Seductive Secrets (The Debonair Series Book 3) Page 17

Confused, my face pinches.

  She opens the card and reads it. “Happy birthday, Maddi. Since you were so gen…er…ow…sss,” she tries sounding it out before showing it to me.

  “Generous,” I say.

  “Since you were so generous to offer me your pink socks, I was left wondering who else you may have been nice enough to give them to. So, here are more for your stash. These are really sp…esh…al. Special,” she corrects herself. “They keep you from getting really bad sick like you told me about. I hope you like the scarf. It reminded me of your cheeks. This is Frostbite. He said he needed a good place to live and I knew you’d be the right person for the hard job. He likes it outside when it’s really cold and he hates black beans. I hope you have a good birthday. Max.”

  My heart skips a beat, drops to my stomach, and leaps into my throat…all in that order. My mouth hits the floor.

  “Momma!” She holds up her new stuffed animal. “Max sent me a new snowman! I have my very own snowman!”

  I’m nodding mindlessly. My voice is stuck somewhere in the area between my lungs and my mouth, refusing to come out.

  Ryan hands me the other envelope. “Why don’t you go read that in private?”

  My fingers tremble as I open the large manila envelope. I haven’t seen or spoken to Max since I left him in the hotel room. I shattered my heart walking away. I sobbed the entire way home. I’ve never hurt so badly, but we were doomed. There was no fixing the hurt. Between omitting I had a daughter, the way he found out about her, and learning how heartless and soulless he was—there was no way for us to move forward. My lawyer had told me the other buyer was uncompromising. That when he explained why acquiring the land was so important, the bidder didn’t show any emotions and declined to step aside, raising his counter-offer to a ridiculous price. I was devastated. Max broke my heart before he even met me.

  I pull the papers out and scan the documents. “Oh my god,” I gasp and reread. “Oh my god!” I shout as the excitement begins to overpower the shock. I flip the pages.

  “Ryan!” I yell, running out of the room holding the papers up. “Ryan. He gave us the house. Mamaw’s house with five acres. He gave it to us! Look!”

  I shove the deed at him and then flip to the property map. A grin slices across his lips. “I’ll be damned.”

  “You dropped this,” Maddi holds up a smaller white envelope addressed to me.

  My plans include keeping roughly one acre of woods between the winery and your home. Hopefully, it’s the distance you need. If you need anything, I’m not far. Welcome back to the neighborhood.

  Max Lauder

  I’m flooded with emotions I can’t contain. I grab ahold of Ryan’s shirt, bury my face into his chest and bawl. I can’t believe this is happening.

  Avery

  I’m going to be sick. I’m going to barf all over the damn floor and make a scene. My stomach is in knots and I’m sweating as I step into Lauder’s Winery.

  I could strangle Raven for not talking me out of this. She encouraged the idea instead of stopping me and giving me all the reasons I shouldn’t do this. She’s not a good friend. Not at all.

  It’s taken two weeks since receiving the letter for me to gather the courage to face Max. But it’s something I have to do—thank him for the land and apologize for the pain.

  I still don’t know why.

  What the hell am I doing?

  “Ms. Taylor,” Isabella’s face splatters with surprise.

  “Is Max here?” I barely get the words out.

  “He is, but I believe he’s with Jade and Zach outside. Would you like for me to—”

  “No.” I rush out. “If you don’t mind, I’ll wait for him in his office. There’s no need to let him know I’m here. I may lose my nerve and leave before I speak to him. It’s best if you don’t.”

  She nods like she understands, but knowing how private Max is, I’m certain she doesn’t. I’m positive she doesn’t understand the battle I’m fighting within me. I’m shaking as I walk down the hall, pep talking myself to keep forging forward. Anxiety is crawling over my skin with fear that he’s going to round the corner and I’ll be forced to face him without being completely ready. Even though I’m sure I’ll never be one hundred percent regardless if I’m here.

  Nothing looks different as I take in his office. The scent of his cologne brings me back to the memories of him being close, me in his arms. I swallow the tightness in my throat.

