: Chapter 17

Lia

In our warm apartment, I crossed the kitchen, placing cleaned dinner dishes back into the cupboard. Max had dropped us off over an hour ago, and I…missed him. Evie did, too. In the kitchen entrance, she held the frame, alternating between watching me and the front door.

“He said he’ll be back for bedtime,” I reminded her.

She pottered over to the door, apparently determined to wait him out.

Done with the dishes, I pondered what to do. Earlier, I’d wished I had a close friend to talk to. Linc didn’t count, and I’d moved around too often to make or keep any girlfriends.

If I’d attended a real school, and not just had private tutors, I would’ve had friends. Then again, I’d probably be an entirely different person.

Whether for better or worse, I wasn’t sure.

Max had left me a list of phone numbers for family, but…I couldn’t bring myself to just call. Not for my sake alone.

“Want to stand in the sunshine?” I asked Evie instead.

She raised her arms to be picked up, and I carried her outside to the top of the steps, the warm sunlight bathing us both.

An engine thrummed below, and a dark-haired woman about my age pulled up then climbed from an old 4X4, a logo on the side that I squinted to make out.

Longstaff Speed Flying it read, whatever that was. She eyed the mountain then collected a large rucksack from the back seat.

Just beyond it was a child’s car seat.

Then her gaze set on me, and she waved. I leaned on the balcony railing.

“Hi,” I called down.

“How are ye?” She moved closer, swiping her hair over her shoulder. “Wait, who are ye?”

I chuckled, inordinately happy to have someone to talk to. “I’m Lia. Just staying for a few days. This is Evie.”

She thumbed at herself. “Effie. My brother, Artair, is married to Skye, Callum and Mathilda’s daughter. Actually, my other brother, Brodie, is married to their son, Blayne, and they have a third partner, Casey.”

I boggled at that. “I don’t know who most of those people are.”

“Should I have just stopped at Effie?”

“No! Sorry. It’s helpful. You’re part of the family then.”

A grin was my answer. “I am. I’m around for a couple of days, too, just heading up the mountain for some sport then I’ll sleep at my brother’s. Tomorrow, I’m babysitting for Brodie. Even with three parents, they sometimes need help. There’s a baby hangout thing at eleven, so I’m taking the bairns there.”

“A baby what?”

Effie tilted her head. “Lots of the families around here have small kids, so there are regular meet-ups. Tomorrow’s is at the beach on the shore of the loch. It’s meant to be a nice day. If you’re around, ye could come along?”

Too often I just went with the flow, my life dictated by circumstances rather than will. But I’d wanted a friend, and the universe had delivered one into my lap.

“Love to,” I chirped.

“We can meet before, if ye like. Give me your number.”

I recited it, and she entered it into her phone, calling me back so my phone buzzed in my dress pocket.

“It’s a playdate,” she announced and adjusted the hefty rucksack on her back.

“That looks heavy. What do you mean, sport on the mountain?”

“Speed flying.”

“Which is…?”

“Jumping off something high and flying fast. I’m hiking up now. Keep an eye out for me on the downward run.”

My phone buzzed again. I grabbed it, an international number calling. “Sorry, I better take this. We’ll look forward to tomorrow.”

“Nice to meet ye.” Effie twisted on her heel to go.

I answered the call, entering the kitchen.

“Aurelia,” a voice greeted me.

One I’d known for half my life.

My jaw dropped, and I froze in the doorway. “Stephen?”

Down on the gravel road, a motorbike snarled, and I turned to the open door to witness Max pull up. Effie skipped over and gave him an enthusiastic hug.

Ah God.

I’d wondered if Max had a girlfriend but been too chicken to ask on our drive. If it was Effie, I’d…

I hardly knew, but it felt horrible to consider.

“It’s a pleasure to hear from you,” Stephen was saying in my ear, formal as always. “I was surprised when your request came from Adrienne. I didn’t know you even knew about her. Either way, my greater surprise came from your words. It shocked me, frankly.”

Max’s boots drummed the steps, then he emerged into the kitchen, mouth open ready to speak. I gestured for him to be silent and handed him Evie. Then I switched the call to loudspeaker.

“…regarding your father’s retirement,” Stephen continued.

