by Hadley Quinn
His father’s silence was expected, but to Max’s surprise, Craig didn’t look upset anymore. “I guess it’s not the most horrible thing,” he finally concluded.
“Not horrible, huh? Come on, Dad. I don’t care about social pairing.”
“Yes, I’ve gathered that. What I mean is, she’s cute. It’s a change from the dolled-up Barbies. I like it. Something fresh, new, and definitely a bit…soft.”
“Soft?”
“Yes, soft. Show people your generous side.”
Max shook his head at this point and set his mug on the table. “This is not for the public. I don’t give a fuck what my relationship with Anna ‘says’ about me. And if you think this is a fucking opportunity to improve my image, you can kiss my ass. You and Grandpa already put her in the tabloids with Tyse last year. Now you can deal with the rumors that she’s back for another shot at one of us.”
Craig sighed, which was somewhat shocking to Max. His father rarely ever showed signs of meekness. He leaned forward onto his knees and steepled his fingers together. “Tell me what’s going on, Max. Three months without work, you turn down every offer you receive, and you’ve become a surly little shit to me. I’m not mad. I promise you, I’m not. I just want to understand.”
Max took a moment to measure his father’s words. “Are you actually going to try understanding, or are you going to interject your opinions into my life anyway? I assure you, this is not a ‘phase’.”
The quiet hum of silence made for a distressing wait as Craig looked him over while calculating his words. At last he replied, “I will listen. I’ll give you that. It doesn’t mean I have to agree with you. But if you’re set on leaving McC Studios for good, I think you owe me an explanation.”
“I’ve given you an explanation but you don’t seem to think I’m serious. I want to pursue other things right now. And that includes staying out of the spotlight.”
“So you’re willing to walk away from everything?”
“You really think me stepping back is going to wipe me off the grid completely? God, Dad… I wish. But it’s not that simple.”
“You wish?” he repeated, clearly aghast. With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead with both hands. “Then why the big ordeal of leaving the studio? You can pursue other things without cutting your ties completely. And you’re telling me you have absolutely no desire to act, direct, produce…any of that?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I truly do enjoy that. But as a career. It’s not all of who I am. I’m tired, Dad. I really am. I’m tired of calculating every fucking thing I have to say, who I’m around, and where I’m seen. I’m just tired.”
“I’m fifty-five years old but do you see me with my tail between my legs? It’s your rite of passage. You were born a McCallan and you were born with the privilege of being able to offset all of that! Look at where you live,” he motioned to their surroundings. “You have the funds to take care of yourself however the hell you want.”
“And it’s been fine up until this point, but you have got to back off.”
“You can have anything you want. You’ve got a goddamn personal assistant to take care of anything you need her to and you leave her flailing around on her own because she doesn’t know what to fucking do with herself. You’ve got a personal security detail, a personal chef, and a personal trainer—all of whom you continue to ignore. You’ve got housekeepers who are at least somewhat employed. They’ve got this place to upkeep for you. Look at this house you live in!”
“I don’t need it. Honestly, it’s the least of my concerns.”
“Wow, okay.” Sarcasm at its finest. “And your twenty percent?”
“I don’t want that either. And I don’t want it to go to my son.” He noticed the look of surprise on his father’s face, now aware that Max knew about his little business objective. “I don’t care what your reasons are, but I want you to fix it. I don’t want Chase’s future to be designed by other people.”
“Like yours was?”
His father said this as a spiteful dig back, but Max wouldn’t take it that way. Yes, he’d grown up privileged, but his future wasn’t set in stone.
“Yes, like mine was. And I don’t resent that, by the way. But I do want to take some time to reassess my life, stay out of the public’s eye for a bit, and enjoy my privacy with Anna.”
“What about presenting at the AMAs?” his father asked smugly, like he knew there was still some kind of hold over his son.
“I’m not backing out of prior commitments. I will gladly fulfill that responsibility. I’m talking about things I don’t want to be a part of. I don’t want to direct this movie you’ve got in your hands. It isn’t the direction I want to go. Why can’t you branch out and network with another director for it? What about Pratt? He’d be a perfect fit.”
“And answer question after question as to why my son backed out of our movie?”
“You haven’t even released any information on it. No one will know the difference.” Max didn’t like the look on his father’s face, which made his stomach drop. “You already did?”
“Of course I did! We’re set to start filming in a month. The cast already has their scripts. I can see you haven’t bothered to look at it. Your fucking name is all over it!”
Max massaged his temples with frustration, but was still unwilling to budge. “I’m not changing my mind. You’re gonna have to deal with it because I’m already booked with something else.”
Craig leaned forward on the couch. “With what?” he demanded.
“Before I share any of my plans with you, you need to make this right. Respect my choice to do something different and stay out of my decisions.”
“What in the fuck has gotten into you?” Craig asked as he stood. “Are you really willing to do this to yourself?” He scoffed and Max thought he heard him mumble, “Both sons fucking me over, unbelievable.”
