by M. Malone
“I understand why you wanted her. As a memento. You couldn’t help yourself. But I’m trying to help you move past that. To move on.”
He stared at her, wondering how she could have missed the point so completely. She still thought this was about what had happened when they were teenagers. It seemed she was the one who hadn’t moved on.
“It wasn’t like that. Yes, I was shocked when I first saw her. I was curious. But after I spent time with her, I realized she was nothing like Tia. And after that, she was all I could see. Just her.”
“But you don’t need her anymore. James is out of the picture and we can be a family with our son now.”
Her casual disregard for his brother, and even her own son, sickened him. Didn’t she realized that playing musical chairs with his father figure wasn’t in Travis’ best interest? His brother hadn’t been around a lot lately but that little boy adored him. It wasn’t a matter of just telling him he had a new Daddy. Avery seemed completely oblivious to the emotional consequences for everyone involved.
“I can’t believe how long my family has been a victim of your manipulations. No more.” He walked back to the elevators, waiting until she followed him. “My mom was babysitting Travis last week. I know she has a lot of his stuff at her place, so I called her this morning and asked her to do something for me.”
“What?” Her brow crinkled in confusion.
“Send me his hairbrush.” Trent shouldn’t have found it so satisfying to watch her face as she figured it out. But it was. Immensely.
“Why would you do that?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Because I’m tired of being manipulated. James told me that you provided the sample from Travis for the DNA test. I don’t trust you. Not anymore. If he’s my son then I’ll deal with that but until we know for sure, stay away from me. Stay away from my family.”
“You can’t force me to stay away from anyone. They’re my family, too.”
“Your connection to this family is through James. James isn’t here. And after the way you’ve behaved, you’re lucky if he ever comes back.”
He crossed the room and picked up the phone on the counter. When he dialed the front desk, Walter answered immediately.
“Miss Maxwell is no longer welcome on my property. The next time she shows up without prior authorization from me, have her removed. Forcibly if necessary.”
Walter’s voice didn’t betray any surprise at the request. “Of course, sir.”
He hung up and turned around. Avery watched him in stony silence. He walked to the elevator, not caring if she followed at this point. He had somewhere to be and getting to Sophia’s was more important than dealing with Avery right now. But when he turned around and saw her behind him, he was compelled to add one last thing.
“Oh and Mara was never a memento. Mara is unique, unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. I didn’t keep the secret because I was still harboring some obsession for Tia. I did it because I was afraid she wouldn’t understand. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and I was afraid of losing her. It turns out that I had every reason to be.”
When he got to the ground floor, he waved Walter over. “If she doesn’t come down in five minutes, go get her please.” Then he walked off and didn’t look back.
* * * * *
ACROSS THE STREET from the penthouse, Mara took a moment just to stare at the weathered gray facade of the building. It was odd to think that she hadn’t really ever done that. They’d always been so busy, rushing here and there, and she hadn’t taken time to really look at the place. But now that she knew it unlikely that she’d ever be back, she was assailed with a crippling desire to remember everything. She wanted to have every minuscule detail embedded in her memory for the days when she looked back on the fairytale life that had almost been hers.
She kept her eyes on the front entrance, fiddling with the sleeve of her long-sleeved I love NYC t-shirt that she’d charged to her room at the hotel. She hated to prevail on Ethan’s kindness anymore that necessary but this had been a necessary measure to prevent herself from having to do the walk of shame at this time of day wearing an evening gown.
Although, if she was honest she looked just as ridiculous in the campy t-shirt, a pair of drawstring exercise shorts and her sparkly stilettos. Her look was a cross between tourist and red light district hooker. Not that anyone cared. At home she would have drawn stares in this crazy outfit but she hadn’t gotten more than a few curious glances here.
Sophia had promised to call at exactly noon. She’d come early so she could go in as soon as Trent left. Ten minutes later, Trent exited the building. She almost missed him because his head was down and he was walking so fast. After he disappeared into the crowd, she crossed the street. Ernesto opened the door for her with a pleased look on his face.
“Miss! You are back!”
She smiled at his enthusiasm. Although she made it a point to speak to him whenever he held the door, he usually just tipped his hat in her direction. He’d never gone out of his way to talk to her.
“Mr. Townsend has been looking for you.”
When she saw him pull out his phone, she put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Wait, you aren’t calling him, are you?” She needed time to grab her stuff and get out of there. That wouldn’t work if Ernesto gave away the plan.
“I’m about to go see him. But I forgot something upstairs. I don’t want him to know I’m coming.” He looked unsure, so she added, “We had a fight last night. So I want to surprise him.”
Ernesto chuckled and winked at her. “Young love. The fighting. The making up.”
Mara nodded along, thinking that he had no idea.
“I don’t have my keycard. Can you let me up?” For a moment, she worried that her plan would fail just because she didn’t have that stupid security card for the elevator.
Ernesto motioned to the concierge. Walter whispered something to the young man behind the desk with him and then walked toward them.
“Miss, you forgot your card? It’s okay. For residents, I can let you up.”
