The Billionaire’s Stubborn Lover (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 3)

by Leslie North

  “Nathan.” Gabe grabbed his shoulders. “Calm down. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but this is good for us.”

  “No.” Nathan shook his head and broke out of his grasp. “This company is toxic. Good for Duncan Enterprises never seems to mean good for me.”

  Pushing past Gabe, Nathan stormed out of the office. His anger and rage fueled him all the way to the car, but once he slipped into the driver’s side, all of that energy left him. Slumped in the seat, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

  “How is your mother?” he asked softly.

  “She had a heart attack, but she’s going to pull through.”

  Nathan was quiet for a moment as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Finally, he had to ask. “And how is Carolina?”

  “She’s fine,” Angie said stiffly. “Stephen called me. I heard that Wells accepted the new design. Good job.”

  “You’re mad at me too?”

  “You bought her a food truck? What the hell were you thinking, Nathan?”

  Nathan closed his eyes. “I’ll talk to you later, Angie. I hope your mother makes a complete recovery.” He disconnected the call and started the car. The only thing that he wanted right now was to see the bottom of a bottle.

  An hour later, he was at the bar down the street from his studio and knocking back his third whiskey when a shadow passed over him.

  “Never took you for the drinking type,” Duncan said gruffly as he sat down.

  Nathan frowned. “You’re not allowed to have a drink. If you do, at least one of the new Maxfield ladies is going to show up. It’s like they have a GPS tracker on you, and I really don’t feel like talking to either one of them. What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I was wondering the same thing about you. I heard that you lost it in Gabe’s office. I would think that winning over William Wells would be an achievement for you boys.” The bartender stopped by to get Duncan a drink, but he waved him away.

  “It’s a great achievement for Gabe and Stephen, but all they care about is the sale and execution. I have a reputation to protect, and the Wells project is not up to my standards.”

  “And Carolina?” Duncan said softly.

  “Carolina decided that I wasn’t the man for her. No big deal. It’s not like I haven’t been dumped before.”

  His father chuckled. “When you and Daisy broke up, you didn’t go out and get drunk. It makes me wonder how much this woman means to you.”

  Nathan slapped some money on the bar. “Dad, I don’t know how you found me, but you’re wasting your time. Carolina didn’t mean anything to me, and I don’t really give a damn about the Wells project.”

  “Stop.” Duncan reached out and grabbed Nathan’s wrist. “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but I’m your father. I raised you, boy, and when I want to talk to you, you’re going to listen.”

  Nathan stared at his father. The man had a strong grip for someone on so many different types of medication. “You raised me? You were never there. Now you want to pretend to be my father?”

  “When I see you turning into me, I think it’s definitely time to have a chat,” Duncan said coldly.

  Rage swept over Nathan. “I am nothing like you,” he hissed.

  “So you didn’t put your job first over the woman that you love?”

  Nathan slumped on the stool and closed his eyes. “No, I didn’t. I’m trying to figure out how to make it all work. When I started this whole thing, I didn’t realize how much I would care about her. And then I thought that I could have it all, but there is so much pressure with this Wells project. Stephen and Gabe make it look so easy.”

  “Angie and Stephen work together. Daisy and Gabe work together. They don’t have to choose between their jobs and their family. That’s how they make it work. You can’t use them as an example.”

  “Then who should I use?” Nathan asked snidely.

  “Me.” Duncan’s voice was even and calm. “I put my career before my wife and before my family. And I’m only now beginning to get it back. Nathan, I’m seventy-five. All the good things are gone. Falling in love. Proposing. Having children. Raising them. Birthdays and Christmases. Graduations. The only thing that I have left in front of me is making sure my children are happy. And enjoying my grandchildren. You’ve got all the good stuff still in front of you, Nathan. Don’t waste it like I did.”

  He stared at his father. There was never a moment in his life when he thought that he’d be anything like Duncan, but his father was right. If he wasn’t careful, he would be making the same mistakes that his father did.

  “What do I do now?” he asked quietly.

  “Fix it before it’s too late.”

  Nathan nodded. Feeling a renewal of his energy, Nathan bolted from the bar. The sun was already setting, and he knew that Carolina wouldn’t spend the night at the hospital. She wouldn’t put her kids through that.

  Duncan was right. Nathan did need to make this right, and he knew how he was going to do it.

  14

  Closing her eyes, Carolina leaned back into the couch cushions. Usually she enjoyed the quiet nights. There was hardly a dull moment in her house, and the few minutes of peace that she had before she went to sleep was sacred. But tonight, the quiet was haunting her.

  Had she made the wrong decision?

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jumping up, she glanced at the clock. It was late. Who was at her front door?

  Creeping to the window, she peered behind the curtains and sighed with relief. “Are you trying to scare me?” she muttered as she opened the door.

  Nathan leaned against the doorframe and smiled. “I know what time you normally put the kids down, and I didn’t want to interrupt you. Do you have a minute?”

  Of course he knew it was the kids’ bedtime. She was reminded about how much he truly paid attention when they were together. “Come in, but keep your voice down. If you wake up Carlita, you’ll have to deal with her.”

