“Why? Why should you?”
“Because you’re my brother.” Lucius pounded his chest. “And that means something to me. I don’t know what it means to you, but I grew up alone with no one other than Grandma, and I always wanted a little brother. And when I learned about you at the hospital, I wanted to go to you then, even when my world was shattering around me, and pull you into a hug and tell you everything was going to be all right because that’s what a big brother does. But you looked at me with such scorn that I left.”
Maximus remembered that night. The night when the world he’d always thought he’d known came crashing down, too. It’d been when he learned his father was a liar, a cheat and an all-around jerk. He’d seen Lucius and the stunned look on his face when he’d learned Arthur was their father. And his heart had gone out to him because he had no idea that he’d actually dodged a bullet. Arthur Knight had been a terrible father.
“You’re right,” Maximus said. “I was upset. And disillusioned. I’d always looked up to our father. That night I’d realized he was just a man. A fallible man with his own faults.”
Lucius nodded. “We all are human, but the key is to learn from our mistakes and take a different path. Just because Arthur wasn’t capable of loving you doesn’t mean you’re the same, Maximus. You can be a better man than him. I know you can be.”
Maximus looked at Lucius, truly looked at him. And staring back at him for the first time in his life was someone who believed in him.
His brother.
“It’s too late, Lucius,” Maximus said, shaking his head. “I hurt Tahlia just now. There’s no way she’s coming back for more of the same. She told me she loved me, and I said thank you. I ruined everything.”
“No, you haven’t,” Lucius stated emphatically. “While you were gone, we took care of Knight Shipping for you. We got to know each other, and I’ve never seen a woman more in love than Tahlia is with you. You can still fix this. It’s never too late.”
“I hope you’re right,” Maximus replied. He’d hurt Tahlia when he hadn’t meant to. He just hadn’t known how to love her, but having Lucius here to talk had helped. Helped him see that he was capable of much more if he was only willing to go out on the ledge and jump.
And for Tahlia he would.
Chapter 16
“Man, am I glad to see you,” Griffin said when he visited the hospital later that afternoon. He leaned forward on the hospital bed to give Maximus a hug and took a seat in the chair across from him.
“About as happy as I am to see you,” Maximus said, sitting up in his bed. “I missed you, Griff. Being out on that boat with a seventy-year-old man was starting to get lonesome.”
Griffin shrugged. “You’re the one who went on a self-imposed exile and kept all of us at arm’s length, but let’s not talk about that. How are you feeling?”
“Like crap,” Maximus answered honestly. “My head is killing me. The doctor was here earlier and told me that’s to be expected.”
“Any complications from the surgery?”
Maximus shook his head. “No, the doctor said I should make a full recovery.”
“Darn.” Griffin snapped his fingers. “I was hoping to get that autographed baseball collection you have.”
Maximus chuckled, but when he did, it made his head hurt, and he rubbed his temples to ease the sharp pain from the laughter.
“Are you sure you’re up for a visit?” Griffin asked, starting to rise from his seat. “I can always come back.”
“For you, yes. And please stay.” He patted the bed, indicating Griffin should sit down. “We haven’t seen each other in a couple of months. Catch me up on what’s going on with you. I could use the distraction.”
Griffin’s forehead creased. “I don’t understand. Tahlia was here for days when you were injured and after the surgery. Even your brother, Lucius, was here causing a ruckus to make sure you got the best care. I just assumed circumstances had changed.”
“They have, sort of,” Maximus responded.
“Explain,” Griffin said, folding his arms across his chest.
“Lucius and I are going to make an effort at this whole brother thing.”
Maximus couldn’t help but notice the wide grin that split across Griffin’s dark features.
“That’s great news, Max. I was hoping that would be the outcome. And Tahlia?”
“Ah...there’s where I have a problem.” He sighed as he remembered their encounter and how upset Tahlia had been. “I royally screwed up, Griff, and I’m going to have to do some serious damage control to get her back.”
Griffin frowned. “What could you have possibly done from your hospital bed?”
“Push her away. She told me she loved me, and I knew she wanted me to say it back. And I wanted to say those words back to her, but I didn’t. Instead, I told her there was too much water under the bridge between us and that we’d never work.”
“You idiot!” Griffin rose from the chair he was sitting in and began pacing the floor. “After that woman stood by your side? How could you?”
“Please don’t read me the riot act, okay? Lucius already did that. I know I have to fix things. And I will. As soon as I get out of here.”
Griffin rolled his eyes upward. “You’re on thin ice, my friend. If Tahlia gives you another chance, I would suggest you thank your lucky stars because you’re not going to find someone who loves and cares for you more.”
Maximus smiled. “Yes, I know that, and I promise you when I get out of here, I’m going to rectify the situation. I promise you. I will get Tahlia back.”
* * *
“Do you really think you can let him go?” Kaitlynn asked Tahlia when she came on Saturday to help Kaitlynn pack boxes. She had helped Kaitlynn with the security deposit and first month’s rent to move into a brand-new apartment complex with all the amenities, such as a fitness center and coffee bar. It was the least she could do since being owner of the gallery and a shareholder at Knight Shipping had given her extra cash in her bank account.
