She and Axel strolled to the door, and when she saw Anders holding it for them with the biggest grin, she knew he had heard everything.
“Take care of yourself, Anders,” she said softly, and surprised him by kissing him on the cheek.
“You too, Miss Maisie.” Then he shook Axel’s hand. “Take good care of her.”
“Believe me, I will.”
And when they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Axel took her in his arms and spun her around. They laughed and were smiling, and then he paused and kissed her.
Just like what always happened in a fairy tale.
Chapter Fourteen
“So when you said we were going to a place you thought I’d enjoy…”
“What? You’re not enjoying pizza in bed?” she teased, handing him a slice.
He readily took it. “Naked pizza in bed would be better,” he murmured before taking a bite.
“I was saving that part for dessert.” And with a wink, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “We’ll go out to eat tomorrow. I was just…I was just so excited at the thought of coming back here and being with you and knowing that everything is out in the open. You have now seen everything, so to speak. You’ve seen me at my absolute worst.”
“I don’t see it like that. To you, you were at your worst. But to me? You’ve just been this incredibly resilient woman. I hate that you’ve had to be that way, and I hate it even more now that I have met the reason why, but I was so damn proud of the way you walked in there and put them both in their place.” He grinned. “It was freaking awesome.”
“When we walked into the den, I felt like the most confident woman in the world. But then they both looked at me, and for a minute I was back to being that mistreated and misunderstood girl. And I didn’t like it.”
“I felt you freeze up for just a second, but you held your own. A couple of times I wanted to chime in, but it was your moment and I was happy to just stand there and support it.”
“Well, thank you. It was very reassuring having you there.” She stared at her pizza for a moment before looking at him. “Do you want to know the craziest part?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t feel…anything.” Then she shook her head. “I mean, I feel relieved that this is all over, but I don’t feel any sense of loss. Does that make sense?”
“It seems to me it’s hard to feel the loss when they haven’t been there for you for most of your life. You can’t miss what you never had.” He grew silent. “That’s something I know all too well. As a kid, I missed my parents—my mom—because…you know, she was my mom. As I got older and could look back on what my life was like before I went into foster care, I realized just how bad everything was. When she died, I was sad, but more because I kept thinking about what might have been.”
She nodded. “I get that. And I think that’s what’s always been there hanging over my head. I keep imagining what my life would have been like if I had supportive and loving parents, and it always leaves me feeling depressed and disappointed. And now? Now I don’t know if we’ll ever have a relationship. Even a strained one. This may be the time that I truly get disowned.”
“Do you really think they’d do that? Your father just said…”
“No, I think he’ll do exactly what he said, but I don’t see him or my mother reaching out and wanting to see me. I just don’t know how to feel about it.”
Tossing down the rest of his slice, he maneuvered them so she was in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, and he simply held her. Words were never his strong suit, so he figured it was best for him to do what he did earlier and silently support her.
Axel had no idea how long they sat like that, but when Maisie finally lifted his head and smiled at him, all he could say was, “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
Reaching up, she caressed his jaw. “I need you, Axel. Almost from the moment we met, I felt comfortable with you. Everything was easy in a way I had never experienced before. And the more time we spent together, the more I wanted. But everything was…restricted. And that’s totally on me. I was holding back, and I feel like there’s an even better version of us just waiting for a chance.”
He mimicked her pose, cupping her face in his hands. “I can’t even imagine a better version than this. I’ve shared things with you that no one else knows because—like you—everything felt comfortable right from the get-go. So if there’s a better version? I don’t know what that would even look like, but because it’s you, I’m happy to find out.”
He sealed those words with a gentle kiss before they broke apart and ate their rapidly cooling dinner.
After a few minutes, Maisie asked, “So, what should we do tomorrow? Do you want to spend some time in the city, or do you want to get back to the resort?”
Slater’s words about being due for a little time off came to mind. And as much as Manhattan wasn’t really where he would have chosen to go, this is where they were, and he would make the best of it. Besides, maybe seeing the city with Maisie would be cool.
“I told the guys I was going to be gone for a few days, so I’m in no rush to go back yet,” he told her. “And it could be fun to have you show me your world. You’ve already seen mine. It’s kind of small and boring.” Shaking his head, he laughed softly. “But now we have the time where I can really get to know more about you.”
“There isn’t much more to know. I’ve always been a bit of an introvert because of issues with my self-esteem.”