  He smiled and walked in. Closing the door quietly behind him, she locked it before leading him into the living room. “If you wanted an update about my mother, you could have called.”

  “I called Angie.”

  Frowning, Carolina pulled the blankets around her and sank into the couch. “You called Angie? Why not me?”

  “I thought you needed some space.” Nathan sat down next to her, only inches separated them.

  “Like you’re giving me space now?” Carolina asked with a raised eyebrow.

  He twisted his body to face her. “I’m not going to work for Duncan Enterprises anymore, Carolina. It’s too much work, and it’s compromising something that I believe in. Plus, it’s wreaking havoc with my love life.”

  She rolled her eyes and sat up. “Really? You’re going to give up like that?”

  “I don’t understand. I thought you would be happy.”

  Angry, she shoved her blankets aside and got to her feet. He watched her with wide eyes, and she started to pace. “You don’t get it, do you? You can’t quit because things are tough. This is your family’s business. I didn’t want you to quit. I wanted you to talk to me. You buried yourself in your work, and when I asked about it, you pushed me away. And you think that buying me something expensive is going to fix everything. I’m not the princess that needs saving. I’m a woman who wants to know that her man is willing to work a little harder at their relationship.”

  Nathan sat back and clasped his hands. “Your man?” he asked with an easy smile on his face.

  “Don’t get hung up on the details, Nathan. This didn’t work because when I needed you, you weren’t there. And now you’re planning on bailing from your family’s company because things are tough?”

  “I won’t sell myself short because my family needs to make a sale.”

  “So don’t,” she said simply. “Fight for what you want.”

  He stood and walked towards her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she backed up, but when her back hit t
he wall, he kept on coming.

  Stopping inches from her, he put a finger under her chin and tipped it up. “What about you, Carolina? Are you going to fight for what you want?”

  He leaned down and gave her a slow, delicious kiss. Her toes curled, and she lost her breath, but he didn’t wait around for an answer. He was out the door and gone.

  Still slumped against the wall, she put a hand over her chest. That man was going to be the death of her.

  Nathan was up all night pacing. Running on adrenaline, coffee, and several energy drinks, he thought his heart might burst as he raced down the hallways of Duncan Enterprises the next day. As he ran towards Angie’s office, her receptionist stood to stop him, but he immediately burst through the doors. “Angie! We need to talk!”

  Huffing, he stopped short. Two men rose in alarm and stared at him.

  “Gentlemen,” Angie said with an icy glare directed straight at him. “This is Nathan Maxfield. He’s the head of our architecture and design department. Nathan, this is Joe Gills and Leroy Fornell. They are thinking of hiring us for a housing development.

  “Sorry,” Nathan muttered. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll wait outside.”

  Fornell raised his hand. “No need. I believe that we’re done here. I like your ideas, Angie. And I like your team’s enthusiasm,” he said as he gave Nathan the once-over. “We’ll be in touch with you.”

  Angie leaned over the desk as best she could to shake their hands. Once the two men were gone, Nathan shut the door behind them.

  “Is there something on your mind, Nathan?” she asked dryly.

  “I won’t draw up the plans for the Wells project. At least not that design. Frankly, I would be embarrassed to have my name attached to that building, and so should Duncan Enterprises. And if anyone had the balls to stand up to Wells, he’d probably see the same thing,” he said vehemently.

  Angie slowly sat in the chair. “I agree.”

  “And I know that you don’t like it, but this company should be about more than making money. We should be contributing to society and making a difference. Otherwise, what’s the point of creating anything?” he said as he paced. When he realized what she had said, he stopped pacing. “You agree?”

  “Gabe and Stephen had a talk with me yesterday. They were concerned about your reaction to the meeting, and I agreed with them. If you’re not into this project, it’s not going to go well. We need heart and passion. Not the bare minimum. Your first design was amazing. Now we need to figure out how to convince William Wells that.”

  Nathan frowned. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas about that?”

  “I called Wells early this morning, and he’s coming in at noon. I have someone on the outside working on a plan. What I need from you is to stow your temper. Duncan Enterprises will be right behind you, and we’re willing to lose the account if he doesn’t agree. But you need to be professional in the meeting. Do you understand?”

  He leaned across the desk. “I could kiss you right now.”

  “Your brother would have a problem with that. So might my sister,” she said with a narrow look. “Now, go home, take a nap, and clean yourself up. I can smell the coffee seeping from your pores.”

  “Consider it done!”

  Nathan left her office, but he didn’t go home. He was too amped and excited. Checking into the storage room where he’d holed up earlier, he was pleased to see that Gabe hadn’t gotten around to storing anything in it yet. Pulling out his notebooks, he started to compile all the notes that he’d made the night before.

  When noon rolled around, Nathan was ready. Gabe, Stephen, and Angie met him in the conference room. “You okay?” Gabe asked him quietly.

  “Did you sic Dad on me yesterday?” Nathan growled. “That was low.”

  “You’re here, aren’t you?”

  Nathan couldn’t help but smile. No matter how pissed he was at his brothers, they always came through for him.

  “Here he comes. All of you behave,” Angie hissed. “I’m here to back Nathan, but I’ll be really happy if we all win today.”