“I have no choice,” Tahlia said. “Maximus rejected me, Kaitlynn. After I told him that I was at fault, too, and could have supported him instead of standing on my soap box and telling him about Arthur’s feelings and wishes.” She stopped putting tape on a box long enough to look at her sister. “I sat in front of him, face-to-face, and I told him that I missed him and that his accident had made me see that I couldn’t go another minute without telling him how I feel, that I loved him. And you want to know what he said?”
“What?” Kaitlynn asked.
“He said, thank you. Thank you!” Tahlia repeated the words she still couldn’t believe she’d heard, even though he’d said them days ago. “He acted as if I’d just given him flowers and a get-well card at the hospital, for Christ’s sake. I told him I loved him.”
“And you expected him to say it back?”
“I hoped,” Tahlia responded with a shrug. “But at the very least, he could have said he cares about me. All I got was he missed me. Most likely he missed all the sex he was getting on the regular.”
“It was like that, huh?”
Tahlia blushed and continued taping the box. “We had a very active sex life.” But gosh, it seemed like that was decades ago when it had been only less than three months. Being with Maximus had been everything she’d ever imagined it would be. Her body had recognized being with his as if she’d come home, and now it craved his. But she’d have to get used to the fact that they would never be together again in any capacity except at board meetings.
That was when it hit her. And she stopped dead in her tracks.
“What?” Kaitlynn looked at her. “What is it, Tahlia? You look like you’ve been hit with some sort of revelation.”
Tahlia nodded. “That’s because I have.” Why hadn’t
it occurred to her before? Maximus saw the shares of Knight Shipping as a stumbling block between them. He’d said so when they’d first broken up, when he’d accused her of not believing in him, of not supporting him and taking his side.
Maybe, just maybe, she had the key after all to salvage what was left of their relationship, if there was one. It was a risky move, but she had to try because if she didn’t, she’d always wonder what if. She’d always wonder if they could have survived the drama if only she’d taken the chance.
* * *
“I’m glad to be getting out of here,” Maximus said as he rose from the hospital bed and sat down in the wheelchair the nurse held for him.
“You and me both,” his mother said from behind him. “I practically had to fight that brother of yours over which of us would be coming to pick you up and drive you home.”
“Oh, yeah?” Maximus asked, laughing. It had surprised him, too, at the active role Lucius was now taking in his life. Ever since their talk a week ago, he’d made his presence known by visiting Maximus every day in the hospital. They would talk for hours about growing up, school, sports and, of course, women. They’d even played cards, and Lucius had taught him how to play poker. And slowly, Maximus was beginning to see the makings of a relationship with his brother.
“Yes,” his mother harrumphed. “It was only when I’d agreed to have him and Naomi over for dinner that he’d finally relented.”
Maximus glanced up at his mother. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’re making an effort where Lucius is concerned.”
She patted his shoulder, and then the nurse began wheeling him out of the room and toward the elevator. “Lucius and Naomi, yes, but his mother will never be welcomed in my home again.”
He reached for his mother’s hand and squeezed. “That’s understandable. And I’m sure Lucius will understand. The only reason you allowed her the first time after the reading of the will was at my bequest.”
“Thank you, darling,” his mother replied. “And Naomi, she’s such a lovely girl. Lucius is very lucky to have her.”
Maximus gave her a sideward glance. “Yes, he is.” Naomi had brought him a lovely get-well basket full of products from her men’s line to make sure his stay at the hospital was more comfortable. He couldn’t ask for a better sister-in-law.
“Makes me think of Tahlia and what a great addition she would be to the family.”
“Matchmaking again, mother?”
“Me?” She touched her chest. “Never. You’ve told me time and time again to stay out of your love life. I was merely reminding you that Tahlia was at your bedside day and night when you were injured until you woke up.”
“I know that.” Lying in his hospital bed, he’d thought of nothing else but how he could get Tahlia back. What he could do to convince her to give him another chance. She certainly didn’t have to give him one, not after he’d done the exact same thing his father had done to him. He’d thrown her love for him back in her face.
It was why he waited. He needed time, not only to heal, but to think of something grand. When he’d told Lucius of his idea, Lucius had given him some solid advice.
Speak from your heart.
Would that be enough? Would Tahlia hear him when he told her he loved her and never wanted to live without her?
* * *
“I don’t appreciate being summoned to meet you,” Kaitlynn Armstrong said when Maximus arrived in a limousine to pick her up at her apartment complex at the beginning of the week.
“I’m sure you don’t,” Maximus responded. “I know I can’t be your favorite person right now.”
“That’s right,” Kaitlynn said. Her brown eyes turned to daggers when they looked at him. “You hurt Tahlia deeply twice. So I’m not sure what else you want, Maximus. It wasn’t enough to have her madly and deeply in love with you?”
