Magic Man

by Ashley Hastings

  My heart constricted with my love for this handsome man.

  But wait. Why was Maxwell in blue jeans? That was an odd choice for sleepwear.

  Maxwell groaned in his sleep and stretched. His eyes blinked open, focusing on me with a laser sharpness that shouldn’t be possible when first awakening.

  “Millicent?” He smiled up at me and stretched some more, putting his sexy chest and abs on full display for my viewing pleasure.

  I loved the deep, scratchy morning voice he sported. Climbing into bed with him, I snuggled closer. “Good morning, Maxwell.”

  “It is now.” His arms wrapped around me, and in one swift move, he rolled over on top of me.

  “Oh!” His erection settled heavily between my thighs, and I sighed my satisfaction.

  “Good morning to you, too, kitten.” Maxwell nuzzled my breasts. “But you are wearing too many clothes. Good thing I can help you with that.”

  He quickly stripped me down, and then he made sweet love to me. He took his time and made sure to build the sensations in my body until I was whimpering and begging for release. He gave me two solid orgasms before seeking his own pleasure. One thing I could say for sure, Maxwell was a generous lover.

  Afterward, I lay panting in his arms, super glad I had surprised him this way.

  “Maxwell?” I murmured his name quietly, not wanting to break the mood.

  “Hmm?” His fingers stroked my arm idly, and I snuggled even closer.

  “Why do you sleep in blue jeans?” I had to know.

  That surprised a laugh out of him. “I don’t. At least, not usually. I got up early this morning because I kept hearing a noise outside. Couldn’t find anything, so I guess it was a raccoon.” He stretched but kept a tight hold on me. “I fell back into bed without bothering to take my pants off.”

  I got up with reluctance. I didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms, but I needed to check on my daughter.

  Maxwell grabbed my hand. “Where are you going?”

  “I left Ivy all alone in the apartment. I need to get back.” I frowned as I spoke, the guilt of being a lousy mother warring with my need to curl up with my man.

  “Let me come with you. We can fix her pancakes when she wakes up.” He started to pull his jeans back on.

  I hesitated, and he noticed right away.

  “What’s wrong?” He gave me a somber look when I didn’t answer.

  “Let me guess.” He put his hands on my shoulders and regarded me. “You think I’m spending too much time with you.”

  I sighed. I was so conflicted. I wanted to spend every moment with Maxwell, but I also wanted to be fair to Ivy and make sure she didn’t feel left out in some way. “This is what happens when you date a single mom, I guess.”

  Maxwell nodded. “I’m perfectly happy dating the two of you. I like having her around, and if you see any sign she needs time with you alone, I’ll back off.” He used one finger to lift my chin and force me to look at him. “You have to find room in your heart for more than your daughter, Millicent. Loving me doesn’t mean you love her any less.”

  I hugged him, glad he understood me.

  I had seen single mom friends try to date, and sometimes one would fall in love. I remember one friend, in particular, Susan, going on and on about how great her new man was, and how they were talking about building a future together.

  “He doesn’t even mind that I have a son. Isn’t that great?” Susan’s eyes glowed with happiness, and I tried to share her joy.

  But I didn’t find anything happy in her words. He didn’t mind that she had a son? Wow. What a prince. And yes, that statement was heavy on the sarcasm.

  I didn’t want to add a man to my life that didn’t mind I had a daughter. I wanted a man who would love Ivy as if she was his biological daughter. I wanted a man who would look at my beautiful, amazing kid and be as delighted by what he saw as I was every time she walked in a room.

  I would settle for nothing less.

  Maxwell seemed crazy about Ivy, and I didn’t want to take that for granted.

  “I can see how much you care about Ivy.” I pressed a hand to his cheek. “I love that, and I love you, too.”

  Maxwell kissed me, slow and deep, and then we finished dressing and headed back to my apartment over the barn.

  THE NEXT WEEK SEEMED to drag by. Ivy started school, and she settled happily into her new routine. She had already made friends thanks to art camp, so there were familiar faces to greet her on the first day of school. I met her teacher and was impressed with her bright, well-organized classroom, and I left Ivy with every confidence that she would have a great day.

