She paused midstep. “You were in an accident on your sailboat on your way back to LA. You suffered a brain bleed and they had to go in and operate.”
“So that’s why my head feels so fuzzy?”
She nodded. “You’ve been out for almost twenty-four hours.”
He glanced at the door. “Mother?”
“Lucius was able to get her to sleep in one of the empty rooms. Nearly browbeat every administrator he could for the privilege. I’ll go get her.” She started to move again, but once again, he stopped her.
“Are you coming back?”
Dared he hope?
“Yes.”
Maximus watched Tahlia depart. So he wasn’t dreaming. She was here and apparently had been at his bedside. For how long? How long would she stay by his side before circumstances inevitably forced her to leave him and he was alone again?
Chapter 15
Once outside the room, Tahlia clutched her hand to her mouth and allowed the sob of relief she’d been holding in to escape her lips. He was awake. Max was going to pull through. Her prayer—heck, all their prayers—had been answered. She’d wanted to jump up and dance, but the wary look Max had given her made her pause. She couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her or not. But he had asked her if she was staying. Surely that meant something.
“Tahlia.” Lucius strode toward her down the hall. “Is he okay? Is my brother still alive?” The fear in his tone was evident because Tahlia had felt the same fear herself over the last forty-eight hours.
Tahlia glanced up at Lucius. Tears winged her eyelashes, and she nodded. “Yes, yes.” She clutched his muscled forearms. “He’s fine. He’s awake and asking to see his mother. I was just headed to find Charlotte.”
“Oh, thank God.” Relief flooded across Lucius’s face as he rubbed his hands across his face. Tahlia could see just then what the threat of losing Max had done to Lucius. Worry creased his forehead, and his eyes were haunted. He’d been so strong holding it together for her and Charlotte, belying his own inner turmoil, but she could see now, when he let down his guard, just how scared he’d been.
“It’s a miracle,” Tahlia said with a smile. “You should go see for yourself.” She inclined her head toward the door, but Lucius shook his head.
“No, he wants to see his mother first, not me.”
“Lucius...” Tahlia stared back at him incredulously. “You’ve been at this hospital for two days, same as the rest of us. You have a right to see him.”
“Do I?” Lucius asked with a grimace. “I’m not sure Maximus would agree with you. And I don’t want to upset him, not now when he’s recovering. I’ll be around.”
Her brows furrowed. “Are you sure?”
Lucius nodded. “It’s enough that he’s awake and stable. Come, let me take you to Charlotte.”
Tahlia allowed him to walk her down the hall, but she glanced back at Maximus’s door. What would it take to get the brothers to finally see the truth—that the family and love they’d always wanted was right there in front of them if they would only reach out and grab it?
* * *
“It’s all right, Mama.” Maximus had never called her anything other than Mother, but in that moment, seeing her break down as she sat on the edge of his hospital bed, it felt right. “It’s okay.” He patted her head as she bowed her head on his chest and wept. “I’m going to be okay.”
“I—I—I just thought I was going to lose you,” she cried into his chest. Maximus wrapped his arms around her as best he could with all the IV lines and drips around him taped to his hands and arms.
“You didn’t,” he stated firmly. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet his, and it was like Maximus truly saw her for the first time in years. And as he did, he could see she’d aged nearly overnight. Her usually coiffed black hair was in a ponytail, a ponytail of all things. Her eyes were puffy, red-rimmed with circles around them from lack of sleep. And she was wearing jeans with a cardigan sweater set. He’d never seen Charlotte Knight ever look so, so casual.
“I’m just thankful I wasn’t alone,” she said. “Your girlfriend, Tahlia, has been here with me this entire time.”
“She’s not my girlfriend, Mother. We broke up before I took off when she found out about my plan to seduce her when we first met.”
“I beg to differ. That girl has been by your bed this entire time and by my side. She truly cares for you, Maximus. No, it’s more than that.” She shook her head. “She loves you.”
“That may be so, but the circumstances that led to our breakup to begin with are still there, and that hasn’t changed.”
“Oh, honey.” His mother’s voice softened. “Are you sure there’s no way to salvage your relationship? I admit I initially was angry with Tahlia for the fact that Arthur shared confidences with her that he didn’t share with me, but I can’t blame her for that. Instead, I’ve found her to be a warm and caring person, and I’m seeing what Arthur saw in her. She’s a great listener. It’s as if you can tell her anything without any judgment. It must be how he’d felt.”
Maximus turned his head and looked away. “I don’t want to hear about Father now.” Because she was right. It’s how Tahlia made everyone feel, including him.
“And should I take it you don’t want to talk about your brother, Lucius, either?” she asked. “Because he, too, has been at the hospital since he learned of your accident. He hasn’t left this place, and he’s made sure you’ve received the best possible care. He even flew in the best brain surgeon in the country to be on your case.”
Maximus turned his head. “And where is he now?” he inquired caustically. “Why isn’t he in here right now making sure I’m all right?”