“Listen, Kaitlynn—”
“No, you listen. I’ve watched my sister pine for you for a year. And when she finally got a chance to meet you, she jumped right in with both feet and fell hard for you, Maximus Xavier Knight. While you, on the other hand, were only using her for your own agenda. It was despicable.”
“You’re right, Kat,” he replied. “May I call you Kat?” He remembered Tahlia always used the nickname around her.
“Kat is for my friends, and I don’t think you’re one of them anymore.”
Maximus smiled. She was tough, and he deserved it. “Maybe I can be, which is why I called you. I need your help.”
“My help? To get my sister back? You must be joking.”
“I’m not. You’re right. I don’t deserve Tahlia. I did have an ulterior motive when we began seeing each other, but all of that changed the more I got to know your sister. The more time we spent together, the deeper I fell in love with her.”
Kaitlynn stared back at him. “Then why did you let her go, you big oaf!” She smacked his shoulder hard with her hand. “She stayed by your side in the hospital, admitted her shortcomings, and you still let her walk out that door.”
“Because I’m an idiot!” Maximus said. “A complete and utter fool, but a fool who loves your sister. And you’re right. I want her back, and I need your help to do it.”
“I don’t know how to help you. You’re on your own.” She shrugged.
“Oh, you can help me,” Maximus said, stepping out of the limousine that had come to a halt. “Come inside and let me show you how.” He held his hand out to her.
Kaitlynn glanced at him in bewilderment, as she clearly hadn’t noticed the car had stopped. But when she exited the vehicle and saw their destination, she smiled at him. “You sly, sly devil. You really are as smart as they say you are.”
* * *
Tahlia drove up to the Knight estate. Lucius had called her to inform her, if she was interested, that Maximus had been released from the hospital days ago. He knew darn well that she was interested.
Her love for his brother hadn’t suddenly flown the coop in a week’s time. But she did have news for Lucius. News he hadn’t exactly been shocked to hear. It had taken her a few days to finalize the details, but she’d made it happen, and surprisingly he hadn’t tried to change her mind or talk her out of it. Not that he could. She was adamant in her decision, and no one was going to talk her out of it.
She’d expected more of a reaction from him, but instead of trying to change her mind, Lucius had wished her good luck and said he hoped his brother finally saw the light, which was that she was a woman worth hanging on to. Tahlia thought so.
And so she’d taken a leap of faith by coming here. Maximus could very well turn her away and refuse to see her, but she was hoping against hope that he wouldn’t turn her away.
Parking her VW Bug, she exited and headed for the large solid oak door of the Knight estate. She was greeted several moments later by a uniformed butler.
“Tahlia Armstrong,” she told him. “I’m here to see—”
“Maximus,” he said before she could finish. “I will fetch him for you. Please follow me into the sitting room.”
He led her into a large room.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a seat on a wingback chair.
“Can I get you any refreshments?” the butler inquired.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I won’t be staying long,” Tahlia replied.
“That’s too bad,” Maximus said from the doorway. “Because I was hoping you’d stay awhile.”
Tahlia’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was all right. He was standing there looking like he’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine instead of a hospital bed. He wore jeans and a V-neck sweater, and he’d never looked more handsome to Tahlia. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
She’d come here with a purpose and she just had to get to it, but Maximus didn�
��t seem to be in any hurry. Instead, he looked at his butler and said, “Can you bring us a pot of tea? Maybe chamomile? You’d like that, right?”
Tahlia smiled. He remembered that she liked chamomile tea and that it calmed her nerves. “Yes, that’ll be fine.”
The butler left the room, and Maximus took a seat across from Tahlia on the opposite wingback chair.
“I’m glad to see that you’re looking well,” Tahlia started. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m doing well,” he responded. “Still a little weak and not where I’d like to be, but the doctor said that’s normal after a couple of weeks in the hospital. He said once I exercise my muscles again that I’ll be right as rain.”
“Good, good.” Tahlia nodded. “So...” Her words trailed off as she tried to figure out how to start the conversation. She’d never had trouble conversing with him, but this time was different. This time their entire relationship was on the line.
“So, I’m happy you came to see me.”
Her brows drew together in confusion. “You are?”
He nodded. “I didn’t like how I ended our last meeting.”
“Neither did I,” Tahlia said. “It was unpleasant, to say the least, but it’s over and done with.” She sat up more firmly in her chair. “It’s actually why I’m here.”
“Is that so?” Maximus scooted closer to the edge of the seat, and in so doing, their knees touched. The tiny action caused both of them to look up at each other.
Tahlia was surprised at what she saw there. Was that lust lurking in his eyes? Or was she imagining what she wanted to see there because she’d been unable to get Maximus out of her mind and her subconscious was manifesting itself?
She exhaled and tried again. “Yes. I thought you might want this.” She reached inside her purse for the manila envelope and handed it to Maximus.
“What’s this?”
“Open it. It’s something you’ve always wanted.”
* * *
Maximus was afraid to open the envelope and stared at it in his hands. What could Tahlia possibly be giving to him? And then it hit him, the only thing she could do to prove she believed in him.
Taming Her Billionaire Page 17
