Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(96)

“It was enough,” she said. “More than enough, actually. All this talk about Mom breaking your heart and how you’ll never be able to love again was nothing more than a bunch of bull.”

Max could see his presence wasn’t needed or appreciated. This was between Annie and her father. “I’ll go. Can we talk later, Annie?”

She nodded. “And thank you,” she said, as she cast him an apologetic look.

As he walked out the door, a smile came over him as he heard Grant try to explain away the proposal Annie had heard. He wasn’t privy to Annie’s response, but from the little he did hear, Bethanne’s daughter was having none of it.

Max’s steps were lighter than they had been in a long while as he returned to his wife. He parked in the garage and whistled as he let himself into the house.

“I’m home,” he called out as he stepped into the kitchen.

“I’m out here.” Bethanne was on the back patio, planting flowers in the wooden boxes he’d installed along the top of the railing. She wore garden gloves and a big straw hat. Max joined her and slipped his arms around her waist from behind, kissing the side of her neck.

“This is a warm welcome. Where’d you go?” she asked.

“Out.”

She made a dismissive sound. “I know that tone of voice. You’ve been up to something, Max Scranton.”

“Could be. Need any help here?” he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder, admiring his wife’s amazing green thumb.

“Are you volunteering?” she asked.

“Not really, but I felt I should ask.”

She laughed softly. “That’s what I thought. Say, how about a motorcycle ride this afternoon?”

Max released her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

His wife twisted around so that she faced him and frowned, her gaze full of questions. It wasn’t like Max to refuse to ride. “What’s up?”

Bethanne had a smudge of dirt on her cheek, and, using his index finger, Max wiped it off. “Have I told you recently that I’m the luckiest man in the world to be married to you?”

“No, but I’ll accept the compliment. However, I feel that I’m the lucky one. I still can’t believe you’re moving to Seattle for me.”

“For us.”

Bethanne braced her forehead against his chest, and it looked as if she was about to cry again. When he’d first told her of his decision, his wife had been so overwhelmed she’d been unable to speak.

Now that it looked hopeful that Rooster and Lauren would get back together, moving the wine-distribution company to the Puget Sound area made even more sense.

The doorbell chimed, and Bethanne and Max broke apart. “Will you get that?” his wife asked, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her gloved hand.

Max shook his head. “I have a feeling you’re going to want to answer this yourself.”

Bethanne frowned, and when the doorbell sounded again, she hurried into the house and to the front door. After a couple moments, Max wandered back into the kitchen in time to see Bethanne and her daughter hugging each other.

“I’m so sorry, Mom, so sorry. I’ve been an idiot about you and Max. Can you both forgive me?”

Bethanne sobbed and clung to her daughter.

They continued to hold each other for a long time. Max walked over to the corner of the kitchen counter and pulled out a box of tissues. Bethanne’s gaze caught his, and she smiled through her tears.

“Dad lied to me,” Annie said as the two women came into the kitchen arm in arm. “And then he tried to lie his way out of it.”

Max handed both women a fresh tissue. Then, to his surprise, Annie broke away from her mother and hugged him. “I need to apologize to you, too. I’m sorry for the horrible things I said to you, Max. You love my mom, you honestly love her.”

“I do, and I care deeply for you, too, Annie. You’re part of Bethanne, and I love those she loves.”

“I’ve been such a brat.”

“You won’t get an argument from me,” Max said and chuckled.

“What happened?” Bethanne asked after dabbing the moisture out of her eyes.

Annie’s gaze went from her mother to Max and then back again. “Dad stopped by this morning, and he complained about my brand of coffee. He’s really picky when it comes to coffee, so I volunteered to get him a cup from the Starbucks on the corner.”

From what Max knew of the other man, Grant was picky about a lot of things other than a certain brand of coffee.

“I left,” Annie continued, “and realized it was cooler out than I had expected, so I came back into the condo for a sweater.”

Max suspected it had been something like this.

“Dad didn’t hear me come in. He was in the kitchen on his cell with his back to me, talking to a woman named Monica. It was clear he was involved with her romantically, which I sort of knew, because she calls the office three and four times a day, always with a convenient excuse.

“I tried to ignore what Dad was saying, but it was pretty graphic as he described what he intended to do to her physically.”

Bethanne shook her head and held up her hand. “I get the point.”

“I went into my bedroom and then the doorbell rang and it was Max. Dad answered the door, and I was stuck in the hallway. I didn’t want Dad to know I’d been listening in on his conversation, and at the same time I couldn’t very well walk out the front door.” She glanced over at Max. “Do you want to tell Mom what my father proposed?”