Max stood. “I’m sorry it’s so difficult for you to understand we have other goals than yours. Maybe with time you’ll be able to—”
“I’m firing all of your staff tomorrow since you seem so adamant about separating yourself from me. I’ve employed them to make your life easier, and if you’re not grateful for what your success has brought you, you can do everything on your own from now on. See how you like that for your goals.” He stormed out of the room.
When the front door slammed shut, the house became uncomfortably quiet. Max stood in silence for a few seconds, a mix of disappointment and anger brewing inside of him. He was somewhat surprised by his dad’s reaction, but on the other hand, believed he wasn’t serious enough to follow through. He’d most likely regret his immature performance in the morning.
Before turning for the stairs, he saw Gretchen stopped near the kitchen with a drink in her hand, as if she’d been on her way in to deliver Craig his usual glass of pricey bourbon. Max could tell she’d heard what his father had said by the way she hung her head and turned away like she hadn’t.
He changed his direction and entered the kitchen behind her. He would have told her to just dump the drink down the sink, but she was already pouring it back into the decanter at the wet bar.
“Would you like something, sir?” she asked, turning to face him respectfully.
With a sigh, Max shook his head. “No thank you, Gretchen. And could you please stop calling me ‘sir’?”
“Mr. McCallan.”
He gave her a look that said, “Are you kidding me?” but saw she was trying to hide a smile.
“You know it’s in my terms of employment,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“And you know my dad is an asshole,” he countered.
She chuckled but quickly recovered as she washed the glass that was in her hand. “He’s right, you know. He hired me, he can fire me.”
“You’re an amazing house manager. He’s not going to fire you.”
“It’s not beneath him enough to do such a thing, sir—eh, Mr…”
“Call me Max.
Please?” She didn’t respond. In fact, she pressed her lips together tightly to prove she wouldn’t commit such a sin. “You either call me by my first name, or I will be the one firing you,” he joked.
She only smiled as she dried the glass and set it with the others at the wet bar.
He actually knew quite a bit about the staff that worked for him. He didn’t believe his father knew anything other than their last names that were signed on the confidentiality agreements. Those who worked for the McCallans may not realize it, but Max was a silent observer. He tried to maintain a decent detached distance, but it was hard not to be aware of facts because he genuinely cared.
It was probably a bad idea to cross those boundaries with his father’s employees, but it was too hard to forget his own past—the days with Teague where they’d harass their bodyguards or house staff with jests and crass humor. There were times where Max and Teague had more fun with their paid personnel than with people they were actually related to. And when Jay joined the unruliness more often in their late teens… Good God, they were probably the most annoying trio of boys to deal with. Sometimes he couldn’t blame his father for being so strict with them.
Max cleared his throat as if to erase his thoughts of such painfully enjoyable memories.
“How is your daughter doing at Colorado State?” he asked.
Gretchen paused after turning to face him. But she lowered her eyes as soon as she caught herself staring too long. Max knew the deal. Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t speak unless spoken to… It was all part of the ridiculous list of do’s and don’ts his dad required of employees. It was like they were all expected to be emotionless robots.
“She’s doing very well,” she nodded. “Thank you for asking.”
“What’s she studying again? Was it physical therapy?”
Surprised, Gretchen nodded. “Yes, she wants to be a physical therapist.”
“What’s she got left, two years?” He was trying to do the math in his head, but regretfully couldn’t remember if Gretchen’s daughter was in her second or third year.
“She might graduate in the spring.”
“Really,” he stated, wondering how the time had gone by so quickly.
Then he zoned in on the word ‘might’ and wanted to ask what that meant, but the doorbell rang and Gretchen hurried to answer it. Within a few seconds Max could decipher who was entering the house when he heard a familiar voice say, “He better be here.”
Kate.
With a silent groan, he clenched his jaw to prepare himself for whatever mood she was in today, but most importantly, why the hell she was coming inside his house. She rarely ever came in to speak to him.
Max rounded the corner just as Kate was headed for the kitchen with Chase in tow, and seeing his son dissolved any previous irritation he’d had.
“Daddy!” A smile lit up his face as he jumped up in down with excitement. It was an amazing sight, and it seemed as if Chase was not only getting a bit more comfortable around him, but was happy to be around him.
“Hey buddy, how are you?” Max knelt down to Chase’s level to receive a hug, and then scooped him up. God the kid looked a whole two inches taller than a month ago! Looking into his son’s dark brown eyes—eyes that perfectly matched his mother’s—he was about to ask what he’d been up to lately when Kate spoke.
“I need to go out of town for a while.” She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and waited for his reaction.
If Kate Donnelly had been smiling, it would have been an entirely different person standing in front of him. There was no doubt the woman was beautiful on the outside, but there were so many ugly traits inside of her, Max could only see those instead. It wasn’t just the rich and famous that were stereotyped to be pompous and superior. It was also the wicked hearts of those who only sought out a shallow life for themselves.
Greed and callousness didn’t fall into a particular income bracket.
“You don’t even have to ask,” Max replied. “Of course he can stay with me.”
She narrowed her bitchy gaze at him. “For one, I wasn’t asking because he’s your son; and another, we apparently need to go over certain ground rules again.”