Max stared at the phone then me.

“Stephen,” I mouthed, and he nodded, holding Evie close.

“Surely that can’t be true,” Stephen finished.

“I absolutely want Dad to change his job at least,” I replied. “He’s due a break. I want him to settle down with us when I go to university. But that isn’t why I wanted to speak to you.” A wave of discomfort washed over me, and I forced my way through the words I’d laid out in my head.

“When I fell pregnant, you found Aunt Marie and tasked her with speaking to the baby’s father.” I kept my gaze trained on Max. “Talk me through that.”

A pause followed. “Why, Lia?”

“Because he was never told.”

“Impossible.”

“No, it’s true. I’ve met him, and no one came to see him. He didn’t know Evie existed.” I swallowed. “Stephen, I have to ask, did you make her up to fool me into thinking it had been done?”

He clucked his tongue but remained silent.

My gut crunched.

“Was it Dad’s idea?”

I couldn’t believe that was true, but I had to say the words.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stephen finally said. “Your Aunt Marie—”

“Is fictional. I went to her address. No one knows her there.”

He chuckled. “Maybe she moved.”

My stomach turned. He was playing me. How had I not seen this?

“You’re lying,” I uttered. “Who did I speak to, a random person you paid to feed me lies? Don’t you know what you did? Max missed out on everything in Evie’s life up until this point. We hated each other because of this.”

“Lia, Lia,” Stephen cut in.

“No, don’t Lia me. Just tell me why. What could possibly have been in it for you? Or were you just following orders from Dad? Do I need to ask him these questions?”

“No.” Stephen’s tone was abrupt. “Don’t take this nonsense to your father. You’re old enough now to manage your own life. Felix said your father has not made any plans to leave his career. Don’t encourage it for your selfish reasons. Leave him to do God’s work. I’ve got to go.”

“Stephen,” I half yelled, too mindful that Evie was watching.

He hung up on me.

My breathing came hard, and I tossed my phone to the counter and placed both hands flat to the cool surface, hiding my burning face.

“You were right,” I quietly admitted. “He didn’t say it, but he was so obviously lying.”

“How can ye be sure?”

“Stephen was always factual. He never hedged unless there was something he couldn’t tell me. That was outright lies, all of it. I believed every word until now.”

Max’s hand landed on my shoulder, and he carefully turned me around. He and Evie gazed at me.

“You’re not the one in the wrong,” he said.

“But all the wrong came from my side.” I shoved away from the counter and stalked from the room. “You two play for a minute, I just need…”

I had no idea what I needed. In my bedroom, I dropped onto my bed, face-first, and tried not to fall apart.

The betrayal hurt. My trust had been destroyed.

I still didn’t have the whole picture.

Sometime later, a knock at the door roused me. I lifted my head, disorientated. “Yes?”

Max opened the door and peered into the gloom, Evie on his hip.

How was it dark? I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

The memory of Max hugging the beautiful woman outside rushed back in stark glory.

“Is Effie your girlfriend?” I blurted.

Max angled his head. “Why would ye think that? She’s not.”

I ground the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, embarrassment at my slip overcoming the relief. “Forget I said anything. What time is it?”

“Nearly nine.” His voice held humour. “Evie’s yawning now, but she’s been pretty alert, so we’ve been having fun. I thought it better to let ye rest.”

“She had a long sleep in the car,” I mumbled.

“That she did.” Max waited, his gaze coasting over me. “I’m glad the bed’s comfortable.”

I pushed up to sitting and patted the duvet, glad for the subject change. “Actually, it’s incredibly comfortable. Nicest bed I ever slept on. I’ll have to thank your aunt and uncle.”

“It’s mine.”

I blinked. “I’ve been sleeping in your bed? What have you been using?”

“Doesnae matter. Should I get a wee bath going for our lass?”

At my slow nod, he left for the bathroom, singing a tune to Evie as water ran.

And I…couldn’t hide forever. I blew out a breath, ignored my too-warm cheeks, then joined them.

Together, we bathed Evie and readied her for bed. Under my guidance, Max made her a sippy cup of milk, and we moved to the couch in the dimly lit living room.

But my sweet little girl wasn’t having any of it. She scowled, pushed the cup from my hand, and scrambled from my lap.

