A Rose for Max (Moosehead Minnesota Book 3)

by ChaShiree M

  Her face flushes and she heads to the kitchen, with Jace following her. Now, Rosy won’t even look at me and I will have to work even harder to get her.

  The rest of dinner goes off without a hitch. Afterwards, I head home, alone, to work on a plan to get my Rosy. It will be the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done. This girl makes me wish to hell I had waited for her.

  What a strange night. I mean it was great, don’t get me wrong. Everyone was incredibly fun and nice as usual. Ava and Kennedy spent the whole time talking about babies of course. Though I have a slight twinge of envy, I am really excited for them and gladly listened to their banter all night. Kennedy’s Gpa is very interesting. He spent the whole night in conversation with me asking where I grew up, how was my childhood, my parents, etc. I have to say it felt weird, especially since he doesn’t know me, but I figured because I was the only unknown in the room, he was trying to amuse himself. He is just a harmless, funny old man.

  The not so pleasant part of the night, came when Max started talking to Penny causing all hell to break loose. During a tense moment, I was told something about Max I didn’t want to know. He had slept with his brother’s girl. According to Ava, she whispered in my ear, it is not how it sounds. But, how could it be any different? Either he did or he didn’t. I do know, it did not leave him in a good light and made my vow to stay away from him, more solid.

  Here I am this morning drinking coffee, as I run everything through my head, when there is a knock on my apartment door. I am not expecting anyone this early and seeing as how it is the weekend, I know it cannot be work related. When I look into the peephole, I am a little surprised to see Kennedy on the other side of the door.

  “Hey lady fancy seeing you here. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “My gpa asked me over for breakfast this morning after you left last night, and he asked if I would bring you along.” She says.

  I don’t know what to say other than, “Ok. But can I ask why?”

  “To be honest Rosie, I have no idea. But he likes to meet new people and sort of adopts them into the fold. He’s harmless. So, what do you say?”

  I was not doing anything for breakfast and I don’t want to offend anyone, so I guess I’m going. “Sure. Sounds fun. And after last night, I could use some fun and normal.”

  “Oh, Yeah last night was intense but it is not what you think.” I will take her word for it. Because I had a shower last night, all I have to do is throw on clothes for the day, grab my purse, keys, and lock the door.

  Once we are the car, I notice she isn’t starting it yet. I look over at her and see she is staring at me. It is kind of creeping me out, but before I can say anything, she opens up like a freaking faucet.

  “Rosalind, I know it is not any of my business, but I feel like I need to defend Max.” Seriously!

  “No Kennedy. It is not nece… ”

  “I know Rosa, but I see how he looks at you. And believe it or not, I see how you look at him when you think no one’s looking. But I can see that last night, might have spoiled him in your eyes and I think it needs a bit of clarification. The boys’ father used to send them to a yearlong apprenticeship workshop when they were growing up. He would send them always, one at a time. When Ham was away on his turn, for a year Max began a relationship with Elizabeth, or what he thought was a relationship. What Max didn’t know was that her and Ham had a thing. Surprisingly enough, no one in this town told him either, so he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. Ham came home early and found out and the brothers had a falling out and didn’t speak for four years, until Avalynn came along and made them reconcile. Rumor has it, Max really thought she cared for him and it broke his heart. So you see, Jace was being an ass last night and it is not the way it sounded.”

  Well crap. She could have really kept that to herself because now, the ice I was using as a shield against him has begun to thaw. His heart was broken. Some puta actually broke his heart. A man like Max with a broken heart actually makes for an asshole. So now I get it.

  “Thank you for telling me Kennedy. At least I know he is not a complete douche. But it doesn’t change anything for us. And if it is all the same to you, I would rather not talk about it right now.”

  “Im sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep. I just thought you should know.”

  With that said, she starts the car and pulls off and I feel bad for snapping at her, but I just cannot, right now. Less than 10 minutes later we are at her gpas house and I paste a smile on my face as I walk up to the door. The minute the door opens, her grandfather gasps. The next words out of his mouth literally send my mind reeling in ways I didn’t expect.

