What was she up to I wonder? Maxie once again looked to me for direction, but I had my eyes on mom. It appeared that she might know more than I first suspected about the situation, but how?
“Whatever do you mean part of the local society? I’m a bit lost by that. Maxie isn’t planning to move here.”
“Well where else would she live if not with her husband? Oh dear, the kids haven’t told you as yet I see. Well I thought that after you found them in bed together you would’ve put two and two together.
My son would never disrespect me by bringing a woman other than his wife or his intended into his bed under my roof.”
The old upstart dug into her turkey sausage patty like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell in her guest’s lap.
I caught the sly wink that passed between her and Mike and figured out what was going on.
I thought he was too busy with his own wedding arrangements to pay much mind to anything else. But apparently he had enough time to share certain things with the woman he thought of as his mother.
Meanwhile, Cynthia seemed to be trying to find the right words. “That’s preposterous, Maxie has an international career that she simply cannot put on hold to get married now. That will have to come much later.
I’m sorry if she mislead you...”
“The only person here that’s mislead is you Cynthia. You see, Maxie is a grown woman who is free to make her own decisions. Well that’s not entirely true, as her husband I plan to make most of them for her; one of the first being that she will only play when she wants to.
“You don’t seem to understand, she has other obligations.”
“No, she does not. I think I should warn you that I had your family checked out when Mike first told me about his engagement. My men might’ve missed a few things here and there on their first go around, but after I came home a few days ago I had them do a more intense search.”
“Why ever would you do such a thing? It seems like an invasion of privacy to me.”
“Honestly, I wanted to learn why a mother would be so horrid to her own child. This wasn’t the time or place for this, but you brought it up.
Do you want to know what I found out?” The whole table had gone quiet. She wasn’t looking so sure of herself anymore, and the paleness in her cheeks told me that she knew what was coming next.
I took Maxie’s hand under the table because what I was about to divulge was a secret from her, one that I had struggled with whether or not to share with her.
“You had an affair. When you came up pregnant, you didn’t know who the father was, your husband or his business partner. The man, who robbed the company blind and left your family almost destitute.”
I felt Maxie’s hand jump in mine and she tried to pull away, but I held her in place. The rest of the table’s occupants were in an uproar with questions and accusations flying around.
I might as well finish what I’d started; we were all going to be family anyway.
“Your husband, being the man that he is, didn’t want a paternity test. He forgave you and claimed the child as his own, but forbid you to ever get a test done.
All these years you’ve hated her without a cause because you were afraid your dirty little secret would be exposed.”
“My father...” There was such anguish and hurt in her voice, I had to kiss her to reassure her.
“I had the test done, it wasn’t easy. I had to enlist Jonas to get me DNA from your husband. I had a friend rush the tests and I’m now in possession of the results, they’re in a safe in my study.
I wasn’t going to use them, just wanted to have them for her protection, but like I said, you hated her without a cause, because she is his, your husband’s.
As for her supporting you all these years, yes I uncovered that little tidbit as well; those days are at an end. We won’t need her money I have more than enough to take care of her.
So whatever money she makes, will go into a trust for our children. I’m afraid you and your daughters will have to find work if you want to continue in the style her money afforded you.”
You could hear a pin drop when I was through talking. I didn’t look at Maxie to see how she was taking it all in.
I’d warned her how things were going to be from now on. Better she get use to the man she was going to marry.
“What’s he talking about? What does he mean get a job? I have my modeling and daddy takes care of us.”
“Oh hush Jenny, you model for local shops, big woo. Obviously he’s saying that we’ve been living off of her all this time and dad really is broke like the gossips say.” Miranda pouted around the table.
“Dad’s not broke, he just needs a little help until the company gets back on its feet. But you three wouldn’t pass up a new thousand-dollar handbag, or the latest mink, and he was killing himself trying to keep you all happy.
Why do you think I went back on the circuit with a madman after me?”
“What the fuck did you just say?”
Chapter 30
MAXIE
You’d think I’d just told him I had a target drawn on my back the way he carried on.
I’m not sure if he was aware that he was pretty much cutting off my air the way he had grabbed the front of my shirt, until his mother brought it to his attention.
“You might wanna let her breathe now son, she’s turning beet red.”
“Oh, sorry, repeat.” He loosened his hold but still didn’t release me.
“Oh, didn’t our dear sister tell you? She had her own bona fide stalker. You might want to think about that before you go making any wedding plans.”
I was ready to snatch Jenny baby bald but the look Jackson gave her had her cringing back in her seat.
“Tell me and don’t leave one fucking word out.” Mom tittered at his use of the f-bomb at the breakfast table, but I was coming to realize that pretty boy was more than a pretty face. His hard glare had her piping down quickly.