“Oh no ye don’t.” Max caught her up again and held her to his chest. “No escape for ye.”

I passed him the cup, and he offered it to her. Again, she smacked it away, wriggling hard.

“Overtired, maybe,” I suggested. “We’re usually strict with her routine, which is needed because we move so much.”

“Ye and Lincoln, aye?”

“More Dad than anything. He’s old school over how to raise kids. Linc was trained in listening to the needs of the child, but he also values his pay cheque.”

Contorting herself, Evie slid from Max’s grip and made another attempt at freedom. This time, she reached a pile of building bricks on the floor, fell on them, then grabbed one and tossed it away.

Max gazed on. “Is this her version of a tantrum?”

“Pretty much.”

“God, she’s cute. Can I try something?”

“Go for it. I’ll walk her around and sing to her in a minute. That always works.”

He stood and, with a single motion, stripped his shirt, tossing it to the couch.

Oh God. Max’s body was revealed to my stare. All those tattoos and muscles. Heat swirled in my belly, and I couldn’t drag my gaze away as he stooped to collect Evie and bring her to his bare skin.

Instantly, she quietened, huddling in.

With his voice low and calm, he spoke to me while holding Evie close. “I haven’t told ye this yet, but my father discovered he had a baby daughter—Cait—when he was not much older than me. But Cait’s ma had died, so he was all she had. He told me how skin-to-skin contact is good for bonding.”

“What a thing to run in the family.”

Max rumbled a laugh. “Aye. Da isn’t over the shock.”

“How old was Cait?”

“Just a couple of months. She was in foster care. He had to fight for her.”

In circuits, he strolled the wide lounge room. Evie had clamped her arms around his neck and now rested her cheek on his neck, her gaze on me.

She liked it, the closeness.

This was how I’d usually get her to sleep, but she was letting Max comfort her.

Emotion swirled inside me. They made such a perfect image. Father and daughter, close despite everything that had happened to keep them apart. I hated that I’d been so wrong. That it had taken me so long to confront him and discover this truth.

Yet mixed with that regret was a sense of wonder that only grew. My heart had expanded with love for Evie when I’d given birth to her. It pounded now, almost hurting with the beautiful bond I could see forming.

And then there were the other parts of my body that were highly interested for other reasons.

In Max’s form.

The way his biceps bulged in the position of holding Evie.

In how his jeans hugged his tight waist.

He murmured sweet things to her, and I clenched my legs together, a steady ache building. A pulse at the apex of my thighs.

“I think she’s gone,” Max whispered, breaking my stare.

I blinked, registering Evie’s closed eyes, then inclined my head at Max.

He carried her to the bedroom, and I trailed after, waiting at the door while he placed her in her cot.

“No blanket?” he mouthed back.

“Not yet. Linc said to wait until eighteen months, then it’s safe.”

We both watched her for a moment then, together, returned to the lounge. Max grabbed his shirt and reinstated it before he sat.

Damn, I wished he hadn’t.

“Would it be okay if we get her a blanket? I mean for the eighteen-months stage. My parents bought one for Cait’s bairn as well as a bedspread for Isla. I know they’d like that.”

More emotion swarmed me. “Sure,” I choked out, then I cleared my throat. “I have something for you. Can you stay a little longer?”

At his curious nod, I darted back into the bedroom and silently dug out my journal from my case. I’d left it in there, waiting for the right moment to do this. Evie slept on, her perfect cherub face so like her father’s that regret filled me over what I needed to do.

Back on the sofa, I sat at the opposite end of the cushions and handed over the pretty book. “Ever since I found out I was expecting, I’ve been writing in this. Mostly factual stuff, but it was so you didn’t miss out until we could speak. Turns out I had to write in it way longer than expected.”

Max took it and traced his fingers over the soft cover then opened it to the first page. “Ye did this for me?”

“Yep.”

“Can ye talk me through it?”

I shuffled closer and peered at the page. No matter that I knew it by heart, it was easier than looking at Max.

He listened as I spoke, and I described my pregnancy test and subsequent scan.

“That must’ve been terrifying.”

“It was. I felt awful for letting Dad down. For messing up our plans.”

“What about for yourself?”