  “My God. It’s like looking back 22 years. You look just like Yesenia did that summer.”

  Gasp.

  “You knew my mother. But how?”

  “My son, Kennedy’s father, use to come here in the summer to visit my parents. The summer of his senior year he came and while he was here he fell in love with a beautiful Hispanic girl named Yesenia. He wrote home to me about her and when I came down for a visit, he brought her to meet me. I knew that summer he was going to marry her. However, your mother’s father didn’t like my son. He felt like he was an over privileged white boy, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. He forbid them from seeing each other again and moved your mom away. My son was never happy after that. Not like I had seen him that summer, until graduation when he found out Kennedy’s mom was pregnant. He came to life then and the rest they say is history. We often wondered what happened to Yesenia but no matter how we looked, we never found her. When you came to the party last night I knew when I looked at your eyes, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone else.”

  I am having a hard time processing anything right now. Is he saying that his son was my dad? That he is my grandfather? I mean….holy shit….that means-

  “You are my sister?”

  Kennedy beat me to it, but yes, that is the very conclusion I was drawing. Looking at her now, I can totally see it in the eyes. She is tearing up now and though I am sure it is the hormones from the pregnancy. I am no less emotional and to be honest, I don’t want to be here right now. Dale just told me that my whole life has been a lie and the story my grandparents told me, how my dad didn’t want me and my mom was a total lie. They created the lie to make me not look for him and ask questions, which she allowed them to do me.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I can’t… I… I need some time. I am sorry. I know it isn’t any of your faults, but I need to process this information. I promise I will come back, Ok? Please give me some time.” With that, I turn around and walk out the door as fast as I can, before taking off in a half sprint with tears running rivers down my face and I bump into a hard wall of muscle. I smell him before he says a word and before I can stop myself; I curl into a ball into his chest and cry like I have never cried before.

  When she crashes into me, my arms automatically lock around her. I take in her tears and I want to fuck up whoever caused this. “Rosy, mi amor, Tell me what’s wrong?” I am starting to panic.

  Through several sucked in breaths and sobs, she finally speaks. “Kennedy. Is. My. Sister. My. Whole. Life. Is. A. Lie.” It takes a minute, but I figure out that Kennedy’s dad is also her dad.

  “Baby, the past is the past. The future is what you make it.” I say rubbing her head and back. “I know this must be a shock for you, but there is no need in making yourself sick over it. Listen, why don’t you let me take you to get some coffee, put something in your stomach, and we can talk. You might need a minute to talk and let out all of the feelings of betrayal you are feeling.” I say to her while rubbing her back.

  Even crying, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Making the mistake of inhaling, I immediately regret it. I remind myself, getting hard now is not what she needs. As if she has been in a coma for a few minutes, she takes a deep breath and starts to unravel herself from me. Even though I do not want to le
t her go, I loosen my hold and manage to keep a part of us touching.

  “Max?” Her arms squeeze me around my waist. “What are you doing here?” She asks.

  “Dale invited me to breakfast. He said you would need me.”

  “My new grandfather is a genius.” She says laughing. Then she stops as she realizes what she has said. She pulls her lip into her mouth. Fuck if I don’t’ want to remove it from her mouth and put it in mine.

  “Hey baby. It’s ok. Calling him your grandfather doesn’t mean you’re still not angry, hurt, and confused. It also must feel good to know you have family, even if you’re not ready to embrace it. Huh? How about we go in and eat breakfast with your new family. Maybe you can get some more answers and begin the healing process. What do you say?”

  “New family. Ya, know I am getting too old for this shit.” I cannot control my laughter.

  “Ok Murtaugh? I am starving.”

  She is wrinkling her nose in thought. “Who is Murtaugh?” She asks.

  “Excuse me? You’ve never seen Lethal Weapon?” I exclaim, trying to pull off a fake exasperation.

  “What the hell is Lethal Weapon?” She exclaims.

