Sounding a bit confused, she said, “You’re…talking to me right now, Maxwell.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” He took a sip from the ceramic mug. “What I have to say should be said in person. I was hoping you’d let me take you out for a little drive.”
She was silent for a moment. “Going for the captive audience angle, I see.” Her words were tinged with the tiniest bit of humor, and that gave him hope.
“I guess you could say that.” He chuckled, hoping to keep the mood light. “In reality, though, it’s easier for me to open up when I’m driving. And all things considered, I think it’s high time for me to lay everything out on the table with you.”
“I agree.” She cleared her throat. “But before I say yes, there’s something I need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“Is this your way of getting closure? I need to know what your angle is before I agree to this.”
He smiled, knowing she couldn’t see it. “No, it’s not. I’m not looking for closure, Yvonne. I’m hoping to show you why you should give me another chance.”
The line was quiet for so long, he started to think she’d hung up on him.
Finally, she said, “I’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.”
“Thank you for giving me a shot.”
“Don’t make me regret it, Maxwell.” She disconnected the call.
A few minutes later, he was behind the wheel of his SUV, headed up NC-751 toward Durham. When he arrived at her apartment complex forty minutes later, she was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
He pulled into an empty parking spot near the building and put the vehicle in park. Watching her walk toward him nearly took his breath away. She wore a strapless maxi dress in a deep shade of green that complemented her honey-brown skin tone and a beige cardigan. She’d put her hair up in a small bun on top of her head, with a few loose pieces forming bangs in the front.
He hopped out to open the passenger door for her, and as she climbed in, he resisted the urge to touch her backside. I lost that privilege, but I hope to earn it back today.
Soon they were back on the road, and he asked, “How have you been? Have you done anything fun with your vacation time?”
She shrugged. “My daddy’s party was fun. I’ve been shopping, out to eat a few times. Nothing major.”
“Why not?”
“Do you really have to ask? I haven’t been in a celebratory mood.”
He cringed. “Neither have I. I’ve basically been sitting home, twiddling my thumbs. I guess that’s one way to spend a vacation, but I don’t think it’s the best use of my time right now.”
She said nothing, instead choosing to look out the window at the passing scenery.
He pulled up to a stoplight. “Okay. It’s time we get into this conversation. I’ll start by telling you a story.” The light turned green, and he passed through the intersection.
“I’m listening.”
“Here’s something you don’t know about me: I didn’t learn to swim until I was almost nineteen.”
“Really?” She sounded surprised. “Why not?”
“I was scared of water. Couldn’t really tell you why. There’s nothing I can point to as the thing that happened to make me afraid of water. But I was. You couldn’t get me near a lake, a pool, nothing. When I was about to graduate high school, my class went on a senior trip to Miami Beach. I spent the whole weekend hiding in a cabana. Wouldn’t go near the water.”
“I feel like you’re going somewhere with this. I just don’t know where.”
He chuckled. “Sorry I’m taking the long way around, but hopefully, when we reach the destination, it will have been worthwhile.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Speaking of destinations, do we have one for this little drive?”
He smiled knowingly. “We do. I’m just not going to disclose it.”
She crinkled her nose but didn’t protest further. “Okay, then. Go on with the story.”
“Right. Anyway, later that summer, we were at this swanky hotel in New York on family vacation. All five of us are out by the pool. Kelsey was sixteen, and Alexis was almost fourteen. So I walk to the pool bar to get a soda. On the way there, I passed Kelsey, and she pushed me into the pool. Boom.” He turned from NC-55 onto 401 South.
“Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh is right. I could’ve drowned or something. But you know what? I didn’t. Once I hit the water and the initial shock wore off, I found my sea legs. Started kicking, made it back to the edge of the pool. Then I grabbed Kelsey by the ankle and yanked her ass in there, too.”
She covered her mouth, giggling. “Good grief.”
“It’s all good. We were even after that.” He shook his head. “Kelsey’s always been like that. Grab the bull by the horns or whatever. Anyway, after some time passed, I remembered something important about that day.”
“What’s that?”
“When Kelsey pushed me, she yelled, ‘Sink or swim, Max!’ That’s what she said. She was telling me that I was in control of the situation. Even though she caught me by surprise, it was going to be my decision whether I just let myself drown or I learned how to swim.”
“Sounds kind of profound.”
“It wasn’t when she did it, but it was after the fact.” He navigated around the cars parallel-parked on the side of the road. “It was one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned, though I can’t say I’ve been all that good at applying it.”
She turned his way then. “What do you mean?”
He pulled into a parking lot behind a bank. “We can walk the rest of the way from here.”
Once they were out on the sidewalk, she said, “Okay, finish what you were saying. What did you mean when you said you haven’t applied the lesson?”