He got in the elevator, slid in his card and then hit the button for the penthouse. Once the doors closed between them, she pressed her hands to her face. It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done to watch Trent walk away. She’d wanted to run after him. To just look at him. But it wasn’t the right time for that. They’d have to talk eventually but not when she was like this. Not when she was so raw and felt like her every emotion had been slit open for the world to see.
When the elevator doors opened, she walked through the kitchen and directly to the bedroom. There was no time for her to do anything but pack her clothes because she wasn’t sure how long Sophia could hold him off. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she was hit with his scent. Stopping in the middle of the room, she closed her eyes and inhaled.
His crumpled tuxedo was in the middle of the floor at her feet. Feeling like a complete weirdo, she picked it up and buried her face in the fabric. Without questioning why she did it, she slipped the bow tie in her pocket.
She flipped on the light in her closet and grabbed her suitcase. Operating on autopilot, she didn’t even stop to think about what she was taking. She just threw in the stuff in the dresser drawers and grabbed the few dresses she’d brought along. She looked at all the clothes Trent had bought her and hesitated. Should she take them? They represented a life that she wouldn’t have now. Why would she need them in New Haven?
At the thought of New Haven, she wondered briefly why she was even going back. With no mortgage or car payment, she didn’t need to rush back into getting another job. Maybe she should travel or visit friends out of state? A change of pace might be exactly what she needed. But the thought of being somewhere new made her feel desperately lonely. Her family was what she needed and there was no shame in that.
She froze in place at the sound of the elevator doors opening up front. Voices drifted from the living room. With a shock, she recognized Trent’s
voice and then … Avery’s? What were they doing together? She slipped off her shoes and walked into the hallway, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Stay away from my family.”
“You can’t force me to stay away from anyone. They’re my family too.”
Avery turned slightly and Mara shrank back out of sight. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore. By the time she gathered the nerve to creep forward again, it was quiet. She was about to stand up, thinking they must have left when she heard Trent’s voice.
“Oh and Mara was never a memento. Mara is unique, unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. I didn’t keep the secret because I was still harboring some obsession for Tia. I did it because I was afraid she wouldn’t understand. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and I was afraid of losing her. It turns out that I had every reason to be.”
Tears slid down Mara’s face as she took in every word and held it in her heart.
The sound of the elevator doors closing gave her the courage to peek her head around the corner. Avery stood in the middle of the entryway, her hands clenched at her side. Mara sank back down, holding her breath. What would Avery do? What if she started looking around the penthouse and found her there?
Suddenly Avery let out a scream of frustration. “It didn’t work. He’s still going back to her.”
Mara pulled out her cell phone and activated the recording app. Trent needed to see that Avery was manipulative and mean. She peered around the kitchen island. She couldn’t see the other woman, just her feet. Avery was facing in the other direction so she took a chance and darted out to hide behind the sectional sofa.
“He’s getting another test done. What am I going to do? I just wanted him to see me. Why doesn’t anybody see me?”
Mara wanted to jump up and choke the shit out of her. The only reason Avery would be upset about another DNA test being done was if she’d somehow tampered with the results the first time. How could she be so reckless, not only with a man’s life and reputation but with her son? To put him in the middle of a scandal and all for what? Money? Did she actually think that Trent was going to marry her after what she had done?
There was a rustling sound and Mara’s heart sped up. She was coming closer. What if she turned the corner and saw her? Avery had already proven herself to be on the wrong side of the crazy train but what if she was violent? Mara clutched her phone tighter, ready to use it like a weapon if need be.
But Avery’s footsteps went in the other direction. She heard the click-click of her heels on the floor and then the elevator doors closed again.
Mara scrambled up and then raced back to the bedroom. All the stuff she’d been contemplating taking with her, she ignored it and just zipped up her case. She’d asked Ernesto not to tell Trent that she was here but what if he mentioned something to Avery? She had to get the hell out of there now.
She turned around and the figure in the doorway was so unexpected that she let out a startled shriek. The other woman dropped the towels she was holding and screamed, too. After a harrowing few moments when Mara wasn’t sure if her heart would ever leave her throat, she got control of herself and peered closely at the other woman. Older. Graying. Grandmotherly.
“Bianca?” she asked in disbelief.
The other woman nodded quickly, clearly terrified.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were here.”
Bianca answered her back in a small voice. She had an accent that sounded faintly Slavic. “I change the linens. Then I hear that one. I don’t like that one.”
Mara realized that she must be talking about Avery. Bianca had been doing the same thing she had been, hiding out somewhere in the house while Trent and Avery were fighting.
“No, I don’t like that one either.” She knelt and picked up the towels on the floor. “I’m very sorry I scared you. I’m on my way out.”
“Be careful, miss. That one is not so nice.” Bianca backed away, the towels clutched to her chest.
When she disappeared into the bathroom, Mara walked to the kitchen and called down to the front desk. “Walter, I need a cab waiting for me out front.”
She rode down the elevator, wrestling with her two suitcases, her carry-on and her handbag. As soon as the elevator doors opened Ernesto appeared and helped her wheel the suitcases to the curb.
