by Leela Ash
Stonybrooke could be a little bit on the judgmental side when it came to new things. They were to be regarded with suspicion and mistrust. That was part of what Max hadn’t been able to stand when they had proclaimed him to be an alpha. Why would he want that position when it meant he would be overloaded with choices and he would always have to make the most predictable one?
He had always wanted to take risks, and now, that’s what he was doing, whether anybody liked it or not. He could be as risky as he wanted with his business. It could even help you succeed.
“Good morning, Max.”
Max froze at the sound of the familiar voice.
“Mrs. Green? What are you doing here?”
Max gaped at the image of Sadie’s mother, who was standing in the doorway, wearing a starchy green dress and staring at him with a disdainful gaze.
“I just came to see that you leave my daughter alone. You put her through enough hell when you were here the first time. I don’t want to find out that you have done the same thing again now that you have another chance to torture her.”
Max’s heart lurched. “I would never do anything to hurt Sadie, and you know it.”
“Actually, I don’t. And neither does she. So just stay away from her. You can imagine my chagrin when I saw you were back in town. I guess I had to see for myself and let you know that no matter what you are planning to do here, it is not going to involve my daughter.”
“She doesn’t want anything to do with me anyway. I know better than to try anything like that,” Max stated. “You think I enjoy humiliation and rejection or something?”
Max stared hard at the aging woman. She had gotten a full head of gray hair since he had last seen her. It was startling, and although he was mad, it encouraged him to be a little bit kinder to her than he felt like being.
“I don’t know, nor do I care what you think,” Mrs. Green said, turning her nose up at Max dismissively. “What I do know is that my daughter deserves peace after everything she has gone through, and you are not the one that is going to give it to her. So just stay out of our way. You know I have connections in this place. One false move and I will shut this operation down faster than you can say your own name.”
“You know what? I didn’t even know Sadie was still here. I assumed she would have left this stupid place for bigger and better things like I did.”
“Is that so?” Mrs. Green asked, raising a brow at Max. “That’s why she has gotten so many letters from you over the years? Trust me when I say she does not appreciate your effort at communication, and if you see her, you would be wise to let the opportunity for connection go by you. It wouldn’t do either of you any good. Especially not with this vulnerable stage of your business happening, right?”
Max stood rigidly, glaring down the old lady with rage bubbling in his chest. And yet, he had been taught from an early age to respect his elders. As much as it pained him, he didn’t want to do anything he would regret. And so he bit his tongue and simply let her speak until she was satisfied. She finally turned to leave and Max felt himself relax a little bit.
“Take care, Max,” Mrs. Green said, smiling coldly at him.
Max shook his head, sighing to himself as the bell on the door jingled behind her. Every experience he’d had so far had told him what a mistake it was to come back here. And now, he was sure of it. But there was nothing he could do except focus on his business and hope for the best. So that’s what he did for the rest of the afternoon, despite his thoughts being tortured by the memories of his first love.
4.
“I can’t talk right now, Mom, I already told you. I’m going to be late for work. Just let me go.”
Sadie hung up the phone before her mother had another chance to continue on in her tirade against Max. She was getting really tired of hearing about it. Her mom clearly didn’t understand what had happened between the two of them well enough to weigh in, and honestly, Sadie thought her mother’s deep hatred toward Max and her fixation on him returning to town was bordering on unhealthy.
Did her mom really want her miserable that much? It seemed like she was devoted to making sure that nothing worked out between the two of them. Even when it was obvious that nothing between them ever would get better. No matter how much she wished that wasn’t the case.
Sadie tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. If she didn’t get going, she was going to be late for work, and that was the last thing she needed. But, once she got out to the car and tried to turn the engine, it sputtered and died.
“Shit!” Sadie exclaimed. “Carl told me everything was running fine now. Son of a bitch....”
She climbed out of the car and sighed, glancing down at her watch. She was going to have to run with all her might if she was going to catch the bus downtown so she was on time for work. She was wearing heels and looked down at the ground, sighing miserably to herself. This was not her week.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. Sadie took off running, wincing as her uncomfortable shoes began to dig into her feet. There was nothing else she could do about it, and she turned the corner, gasping as she collided with a broad, firm body that smelled like the forest after a storm.
“Max!” Sadie exclaimed, before she even had a chance to look into his face. There was no mistaking him. She wasn’t of shifter descent herself, at least not full-blooded. She was related to one far down the line, enough that, every once in a while, she had a small glimpse of what it was like to have acute shifter senses. But mostly, they were only activated by Max.
“Sadie,” Max said, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing serious, but I’m going to be late for work if I don’t get down to the bus stop. Right now. I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now.”
Max’s frown deepened, and he held his broad chin in his hand for a moment as he studied her, his dark eyes flashing. She felt herself frozen on the spot, all thoughts of work completely driven out of her mind. Instead, they were replaced by the memory of his body pressed firmly against hers, that sweet, sensual rhythm they always managed to find when they were together.