  Three new beautiful paintings hang on the wall beside his door. The sky is bright with oranges and yellows, casting down on rows of grapevines. The mountains are silver and brown off into the far distance, and a house sits in the center. On either side of the landscape are incredible pictures of two bottles of wine and a glass. The strokes are chaotic, different colors creating each item. I suppress a laugh at his passion.

  Deep voices echoing from the hall causes my pulse to hit my ears. Panic burst through my veins and my body vibrates.

  “Don’t be a douche, dude.” Zach laughs. “Trust my designs. I’m the best of the best. Besides, I’ve never done you…”

  My eyes lock with Max’s and he stops dead in his tracks, causing Zach to careen into his back. It’s a train wreck.

  Zach glances to me. “I’ll come back later,” and he backs out of the door.

  Max still has the ability to steal my breath. Even though his eyes look tired, he looks good.

  “Hey,” I wring my fingers. “If this is a bad time, I can leave.”

  “No.” He doesn’t unlock his gaze from me. “What can I do for you?”

  I hate how he can rely on his business etiquette and I’m over here a mess on the inside. I want him to be a nervous wreck like me. Less composed, more anguished. I’m not sure how that would help…

  “I wanted to talk.”

  “The floor is yours.” He pushes the door shut, continuing to pierce me with his eyes.

  This wasn’t a good idea. Dammit, Raven. “I wanted to thank you in person,” my voice strains to be steady. “But…why would you do that for us after things fell apart?”

  “Because I can.” His reply is short.

  I glance to my feet. “I’m sorry. For everything. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you. You didn’t deserve to be lied to and I didn’t realize how wrong I was until it was too late and I was in over my head.” Tears warm my eyes and when I blink up to him, they spill. “Maddi told me to tell you thank you. She carries the snowman everywhere.”

  The left side of his lips pull up. “I hoped she’d like it.”

  I blow a small laugh. “A whole lot more than like. She’s obsessed with it.”

  He hums a chuckle.

  “I didn’t deserve the kindness. Not after everything. But I’m truly thankful for it.”

  He doesn’t say anything, standing like a strong statue, completely opposite of how I’m feeling.

  “Anyway, I’ll get out of your way. I felt I should apologize and thank you in person. You deserve that.”

  He doesn’t move as I start toward the door. “When do you plan on moving in?”

  “I have to renovate it first. The last owner destroyed it.”

  “I’m sure Zach knows someone who could help.”

  I flash a sad smile. “It’s a small project and I plan on doing a lot of it myself. I just…I don’t know where to start.”

  “I miss you,” he says and it breaks my heart.

  I can’t hold the sob. “I need to go.”

  Stepping in front of me, he stops me from leaving but keeps his hands in his pockets. “I went there, to the house,” he clarifies. “I wish I could change the fact the last owner didn’t care for it, but I can’t. But I know it belongs to you and your family.”

  “You didn’t have to, Max,” I choke on my sob.

  “I know. Even though you feel I’m heartless, I’m not. The thing about having money is you attract everyone who wants to play in it. But on the flip side, you have it and you can spend it on what you choose. I’
m choosing to give up five acres to give it back to the rightful owner.”

  I wipe streams from my cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Was it all fake and in my head, or did you truly care?”

  “It was real,” I whisper.

  “Then why wasn’t I good enough for you? Why was it so hard to trust me?” The pain in his voice is heartbreaking.

  What do I have to lose now? “Maddi’s father was abusive. He took pride in keeping me fearful of him and enjoyed reminding me I was his.” Max’s nostrils flare. “I’ll be honest. He’s caused destruction for my future. My life was ripped out from under me when I lost my parents. Then I met this guy who swore he’d love me but ended up ruining me. When I told him I was pregnant, he beat the shit out of me and left. I ran.” The corners of my mouth sag as I give him a sad smile. “He ended up hiring someone to kill me, just like he promised all those times. Thankfully I lived. And although I was hurt and out of the game for a little while, my daughter was safe too.”