His dad was tucking into his breakfast like a group of strangers weren’t airing out their dirty laundry right in front of him. When he felt my gaze on him and turned to me with a wink, I felt like I had found my family after all.
I turned back to the hurricane that was vibrating next to me. “It was a while ago, right around the time that I started becoming popular.
I use to go by a different name back then. My manager had chosen a stage name made up of my first name and my paternal grandmother’s; Maxie Shaw.
Someone started sending me strange notes. The notes soon turned into invitations to dinner and trips and things like that.” I could feel the tension in him already and I hadn’t even got to the hard part.
“We decided to ignore them at the time. I was still rather young and I guess we thought it was just someone’s idea of a joke, or at the very least an innocent crush.
But then I started receiving dead animals in the mail and death threats...”
“Did they find him? He crushed the bones in my hands when he took them.
“No, they never did. It got so bad that I could hardly play. I’d be in the middle of a performance and I would feel his eyes on me. I became a nervous wreck.”
“You went crazy is more like it.” Once again Jenny interrupted.
“Do you think this shit is funny? That someone was after your sister to harm her? Not even you as self centered as you are could be that fucking cold, or is it stupidity?” Boy was he steamed.
Her mouth fell open and she looked to mom to jump in and protect her precious little spoilt brat. I too was looking to see what dear old mom would do.
If it had been me she would’ve lit into me already, but funnily enough, she didn’t seem to have much to say.
She wasn’t looking like her usual self; I guess having your dirty laundry aired in front of people you were trying to impress was not such a good thing.
“Go on baby tell me the rest. Anybody else feel like interrupting can get the fuck out of the room now.”
�
�Son, really.”
“Mom, not now.” She mimed locking her lips and picked up her coffee cup. What a weird family, she seemed to be smiling behind that cup.
“Um, there isn’t much to tell really. I had to give up my career for a while. Then I came back as The Dove and everything was going fine there in the beginning.
I had changed up my look by then. Instead of straightening my hair as I’d done in the past, I now wore it naturally curly.
I took gigs mostly in Europe since we believed that he was an American. The postage was never from the same place twice so we were never able to pin him down.
Then not long after you sent the invite, the same thing started happening again. We were confused because we’d gone to so much trouble to hide the fact that I was the same person.
Some people might’ve recognized my technique, but only close friends and family would’ve known it was me.
I’d grown a lot and my look like I said was completely different. But I got spooked again and went back into hiding. Then dad had a little setback and I decided to go back to help him out.
I don’t have to play as much since I make way more now than I did before.”
“You deserve every dime baby. Tell me, did the cops ever find anything on this guy?”
“Not that they ever shared with me. Now I play sporadically and try not to go to the same venue twice in one tour. It’s been tough but so far we’ve been able to pull it off.”
“I need the contact info for your manager.”
“What why?”
“Because I’m changing some things around, like your security, whatever it is now, we’re doubling it. We will travel on the family jet when you have to travel...”
“Why does she deserve all these nice things?” No one paid Jenny any mind other than to throw looks her way, because really, not that many people speak idiot.
“I don’t see why you need to talk to my manager...”
“Not up for discussion.”
“Excuse me?” I tried to tug my hand out of his.
“You wanna do this here?” he leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“I told you how it was going to be, not my fault you chose not to pay attention. There are many things in life that you have total control over, your safety is not one of them. Give me the number.”
“Dammit, I’m not going to be one of those women. You can’t just decide that you’re going to take over my life and I’m just gonna roll over and play dead.”
I tried to keep my voice down and not give away the fact that we were about to have the fight to end all fights.
I was waiting for him to say something for me to shoot down. He didn’t say one word, just stared at me like he was waiting for something.
He pulled his phone and punched one key. “Get me the manager for The Dove.” My mouth hung down to my chest.
“You can’t just...are you insane?”
“It’s done and that’s the last time we play that game.”
His phone went off less than two minutes later. “Yeah, got it. I have another job that needs taking care of now.”
He kept his eyes on mine and it was as if the rest of the room ceased to exist. When he leaned over and kissed my forehead I thought I would weep.
Two seconds later I was ready to commit murder. “I need everything you can find about her stalking case. Get whatever the cops have. I want it no later than end of day tomorrow, and Harry, everything, no fuck ups this time.” He hung up and turned back around to his plate.
“Hey, what do you need that information for? The cops are handling it.”
“I’m going to find whoever the fuck this is and take care of him. You’re not spending the rest of your life looking over your fucking shoulder.”
I do declare, Mr. Collins is nuts.
Chapter 31
MAXIE
I think I was numb. I wasn’t sure what to feel. It had been so long since I’d needed answers and now that I had them, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.
My love for my dad grew tremendously, and I was glad that I had done whatever I could to help him out the way I had.