“I’m glad you’re so invested in my story.” That very interest had served him well, because she still didn’t seem to be aware of where they were going. “In my previous relationships especially, I failed to use what my sister taught me. With Amy. With Juliana. You see, when things came between us and forced me into the water, I didn’t kick, didn’t act. And it was my inaction that led to those relationships failing.” He grasped her hand, gratified that she didn’t pull away from him, and led her around the corner.
“Maxwell, I—”
“I was this close to making the same mistake with you. But I can’t do that, Yvonne. I have to swim now. I have to swim harder than ever before, even if it’s against the current, even if I have to swim really far. I’m gonna do it, because what we have is too special, too important, to let it sink.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, accompanied by an expression of pure wonder as she started to take in the scenery around them.
He smiled, squeezed her hand. “We’re here.”
* * *
Her vision swimming with tears, Yvonne turned slowly, looking around the place he’d brought her to.
The very building she’d looked at, the one she’d pegged as the perfect location for her child development center. “Why would you bring me here? And how would you even know?”
“I have my ways,” Maxwell remarked with a wink.
She stared at him, drinking in his handsomeness. Dressed casually in a blue polo and dark denim jeans, he grinned at her, showing that full set of sparkling teeth that had caught her eye the first day she’d met him. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and opened them again to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. Then she walked closer to the building. In the grassy area in front of the entrance, she spotted a small red sign printed with bold block letters. LEASED.
She jerked her head around to look at him. “Oh my God, Maxwell. Somebody got it.”
He reached into the pocket of his jeans, extracting a set of keys, dangling them. “I know. I’m the somebody.”
A fresh rain of tears filled
her eyes, and she covered her face. “You didn’t.”
He laughed, dangled the keys again. “I did. I hope you’re okay with that.”
Taking slow, deep breaths, she stood in the grass, looking back and forth between him and the building. “This is…a lot. Can you explain to me what’s going on exactly?”
“Sure. I was in your room—”
“What were you doing in there?”
He shifted his gaze up and to the right. “I missed you. The room still smelled like you and…” He waved his hands. “Anyway, that’s beside the point.”
She smiled, feeling the glimmer of satisfaction inside. So he did miss me.
“So while I was in there, I saw the real estate agent’s card on the nightstand. I called her up, asked to see the place you’d been raving about. I met her here, toured the place, heard her whole sales pitch. Then I rented it for you. With an option to buy later, of course.”
“Just like that?”
“When you pay in cash, things tend to move along pretty quickly.”
She shook her head, still processing. “When did you do all this?”
“Yesterday.” He walked over to her, handed her the keys. “I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss it. She had a few people interested in it.”
She blinked, feeling her heart swell. That means yesterday, probably while I was talking with Mommy about temporary versus permanent, this man was investing in my dream. “Did you say we?”
He moved his arms, making the motion of a breaststroke. “I’m kicking hard here, Yvonne. But I just want to make it clear that I support you, one hundred percent, no matter what. So whether you decide to take me back or not, this building is yours.”
She stood there, mouth agape, looking at the gleaming silver keys in her palm. “I can’t believe you did this, Maxwell.”
“It was time for me to show you that I believe in you and in your dream. This was the most concrete way I could think of to do it.” He gestured to the door. “Let’s go inside. There’s one more thing I want to show you.”
Not sure she could handle much more, she climbed the three steps to the entrance and unlocked the door nonetheless. Hand in hand, they walked around the space. This time, she looked at it with fresh eyes, seeing all the potential it held. Now that it belongs to me, I have so many more ideas of what I want to do with the space. She stopped in places, making mental notes. “This is such a great space. I’m going to put the reception desk right here.” She jogged over to the spot, gesturing with her hands. “I’m going to paint the walls sky blue, do the clouds and the sun. Maybe some butterflies.”
“Kind of like Sasha’s nursery, huh?”
“What can I say? Painting her room was good practice for this.” She spun in a slow circle, picturing the way the lobby would look when the painting was done and the furniture was in. “This is going to be great. I’m so excited to get started.”
“Let’s go in here really quick.” He led her to the left, to a small office situated off the main room. As he pushed open the door, she gasped.
The room, which had previously been empty, now held a large, carved oak desk and a brown leather executive chair. An engraved nameplate rested on the desktop. As she approached the desk, she picked up the nameplate and read it aloud in a voice trembling with emotion. “Yvonne Markham, Center Director.” She sighed as she set it back down, turning to Maxwell. Her eyes welled up all over again. “I thought I was all cried out. Maxwell, this is amazing. Thank you. Thank you so, so much.”
He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I’m glad you like it. I was a little worried you might be angry that I just went out and rented it, since you’ve been saving up for it.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not mad. Besides, I’ll need the money I’ve saved to outfit the place.”
“So I did okay, then?” The look on his face was like a kid seeking an adult’s approval.
She smiled, moving closer to him. “You did amazing.”