“Enjoy your trip, Miss.”
“Thank you. For everything.” On impulse, she hugged him and then ducked into the cab. As they pulled away from the curb, she pulled up the recording app. When she pressed playback, Avery’s voice came out loud and clear.
She was mad at Trent, yes. But she still loved him and there was no way she was going to allow Avery to spread lies about him or trick him. She forwarded the voice file to Sophia and then decided it was out of her hands.
From now on, she was on her own.
Chapter Twenty
SOPHIA OPENED THE door flanked by his two nephews. Despite how crappy his day had been so far, Trent couldn’t help but smile when he found his arms full of laughing boys.
“Come on in. They’ve really missed you.” Sophia moved aside so he could enter.
Trent was bombarded anew with shame as he realized that in all his visits to help out Avery, he hadn’t made more of an effort to see Sophia and to hang out with his other nephews. It was almost impossible to believe how much they’d grown while he hadn’t been paying attention. Tommy, the oldest, was so big it was hard to lift him now. At five, he took after his father and was tall, thin and dark-haired. The youngest, Chase, watched him from Sophia’s arms while chewing on his pacifier. His small tuft of blond hair stood straight up on his head.
“What are you feeding these kids? I swear he shouldn’t be this big already.”
Sophia smiled down at her son, wiping his chin with his bib. Trent held out his arms and she transferred the baby to him. “They eat everything in sight. This one doesn’t even have all his teeth but that doesn’t seem to matter.”
He followed her to the interior of the house, setting Chase down in his playpen. When he stood, Sophia hugged him. It took him off guard, and then he had to blink to ward off the burning sensation at the back of his eyelids.
“I’m so sorry for how I’ve been acting. And you shouldn’t have to be in the middle of any of this. James came by this morning. We talked. It’s all going to be okay.”
“Good. That’s really good.” She wiped her own eyes and knelt to move a baby toy before he stepped on it.
“How did Mara sound to you? Did she sound okay?”
“She did. We talked about everything. She told me what Avery did. God, I should have done more to warn you away from her.” Sophia made a face. “Hindsight, I suppose.”
“Where is Mara? Her brother called but he wouldn’t tell me where she was.”
“She was staying at The Carlyle.”
“I need to go there. I need to talk to her.”
Sophia opened her mouth and then looked away, a faintly guilty look on her face.
“What?”
“Mara is the one who asked me to set up this lunch meeting. She asked me to keep you busy for an hour. I think she wanted that time to get her stuff from the penthouse.”
“What? You’re helping her leave me?” Trent was stunned by the betrayal, especially since he’d thought she was on his side.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Sophia pleaded.
“I know we haven’t had the best relationship over the years. Mom and Dad are insane, I know that. And you’ve had to deal with their shit a lot more than I have. That can’t have been easy. But I feel like I don’t even know you anymore, Soph. I always thought that no matter how different we were that I could count on you.”
“You can count on me. I’m only doing what I think is best for you. You think it makes me happy to see you in so much pain? It’s just like when Tia died all over again. You never got over that and this girl is just prolonging the pain. She’s not Tia. Bein
g with her won’t bring back the love of your life.”
Trent sat down, defeated. “Tia wasn’t the love of my life. She was a spoiled, selfish bitch who wanted to use me to get to James.” He glanced around, then relaxed when he saw that Tommy wasn’t close enough to overhear.
“What?”
Trent held his head in his hands. Sophia disappeared and then came back with a glass.
“It’s scotch. You look like you could use it.”
With a soft laugh, Trent took a sip of the drink. They sat in silence for a few moments. When he raised his head again, Sophia was watching him.
“Why haven’t you said anything before? Everyone assumed that you were in love with Tia. You were devastated when she died.”
“I was because she told me right beforehand that she’d never loved me. That I was just a shadow of the Townsend she’d really wanted. She’d slept with me hoping to make James jealous. When it didn’t work, she was so upset she slit her wrists.”
Sophia placed a delicate hand on his arm. “Trent, I never knew. I’m so sorry.”
“No one knew. That was how I wanted it. I figured maybe I wasn’t enough for her while she was alive but at least I could protect her memory after she was gone.”
“But who is going to protect you, Trent?”
He finished his drink in silence, her question hanging in the air between them.
* * * * *
MARA STRUGGLED THROUGH the airport, trying to keep track of her two suitcases and her carry-on bag. Part of her wanted to laugh at herself. She’d completely rebuffed all of her brother’s attempts to help. She’d asked him not to fly out to New York or even to pick her up at the airport. She had forgotten how much stuff she’d brought with her. It was a little easier to over pack when you were traveling by private plane and had people to help you.
She emerged from the terminal into the humid air and closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar smell and feel of home. When she opened them again, the dark-haired man in front of her took one of her bags and held out his hand for the other one. She handed it over and had to resist the urge to cry with gratitude at having a brother who loved her so much. Because even though she’d forbidden him to come, it hadn’t stopped him from sending someone else.