  It didn’t hurt that Casey had sent enough cupcakes for the whole class to share at lunch, and Lucy and Darby had made cards to stick in Ivy’s lunch box for her to discover when she sat down to eat. Lucy’s had been signed by Pearl, complete with a paw print. I giggled thinking about how hard it must have been for Lucy to get Pearl to cooperate for that. And Darby had hand-painted her card with a small, highly detailed portrait of two redheads looking at paintings in an art gallery.

  I had made good friends in Peacock.

  After dropping Ivy off at school, I made a quick stop at the local college and signed up for classes myself. I wanted to continue my bachelor’s degree, and they offered a program that was a combination of traditional and online courses. I thought I could make that work with my work schedule and caring for my daughter.

  Paying for the semester made me kind of sick. It almost wiped out my savings, even after applying a small grant I had received from financial aid. Sighing, I folded the paperwork and stuck it in my pocket before heading off to work.

  I was hard at work taking inventory of our feed when Maxwell dropped in.

  “Hey, baby.” I was pleased, as always, to see him.

  He left a smacking kiss on my lips and helped me add up how many pounds of oats we had in stock. “Looks like I need to order feed.” He looked over my shoulder at my other tally marks.

  “Yes, but don’t buy any sweet feed. We have too much of that, for some reason.” I tapped my pencil against my list and then made an irritated sound when I dropped it. The pencil rolled toward the door, and I stooped to retrieve it.

  I was surprised when I saw Maxwell out of the corner of my eye bend over, too. He stood up with a piece of paper in his hand that he unfolded. “Oh, I thought this was a bill of sale for feed that I had left behind. But it’s a tuition bill.”

  He shot me a puzzled look.

  I held out my hand. “I registered for classes this morning. I guess I dropped that receipt when I was counting feed.”

  Maxwell handed it over. “You didn’t tell me you were signing up.”

  “I told you I was thinking about it.” I don’t know why, but I was getting defensive. Why would I? I could do what I wanted.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, and a grumpy expression settled on his handsome face. “I would like to be included in big decisions, that’s all. I understand that ultimately whether you go back to school is your decision, of course, and I only want to support whatever you decide.”

  “But?” I glared at him, waiting on the other shoe.

  “But we are going to have a baby, and I thought you might at least mention to me what you were doing ahead of time.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but I could tell it was.

  “We don’t know that we are having a baby,” I spoke through gritted teeth. I wasn’t giving up on my stance until I held a positive pregnancy test in my hand.

  “We are.” Maxwell set his own jaw, staring at me.

  Stubborn, beautiful, mysterious man.

  I turned my back on him and went back to counting feed. What else was there to say? There was no meeting in the middle on this pregnancy issue. I was either pregnant, or I wasn’t, and we wouldn’t know with any scientific accuracy until I could take a pregnancy test.

  “Millicent.”

  I still didn’t turn around.

 
; “I know you can handle working and going to school, even if you are pregnant. I trust your judgment on that.” He hesitated. “But there is also the matter of your tuition reimbursement. May I have that tuition bill back so I can get a check for you?”

  I turned around. “Look, I appreciate that the Randolphs are so generous, but I don’t want to take advantage of them. I can manage to pay my own school bill.”

  “Are you kidding? As soon as they hear that you are in school, Nathan is going to wonder why I haven’t given him the paperwork for reimbursement. Then I will have to listen to a lecture about doing my job.” He smiled. “Save us all the trouble and just let me handle this, okay?”

  Frowning, I handed the tuition statement over to him.

  His mood instantly brightened. “Thank you.”

  I turned back to my inventory.

  “And, Millicent?” Maxwell paused in the doorway, prepared to make his exit. “I forgive you for not talking about it with me first.”

  He laughed as I threw my pencil in his direction, catching it easily and tossing it back to me.

  Jerk.

  But I was smiling as I went back to my task at hand.