“I can drive you to work,” Max said decidedly. “Where are you working these days?”
“Oh, I am working for the postal service. I’m a clerk there.”
“Well, let me take you then,” Max said. “It sounds like your day is going to be long enough without having to take public transportation.”
“Really, you don’t have to do that. I’ll just take the bus.”
“I insist,” Max said, taking her by the elbow and leading her to the side of the road, where an unbelievably nice sports car was parked. He sure was doing well for himself. “It would be faster for you anyway. There’s still a chance you might not catch the bus. There are always problems with the Stonybrooke public transportation, if I recall correctly. Just let me do this for you. It’s no trouble at all.”
“I guess,” Sadie said, unable to fight his strength as he led her to the passenger seat of the car and opened the door for her. She stepped inside, immediately consumed by the scent of new leather. It was a nice car.
“I have to go and stop by the Council anyway,” Max said. “They’re probably not going to be too happy with me, but that’s all right. It is what it is now. We can’t change the past.”
The last sentence felt heavy. Once they were settled in the car, and the doors were closed, Sadie felt her heart skip a beat. She had forgotten what it was like to be near Max. He was such a confident and powerful man. He always seemed to know exactly what he wanted. It was part of what had driven her so insane when they had first started dating. He was narrow-minded and arrogant. He never allowed for anybody to influence him. Even if it was in his own best interest.
“So, why do you have to see the Council if they aren’t very happy with you?” Sadie finally managed to ask. She couldn’t allow herself to get swept away in the ghost of their old doomed relationship. It wouldn’t do either of them any good.
“W
ell, I still need to get my permit in order. And it isn’t exactly that the Council isn’t happy with me. I think they just have a lot of expectations of what my coming back should mean. And just like usual, I’m probably going to end up letting them down.”
“You never let them down,” Sadie exclaimed. Her mind reeled back to the time when Max had been driven away from Stonybrooke. All of that had been a huge misunderstanding. The Council had named him the alpha of the pack, and it had been a pack that was known for both causing trouble and fighting off troublemakers in the same breath. More than anything, they had always loved to fight, and any brawl was a good reason to get their hackles up. It was partly why her mother had been so insistent that she avoid Max.
“Really, you don’t know very much about me, do you?” Max said, looking hard at her from over his shoulder. “Not even after all these years.”
The words stung, and they continued driving on toward the post office in silence. She was kind of horrified by the way their reunion was going so far. Everything seemed so out of control and out of her hands at that point. She felt just as irritated with him now as she had when he had first left, despite all the years she had been wishing for any chance at all to resolve things with him. But it was clear he didn’t have any intention of resolving things with her, even if he was willing to take her to work. It had nothing to do with their past. He was just a decent person that way. She shouldn’t read too much into it.
“I don’t want to be any trouble to you, Max,” Sadie said, finally sighing down at her hands. “I know I have already been enough of a nuisance in your life. You don’t have to go out of your way for me. You could just let me out here if you want.”
“Are you kidding?” Max said, gaping at her and nearly running a red light. “That’s ridiculous. I’m taking you to work. And besides that, I am really surprised you would say something like that. It’s like you have no idea what I’ve gone through in all this time.”
How was she supposed to have known what he had gone through? He hadn’t gone out of his way to contact her or anything. Not a phone call or a letter in sight. There was no reason that she should know what he had been dealing with. She almost opened her mouth to tell him that, but before she could, the car was slowing down and finally, they had come to a stop in front of the post office.
“See you,” Max said casually, avoiding her eyes and staring straight ahead over his steering wheel.
Sadie glanced at her watch and sighed. She was five minutes early, but how was she supposed to just watch Max drive away like this without saying anything that might make the situation even a little bit better?
“Come over for dinner,” Sadie blurted. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Max whipped around and stared at her, a strange expression creeping across his face. The shifter men were notorious for being nearly impossible to read. They never let their emotions show on their faces. But, somehow, Sadie took this strange expression as a good sign and waited for him to reply.
“Your mom won’t be there, will she?” he asked, quirking his brow and making Sadie laugh despite herself.
“No, my mother will definitely not be joining us.”
“All right then. I guess that should be all right,” Max said, sighing heavily. “As long as you are sure this is what you want to do.”
Sadie nodded. It had been years. They might as well at least try to have a conversation. If nothing else, it would help them get back on some stable ground. Or at least an understanding that would help them to survive this new change in their relationship. They were going to have to deal with each other one way or another. It was better not to tiptoe around the subject and face it head-on.
“I live at 700 River Street now. Meet me there at 7 PM if you can,” Sadie said. “I’ll cook you your favorite and we can talk.”
Max nodded and she closed the door, walking quickly to the post office entrance. She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her back as she went inside. Her heart was drumming wildly, but she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of elation. She had been waiting so long to see Max again. And now, they were going to have a whole uninterrupted evening together. Maybe they would be able to find some kind of balance this way. She could only hope.