His mother shrugged. “Maybe because he doesn’t think he’d be welcome, and can you honestly blame him? You haven’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat. But then again, neither have I. His very existence is a reminder of the failure of my marriage. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to look at him because he reminds me of your father. He even resembles him.”
“I can only imagine how hard that must be for you, Mama,” Maximus said softly.
“It is.” She wiped away an errant tear from her eyes. “But don’t you worry about me.” She lightly patted his chest. “I just want you to get better. That’s what we all want.”
“That’s right,” Tahlia said from behind her. She stood in the doorway carrying two foam cups with what Maximus could only assume was coffee. She walked toward them and handed one to his mother. “Charlotte, I brought this for you. Thought you might need it.”
“Thank you, dear.” His mother accepted the cup. “I did.” She rose from his bed and patted the spot she’d vacated. “You sit and talk with Maximus for a spell. If you don’t mind, I’m going to run home for a minute and take a quick shower.”
“Of course.” Tahlia nodded, smiling at her. “I’ll stay here with the patient.”
Once she’d gone and it was just the two of them, a silence fell over the room. Instead of sitting on the bed as his mother had done, Tahlia pulled up the chair she’d been sleeping in earlier and scooted it back toward the bed.
“I hope you don’t mind the company?” she asked somewhat tentatively.
He shook his head. “No, I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are?” The hope in her voice was evident.
“I missed you.”
She lowered her head as if she was fighting with herself, but eventually she lifted it long enough for him to see tears were shining in her eyes. “I missed you, too.”
They both fell back into silence.
Tahlia was the first to speak. “You don’t know how scared I was for you,” she started. “I thought I might lose you. We all were scared to death. And it wasn’t just me,
Maximus. It was your mother and Lucius and Naomi.”
“I heard he was here.”
“He’s been here this whole time,” Tahlia said. “But that’s a fight for another day.” She inhaled deeply. “What I’m trying to say is...”
“Is what?”
Her brown eyes were misty and wistful, and Maximus’s heart constricted. He wasn’t sure he was ready for her next words, but they came all the same. “I love you,” she whispered.
She stared at him, waiting for his reaction. Maximus didn’t know if it was his brain injury or something else, but he was speechless for the first time in his life. He couldn’t think of a single coherent thought. His mind was buzzing from Tahlia’s confession.
“The thing is, having you nearly die has shown me life is too short, and I couldn’t let another moment pass without telling you how I felt because I might not ever get another chance. I love you,” she said it again. “I think I have since I first saw you at the gallery.”
Maximus frowned. He didn’t remember meeting her at the gallery. They met at the estate when she came for the reading of the will.
At his confused expression, she continued. “You didn’t notice me back then. You were there for your father, and after speaking with him, you left shortly thereafter, but I never forgot you. And I suppose when the opportunity came for us to be more—” she paused “—I jumped on it. And I know that you seized on the opportunity to ‘seduce’ me, but it didn’t take much doing”
“Tahlia.”
“You don’t have to say it back,” Tahlia said, patting his hand on the bed. “I understand if you don’t feel the same away about me, especially after I put Arthur’s feelings and wishes above yours and voted against you. You had thirty years with the man to see his true character. While I only had a year to get to know him. Maybe I only saw what I wanted to see because I needed a male figure in my life and he fit that role.”
At her words, Maximus’s heart constricted in his chest. “You don’t have to say that.”
“Yes, I do. Because it’s true. I treated you unfairly, and I was wrong. You had a right to your anger. He was your father, not mine. I’m not completely blameless in all this, and I know we were only together for a short time, but I just wanted you to know that—that it impacted me.” She bunched her shoulders. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know, and I’ll be here until you get better.”
Tahlia’s love was a gift he didn’t deserve. After everything, Maximus didn’t feel he deserved her or her love. She was too special of a woman to be with a man like him. Even knowing that he might not say the words back, Tahlia had still put herself out there and told him how she felt. While he sat in his bed, afraid to say the words back even though he felt the same way. He was cold, unfeeling and manipulative, same as his father. She needed someone better than him.
“Thank you,” he finally said.
Consternation crossed her face. Had she been expecting him to utter the sentiment back even though she’d said otherwise? Maximus couldn’t. He was afraid to. The last time he’d shown someone love, his father, it had been thrown back at him. He feared the same thing happening with Tahlia, and he couldn’t bear it if she pushed him away, too. And that couldn’t happen, because there was still a hurdle facing them. A hurdle neither of them was talking about.
“Yes, thank you,” he said again. “You’re amazing, Tahlia.”
“But?” The sparkle and light that had been in her eyes a moment ago when she confessed her love had gone out.
“But I’m not sure I’m capable of loving you back,” Maximus said finally.
“Capable of loving me? Or you don’t at all?” Tahlia inquired.
“Does it really matter?” he said. “There’s too much water under the bridge.”
“I don’t believe that.” Tahlia rose to her feet and peered down at him. Tears were streaming down her tapioca-colored cheeks. “I know we have something, Maximus. Please don’t do this. Please don’t push me away. Not again. Not after we almost lost you.”