I hesitated over revealing the truth. “Okay, I’ve never told anyone this, but once the shock was over…I loved it. I was so excited to become a mother. I loved Evie from the second I knew about her. Even when I was so sick I felt like I’d been poisoned. All I cared about was getting the right nutrients into my body so she wouldn’t suffer.”

Max shifted position, his arm across the back of the couch giving me room to move closer.

I inched in then turned the page, revealing her scan picture. “Look at that. A tiny life. It killed me to know that you’d seen this and turned against us.”

“Except that didn’t happen.”

“Except that didn’t happen,” I repeated, letting the words be real.

Max traced the picture’s outline. “Had I seen this, pretty sure I would’ve had the same reaction as ye. Shock, then instant love.”

I stilled and peered up at him, studying him, absorbing this rewriting of history. “I’ve wondered so much about that. More now I know you’ve never seen this before.”

Reclined on the cushions, he watched me in return, his expression soft. “I’m sorry ye went through it all without me. Regardless of how we’d parted, I would’ve been there. No matter what.”

Instinctively, I knew that. His dad had done the same. Max would’ve fought to be in Evie’s life.

“I need to tell ye something.” He sucked in a breath. “My da arranged a solicitor to formalise access to Evie. I dinna want that to be an issue. More a formality. I’ll claim her, that way. Have the rights if I need them. For travel, things like that.”

“No problem from me. I want that. Dad is currently the only other person with legal rights to Evie—we set that up the moment she was born while I was still ill—so I can ask him to get our solicitors to unpick that. Which will mean it’s just you and me.”

His gaze intensified.

We were so close, heat from him warmed me. Displacing cold that had been in my blood for so long. The magnetism he carried rolled off him in waves. His smell, his whole being, it all appealed to me on the most basic levels.

How had I let myself be persuaded to walk away from him? I’d been such a fool.

“How do you feel about her now?” I spoke fast.

Max didn’t hesitate. “I love her. She’s perfect. Ye made the most amazing bairn.” Then he added, his tone strained. “Thank ye for bringing her to me.”

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.

This could be the stupidest idea I’d ever had. Things were great between us. We were getting along, working out how to talk to each other, and yet I needed to do this.

Max’s warm lips gave way under mine. His body stiffened but, after a beat, his hand rose to land on my face, fingers curling to support my head. His thumb on my cheek.

He held my face, our lips still touching.

But then…nothing. Together, we just breathed.

He was stopping this?

I was such an idiot.

The moment before my hopes crushed to dust, Max gave up a sound of frustration then crashed his lips to mine. Unlike my tentative touch, his was made of fire and need. I whimpered and moved my mouth under his.

His grip on my jaw almost hurt. My heart ached worse.

I parted my lips, and Max slid his tongue over mine, dominating me in the way he had done years ago. God, his taste. Our kiss turned blazing. My skin electrified.

Then I placed a trembling hand on his chest, trying to get closer.

Max grabbed my wrist and held me, breaking our kiss.

He exhaled hard and tipped his head back on the seat. “Fuck, Lia.”

I nearly blurted an apology. Maybe I should’ve just let it go, but I kept it in.

Still holding my face and gripping my wrist, he brought his focus back on me. “I didnae expect that.”

“Was it—”

“Ye should go to bed.”

I froze at his order. Embarrassment flooded me. “Got it. That was wrong of me. You didn’t want it—”

“Didn’t want it?” He gripped me while I tried to escape. “Lia, for the longest time, I’ve dreamed about kissing ye again. About throwing ye on my bed and having ye at my mercy.”

I stopped struggling, stuck on the picture he’d just painted.

Him over me, touching me, inside me.

Max’s gaze scalded. “Ever since ye came back, I’ve wanted to fuck ye, hard. Ye told me you’ve been single? That’s driven me insane. So aye, go to bed, because neither of us are ready for all the things I want to do to ye.”

At those final words, he released me, and I scrambled up. I was burning up, my clothes too tight. Everything he’d said, I wanted, too, and yet… He was right. One kiss and a couple of nice days together didn’t make everything right between us.

I forced a backward step. Then another.

“Goodnight, Lia,” Max said on a hard breath.

I turned and fled for my room.