  Max’s jaw is clenched so tightly I can hear his teeth gritting.

  “I’m not saying you’d ever do that me. I’m trying to help you understand why I am so guarded and protective. I was pregnant when he tried killing me. I could’ve lost my baby.” I clear my throat trying to fight off the tears. “Maddi’s my joy. She’s my miracle. My baby. And I’ll do anything to make sure we are safe and she’s happy.”

  “I’d never hurt you. I’d never raise my hands to you.”

  “I know. But that past is hard to erase and the love I have for my daughter is hard to replace. You’re a bachelor, Max. A very successful man. No way you’d ever want to be with a single mother.”

  He zeros in. “You never gave me that choice.”

  I narrow my eyes and challenge him, knowing he wouldn’t have given me the time of day. “And if I had?”

  “I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I would’ve taken your pace like I did until you felt the time was right.”

  I can’t hold it back any longer. I weep into my hands. He wraps his arms around me, holding me as I cry against his chest.

  “You’re just saying that,” I say but it comes out as a mumbled mess.

  “Even after everything, I still want you. My life is horrible without you in it. I didn’t know how badly I needed you until you were gone. Avery, I don’t want to be without you.”

  It causes me to cry harder.

  Avery

  “Maddi!” I shout between the thuds of her beating on a wall.

  I brought her to the “new” house while trying to do some renovations on it. We started cleaning it at the beginning of the week, and now I’m doing small things I know I can do. She wanted to help, and I wanted her to be a part of the process in shaping the house.

  I’d love to restore it back to the way I remember Mamaw had it, but the asshole who lived here didn’t see the same beauty we did. He destroyed it taking down walls or placing one in a dumb spot. But I can see through the disaster. I have a loose plan of what I want to do, which includes modernizing it while keeping the old country feel.

  Starting small.

  Hell, at my pace we won’t be able to move in for another year, but at least I can say it’s mine. The big hurdle is out of the way.

  Max and I started over. We both realized life sucked without the other, but we had things we needed to work out. We met at a neutral place—Sienna’s—where he reserved a secluded table in the back corner. We discussed everything. I came clean about Maddi and all the reasons why I kept her a secret. I knew if we were going to work through things, I had to be completely honest and I was. I opened up fully going into graphic details about Aaron, from his physical and mental abuse to the calamity of his hitman. Although Max sat quietly listening, the rage was in his eyes.

  He understood why I didn’t tell him about Maddi but was hurt that I didn’t give him the choice to make his own decisions.

  Next came the explanation of the land. He delved into the multiple reasons why acquiring the land was so important. The critical reason—so no one else could build close to him. Left up to him, he’d have the surrounding one hundred acres. He said when my lawyer told my side, he brushed it off as a sob story. Being a businessman, he’s heard a lot of false and entertaining excuses.

  Once I removed my personal feelings and saw it from a business angle, I understood it better. Even though it still sucked.

  It’s been a week since we hashed it all out. It’s been great and we haven’t missed a beat. We’ve grown closer on a personal, more intimate level.

  Maddi comes down the stairs covered in dust and dirty. Her hair is in braided pigtails and her forehead is red and sweaty.

  “What are you doing up there?” I wipe my hands of the sticky glue where I’m pulling down the horrific wallpaper.

  She bounces the hammer a few times in the air. “You know in my room where there’s a space beside the wall? I’m putting up a door.”

  I snicker. “It’s a closet, silly. I took down the door so we can expand it. You don’t need to put it back up.”

  “But it would be a good place to put up a door,” she says.

  We’re interrupted by a knock on the door. I give her a hardened glare with an easy smile. “Don’t put that door back up, Maddi.”

  I pull open the door and immediately I’m taken aback. Zach is holding a clipboard and a smug smirk standing beside Max. Both men are dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, looking like they’re ready to work.

  My pulse picks up. Maddi hasn’t “officially” met Max yet.

