Her mother’s eyes darted around. “Let’s not get into this here, Loraine.”
“Don’t want to air your dirty laundry, Mother?” She laughed bitterly. “I’m pretty sure everyone already knows something happened between us. Besides, no one cares. That was years ago, and if you’re still letting this rift consume you, then maybe that’s the guilt talking.”
Raine’s father stepped forward and held up a hand. “Listen, Loraine. Let’s not do this. Why don’t you bring Abby over to the house this weekend?”
Raine tilted her head. “You know, I don’t think so. I’m happy with my life. I don’t need pity, and I don’t need your money. What I always wanted from you was acceptance and love, but that will never be. And if we weren’t in public promoting Max’s play, I’d jump right into just how despicable you two are for your actions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going backstage.”
As Raine turned, her mother’s words stopped her cold. “He was wrong for you years ago, and he still is, but for different reasons. He’s a player, Loraine. Don’t make a fool of us by chasing after Max Ford.”
Oh, there were so many comebacks, but Raine chose the one that would annoy her mother the most.
Raine glanced over her shoulder, offered her sweetest smile and said, “I’m not chasing after Max. I’m just having sex with him.”
Shaking and bubbling with anger, Raine gracefully walked away with a class that her mother would normally appreciate...under other circumstances. Raine had to smile as she made her way backstage. She’d never truly spoken her mind with her parents, never sassed or back talked as an adult, because, no matter how cruel her parents had been in recent years, they were still her parents.
But damn it felt good to see her mother’s reaction to that proclamation. The woman deserved so much more anger spewed her way, but they were in public, and this was Max’s night. Besides, she couldn’t risk causing a scandal when she was still in limbo with this adoption.
Max was in his dressing room, a slew of roses in various colors sat on the vanity. He turned toward the door when she entered.
“A packed house and a standing ovation,” she said. “From the whistles and roses being tossed your way, I’d say opening night was a success.”
Max crossed the small room and enveloped her in his arms. “And having you in the front row was the greatest moment of the entire night.”
When he eased back, his eyes darted down to her necklace. “Raine...you kept it? After all this time?”
He brought his gaze back up to hers, and she couldn’t help but smile. “It meant too much. Even after you left, I couldn’t get rid of it.”
Max lifted the locket, popped it open and studied the picture inside. A picture of the two of them smiling for the camera on a warm, sunny day in the park. The picture was too small to capture anything but their faces, but Raine had that moment in time embedded into her mind.
“We were so young,” he murmured.
Reaching up, Raine cupped the sides of his face and kissed him. “Don’t go back there. Let’s focus on now.”
He nodded, closing the locket. “This is so much better than the jewelry I’d chosen.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind,” she said.
“Not at all.” He brushed his lips ever-so-softly against hers. “You’re stunning tonight.”
“And you look nice with eyeliner,” she teased.
His eyes gleamed mischievously. “I bet you say that to all the guys,” he said.
Raine slid her hands up his bare arms. “I think you look sexy as a gladiator. Maybe you could wear this getup sometime for me.”
Max nipped at her neck. “I’m wearing it now.”
Swatting away his advances, she laughed. “We’re in your dressing room, there are hordes of people running around outside this door, and the press is casing the place for glimpses of you when you leave.”
Max snorted. “First of all, the press got enough pictures of me when I came in. Second, the door has a lock. And third, you look so damn hot in this dress, I can’t wait until we get home.”
“Whose home?” she asked, grinning.
“Well, my mother is at my house, and the sitter is at yours.” His hand went to the zipper at the back of her glimmering blue gown and slowly unzipped until the top sagged just at her breasts. “Looks like this is it. Ever made love in a dressing room?”
Made love. The fact those two words slipped through his lips had her hoping for more.
“I have,” she informed him, sliding her arms out of the fitted sleeves. “I believe it was about fifteen years ago. With you.”
“Then I’d say we’re past due for an encore.”
Raine took a step back and allowed her dress to shimmy down her torso and puddle at her feet. Max’s eyes raked down her body, giving her a visual sampling and sending shivers racing through her.
Closing the small gap between them, Max spanned her waist with his strong hands and tugged her against his chest. And, as if the dam broke, he assaulted her mouth. His hands were all over—roaming up her back, combing through her hair, pulling at her panties.
Raine ran her hands over his thick white costume and had no clue how to get him out of it. Finally, he released her long enough to extricate himself from the thing. He shucked his white boxer briefs and was on her again, this time lifting her up against him until she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Her back pressed against the wall as he pulled aside the cups to her strapless bra. Raine arched into him, allowing him all the access he wanted and more.
When he gripped her panties and literally tore them off, Raine laughed. “You really are in a hurry.”
He slid into her in one swift, quick thrust. “You have no idea,” he murmured against her mouth. “I’ve barely held it together with wanting you.”
Did he mean just tonight...or for longer?
