by Leanne Banks
“How did it all work out?” Sophie asked, searching for some hope of her own.
Pippa smiled. “Nic and I love each other. Nothing was going to change that. I was willing to give up my title for him. He was willing to give me up if that would keep me happy, which, of course, wouldn’t have.”
“Whew, I had no idea,” Sophie said.
“Well, you know what they say. True love can make for a bouncy road.” She lifted her hands. “Give me my girl and I’ll nurse her. She’ll be asleep in less than twenty minutes guaranteed.”
Pippa discreetly nursed her baby and talked softly to Sophie. “It’s better if you talk and I just nod,” Pippa said. “Amelie gets distracted and curious.”
Sophie laughed. “Okay, I’ll try to come up with something. Bridget is quite the social genius, isn’t she?” Sophie said more than asked. “I can’t believe she was able to get that many people out on such short notice.”
“She’s quite amazing,” Pippa said in a low voice. The baby lifted her head and Pippa rolled her eyes. “Told you,” she mouthed silently.
“I think Max was taken aback by how many people were curious about him.”
“He doesn’t understand that many people consider him royalty even though he may not,” Pippa whispered.
The baby didn’t lift her head from feeding.
“Interesting,” Sophie said. “He has no interest in the public attention.”
“Good luck with that,” Pippa said quietly. She switched sides for nursing. “It’s part of the program.”
“Max has never been one to go with the program,” Sophie said.
“I sense that. I also sense that about you. The two of you have a lot in common.”
Sophie immediately shook her head. “Not really. He’s bold and adventurous. I’m just a tagalong.”
“You underestimate yourself. The reason I know this is because I finally realized that I also underestimated myself. You are stronger than you realize,” she whispered. The baby lifted her head. “Done?” Pippa asked, and lifted Amelie to her shoulder. “Amazing how important a burp is. I remember you showed Eve that.”
“I learned that when I was a babysitter,” Sophie said, still reeling from what Pippa had said. How could the princess possibly know her well enough to say those things?
Just a little while later, Sophie gave Pippa a hug and Amelie a kiss then returned to her apartment. She was glad she’d gotten two bunches of flowers. Her bouquet greeted her with a cheerful appearance and the scent of the carnations wafted throughout the room. She touched them and moved to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
Although she didn’t want to do it, she turned on her cell phone. It vibrated with messages. Max. Terri. Max. Max. Sophie sighed. She supposed she would have to call him. Reluctantly pushing his speed-dial button, she waited at the same time she heard a knock at her door.
Her phone against her ear, she went to the door and looked through the peephole. Max. She turned off her phone and opened the door.
His expression was dark and cloudy. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Eating lunch with your sister and niece,” Sophie said. “Would you like to come in?”
“Eve or Pippa?” he asked.
“Eve had a son and is your sister-in-law,” she said. “Pippa is your sister and she had a daughter.”
“Okay,” he said as he entered the room. “Who gave you the flowers?”
“Me. I liked them.”
His expression turned mildly sheepish. “Okay. Sorry. I thought something might be wrong after what you said last night. Then you left with Terri and her husband.”
Sophie took a deep breath and decided no time like the present. “You might want to sit down,” she said.
“Why?” he asked a bit rebelliously.
She lowered her voice. “You might want to sit down,” she repeated.
Lifting his eyebrows, he sank onto the couch. “What’s up?”
“Well,” she said as she paced the carpet in front of the couch. “I don’t exactly know how to tell you this. I don’t want to hear anything negative, but I don’t expect anything positive from you.”
Max frowned. “What in hell are you talking about?”
His tone irritated her. “You’re not the most patient person in the world, are you?”
“As if that’s a surprise to you, after the years you’ve known me,” he said.
She grimaced at him. “Again, I don’t exactly know...” She took a breath and went to the bathroom, pulled out the last tube of pregnancy results. She brought it back to him. “Two pink lines mean a positive. You’re gonna be a daddy.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “This can’t be possible.”
“It is. I took two tests,” she said.
“Is there any chance I’m not the father?” he asked.
Rage exploded from insider her. “Get out,” she said breathlessly.
“Wait,” he said, standing. “It’s a legitimate question. You were dating David Rinaldo right before we got—”
“Get out,” she screamed.
* * *
Max stumbled out of Sophie’s apartment. She’d looked so infuriated he’d thought his life might be in danger. His question about David Rinaldo had been perfectly legitimate. The bastard had been romancing her before he and Sophie had gotten involved. Not only that, Rinaldo had tried to get close to Sophie last night. The sight of the two of them together had made him nuts.
Then the memory made him feel like an idiot. She’d told him she only wanted to be friends with him. He took a deep breath and decided both of them needed some time apart. He couldn’t believe the news, he thought as he made his way to his car. She was pregnant.