I was very proud of him, a man who accepted a child that might not be his own, and yet treated me with nothing but kindness and love.
I couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever had any doubts though. How hard must it have been all these years? Never knowing if I were the daughter of his enemy.
I looked over at my mother, but she was avoiding looking at me. What a reptile.
It was weird, but instead of the usual hate and anger, I felt pity for her. Not that I was about to forgive her anytime soon, if ever. There was too much bad blood between us for that.
Maybe it was because of Jackson and what was growing between us, but somehow I didn’t feel half as bad as I should.
I didn’t even want to throw her filth back in her face, nothing. It was enough that she knew I knew.
He had a tight hold on my hand while we finished our breakfast. His parents still hadn’t said anything; in fact everyone was acting like business as usual, except Jenny and Miranda.
Janet seemed to be taking it all in stride, for all that we seemed hell bent on destroying her wedding. For that reason I chose not to say anything right then.
I had almost forgotten why we were here. It was supposed to be a happy occasion for my favorite sister, and so far I don’t think I was holding up my end as maid of honor.
I promised myself that I was going to put everything else on hold for now and concentrate on the wedding, if I could just get the cowboy on the same page.
Jackson was pissed and kept glaring across the table at the three of them, and after he questioned me like I stole something, he pulled me up from the table, and without a by your leave, took me from the room.
“Are you okay Firefox?”
“Yeah, I think so, stop worrying about me. I’ve had years of dealing with her attitude, and at this point, it doesn’t matter the reasons why. I’m just happy my dad is my dad. Why don’t you go to work?”
I had a lot to do that couldn’t be done with him hanging around, before I bury myself in wedding plans.
“I do have some stuff to take care of.” He kept giving me looks, like he expected me to crack any minute, so I kept a smile on my face that he would have to look very close to notice didn’t reach my eyes.
JACKSON
I struck the head and the proverbial sheep scattered. After putting Cynthia’s business out there and informing her daughters that it was their hated sister’s money that had been keeping them in fancy clothes and spa visits, they seemed a little shell-shocked.
I wasn’t interested in them, other than making sure they left her the fuck alone from now on.
I wasn’t sure if that would be the end of it or not, so I still left her with mom, with strict orders that she was not to leave her sight until my return.
From her reaction I got the feeling she’d been planning something. One stern look and a bug in her ear soon swayed her.
“I’m beyond pissed right now baby, don’t put yourself in the line of fire, whatever you were planning, shelf it. I mean it Maxie you do not want to play with me on this. Stay where I put you.”
I would’ve dragged her off with me, but I had a few phone calls to make that I didn’t want her privy to, since she seemed to have a problem with me protecting her. Too fucking bad.
“Don’t leave this room until I get back, and no fighting with your idiot family. We’ll talk when I return.”
I left her after a quick kiss and went to see about better protecting her. Fucking stalker, she would have some shit like that going on in her life, why should it be easy?
I had the sneaky suspicion that nothing about our life together was going to be simple or the norm. Maybe those babies aren’t such a bad idea after all.
I’d have to breed her every year until she was fifty; that’s probably the only way I was going to keep her little ass out of trouble; but first thing
s first.
By the time I was through an hour had gone by and I was getting antsy about having her away from me for that long.
Who knows what shit she could get up to in an hour, and on second thoughts, mom might not have been the best baby sitter. She can get up to her own brand of shit when left unsupervised.
I was kicking myself in the ass for not thinking of that, as I rushed from my office and was waylaid outside the door.
“Oh Mr. Collins, a moment of your time please.” I stopped impatiently in my tracks and turned to Cynthia.
“What is it?” She had to know she was not my favorite person in the world right now, and I wasn’t about to pretend that shit.
“I know you must probably think very little of me now, but you don’t understand, it was a very trying time. I love my husband but...”
I raised my hand to cut her off. “If you’re about to give me your reasons for breaking your marriage vows save it, I’m not interested. And spare me the ‘I love him but’ speech, it’s bullshit and quite frankly none of my fucking concern.
I do care about what you’ve done to my girl her whole life, and just so you know, that shit dies today, because the next time, I’ll do more than air your business. I will personally make you pay.
I don’t care what your reasons were for what you did to her, as her mother, you were supposed to be the one sure safety net in her life.
Instead you fucked her over every chance you got for your fuck stupid daughters, who by the way, doesn’t hold a candle to Firefox.
I can see that my words surprise you, you didn’t expect someone like me to be less refined than that ideal you have in your head.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but when it comes to her, I’m your worst fucking nightmare. If I were you, I would just heed my words and you’ll be fine. She’s off fucking limits, tell your offspring.”
I walked away and left her standing there with egg on her face. I wasn’t interested in her excuses, my only focus right now was finding out who this man was that had scared Maxie into hiding.
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