Never Let Me Go

by Kianna Alexander

  “I’m headed home, too.” Maxwell couldn’t wait to get home to Sasha and Yvonne. He’d never experienced this sort of anticipation before. Sure, he’d had his share of long, trying days that sent him running for the quiet sanctity of his house. But knowing he was going home to them made his house a home. He took a moment to shake hands with the two young men. “I’m looking forward to great things from you two.”

  * * *

  Yvonne grasped the handle of her golf club, adjusting her stance. She let her gaze trace the path from the pure-white ball resting near her feet to the hole she was aiming for. It was one of the more intimidating holes on the course, but she had an audience, and she wasn’t about to back down. After a few moments of contemplation, she lifted her club and swung. Thwack. The ball rolled over the bright green turf and, as she watched with bated breath, fell into the hole.

  “Booyah!” She pumped her fist, celebrating her victory.

  Behind her, Maxwell’s deep chuckle drew her attention. “I gotta admit. It was an impressive shot.”

  “You bet it was.” She strolled over the turf, pushed aside the leaves and flowers shrouding the area, and retrieved her ball from the hole inside the lion’s mouth. “I’m something of a mini golf champ, you know.”

  “I didn’t know, but I’m finding out today.” He joined her on the walk to the next hole. “Every day, I’m finding out something new about you.”

  She felt the smile coming over her face, and she couldn’t resist asking, “And how do you feel about what you’ve learned so far?”

  “Fascinated.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

  A spark of magic ignited inside her chest, spreading through her upper body and into her face. Being alone with him this way, even in such a public place, made her feel as giddy as a teen with a crush.

  They walked together through the winding paths, careful to avoid the other players. The crowd was pretty thin for a Saturday, but she knew traffic would pick up in the late spring and early summer as the daytime temperatures became more reliably warm.

  She watched him place his ball on the tee when they reached the last hole. The obstacles, themed as a miniature village, looked nearly impossible to conquer. There was a complex system of narrow, winding pathways for the ball to travel through as well as a drawbridge over a small moat.

  “Here goes nothing.” He gave the ball a hard tap with his club, and it traveled most of the way through the obstacles. For a moment, it looked like he might get the hole in one…until the ball rolled sideways off the drawbridge and splashed into the moat.

  “Yikes.” She shook her head. “It was a solid shot, but this hole has taken a lot of folks out of the game.”

  He turned her way. “Think you can do better?”

  “Watch and learn.” She strode up, set her ball on the tee. A few moments later, the ball rolled through the obstacles, skirted over the drawbridge, and landed in the hole inside the open castle gates. When she turned his way again, she saw the expression on his face. He looked both surprised and amused.

  “Impressive, Yvonne. Very impressive.”

  After walking back to the main building to claim the prize for conquering all thirteen holes, they returned to his SUV. Strapping the huge teddy bear she’d picked out into the back seat, she climbed into the passenger seat with his assistance.

  “Where to now?”

  “There’s a cupcake place downtown that I absolutely love.” She’d been thinking about their cookies-and-cream-filled cupcake all day, and she couldn’t wait for him to try their wares. “Pass me your phone, and I’ll put the address in the GPS.”

  He passed her the phone, then started the engine. “Mom said not to come back until after sunset.”

  “I think I can keep you occupied for a few more hours.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” There was a gleam in his eye that was part wickedness, part amusement.

  Her breath caught for a moment, and she swallowed. If only he knew how much I’d like to… But it was too soon for the physical stuff, so she halted that particular train of thought. Clearing her throat, she steered the conversation in another direction. “It’s really wonderful to see how much your parents care for Sasha.” She smiled at the thought. The baby couldn’t have asked for a more doting set of grandparents. “They’re probably going to spoil her rotten, though.”

  “As will I and her aunts. That’s just how the Devers family gets down.” He placed his phone in the rubberized holder on his dashboard and navigated the SUV out of the parking lot and onto the road.

  She noted the way his voice and expression softened when he talked about his daughter. Sasha’s childhood would be full of the best things that life had to offer. All the clothes, toys, and books she could ever want. Family vacations to fantastical destinations. It will be so different from what Zelda and I experienced but in a good way. “I have a feeling she’ll never want for anything.”

  As if he’d read her thoughts, he asked, “What was your childhood like, Yvonne?”

  Turning her head toward the familiar sights of Durham whizzing by her window, she took a breath. “It was filled with more love than you can imagine. Mommy and Daddy were always there for us, as much as their work schedules allowed. But I don’t think it was anywhere near as”—she paused, searching for the right word—“comfortable as yours probably was or as Sasha’s will be.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Even though my parents worked hard, sometimes holding down two jobs at a time, we never had much money. They were creative when it came to keeping us entertained when school was out. That’s actually how I got into mini golf.”

  “I can tell you’ve had plenty of practice. You certainly outdid me today.”

  “Mini golf was our family thing. We didn’t have money for trips to amusement parks or vacations at the beach. This was easy and accessible, and we played thousands of rounds as a family.”