He was the father.
Every breath he took shook him. He was going to be a father. How could that be? He’d always been so careful. Even with Sophie. But maybe not as careful as he’d been with other women. He trusted her. She had always had his back. But is this something that you even leave up to trust? Now, he didn’t know what to think.
Max drove to his apartment in a daze. Every time he thought about the fact that Sophie was going to have his baby, he nearly had a heart attack. He had to figure out the best thing to do. He couldn’t wing this. It was too important.
Grabbing a beer from his refrigerator, he sat down in a chair and turned on his television. It didn’t take much thinking for him to come to a conclusion. He wanted his child to have the best life possible. That meant he and Sophie would have to get married as soon as possible. He was tempted to return to her apartment right away, but he figured she needed to calm down, too.
Max winced, realizing he hadn’t been the most supportive father-to-be. He was going to have to work on her to agree with his plan, but he was determined. He would make it happen.
The next morning, Max waited for Sophie to come into work. But soon enough, he had to solve more than one problem or catastrophe. Midmorning, he walked into the work trailer and she still wasn’t there. He turned to Terri. “Where’s Sophie?” he asked.
“She called in sick.”
Well, hell. “Can’t remember the last time she did that,” he muttered.
“Me either,” Terri said. “She had a super bad headache after the party.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“I wonder if I should go check on her,” she said.
“No. I’ll do that after work.” And he suspected there would be hell to pay.
Max left work early, went to his place to take a shower then drove to Sophie’s apartment. He hoped like hell she was there. He knocked on the door and waited, then knocked again.
Finally the door opened. Sophie wore a pair of black stretch pants and a black top. The dark color only served to emphasize the hollows beneath h
er eyes. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she simply replied, her gaze full of reluctance and distrust.
Max hated that, but walked inside her apartment anyway. “I realize I didn’t respond well the other night,” he admitted.
“You think?” Sophie asked, her arms firmly over her chest.
“Hey, at least you had a chance to work through it before you told me. I had nothing,” he said. “Zero seconds.”
“Your response was still horrible.”
“I agree.”
She took a deep breath, but her arms were still closed over her chest.
Max could tell she wasn’t going to help him one iota. He supposed he deserved it. “I apologize,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For everything. Especially for the way I responded.”
She still regarded him skeptically.
“I never thought I would be a father,” he said.
“I didn’t think I would be a mother at this point either.”
He nodded.
“You apparently have super sperm. That’s not a compliment,” she said.
He nodded again. “Well, we have to deal with the so-called new reality. We’re having a baby.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“So the only choice is that we should get married.”
Sophie blinked, but said nothing.
“Did you hear what I said?” he asked.
She nodded slowly.
“We need to get married. I want my child to have the best future possible. The only way to accomplish that is for you and I to get married.”
Sophie nodded again, but the expression in her eyes and her silent replies bothered him.
“So you agree? We’ll make it happen as soon as possible,” he said.
“Not so fast,” Sophie said, catching him by surprise. “I’m going to have to think about this.”
Max frowned. “What do you mean you have to think about it?”
“I mean, I’m not sure marriage is the best choice in this case,” she said.
“Why in hell would you say that?” he demanded.
“Because you don’t want to be married to me or anyone else,” she said. “That’s why.”
And Max couldn’t deny it. He was certain he would be the worst husband ever.
Chapter Twelve
Sophie went to work the next day. Terri grilled her like she was a hamburger at a barbecue.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said to Terri.
“What did Max do? I’ll give him a good tongue-lashing. I’m betting he needs it,” she said.
Sophie laughed. “I love you for your vivacity,” she said, putting her hand on Terri’s arm. “But let me deal with this.”
Terri frowned. “I don’t like this.”
“You always said I was stronger than I thought I was,” Sophie told Terri.
Terri paused for a long moment. “I did, but I never wanted you to have to be so strong.”
“I’m okay,” Sophie said. That was a lie, but she was getting there. She would get there. She was sure of it.
A half moment later, Max strode into the trailer. He looked up and stared at her, stunned. “What are you doing here?” he said more than asked.
“I work here.”
He opened his mouth to say something then wisely chose to close it.
“How’s it going?” Sophie asked.
“Fine,” he replied shortly.
“Terrible,” Terri said. “Supplies are late.”
“That sucks,” Sophie said. “I’ll get on the phone.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Max said.
“Yes, I do. I work here.”
Sophie got on the line and chewed out their supplier. Good news, they arrive this afternoon. She was gratified by Max’s surprised reaction.
“How’d you do that?” he asked.
“I was very firm,” she said.
“I was firm,” he said.
