I couldn’t hide them now if I tried. “I’m the one who is supposed to be apologizing right now,” I say, even though it’s barely comprehensible between my sobs.
“I should’ve told you about Theo,” he says without hesitation. “He has been threatening me with this on and off for years, but I never had anything he could hold over my head. I did my job and I came home. He could never plant the seed with anyone. I should’ve warned you . . . been honest about our past.”
“I mean, my mom is insane, but Theo is a sociopath. I can’t imagine it’s a subject you’d want to broach with anyone.” I don’t blame him at all. Plus, we were so new, and look how I reacted at the first hint of trouble. I didn’t exactly earn his trust. “But we should probably tell each other about any other crazy family members we might have before they come out of hiding. I think I have a third cousin who has been on the receiving end of a couple restraining orders.”
He looks at the ceiling like he’s thinking really hard. “My great-aunt thinks she can talk to the dead. She’s harmless, but she says some wild-ass stuff and then blames it on the ‘spirits.’”
I throw my head back laughing. “That’s not crazy, that’s amazing and I need to meet her.”
“Well”—his smile turns serious—“the season is over and my parents have been hounding me about finally meeting the girl who’s stolen all my attention these last few months.”
“Meeting the parents?” I look up at him, my smile threatening to crack my cheeks. “That sounds pretty serious.”
“Very serious.” He nods.
“So does that mean we’re back together?”
He brings his mouth to mine, stopping just before they touch. “Brynn, it means that I’m never letting you go again.”
I don’t wait for him to kiss me.
I lean in and kiss him, the only man I ever want to kiss for the rest of forever.
Epilogue
“I cannot believe you have me sitting in a box for the championship game,” Marlee moans. “And with the enemy at that!”
“I can’t believe it took a fucking bartender to convince you to sit in a goddamn box!” Donny, my new favorite person—right below Maxwell’s great-aunt Glenda—says.
“I own an entire business, Donny,” I say for the thousandth time. “How would you like it if I called you a paid groupie?”
He grabs his gin and tonic that he insisted I make and takes a giant gulp. “I’d say that’s very fucking accurate.”
“Well,” Marlee interjects. “I’m still pissed at the bartender.”
“We’ll have a reception or something one day,” I reassure her, even though I’ve done this every day for the last two months and she still gives me shit. “We got a wild hair, what were we supposed to do?”
“Ummm, I don’t know? How about not get married at a freaking courthouse!” she shouts, and then cringes when Posie starts to stir from her nap. “Shoot, sorry, Poppy,” she whisper yells, even though Posie is decked out in the bedazzled noise-canceling headphones TK ordered for her. “But if she does wake up, you know who to give her to.” She starts pointing to herself.
“You’ll have to fight him for her.” Poppy nods her head at TK, who’s chasing after Bea and Van, Marlee and Gavin’s two kids. Bea is running around with her curly pigtails flying and all the crystals on her custom jersey dress shining. She’s four and her outfit is honestly better than mine.
“Nah, I brought a stash of Dum Dums to bribe them with. I’ll have them sugared up and on TK’s hip all day.” Marlee winks, but I know she’s serious. All she talks about is wanting another baby, so seeing Posie is too much for her to handle.