Raine tilted her hips, not wanting to worry about anything beyond right now and how amazing it felt to be with Max. He gripped her waist and slanted his lips across hers as he continued to make love to her.
In no time Raine’s body shook as waves of pleasure coursed through her. Molding herself against his bare chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he started pumping faster. His body stilled against hers, his warm breath fanning out across her shoulder and neck, sending even more chills all over her bare skin.
In an ironic sort of way, they’d come full circle. This theater held such a special place in her heart, since this is where she’d met and fallen in love with him.
Max leaned his head back, looked down at her and grinned. “I have another surprise in store for you.”
Raine laughed. “I’m not quite ready again.”
“Not that,” he said with a slight grin. “I’ve arranged a dinner for us.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
Raine tilted her head. “Here? At the theater?”
That cocky grin spread across his face. “I wanted tonight to be special. And before you worry about the sitter, she was well paid to stay as late as we need.”
Warmth spread through Raine. Max had taken care of everything, and he was all about pleasing her, meeting her needs.
But it was time they opened up about their feelings, now and years ago. Where were they headed here? Because this certainly felt like more than just a pass through. Yes, he was leaving, but would he return? Would he want to see where this long-distance relationship could lead?
And Max still didn’t know the truth about the baby she’d lost. His baby. Their baby.
This evening may not be the perfect time to address it, but hadn’t the past been buried long enough? There would be no ideal time, and her nerves wouldn’t get any calmer. He needed to know about this adoption she was facing—fighting—as well, because, if he was truly ready to get involved with her, this adoption would affect him, too.
Looking into Max’s eyes, she knew tonight would change their lives, one way or another, fore
ver.
Sixteen
Something was off with Raine. They’d made love, though it was frantic and hurried, and a deeper bond had formed between them back in his dressing room.
But he couldn’t chalk up her tension to all of that, because, when she’d stepped into the room, she’d already been wound up pretty tight. He didn’t know what had happened between her arrival at the play and when it finished, but something—or someone—had upset her. If he had to wager a guess, he’d lay money on her parents.
With his hand on the small of her back, Max led her up the back stairs to the stage area.
“All of this is going to spoil me,” she murmured, throwing a smile over her shoulder. “A beautiful dress, a play and now dinner on stage?”
He laughed. “Don’t forget the dressing room.”
“I’ll never forget the dressing room.”
He led her closer to the table that had been set up amid the coliseum decor. With the crisp white tablecloth, a tapered candle flickering, fine china and a single red rose across her plate, Max hadn’t left out one single romantic detail.
“You went to a lot of trouble for me tonight.”
“No trouble,” he replied as he pulled out her cloth-covered chair. “I called McCormick’s in town, asked if they could deliver a few things, and then I paid one of the guys on the crew here to set this up. I really did nothing but make a few calls.”
Before sitting in her seat, Raine turned, placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “You’ve done so much more, Max. This time that you’ve been here...it’s been amazing. I can’t thank you enough for making me take a break and have fun again.”
Before she could turn and take a seat, he gripped her shoulders and slid his lips over hers. “You deserve breaks, Raine. You deserve fun. You just needed someone to show you.”
Her gaze held his, and he lost himself in their beautiful emerald-green depths. This was not what he’d planned on. Nothing prepared him for all the emotions, all the feelings, he’d be forced to face. He’d pretty much been resigned to the fact he’d see Raine during his lengthy visit and had even assumed he’d be swept back into the past.
But he hadn’t planned on looking at her and seeing a future.
“I ran into my parents before I saw you,” she confided. “I need to talk to them about what happened.”
“It won’t be easy, but they need to be held accountable for ruining our lives.”
Raine wound her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. “I have no idea what to say. I know they’ll defend their actions, but they stole everything from me.”
Leaning down, Max kissed her gently on the forehead. “We won’t let them win.”
She gazed up at him with her heart in her eyes, and Max felt a surge of emotion. So much time had passed, but his feelings were even stronger now than they were when he and Raine had been eighteen. However, their future still seemed so uncertain, and he had no clue where they went from here.
Exhaling slowly, he took her hand and helped her into her seat before taking his own. He’d made sure to have her favorites here tonight. Already they’d created memories, but he didn’t want the night to end.
When he glanced across the table, he froze. Raine stared down at her plate, not moving or attempting to eat.
“You don’t like the menu?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she lifted her gaze. “The menu is fine. But I think we’ve hit a point where I need to tell you about Abby.”
He waited, not letting on that he already knew. She was opening up, and he wanted to take full advantage of this important step she was taking in their relationship.
“You’ve asked a couple times about Abby’s father.” Easing forward, Raine rested her elbows on the table. “He’s not in the picture...and I’m not her biological mother. Jill is.”
Max reached across the small round table and took her hands in his. “You’re adopting Jill’s baby?”