  “It’s only one of the greatest, cop action movies, of all time.” Seeing she still has no idea what I am talking about, I continue. “1987. Mel Gibson, Danny Glover.”

  “Sorry, that was a little before my time.” She replies, with no indication of remorse.

  “Jesus, how old are you?” I demand.

  “Twenty-three.” Is her innocent reply to his question?

  “Oh my God. You are only one year younger than me and you don’t know what that movie is. We cannot be friends anymore.” At least her tears have stopped. With no makeup on, she looks amazing, even with tears streaking her face, does nothing to deter from her beauty.

  “Sorry, Maxy.” She giggles, causing my heart stop. She gave me a nickname. That has got to mean something. Right? But seriously. Maxy? Oh well. Gotta take what I can get at this point.

  “Maxy. I like it. Now let’s go inside.” I grab her hand and feel the heat of her fingertips.

  June is the hottest month in Minnesota and her outfit is making me crazy. She has a Star Trek Voyager t-shirt on and a pair of skin tight jeans that hug every single curve on her body. Damn it, there I go getting hard as a fucking rock again. Her bright blue tipped toes, on her flip-flop wearing feet, are so fucking sexy. Good Lord, I’ve never been a “toe” guy before, actually not that I would really know for sure. I drag her to the door and knock briskly. Kennedy opens the door and her face is as equally tear stained.

  “Rosalind.” Kennedy says through a snotty nose. I know I should feel bad she is crying, but all I can think of is if Sterling knows she is upset, he will be here in less than five minutes, cursing out everyone for making her upset. Great. That is exactly what we need.

  Rosy drops my hand and catches Kennedy for a hug, being mindful of her belly. They both start crying again and I maneuver them into the living room, while shutting the door. No need to be air conditioning the outside. It will be cold again soon enough. I shake Dale’s hand and go with him into the kitchen to give the girls some privacy and help him finish breakfast and set the table. The girls come in a few minutes later and sit down.

  “I am starving.” Kennedy says rubbing her belly.

  “How are you girls doing?” Dale asks a bit trepiditiously.

  “We are fine, gpa.” Kennedy says.

  “I am honestly glad we were friends first, because the awkwardness I expected just isn’t here.” says Rosa.

  “That’s good. I hope I did the right thing in telling you.” Gpa says hesitantly.

  “You did. I wonder what happened in the year my mom disappeared and he married your mother.”

  “Oh, now this is awful, but he was heartbroken. He met Jacquie and while he did love her I’m sure, he wasn’t in love with her. But he tried his best to make it work for Kennedy, because she was his happy place. He loved Kennedy, more than anything in this world and I am sure if he knew about you, it would have been no different. The only difference being that Yesenia was the love of his life. You know the one who got away.”

  “How did he die and what was his name? I want to know everything.” Rosy says. With a bit less resistance and a lot more curiosity.

  “He died in a mining accident, about ten almost eleven years ago. His name was Dale and I guarantee he didn’t know about you. If he had, he never would have let you go.” Kennedy says.

  “My family is all gone. I have no one to question and Max made me realize you can’t help the past, but I can shape my future. I very much want to be involved in your life Kennedy, if you’ll have me.” She then turns to look at me with her big brown eyes seeking support and I cannot help reaching out and grabbing her hand. She squeezes it and leaves it there.

  “Of course, Rosalind. You are my big sister, even if it is only by a few months. I always felt like something or someone was missing, even after I found Sterling.”

  “That’s lovely. I can’t believe I will have a niece or nephew soon.” Rosy exclaims.

  “A niece, in about three weeks, if all goes to plan” Kennedy replies.

  “A niece. I am so excited.” Rosy says as she claps her hands together.

  “Rachel Marie Crawford.” Kennedy states.

  “That is a beautiful name.” Just then we hear a car door close and the front door slam open.

  “KENNEDY! Where is she?” Sterling yells thru the house.

  “Silver, I am in here. Calm down. I am fine.” Kennedy tries to placate him.