  “Have you ever played regular golf?”

  She shook her head.

  Pulling into a parking spot on the street, he asked, “Why not?”

  “Honestly? I’ve come to enjoy mini golf so much over the years, regular golf seems sort of stuffy and boring.”

  He chuckled. “I guess I can understand that. You’re not going to find any castles and lions on the golf course.”

  He got out, coming around to her side and opening the passenger door for her. Taking his offered hand as she stepped down onto the running board, she felt the electricity shoot up her arm, radiating from his touch. Their eyes locked as he guided her to the sidewalk. When her feet were on solid ground, she maintained eye contact with him. Part of her wanted to tell him how much his touch affected her, but there was no way she could put it into words. So she leaned up, closing her eyes as she silently beseeched him to kiss her.

  A moment later, his soft lips touched hers, and she leaned into him. His strong arms gathered her closer as his tongue swept into her mouth, the sensation flooding her body with warmth.

  When she finally pulled back, she blinked a few times, coming back to reality. They were standing on a busy sidewalk in broad daylight, with the passenger side door still wide open. More than a few passing pedestrians quickly averted their gazes, making it obvious they’d been watching. Heat filled her face again, this time from embarrassment. “Maxwell, we have an audience.”

  He offered a sly smile. “Don’t worry. That won’t always be the case.”

  She touched her fingertips to her lips, still full from his kiss. “There’s something about you that makes me forget myself.”

  He draped an arm around her waist, moving her away from the car and using his free hand to shut the door. “Let’s get down to the cupcake place. Now I’m really in the mood for something sweet.” The wicked gleam from earlier returned to his eyes, but only for a moment.

  Inside S
weet Dreams Cupcakery, she inhaled the enticing scent filling the air. The place was so popular that the ovens were pretty much going all day, replacing the delectable confections as soon as they sold out.

  “Oh. It smells like heaven in here.”

  She laughed. “Wait until you taste their cupcakes.”

  Once they’d gone through the line and sat down near the back with their plates, she dug into her cupcake. The soft chocolate cake, along with the sweet cream filling bursting with chocolate-cookie crumbs, melted in her mouth, and she groaned.

  He watched her as he forked up a section of his own French vanilla cupcake. When he took a bite, his expression morphed into one of pure pleasure. “Wow. This is almost as good as my mom’s baking.”

  Soon both of their cupcakes were devoured, and she twisted the cap off her bottled water. “So what was it like growing up in the Devers household?”

  He shrugged. “Orderly. We took vacations twice a year, spring touring a city and fall at the beach. My parents never wanted to fight the crowds during summer.”

  “What about holiday weekends? What kinds of things did you do then?”

  “Symposiums. Lectures. Museum tours.” He rolled his eyes. “Something that ‘enriched our minds’ was their idea of fun.”

  She noted the annoyance in his voice. “I take it you weren’t a fan of the intellectual pursuits?”

  He shook his head. “None of us were. Remember, Kelsey and Lex have artsy careers just like I do.”

  She tapped her finger against her chin, thinking. “Maybe your parents picked up on your interests in the arts and were trying to steer you toward what they thought would be more lucrative careers?”

  “Once again, you’ve shown yourself to be incredibly insightful. That’s exactly what they were trying to do.” He shrugged. “As an engineer and a librarian, their work revolved around concrete facts, measurements, and things that can be easily defined or quantified. They made it clear that they didn’t see much merit in their children working in the arts.”

  She felt her heart squeeze in her chest. She could easily hear the tinge of pain in his voice when he spoke about his youth. “It must have been hard to know that your parents didn’t have faith in your choices.”

  “It wasn’t easy. But I’m sure you know, if you have a passion for something, there isn’t much that can stop you from pursuing it.” He reached across the small table, taking her hand into his. “From the first day we met, I could see your passion for your work with children. Could your parents, or anybody else for that matter, have talked you out of going after your dream?”

  She didn’t even have to think about her answer. “No, they couldn’t have.” She had an immense amount of compassion for what he’d gone through, and it opened her eyes to thinking about her own childhood in a different way. While she hadn’t spent her summers on a yacht or traveling the country, she and her sister had been well-loved and encouraged to follow their own paths. And there was no price that could be put on that. She chastised herself for the earlier comparison of her own experience with her perceptions of how Maxwell had grown up. There was really no such thing as a perfect upbringing, and since she worked with children, she should know that better than anyone.

  “The good news is, as the years went by, Mom and Dad have come around. They no longer complain about what any of us do for a living.” He squeezed her hand. “It took time, but I think they finally understand why we do what we do, or at least they’ve learned to keep their opinions to themselves.”

  She offered him a soft smile. “Parents can be pretty stubborn. They may not say it often, but I’d be willing to bet they’re proud of you and your sisters. You’ve all found a way to build lives for yourselves, fueled by the thing you love most. There’s something really special about that, you know?”

  He smiled, showing off two rows of perfect pearly white teeth. “There certainly is.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “That seems directed at me.”