  “What are you doing here?” I glance around to see if Maddi is close.

  “Rumor says you need some help.” Zach stretches his hands to the side. “The best has arrived.”

  Max shrugs. “See what he can come up with.”

  I know my eyes are wide, and my insides feel frantic.

  “Max!” My daughter yells and then her feet pound the floor. She flings herself around his hip and hugs him. “Did you come to check on Frostbite? He’s going to be happy you’re here. I’ve taken good care of him, just like you told me to. He sleeps with me, but he’s a bed hog and he doesn’t like the covers.” She spins toward me. “Can I take him to see him?”

  “I-um…” I look to Max for the answer.

  He flashes a lopsided smile. “Talk to Zach while I go with her.”

  Instantly, she grabs his hand and yanks him into the house, talking his ear off as she pulls him through the kitchen and up the stairs.

  “Actually, I don’t need you right now. I need to spec out the house. Go make sure the kids are playing nicely.”

  “I…yeah. Thank you,” I rush out and race up the stairs.

  “This is gonna be Momma’s room,” I hear Maddi say as I head down the hall. “She said she wants a big bed and a really big shower. She wants to put her dresser here…” She leaps to the spot. “And a TV here…” she leaps again. “A mirror here and then she’s going to hang all her boards here.” She points to the area above the window. “Let me show you my room. Frostbite’s there holding up the door.”

  She sprints out the door and into what will be hers. “I want my bed right here. That way I have allll this room to play…” she expands her arms. “Maybe I can get a desk so I can draw because I want to make dresses when I grow up. Momma said I’ll be great at it and I like to do it so I’ll need a desk. It’s going to be beside the window so I can look outside when I’m having a long hard day to make ends meet.”

  Max laughs. “You have a long while before you need to make ends meet.”

  Maddi shrugs and then her face becomes animated. She snatches Frostbite off the ground, dusts him off, and hands him to Max. “He’s dirty because he’s been helping. Oh. Let me show you where the bathroom will be. It’s already there but she wants to change it.”

  Max is chuckling as he passes me.

  “She’s really excited,” I whisper.

  They stand in the little rundown bathroom and she tells him everything I’ve me
ntioned I want to do. Then she moves him into the empty room that will become the guest bedroom.

  “Maddi. You’re dragging Max everywhere and talking a mile a minute. Slow down,” I tell her.

  She cuts beady little eyes at me. “I’m giving him a tour of the house.”

  “I know. But you’re—”

  “Oh! I didn’t show you the best part,” she squeaks, ignoring me and tugging Max out of the door. She drags him back down the stairs, her little legs moving quickly through the kitchen, out onto the back porch and stops on the stairs. She points to the weed infested, rundown jibbing terrain Dad built me. “Grandpa built Momma this when she was little and she said she’s going to clean it up and keep it so she can teach me how to do all types of tricks. I didn’t meet my grandpa. He went to heaven before I was born but Momma said she knows grandpa and grandma are smiling and happy.” She takes off running where years ago, Dad installed a small ramp. “There used to be a…” she looks to me.

  “Quarter ramp,” I remind her.

  “There used to be a quarter ramp here. It’s not here no more, but it used to be. Momma said right here is where she thought she broke her butt.” Maddi breaks out into a giggle.

  “She’s been excited about everything since we stepped foot in the door,” I say quietly to Max.

  “She is? I couldn’t tell,” Max jests.

  “I don’t like handouts. Besides, I can get most of this done on my own,” I say.

  “Now you have professional help. He’s agreed to help you on the side.”

  “I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” I smile.

  He shifts, chuckling. “You don’t know Zach very well. He’s involved now. You’re stuck with him.”

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “I know you want to do things your way,” he says to me, keeping his view on Maddi. “But since we’re starting over, I was hoping to meet your daughter…properly.”

  Maddi is still talking…

  “I’m really nervous,” I admit.

  “Of? I think I’ve proven—”

  “That you’ll become her favorite person and replace me.” I grin to him and then call Maddi over to us.