  Twenty Three

  Friday night saw Ivy having a back to school lock-in where all the kids would be participating in a giant slumber party at the school. It sounded like a terrible idea to me. All those 9-year-olds hopped up on sugary drinks and snacks partying all night? I was glad I hadn’t been drafted as a chaperone.

  Ivy was super stoked about it; however, so I helped her pack her sleeping bag and pillow, and Maxwell and I dropped her off. Maxwell handed her a brand new cell phone to take with her.

  “Cool! Thanks!” She gave him one of her spontaneous hugs, and then she hugged me fiercely, too. “Love you, Mom! See you in the morning.” And then she was gone in a flash.

  I waited until she was safely inside the building before shooting Maxwell a look that spoke volumes.

  “What?” He schooled his features into the picture of innocence. “We had agreed that she needed a cell phone. I just took care of the details and got it done. You’re welcome.”

  I elbowed him, hard and rolled my eyes. But I merely replied, “I’m glad she has it for tonight. Thank you, Maxwell.”

  He rewarded me with a kiss. “Now, Ivy is settled in for the evening, and unless she sends us an emergency text, that means Mom is free for a whole night.”

  I threw a fist pump toward the sky, laughing. “Whatever will we do with the time?”

  Maxwell pretended to think it over. “I’ll come up with something.”

  “Crossword puzzles? Tai chi in the park?” I stopped in my tracks. “Oh, I know. The library is putting on a lecture series about taking care of bonsai plants. That’s what we will do!”

  He grabbed my hand. “How about we get dinner and a hotel room in Mathiston? There are some fantastic restaurants there, and we can eat and maybe catch a movie, and then get naked later.” He opened the car door for me. “What do you say?”

  It took me a moment to gather myself. When Maxwell said get naked later, some of my brain circuits simply short-circuited at the mental image.

  “I want.” I was all smiles while I buckled up. Mathiston would get us out of town and give us a change of scenery, but it was still close enough we could get back here in a hurry if Ivy had an emergency. Perfect.

  We headed back to the estate to pack a bag. Maxwell dropped me off at my apartment and drove himself across to the silo to pick up a few things of his own. I hurried to shower and change into a flirty little dress. I figured he saw enough of me in jeans during the week while I was working.

  I wanted tonight to be special.

  A knock on the door startled me. Opening it, I said, “That was fast.” I stopped short because it wasn’t Maxwell at the door. It was Darby.

  “Oh. Come on it! I thought you were Maxwell for a minute there.” I opened the door wider, and Darby strolled in.

  She gave me a hug in her enthusiastic, Darby way, and then she handed me a bag with a big smile. “Here’s your pregnancy test. The best one I could find in New York City, and it comes without the baggage of Peacock, Mississippi gossip.”

  “Thanks!” I took the bag and peered into the bag, my mood deflating a little. I was nervous about this test because I wasn’t sure what to hope for.

  I remembered when Ivy was a baby, how sweet she was to hold and snuggle, how much I loved her from the moment she was placed in my arms. I also remembered the fear and confusion that went with trying to provide for a little one. Now I would have two mouths to feed if the test was positive.

  Before I knew it, all of this was spilling out of my mouth to Darby, who just smiled in return.

  “I get it. I mean, I’ve never been a single mom, so I don’t know that struggle. But, I remember when Baby Nathan was handed to me, how overwhelming that experience was. I loved him, but I was scared at all the new responsibility.” Darby sat down on my couch. “But this isn’t your first rodeo. You know how to take care of a baby this time, and you won’t be on your own. Maxwell would never abandon you or his child.”

  “I know that. I really do. But, I’ve never had that kind of help before. I guess I just don’t trust in it yet.” I didn’t want to say that aloud. It seemed like a betrayal of Maxwell, to admit I still had doubts, but it was true.

  Darby nodded, looking wise beyond her years. “I don’t doubt it. You haven’t told me Ivy’s story, and I can see by that overnight bag sitting on the counter over there that you don’t have time for a long talk tonight. But one day, I would like to hear your story, okay?”

