“Difficulties? We’re well past difficulties, Max!”
“Savannah, please. At least let me try and fix this so we can keep things amicable.”
“No. You said that before. You said you would talk to her, and things only got worse.” This time I was the one with pleading eyes. As maddening as Max was, I didn’t hate the guy—but he was clueless. “Look, I know the truth—you’re married.”
Max opened his mouth, but I held my hand up to stop him. “Don’t try to deny it.”
He closed his mouth and looked down at the ground, his eyes full of regret.
“Madison is trying to replace me as this baby’s mother. She’s trying to make me look like an unfit parent so the two of you get to have this baby all to yourselves. If you think I’m going to roll over and let her do that, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Savannah …” He took another step toward me and gently grabbed my arms. “I guess … I’ve been blind. I didn’t realize just how much she’s been upsetting you.” His eyes traveled down to my stomach, then his hands followed. He gently cupped my belly and started stroking it with the tips of his fingers. “Look at you—you’re being so strong. Managing this all by yourself. And somehow … you’re even more beautiful at eight months pregnant than you were the night I first met you.” He looked me in the eyes intensely. His right hand reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear.
The whole room seemed to go hazy.What is happening?Just a moment ago, I had been staunchly on guard. But the closer Max got, the softer he touched me … Max had always been irresistibly gorgeous. His eyes pulled me in. He was close enough now that I could smell his aftershave, and it was intoxicating.
His head slowly bent toward mine. His lips brushed the side of my face so softly, I almost thought I imagined it. My body flushed with heat.
It was undeniable that I was still attracted to him, physically. But I needed to pull myself out of his spell.Be real, Savannah—nothing can happen between the two of you, no matter how much you want it. Not with Madison in the way.
I met his eyes again as I struggled to raise my guard back up. “What are you doing, Max?”
His eyes got sad again. “I’m sorry … I know I shouldn’t. I just can’t help it.” He sighed. “I’m realizing that I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve left you alone, to deal with all of this by yourself. I should have been by your side, helping you. I’ve only been worrying about Madison’s feelings.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “She’s not … reacting as well to all of this as I thought she would.”
“I wish you’d told me you were married,” I said. “Why did you lie about that, Max?”
He raked his hands through his hair—his signature nervous tic. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. We were separated for a while. I honestly thought my marriage was over at the end of last year.”
“And now?” I asked. “How do you feel about your marriage now?”
He stared back at me. “I don’t know,” he finally said.
My eyes narrowed. “You don’t know?”
He gave me a helpless look.
“Max, we’re having a baby. You need to figure out how you feel before there’s a child between the three of us and things get even more complicated. I don’t want my child to have to go through what I’ve been going through.”
“You’re right. Things can’t continue like this.” He paused. “What did you talk to the lawyer about?”
The remaining chunks of my guard snapped back into place.Do not mention the certified letter.
“We spoke about taking legal action against Madison if she doesn’t back off.” I was trying hard to look stern and confident.
His eyes filled with sadness again—and fear.
God, I wish I could tell if this side of him is real!
“Oh, Savannah—don’t.” He pulled me into a hug. “Don’t worry. Please. Nothing else is going to happen. You don’t need a lawyer. I’ll take care of everything.”
If only I could believe that.I allowed him to hug me for a moment, then gently pulled away.
“Well … I guess I should probably go,” he said.
I cleared my throat. “Okay.”
“I promise I’ll check in with you again soon.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets. “Goodbye, Savannah.”
As I closed the door behind him, I covered my face with my free hand, kneading my forehead. I had no idea what to think.