“I’m not pushing you away,” he said. “You just deserve someone better than me.”
“I don’t want anyone else,” she cried.
“Then you should!” he shouted back at her.
“Max...”
“Maybe you should just leave,” Maximus said, turning away from her. “My head is starting to hurt.” His heart broke as he heard Tahlia crying behind him, willing him to turn around, but he didn’t look back. He couldn’t. He was too afraid to take the risk. And so he heard her footsteps as she walked away and most likely out of his life for good this time.
* * *
Tahlia was stunned and leaned against the wall of the hospital corridor. She’d never expected Maximus to shun her after she told him she loved him. She slid down the wall into a heap on the floor, and her head fell forward as she sobbed.
She could hear people passing her by, but she didn’t care. Embarrassment was the least of her worries. She couldn’t move because this time Maximus had hurt her worse than before. This time, she’d put her heart and soul before him on a platter, and he’d just thrown it aside as if her love didn’t matter one iota to him.
How could he be so cruel? So heartless?
She was still sitting on the floor when Lucius walked toward her. He crouched in front of her, an angry frown on his features. “What did he do now?” Lucius asked, glancing at the closed door of Maximus’s room.
She shook her head.
“Here, let me help you up.” Lucius reached for Tahlia, pulling her to her feet, and then his arms came around to embrace her as they’d done several times before. “I’m going to kill that little brother of mine, and right after I got him back no less.”
“Don’t,” Tahlia cried yet again against Lucius’s chest. She couldn’t believe she was back here again. Not after Maximus almost died. In her worst nightmare, she’d never thought he’d turn his back on her, but he had. She lifted her head to look up at him. “He’s made his feelings perfectly clear where I’m concerned. He doesn’t want me, so—so I’m going to leave. Go home and get on with my life.”
She started to move away from Lucius, but he touched her arm. “Tahlia. Don’t leave. He’s not in his right state. Maybe that surgery scrambled his brain somehow. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He couldn’t. Because if he did, he wouldn’t let you go.”
“He’s knows exactly what he’s doing, Lucius. You’ll have to learn to accept that Maximus is somewhat of a prick. I have.” Then as much as it hurt, she walked down the hall and away from Maximus, the love of her life.
* * *
“You stupid jerk!” Lucius barged into Maximus’s room, startling him out of the haze of guilt he already felt for sending Tahlia away.
Lucius stabbed his finger in Maximus’s direction several times. “You—you—you idiot!” he roared.
“What the hell?” Maximus yelled, covering his ears. “You do realize I’m in the hospital recovering from surgery.” His head was still hurting something fierce, and none of the medications they’d given him had worked.
“Don’t you dare go pulling the sick card,” Lucius said. “I’ve been talking to the doctor, and you’re going to make a full recovery.”
“That must really be upsetting news for you,” Maximus responded with a snort. “I’m sure you’d much rather I’d disappear altogether.”
“Jesus Christ, Max!” Lucius spun away from him for several moments. He was silent, and Max wondered what he was thinking. When he spun around, he said, “Can’t you let up for a second?”
“Why?”
“Don’t you get it?”
“Get what?”
“I don’t hate you!” Lucius yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. At his words, Maximus was quiet. “I never have.”
“Of course you do,” Maximu
s said. “I was the son who grew up with Arthur as a father. I had everything in life handed to me on a silver platter, while you’ve had to struggle until you achieved success all on your own.”
“So what? I’ve had it no harder than any other person out there,” Lucius responded. “At least I had my grandmother and my friend Adam. And my mother occasionally, but she was too busy living her life and refusing to tell me who my father was. That’s beside the point, Maximus. Why are you so angry? You’d think I would be. I’m the son he didn’t acknowledge.”
“You think you’re the only one with a right to be angry?” Maximus asked, pressing the bed forward so he could sit upright even though his head felt like it was splitting into two. “Well, guess what, big brother. It finally occurred to me why I never had my father’s love.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I was always the stand-in for the son he really wanted. You. And despite everything I did, no matter how hard I worked, or how much I achieved, it was never good enough for Arthur Knight, because I could never be you, Lucius. So there. That’s why I’m angry.”
“Maximus.” Lucius pulled up the chair that Tahlia had left closer to the bed. “What has that anger gotten you, huh? You’ve just let one of the best women I’ve ever met, other than Naomi, walk out.” He pointed to the door. “And the only thing I can think of, other than you’ve lost your mind, is that you don’t think you deserve her.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lucius stared at him, and it was as if he could read Maximus’s mind. “I think I do. Tahlia and her love for you has you running scared. And I get it, okay? I was scared, too, when I realized I loved Naomi, but I’m telling you, bro, having a woman like Tahlia in your life is the best kind of medicine you’ll ever need.”
The two men looked at each other, assessing the other. It was Maximus who finally spoke. “Why are you involving yourself in my personal life anyway? This is none of your concern. What’s it to you if I’m alone or not?”
“I’m here because I care,” Lucius stated evenly. “And I want you to be happy, same as me.”
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