  I nodded. I wanted to share it with Darby, which was funny because before I came to Peacock, I never shared the sordid details.

  Darby stood up. “I know enough already to realize you don’t trust easily, and you probably have damn good reasons for that. But cut yourself some slack. If you are pregnant, you have nine months to learn that Maxwell isn’t going to let you down.”

  She hugged me again before sweeping out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat down on the coffee table and frowned at the test. When another knock came at my door, I pushed the pregnancy test to the bottom of my overnight bag. Then I welcomed Maxwell inside.

  I decided not to mention the test.

  “Before we go, sweetheart, I need to give you this on behalf of the Randolphs.” Maxwell handed me a long white envelope. He stuck his hands in his pockets while he watched me open it.

  I saw it was direct deposit notice in an amount that covered my fall tuition, plus a little extra. I raised my eyebrows at Maxwell. “This is more than what I paid the school.”

  “The extra is for textbooks and school supplies. That kind of thing.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal and not particularly interesting to him.

  I frowned at the deposit slip, uneasy about it for some reason that wasn’t clear to me yet, but I put it down on the counter without further comment.

  We headed out for our big date night. Laughing like little kids, we argued playfully all the way to Mathiston. It started innocently enough.

  “What’s your favorite memory of summer?” I wanted to know more about Maxwell’s childhood, and I wanted to hear that he had some good times, too.

  “Nathan and I used to sneak out of our respective houses and meet up at the lake. That was fun.” Maxwell drove with skill and dexterity.

  I had to force myself to focus on his words, when all I wanted to do was stare at his hands and how they handled the powerful car.

  “Arkabutla Lake?” I knew the lake was huge. It was government created during the Great Depression to help with local flooding and to give out of work Mississippians jobs. Darby had taught me all of that during our tour because you could see glimpses of the lake from Peacock Alley, and it was built on land that the estate sold.

  “Yes. When it was sweltering, like it is now, we would go swimming late at night. Sometimes we would stash watermelons near the lake, and when we got a li
ttle older, we would hide beer there, too.” Maxwell smiled at the memory.

  “Ooh. Watermelon would be good when it’s this hot.” Sometimes the heat was so fierce, I skipped meals. It was just easier to bear the extreme temperatures that way.

  “Yeah. Nathan’s mom would get mad because the salt kept disappearing from the kitchen, and she couldn’t figure out where it was going. I don’t think Nathan ever confessed to taking it.” Maxwell laughed. “I don’t think I would want to tell her today. That lady is kind of mean.”

  “The salt? Why were you stealing all the salt?” I turned to him, puzzled.

  “For our watermelon, of course.”

  At my blank look, he went on. “We put salt on the watermelon. You know, to make it taste better.”

  “You put salt on your watermelon? What in the world? Why would you do that?” I was outraged. “You put salt on a perfectly healthy fruit? That makes no sense.”

  Maxwell was incredulous, eyebrows rising to the top of his forehead. “You’ve never put salt on a watermelon? Kitten, you haven’t been living life right, have you?”

  I snorted. “That’s disgusting. What other issues do we need to get out in the open? I don’t know that I can date a man this twisted.”

  “Hmm.” Maxwell thought it over. “I also put honey on my fried chicken. Does that concern you?”

  Not really, but I would run with it. “Yes, actually, it does. Why would you do that?”

  “It started the first time I ate fried chicken in one of those fast food places. They give you honey packets. They must want you to put it on your chicken, right?” He turned his blinker on, preparing to leave the main highway.

  “Um, I’m pretty sure they give you that honey to put on your biscuit.” Now I was openly laughing at him.

  “Your generation is so out of touch.” Maxwell shot me a faux-concerned look. “I have so much to teach you, but don’t worry. I’m on it.”

  I snorted, enjoying our exchange.

  “Okay, next question. How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Do you put peanut butter on one piece of bread and jelly on the other slice? Or do you mix it ahead of time in a bowl?” I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back, awaiting his answer.