  “It is. Having someone like you to take care of my daughter is more than I could have asked for.” He grazed his fingertips over the sensitive skin of the back of her hand. “So you can imagine how honored I feel to be able to get to know you like this, on a personal level. You’re an amazing woman, Yvonne.”

  She met his gaze, feeling her attraction to him rising like the tide drawn to a full moon. She never would have imagined she’d be doing this with a client, and parts of her still tried to deny what she felt. But there was no escaping the magic blossoming between them. Work was one thing that gave her a sense of fulfillment. But she knew she would never forgive herself if she passed up an opportunity to love and be loved by a man like Maxwell.

  How he’d come into her life didn’t matter nearly as much as how he might change it.

  Chapter 13

  Maxwell parked his SUV on the dirt path leading to the jobsite for the Crown Center expansion project. Strolling past the line of earthmovers, graders, and pickup trucks loaded with various supplies, he moved toward the trailer housing the base of operations for the project.

  It was just past eight on Friday morning, and the weather was perfect for the first day of building. Generally, jobs like this would start earlier in the week, but a paperwork error had pushed the start date back. The temperature was already around fifty degrees and was expected to climb to near seventy before day’s end. He’d dressed in a pair of sturdy jeans, a maroon NCCU sweatshirt, and steel-toed work boots.

  He navigated through the maze of equipment and bodies in motion, headed for the main site of what would become the new Crown Civic and Performing Arts Center. There, at the epicenter of the bustling activity of the site, men and women in bright orange construction vests and shiny yellow hard hats scurried about, carrying various tools and materials. A line of bright orange rope, supported by stakes, marked the shape of the building’s footprint. The sounds of machinery, engines, and conversation were all around him, yet he barely noticed the din. Years of working on construction sites had him so accustomed to the cacophony, it was merely background noise now.

  Stopping near the western edge of the rope line, he scanned the crowd for a moment before he spotted his construction supervisor. Braxton Williams was easy to spot, since his six-foot, four-inch height meant he easily towered over most people, even on a busy construction site.

  Raising his hand up, Maxwell called, “Hey, Williams!”

  Looking up from the clipboard in his hands, Braxton said something to the woman he’d been speaking to and shook her hand before striding over to where Maxwell stood. With an easy smile and a tip of his hard hat, he drawled, “Morning, boss man.”

  “How are things going?” Maxwell jerked his head in the direction of the woman he’d seen Braxton talking to. “Who was that? I’ve never seen her on one of your sites before.”

  Braxton shrugged. “She’s new. Her name’s Patterson, and she runs the cement company that’s doing the foundation and the floors.” He paused, adjusting his hard hat. “It’s been a while since we were on a jobsite together. How long has it been? A year?”

  Maxwell thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, about that long. I only call you in for the commercial jobs, and I’ve been building mostly homes lately.” He had another construction manager who specialized in residential projects. “How’ve you been? How’s the family?”

  A smile spread over Braxton’s face. “Amy got promoted at the bank. She’s head loan officer now. And Jordan’s in third grade now. Reading ahead of his grade level, though. What’s new with you?”

  That brought a smile to Maxwell’s face. He’d often heard Braxton bragging about his son. Knowing that he now had a beautiful daughter of his own filled him with a new and wonderful sense of parental pride. “You’re not going to believe it, but I’m a papa myself now.”

  Braxton’s eyes widened, and he gave Maxwell a playful punch in the shoulder. “You’re kiddi
ng me, right?”

  Shaking his head, Maxwell pulled his phone from the hip pocket of his jeans. “See for yourself. Her name is Sasha, and she’s almost eight months old.” He scrolled through the saved photos in his gallery until he found a good one of the baby, then turned the phone around so Braxton could see.

  “Wow, man. She’s beautiful.” Braxton’s eyes darted back and forth between the screen and Maxwell’s face. “She looks a lot like you. Congrats, Max.”

  “Thanks, Braxton.”

  “I’d ask about her mother, but I don’t wanna get all up in your business.”

  Maxwell could see the questions in Braxton’s gaze but appreciated that he didn’t ask them. “I’d say it’s complicated, but that’s an understatement.” Tucking the phone away again, he asked, “How have things been going out here?”

  “Great. The graders have already come and gone, and the surveyor says we’re good to start pouring the foundation.”

  “Everything good with the team? Are all the laborers in place for foundation work?” Maxwell asked these same questions at the beginning of every job they worked on together, but if Braxton was tired of hearing them, he didn’t let on. Maxwell was a stickler when it came to his designs, and he expected his vision to be carried out with skill and professionalism. That was common knowledge to anyone working on one of his sites.

  “Yep. We expect to get the work done by the end of the day. Framers should be able to start once it’s cured.”

  “Sounds great.” Maxwell had intended to say more, but his attention was drawn by the familiar, distinct beeping sound of a truck backing up. Looking toward the eastern border of the building footprint, he saw the cement mixer backing up toward the rope line. To his surprise, there was a familiar face behind the wheel of the large vehicle. “Isn’t that Ms. Patterson driving the mixer?”