Raine nodded. “She’s just not at a point in her life where she can care for a baby. At first she mentioned abortion, but, once we talked through everything, she realized that wasn’t the best decision. I may not be financially sound, but I had to try to make this work. You know I’ve always wanted a family.”
“I know,” he whispered. “And you’re Abby’s mom in every way that counts, Raine. Just like Elise is mine.”
A smile spread across her face. “I knew you’d get it. I hesitated on telling you, because I had to wait and see where we were going with this. At first you were just stuck at my house, but now there’s so much more.”
“You don’t need to explain,” he said gruffly. “Adopting Abby is remarkable, Raine.”
“Actually, she’s not legally mine, yet.”
Max stroked his thumbs along the back of her hands. “When will everything be finalized?”
Blowing out a breath, Raine shrugged. “I wish I knew. My attorney can’t figure out what the holdup is, either. I’ve been approved through Social Services with my home visits, background check and everything. All my attorney can figure is that sometimes this process takes longer than others.”
That threw Max for a loop. If everything was complete, what was the problem? He would look into that, because there was no way this adoption shouldn’t go through.
“I’m glad you told me,” Max said. “I’m glad you’re getting this dream of motherhood because you’re amazing at it, Raine.”
A flash of hurt flickered in her eyes, but she offered a quick smile. “There are days I question if I’m doing it right, but I just have to keep moving forward doing the best I can.”
He raised his wine glass. “Then let’s celebrate us, Abby and the newfound life we’ve discovered. We may not know what’s going to happen, but for now we are happy, and I want you to remember this night forever.”
Raine picked up her own glass and clinked it to his. “I’ll never forget any of the time you’ve been back in Lenox, Max. It’s been the best few weeks of my life.”
Max took a long, hard drink of the wine, wishing for something stronger. Hollywood was waiting for him, but the future he’d originally planned sat directly within reach.
No matter how they decided to approach the future, he had a feeling someone would inevitably get hurt. He only prayed to God they survived this time.
Seventeen
Raine had been up all night playing over and over in her head the scenario that would greet her today when finally confronting her parents. She expected denial, defense and even derision, but she would stand her ground and not leave until she had adequate answers. She was owed that much.
Max had been much more understanding, much more supportive than she would’ve been if the roles had been reversed. The thought that her parents had sabotaged her life, her every dream, made her so mad she could hardly control the trembling.
Without knocking, she marched straight through the front door of her childhood home...or, more accurately, museum. The cold, sterile environment was no place to raise a child. As her rubber-soled work boots thunked through the marble foyer, Raine winced inwardly. She was just grateful that Abby had never been forced to spend much time in this place. Approaching her father’s home office, she overheard another familiar male voice. Great. Just who she was not in the mood for.
Raine stepped into the spacious room with the back wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and took in the bright, sunshiny day. This day was about to get very dark, very fast.
“I need to talk to you,” she said, interrupting whatever her father was saying.
She hadn’t heard the specifics of the conversation. She was too overwrought to focus on anything but her past right now.
Marshall turned in the leather club chair he sat in. “Raine,” he said, raising a brow. “You’re looking...natural today.”
Raine laughed, knowing full well he was referring to her farm-girl attire. “I look like this every day, Marshall. I need to speak to my father. You’re excu
sed.”
“Loraine,” her father exclaimed, coming to his feet. The force of his actions sent his office chair rolling back and slamming into the window. “You surely can wait until our meeting is over.”
Raine crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, it’s over. I need Mother in here, as well.”
Her father shook his head. “I’m sorry, Marshall. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I’ll call you this afternoon.”
Marshall came to his feet and approached Raine. “I hope everything is okay. Would you like to call me later and talk?”
“Marshall,” she told him, placing a hand on his arm. “I’ve been nice about this, but I’m just not interested in you in that way. We went out once, but that was it for me.”
Marshall’s cheeks reddened. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
More like can’t blame a guy for trying to kiss the ass of her father the mayor, but whatever. She didn’t have time to think or worry about Marshall’s feelings right now.
Raine waited for her father to get off the house intercom. Marshall left, and moments later Raine’s mother swept into the room. The woman always felt the need to make a grand entrance...pearls and all.
“What a lovely surprise...” Her mother’s words trailed off as she raked her eyes over Raine’s wardrobe. “Heaven’s sake, Loraine. Couldn’t you have freshened up before coming out in public?”
“I showered, and my underwear is clean. That’s as fresh as I get,” she defended with a smile. “But I’m not here for you to look down your nose at me and throw insults my way, because you think you’re on another level.”
“Loraine, that’s enough,” her father bellowed from behind his desk. “Whatever foul mood you’re in, we don’t deserve this.”
Raine snickered, moved around the spacious office and flopped down on the oversized leather sofa in the corner. Propping her dirty work boots upon the cushion, she glared back at her father.
Snowbound with a Billionaire Page 14
