To Have It All(25)

“Why is that?” I snorted.

“Because getting him to calm the hell down enough to come to reason will involve some oral persuasion on my part.”

I shuddered. “Oh . . . that’s . . . yeah,” I winced. “I didn’t need to know that.”

“You owe me,” she reiterated. “And just know, I’m always here for you.”

“Thank you, Alice.” I loved her. Matt needed to marry this chick asap.

“Anytime.” She wandered over to the fridge, putting the bottled beer back on the shelf, and plucked the bottle of Pinot out, grabbing the wine tool from the drawer and a glass from the cabinet on her way to calm my brother. Once she was out of the kitchen, I shut the sink off before drying my hands.

Tossing the dishtowel on the counter, I decided not to think about it anymore. The decision was made. It was only a matter of time before Max would crack under the pressure of being a father, I just needed to be patient. When Max did sign the papers waiving his rights to Pim, Matt would be ecstatic. I just needed to give it some more time.





The next morning when I arrived in Max’s lobby, a short man with gray hair greeted me.

“May I help you, miss?” he asked kindly.

“I think I’ve got it covered,” I informed him. Pim cooed at him and waved with her tiny hand. The doorman smiled and waved back.

“Isn’t she precious,” he said smiling down at her. Then looking to me, he asked, “May I ask who you’ll be visiting today?”

“Max Porter.”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “Is Mr. Porter expecting you?”

“Yes,” I informed him a little annoyed with the question. Why was he acting like Max lived in Trump Tower or something and needed his guests fielded?

“Very well.” He tipped his hat. “Have a nice visit.”

I’d arrived at Max’s building twenty minutes early and chuckled to myself as Pim and I rode the elevator up.

“He’s going to be so mad we woke him up two days in a row, isn’t he?” I cooed to Pim in a silly voice. She giggled at me even though she had no idea what I was talking about. When we reached his door, I decided to go with the ring the doorbell 1000 times in thirty seconds bit that I’d used the day before. That would really have him annoyed. Maybe so much so he’d even sign the papers.

I’d only made it to three rings when his door whipped open causing me to jump. He smirked at me, raising one brow. The look was playful, almost amused—definitely not what I had expected.

“Good morning, ladies. I’ve been expecting you.” Moving aside, he opened the door further and swung a hand out, inviting us in. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt. The clothes looked new, but not like anything he’d normally wear. He looked . . . good, but not in the way I remembered him when I thought I was in love with him. Back then, Max seemed so debonair and classy. Now, he appeared more rugged and down to earth. And as much as I hated myself for even noticing, he looked better than ever.

Forcing myself to ignore his looks, I rolled my eyes, frustrated that he seemed so chipper as I tugged the wagon filled with Pim’s stuff inside.

“I guess the overly-friendly doorman gave you the heads up we were here,” I wagered.

“As a matter-of-fact, he didn’t. I got up like a big boy all on my own.”

Upon entering the living room, I found the coffee table and end tables were gone. “Don’t like kids touching all that clean glass, huh?” I chided as I set Pim down on her feet.

“Actually,” he began as he bent down and waved at Pim, “I put it in the back room so she wouldn’t fall or trip and bust her head on it. Kid nearly gave me a heart attack yesterday.”

I wanted to growl in frustration. What the hell was going on with him? He did something completely unselfish and dare I say . . . father-like? I opened my mouth to ask him just that, but was stopped by Pim going, “Vroom, vroom.”

I raised my brows as I smiled. “You making car sounds, baby?” I chuckled, forgetting Max and how I loathed him for a moment.

When she made the sounds again, Max laughed out loud, a deep bellowing that made my insides knot. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard from him laugh like that before. “You wanna watch the bikes, sweetheart?”

My heart sunk with his words. He called Pim sweetheart. Did that mean he was getting attached? My stomach flipped as I stared at him in horror. Pulling out his cell phone, he touched the screen a few times and handed the phone to Pim just as a loud engine revved. She immediately plopped to her bottom, the padding of her diaper cushioning her fall, and stared at the screen. Max watched her as he stood, a look of adoration on his face. When he lifted his gaze to meet mine, his wide grin immediately fell, and he shook his head as if waking himself from some dream.

“Bike races,” he explained dismissively. “She liked watching them yesterday.”

“Since when do you watch bike races?” I asked as I crossed my arms, disbelieving what I was hearing and seeing.

He shrugged and inhaled deeply. “Just a . . . hobby of mine now, I guess.”

I stared at him, and he looked at anything but me. The room was quiet but for the sounds of the bikes on his phone revving and Pim going, “Vroom, vroom.” There was a part of me that wanted to snatch her up and haul ass out of there, but then I remembered something—Max loved games. He loved getting under my skin, and this was probably just another example of him trying to torture me. He must’ve known my end game; overwhelm him into submission and make him sign the papers. From what I could see, he had embraced the challenge and was taking me head on which sent me reeling. Maybe my plan wouldn’t work, and Matt was right. Max was always good at making me second guess myself. It didn’t help that he, no matter the situation, had this self-confidence that never seemed to waiver. That alone was intimidating. I considered myself a confident woman, but I was nowhere near his level. I, like most normal people, always had doubts and asked myself what if. Max seemed like no matter the situation or potential road bumps, everything would work exactly the way he wanted it to just because he willed it so. On one hand, I hated him for that because it’s not easy to fight someone that is so sure of themselves. It’s intimidating. On the other hand, I envied it; I wished I could be like that sometimes, too.