It was the same bullshit she always brought up, and because they rarely spoke but a few words about Chase’s pick-up and drop-off between the two of them, this was a bad sign.
“Gretchen,” he gently called. She appeared down the hall from the study. Max set Chase on the marble entryway and knelt down at his level. “Okay, pal, give your mom a hug goodbye and Gretchen will take you to the playroom. Mommy and Daddy need to have a chat.”
“Okay,” he obediently agreed.
Kate gave Chase a hug, and as Max waited while they exchanged goodbyes, he quickly typed into his phone the date and time of Chase’s surprise arrival.
When Chase was in Gretchen’s care and out of earshot, Kate immediately pointed a finger at Max’s chest. “You really don’t want to fuck with me this time. If I hear one word about him being with your brother and Camryn,” she said in a snotty voice, “you’d better believe I won’t be so nice anymore.”
It was the same threat she always delivered, but for her to believe she was being so nice was a fucking joke. She “allowed” him to see Chase once a month, but sadly, it wasn’t even so the kid could see his father. It was at her own convenience and on her own terms.
For now.
“How long are you going to do this, Kate?” Max answered calmly. “How long are you going to fight the inevitable? He’s four years old. I know he’s young, but he’s not going to be little for long. He loves some of my family. He needs people in his life who will always be there for him.”
She snorted with disgust. “Are you kidding? Like your dad? He’s always there for you? Give me a fucking break, Max. You’re a hypocrite, you know that? A selfish, fucking prick. You can do one thing for your kid to give him a normal life and you won’t. One. Thing. So don’t you dare preach to me about what is right or wrong for him. You set your terms and I set mine. What you chose to sacrifice is on you, not me.”
He didn’t respond. He’d be a broken record anyway.
“Nothing?” she smirked. “I know we’ve kind of grown out of the whole arguing thing, but really? You don’t care about your son’s future?”
“Don’t even accuse me of that,” he lowered his voice. “You know how much I love him, and for you to stand there and rub it in my face is despicable.”
“Careful, Max. Your family’s reputation is at stake, here.”
He paused, not for lack of words to say but to rein in his temper. He eyed the set of keys she pulled from her pocket, the ones to her Mercedes. “You’re driving yourself?” She hardly ever drove her own ass around but expected Max to pay for her to have a full time driver.
You know, that image factor again…
The bored expression on Kate’s face changed into a smug smile. “Today I am.” Turning for the door, she added, “Be a good boy, Max,” and left.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the closest wall. His head dropped against it as well and sounded with a thunk. With all the senseless things going on in the world, why couldn’t people focus on what truly mattered? Kate wanted his money. He didn’t care and would give it to her. She could take his possessions, his reputation, or his fame…it really wasn’t a concern to him.
But he would fight her for his son. That little guy changed his world a few years ago, but not in the way he’d expected. Max couldn’t deny he’d been devastated to find out the results of the paternity test. Not only was it difficult enough to deal with life changing circumstances, but to later have it plastered all over the news with various twists was a fucking joke.
There were several reasons why he’d kept it private for so long, but there was no stopping his father’s actions when he chose to sell the idea to the public his own way. “Between this and Olivia, you’ve been a giant clusterfuck to handle,” his father had rebuked. “You b
etter stick your nose in your work to turn this shit mess around.”
So Max had, later realizing his father had fought for his reputation from his sick bed while he went through cancer treatments. And while Kate continued to play her hand, Max continued to prepare his own for when the time was right. He hadn’t bothered Craig with the weight of Kate’s blackmail threats. He wanted to take care of her himself, without his family having to deal with it.
However, the aftermath was not going to be so subtle …
Chapter Twenty-One
“There you are,” a female voice announced from somewhere behind her.
Anna had been hunched over the desk, looking over a new graphic design for a line of boogie boards, but she stood upright and faced Kellie. Kobe remained in the desk chair but continued to rotate the mockup on the computer screen.
“Hey, what brings you by?” She’d only seen Kellie here any time she’d come with Tate, but Tate was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s your handsome hubby? I’m expecting him.”
Kellie held up a folder with a frown. “That’s why I’m here. He’s not feeling well. You know, a man-cold. He’s dying.”
Anna laughed out loud but took the new designs from her friend. “Aw, poor guy. Tell him to get better soon.”
“I will. It’s called ‘suck it up, buttercup.’”
Chuckling, Anna flipped through the six new sketches that Tate had created. As usual they were all amazing, but she settled on a particular one right away before setting the folder on the desk for Kobe to browse. “He could have just emailed these, you know. That’s what I was assuming he’d do.”
“Meh, I know. But you know he has to have physical work in his hand. And…I wanted to come see you.”
Kellie gave Anna a suggestive raise of her eyebrows and pulled out a chair at the worktable. Kobe seemed to catch the hint because he grabbed some coffee and exited the office with the designs in his hand. His setup for the business was in a three-bay garage behind his house in Ventura. One bay was an office, and the other two were for production, but right now he was probably headed into the house for his family.