  He walks into the room, immediately pulls her from the chair and begins looking her over, as if he expects her to be injured. Though she rolls her eyes at him, you can see the smirk she has. I feel a pang in my chest because I want that and I want it with my Rosy. I look over at her and to my surprise she is looking at me too. Before i can say anything I am interrupted by Sterling.

  Looking at me he says “Why the fuck was she crying? Who did it?”

  I hold my hands up in defense “Bro, it had nothing to do with me. Calm your over muscle ass down and take your woman home, where I am sure she will tell you what happened.”

  We have finished breakfast and Dale, Kennedy, and Rosy say goodbye.

  “I have to get going. Do you think you could give Rosalind a ride back to her place, Max?” Kennedy asks.

  “Sure. Are you ready Rosy?”

  “Yes, of course.” She gives Dale and Kennedy a final hug and we head out to my truck. Ethel, my 2017 Dodge Ram is my pride and joy. Once I help her in and I do the same for myself, the silence is awkward and I don’t like it one fucking bit.

  “Rosy, I am going to ask you this one more time. Have dinner with me tonight.” As I am prepared to launch into the pros of why she could go out with me, she surprises me.

  “Okay. Tonight?” she questions.

  “Yes tonight at 8pm. We will go into St. Paul, where my favorite restaurant. Is that good with you?”

  “Yes. Pick me up at 7:30?” She says as I reach her apartment, above the antique store.

  “Of course.” When she leans over the console and kisses me, I lose my mind. I put the truck in park, drag her over the console, and into my lap. I feel the need to pour my soul into the kiss. A kiss I have been waiting to give her again for days and having her initiate it is even better. When I break the kiss, she moans and I take a second look at her. While her eyes are closed, all I can do is stare at her in awe.

  Her caramel complexion and dark oak hair, lends to the overall exoticness that is her very essence. She has the tiniest collar bone I have ever seen, which leads down to her full breasts; I am unable to wait to get my mouth on. They are more than two handfuls and I fucking love it. Her waist is tiny, but I can tell her stomach is soft and sweet like a woman should be. But, her ass. That ass is the shit wars were fought for. My dick is standing at attention. Fuck it. She might as well get a good feel of the madman she turns me into. I nibble on
her mouth for a few more seconds, I give her a quick kiss and step out of the driver’s seat with her in my arms and then slowly, I slide her down my front. When she makes contact with my hard cock, she moans causing me to groan.

  “I hate to let you go, but if I don’t, I will take you right here up against Ethel and I wouldn’t want her to get jealous.”

  “Maybe you can take me later. Ethel won’t mind.” She laughs, then winks. Finally, she kisses me and walks away. When she gets to the outer door of her building, she turns and waves. I return the wave and hop back in my truck. Once she is inside, I peel away from the curb. Tonight is going to be the best last first date of my life.

  Holy shit!!! Today has been overwhelming as hell. Finding out I have a sister, a grandfather, and my grandparents lied to me my whole life. Fuck. I need a stiff drink. But with all of the new information thrown at me today, I must admit it is also kind of cool. I hated being an only child growing up. Though I know my mom loved me and she did her best, I was always lonely.

  I had no one to play with regularly, no one to talk to when I was sad, or angry. It was a shit way for a kid to grow up and why i always say I want a big family. I do not ever want my kids to be lonely, which is why I want at least four kids. It sounds like a lot, but it is my heart’s desire. However, there is no way I am going to find a man who wants to settle down and have that many kids. So i am going to keep it as a dream and focus on building a life instead.

  With all that being said, I have a date to get ready for and to say I am nervous is an understatement. Don’t get me wrong I have been on dates before, but those were with boys. Max is a man and I mean all man. A man I cannot seem to keep my head on around and hands off of. When I am around him, I completely lose control of myself. All I want to do is rip my clothes off, lie down, and beg him to take me on whatever surface is available. That man can get my panties soaked and full of cream, with just a smirk of his face. But when he touches me, forget it. I become a hussy. A horny, begging, and wet hussy. I need to remember to be a lady. Yea right, Rosa. Good luck with Mister scorching hot mountain man. Geesh.