  William Wells, with a cranky look on his face, hobbled into the room. His cane struck the tile, and he practically fell into one of the chairs. “What the hell am I doing here?”

  Angie rubbed her pregnant belly and leaned against the table. “Mr. Wells, when you first came to us with this project, you were full of excitement. We talked about the potential of this job, and you told me that you wanted the best, something different, something unique. Now Stephen Maxfield is the best at construction, but the real hero here is the designer.”

  Gesturing to him, “Nathan is one of the brightest designers to come out of this city. He gave you an amazing design that will have people talking, but you chose to go with something boring and mundane. Frankly, Duncan Enterprises doesn’t do boring and mundane.”

  “What are you saying?” Wells grunted.

  Nathan jumped in. “Mr. Wells, I talked to everyone in the surrounding areas. They all say the same thing. Despite the fact that the current structures are crumbling, visitors go back time and time again because of the historic charm. They love the cobbled streets and the atmosphere. That is your main draw to the area.”

  Wells shook his head and stood. “No. I already told you before that I want something simple. I know it’s not what I originally wanted, but an old man is allowed to change his mind now and then. If you’re not willing to build the second design, I’ll find someone who will!”

  “My second design is for Duncan Enterprises only,” Nathan said coldly. “No one else will build it. You’ll have to start over.”

  Wells opened his mouth to speak, but Angie quickly spoke up. “Mr. Wells, I’d like you to take a look at these two numbers. I had someone work with Stephen to draw up an estimate of the cost of the two projects a little early. Now, they are only an estimate, but they’re close, and we’re going to do everything to make sure that we stay within a ten-thousand-dollar margin of this figure.”

  He looked at the piece of paper and grunted. “Which one is which?” he demanded.

  “The first design is the cheaper one, Mr. Wells,” Angie said with a smile.

  Wells stood for a moment, and then held out his hand. “You people drive me crazy, but you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Nathan’s jaw dropped. He thought for sure that his speech wouldn’t win Wells over. What happened?

  Gabe winked at Nathan. “Mr. Wells, if you’ll follow me, we’ll finalize the paperwork.” The old man grumbled something about young bucks, but he followed Gabe out.

  “I don’t believe it. Who helped you come up with the numbers so quickly?”

  “You weren’t the only one who didn’t sleep last night,” Angie said with a wince. “Carolina called me at midnight. She said she had an idea to help you. Apparently, Wells’ young wife is bleeding him dry. Carolina thought that if we could prove that we’ll save him money, he’d go with your original idea. She’s very good with numbers and budgets. She and Stephen stayed up all night and worked on it.”

  “Carolina helped you?” Nathan asked sharply. “Did she say why?”

  “That’s probably a conversation that you should have with her,” Angie said with a smile.

  Nathan jumped up to leave and go find her, but Stephen gripped his arm. “Hey,” he said softly. “I want you to be very sure of what you want before you risk something you can’t lose.”

  “I already risked it when I let her walk away.”

  15

  Nathan felt like he couldn’t fly any higher. The Wells Project would be the beginning of his career, and the woman he loved was the one who helped him push it through.

  Now he needed to convince that woman that he was committed to having her by his side.

  He pushed past the speed limit and made good time to Maria’s home. Angie had told him that Maria was released from the hospital earlier that day, and Carolina would be there to make sure that she was comfortably settled.

&n
bsp; Her car was parked outside the house, and Nathan smiled. Two days ago, he was as low as he had ever been. Now he was about to be on top of the world.

  Sprinting from his car, he rapped hard on the door. When the door opened, it wasn’t Carolina standing on the other side.

  Maria Lopez glared at him through the screen door. “What do you want? Here to insult me and my restaurant even more?”

  He tried to bite his tongue. “Mrs. Lopez, it’s nice to see you out of the hospital. I thought you might be on bed rest for a few days. “

  “You thought wrong,” she said with a scowl.

  Ignoring her sour mood, Nathan glanced anxiously past her to see if Carolina was close by. “Is your daughter here? I’d like to speak to her.”

  “You’ll have to be more specific. I have four daughters.”

  “Maria, you know that I’m here for Carolina. Are you going to let me in?” Nathan was losing his patience.

  “You are ridiculous. I just got back from the hospital, and Carolina is here to make sure that I’m okay. What right do you have to interrupt us? She can’t see you right now. She’s busy,” Maria snapped. She rolled back and gripped the door as if she was going to slam it, but Nathan opened the screen door and stuck his foot in to block it.

  “I don’t know, Maria. You look like you’re handling yourself fine,” he said tensely. “Now I’ve held my tongue when it comes to you. I’ve watched you belittle your daughter and all of her hard work, and I’ve let you be completely rude to me, but this ends now.”

  “Nathan?” Carolina came around the corner. “What are you doing here?”

  He never took his eyes off Maria. “I was coming to tell you the good news, but your mother’s grudge against me is going a little too far.”

  “Momma,” Carolina scolded. “What is going on with you?”

  Maria shook her head. “He is not welcome in my house. If you want to waste your life with him, you will not involve me!”