“Great.” He gestured to the door. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.” With one last look around her new building, she followed him outside. After she locked the place up, they sat down on the steps outside the front entrance.
“You know, I keep a graph paper notebook in my glove box,” he remarked. “If you want, I could draw you up some plans for whatever changes you want to make to the building.”
“You’re laying it on pretty thick, aren’t you, Max?”
“Is it working?”
“Absolutely.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss square on the lips.
He pulled her into his arms, and she leaned into him, letting the kiss deepen. The spring breeze swirled around them, bringing with it the smell of pollen and the blooming azaleas, caressing her skin. The sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees above them. But for that moment, all that mattered in the world was this amazing man, the man she loved.
When they finally came up for air, he said, “I’ve missed you, Yvonne.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” She grazed her fingertips along his strong jawline.
“It was a terrible, empty feeling. And I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then marry me, Yvonne.” His gaze locked with hers, and he clasped her hand to his chest. “Marry me, and I’ll promise to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
She could feel the beating of his heart beneath her palm, and it almost seemed to synchronize with her own. “Maxwell, are you serious?”
“Yes. I’m absolutely serious.”
She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Well, I’d have to see the ring before I make a decision.”
He tilted his head to one side. “You’re sitting on the steps of your ring.”
She looked up. “The building? I mean, it’s nice, but it’s not a diamond…” She made a fake pouty face. “Plus, you rented the building. You didn’t buy it, so…”
He laughed. “If you say yes, I’ll get you a ring. You can have both. You can have whatever you want. Just say yes, Yvonne.”
She smiled, feeling the lightest and happiest she had in ages. “Yes, Maxwell.”
“Hot damn!” He slapped his thigh, then dragged her close to him, planting a kiss on her that was so hot and so intense her knees melted down into her shoes.
Back in the car, she passed the set of keys back and forth between her two hands. They were light, probably made of aluminum. But the keys and everything they represented held so much weight in her life. “I can’t believe I became a business owner and a fiancée in a single day. My mom will be deliriously happy when she hears about this.”
He laughed. “I’m glad to hear that, Von. But what about you? Are you happy?”
She looked his way, her heart soaring. “Oh yeah.”
Chapter 24
Sitting in Ines’s living room Saturday morning, Maxwell looked around the space. Things had been modified a bit since he was last there, most likely to make things easier for Ines. The throw rugs had been taken up, and the old recliner had been replaced with a lift chair that could assist her to her feet if she needed it.
Juliana entered the room with Sasha in her arms, taking a seat across from him.
Seated on the love seat, he asked, “So how much longer before you have to go back over there?”
She gave him a little half smile. “I’m flying out Wednesday evening. I’ve still got a bunch of stuff to take care of before then, but I’ll swing by and see my baby girl once more before I head to the airport.”
“We’ll make sure to make time.” He studied her face. “Is the tough girl getting a little misty on me?”
She rolled her eyes as she brushed a tear away. “It’s never easy leaving her, you know. I cried for two days when I left the first time.” She blew out a breath. “Hopefully the
last half of the deployment will go by fast.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Here’s hoping. And I just want you to know, I do worry about you when you’re doing dangerous work in dangerous places. I always did. I guess I just wasn’t good at expressing it.”
She nodded. “Noted. And yes, you sucked at showing it. But I’ll accept your retroactive concern.”
“Great.”
“We can iron out more details of custody when I get back.” She ran a hand over her hair. “I’m thinking she’ll be with you any time duty calls me away, and then when I’m stateside, we can alternate weeks or something.”
“I’ll do whatever will work best for Sasha. It’ll get a little more difficult after she starts school, but we’ll work it out.”
“Thank you for being so flexible, Max.” Juliana gave the baby a kiss on the forehead. “You’re a lot different now from when we were together. More…mature, I guess.”
He chuckled. “Thanks for noticing my growth, Jules.” Almost losing the love of your life will do that to you. “I’d better get her home. She’ll be caterwauling for lunch before long.”
Juliana laughed. “You’re right. She seems to be on a pretty tight schedule.”
“That’s all Von. She’s a natural with her.”
“I’ll say. I’ve heard Sasha babbling a lot while she’s been here.” She twirled one of the baby’s curls around her index finger, then released it. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. But I know I’ll get to log more time with Sasha after I retire.”
“Thinking of taking the twenty years instead of going for twenty-five?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just don’t want to miss out on any more of her growing up than I have to, you know?”
“I totally understand. Nothing changes your priorities quite like becoming a parent.” He held out his arms, and Sasha crawled over to him. Standing up, he took the baby bag from Juliana. “Say see you later, Mommy.”
“Adios for now, Mijita. Be a good girl.” She stood, kissing Sasha’s cheek. “Give my regards to Yvonne.”
“I will,” he promised as he carried Sasha to the front door and opened it.
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