5.
All day long, Max hadn’t been able to concentrate at all. He had been hoping against hope for a chance to make things right with Sadie. All his adult life, he had been unable to move on from their relationship. He was unable to form any meaningful bond with anyone else, and he had always held out hope that maybe, one day, he would be able to resolve things.
But it didn’t happen. And he was almost afraid to hope that, even now, anything might change. Sure, they were having dinner, but that could mean anything. It was most likely that she would still want nothing to do with him. Maybe she just wanted to tell him that formally, over a pleasant meal.
It would make sense that they would try to talk things out and figure out a nice understanding they could both work with. They were going to be sharing this town now, whether they liked it or not. It was probably just her way of establishing boundaries.
But honestly, after the way he had disappeared, he wasn’t surprised that she was angry. She had been furious with him even before he had left town without any warning, so how was she supposed to expect him to somehow magically resolve things without some kind of conversation? It wasn’t the kind of thing you talked about in the car on the way to work. They were probably just going to rehash the past and hope to make the future as bearable as possible.
And yet, he couldn’t restrain the faint glimmer of hope that was dancing within him. He wanted more than anything to make things right with Sadie. This would give him a great starting point. Even if their relationship was never the same way it used to be, at least he would have some small chance of making thingsa little bit better with the one he cared about the most.
“Max, what the hell took you so long? I’ve been unloading shit for an hour now without you.”
Max grimaced. He had gotten so wrapped up in Sadie and getting her to work on time that he had completely forgotten he had asked Terry to come over and help him take care of the shipment. It was time to start stocking the shelves of the store, and it was starting to be a lot harder by himself than he had anticipated. It was lucky Terry still had so much respect and blind admiration for him. It didn’t seem like anybody else did.
“I’m really sorry. I had something urgent to take care of.”
“Yeah, I saw her,” Terry said, shaking his head slowly. “I guess some things never change.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Max asked, his hackles up immediately. The small growl in his voice made Terry’s head snap up from his task, and a wide, goofy grin spread across Terry’s lips.
“I think you know what it means,” Terry said, chuckling to himself. He wasn’t threatened at all. Probably because he had meant no offense. “The two of you were always close. I just assumed it would be a matter of time before it happened again. I guess I didn’t think it would be this fast, is all.”
“Oh,” Max said quietly, the adrenaline that had been animating him beginning to slow and recede. “Did she talk about me a lot or something?”
Terry shook his head. “No, I think she was pretty upset when you left the way you did. We all were.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, but you know I didn’t have any other choice.”
Terry shrugged. “Sure.”
Clearly, he wasn’t so convinced. Max sighed.
“Is she seeing somebody right now?” he asked, not daring to look up into Terry’s mocking eyes.
“Not right now. She was going out with Paul for a little while, but I don’t think they were a good fit. She’s been on her own for the past six months at this point. I bet she’s been waiting for you to come back.”
Max scoffed. If that was true, then one would think she would have wanted to respond to at least one of his many heartfelt letters. She knew how to contact
him, and if she hadn’t, it was because she still felt angry about the way things ended between them. Either way, he was about to find out.
“What would she date Paul for?” Max mumbled. “He’s just a big brute.”
“Apparently, she likes that kind of thing,” Terry teased.
Max grinned. “I guess so.”
They fell into a pleasant rhythm, as the clock ticked the time of the day away. Max found it really difficult to contain himself as the hour drew near to the time when he was finally going to be able to talk to Sadie alone. And although he was nervous, he was also more excited now than he had ever been in his life. Even more excited than finally realizing his business had truly transcended into something amazing.
When the clock finally struck 5 o’clock, he grinned at Terry. “Well, I think it’s time to close up for the night. Thanks for all your help.”
“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Terry said, gathering his things and heading for the door. “Take care of yourself, Max.”
“You too,” Max said.
When he was finally alone, he set to work locking up and quickly took inventory. He was going to have to dress well. There was no telling what kind of dinner this was going to be, and he would just have to be prepared both for the best and the worst.
6.
Sadie sighed. All day long she had been wondering what the hell had been going through her head when she had invited Max to dinner. How had she managed to just blurt out that invitation so easily after everything they had gone through? It wasn’t as if they were going to be able to pick up right where they had left off and pretend nothing had ever happened between them. She had practically just given him an invitation to put her on the burner over what they had experienced together. If he had wanted to grill her all this time, that was what was going to happen.
But maybe he wasn’t as angry with her as she had been thinking. After all, he had offered her a ride to work. That was something he didn’t have to do. And yet, he had done it. Whether he was just being nice because he felt responsible for colliding with her on the sidewalk or if she was just pathetic enough that even someone who hated her would be willing to reach out and help her, she had managed to get herself into this, and there was no easy way to get out of it.