“I was firm to the right person. Plus I promised I would send her Fat Witch Brownies.”
He frowned in confusion. “Who is this person?”
Sophie shrugged. “I’m sorry. I can’t reveal my sources at this time.”
He scowled at her. “What?”
“Later,” she said. “I can tell you more later. Just be glad you’ve gotten supplies.”
“What are Fat Witch Brownies?” he asked. “They sound horrible.”
“They’re delicious and wonderful. You have to find the sweet spot of the person who can help you. Brownies work for this particular person.”
“You’re sneakier than I thought you were,” he said.
“I’m not sneaky. I just try to meet needs, negotiate terms and make things happen.”
He met her gaze. “I always knew you were smart.”
“So did I,” she said. “I just want to be smarter and stronger than I’ve ever been. I have to be,” she said.
Sophie could see that Max hadn’t truly realized all she’d done to help facilitate his projects until this moment. That was okay. She knew he was the visionary and she found ways to make things happen.
“We all have our strengths,” she said. “You’ve always said that.”
“Yeah. I just never realized the extent of yours,” he said.
“That’s okay,” she said and smiled. “A lot of people have underestimated me.”
He opened his mouth to protest then slowly closed it. A confession that he, too, had underestimated her. But maybe not by very much, she thought.
Sophie worked past quitting time then drove back to her apartment. She was going to have to figure out a new work/life balance. After eating a healthy meal, she put on comfy clothes, sank into her sofa and turned on her TV. She didn’t much care what she watched. She just wanted to escape.
Gradually sinking against her pillow, she heard a knock at her door nearly an hour later. Sophie reluctantly rose from the sofa and went to the door. She looked out the peephole. Max with a bouquet of flowers.
Reluctantly, she opened the door. “I was asleep.”
“Sorry. Here,” he said, pushing the flowers into her hand while striding inside.
Sophie sighed and took the flowers to the kitchen to put them in a pitcher. Afterward, she returned to the den. “Thank you, but I’m going to bed soon. What did you want?” she asked.
“I want you to marry me,” he said firmly. “It’s the best thing for our child. I want to do the best thing for our baby.”
She bit her lip. “A marriage isn’t just about the baby,” she said. “It’s about the man and woman, too.”
“What’s most important?” Max asked. “The baby or the adults?”
“They’re all important. No one should feel trapped. No one should feel as if they’re making a big sacrifice. That wouldn’t be good for the baby or the adults,” she said.
He frowned. “Sophie, I’m not joking. This is important.”
“I agree,” she said dryly. “It’s important for at least three people.”
“How can I convince you that you and I getting married is the right thing to do?”
Sophie’s stomach clenched. She moved toward him. “I need more than an obligatory baby daddy.”
“Obligatory?” he echoed.
“Yes,” Sophie said. “Can you honestly say that you would have asked me to marry you if I weren’t pregnant?”
She met his gaze for a long moment and saw the truth written across his face. It broke her heart. Not for the first time.
“A child changes things,” he said. “A child changes the way you look at life.”
“I agree,” she said. “Before now, I
would have been thrilled for you to propose marriage to me. I would have given everything for that to happen. But now, I know I want more. I want a man who wants me. Not just our baby.”
“You know I want you,” he said.
She shrugged. “What you wanted more than anything was a no-strings relationship with me. I know that about you. If you told me once, you told me a hundred times. You don’t want to be a family man, and I don’t want to be the person to try and make you be a family man.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to say.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to say. I will handle this. It’s what women do.”
“You don’t have to do it alone,” he said, his body emanating conviction. “I’ll be there for you.”
She lifted her shoulders. “Okay,” she said, but she knew she didn’t sound very convincing. She didn’t believe that Max truly wanted to be there for her.
* * *
Max was summoned to the palace to have a drink with Stefan. The purpose for the meeting was the same: a status update on road construction. In Max’s timetable, he’d hoped to be finished by now.
Max was led to Stefan’s office where the prince was seated at his desk, wearing casual clothes. Max couldn’t recall a time he’d seen Stefan, always Mr. Business, wearing anything but a suit. “Please, come in,” he said to Max, waving him toward the desk. “This was supposed to be a day off, but you know what happens to those when your office is so close. Whiskey?”
“I’ll just take water tonight,” Max said.
“Okay,” Stefan said and nodded toward his assistant. “Please bring our guest some water. I’ll have the same.” He turned back to Max. “I hear from Bridget that the charity event was quite successful.”
“It was,” Max said. “Your sister knows how to throw a party and get people to open their wallets.”
“Yes, it’s a special, but sometimes undervalued, skill. My wife tells me I should praise Bridget more often,” Stefan said. The assistant served the water. “Thank you.”
