He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I really know nothing about any of it, but I think she should try to fix that part of her life. Then again, he might hate her. I don’t know. Hard to tell. I just hope she tries, for her sake.”
I watched him sip his drink again, so in control, so thoughtful. “You know, a lot of people would discourage that meeting. He might come in and want your inheritance.”
Connor laughed. “I have enough of my own. If he would need it that badly, then I’d split it with him. It’s just money.”
“I really respect that.”
“Life is all about the way you look at it. The same situation can look completely different if you change your perception. I can look at it and say, ‘Yeah, I want the money and my mom to myself’ and be greedy like that. Do what’s best for me. Or I can look at it from her perspective and say, ‘It might make a difference in her life to know what happened to her other kid.’ I just don’t want to be the reason that doesn’t happen.”
MAX
It had been a typical Monday with shit getting slung every which way, except the fact that I was dealing with it all with a legitimate fiancée at home.
The grin hadn’t left my face since Kari agreed to marry me. We settled back in the house on Sunday and spent the day just smiling at each other. I’m sure if anyone was looking in the windows, we looked dumb as shit. Part of me was afraid of talkin’ too much, that I’d say something that would change her mind. Not that I’d let her get away with changing it, because I wouldn’t.
We hadn’t really talked much about actually getting married. I knew Jada brought it up to her, but I didn’t want to put too much on her in one weekend. The more I thought about it, though, the more I thought that we needed to get it done soon. I’d waited what felt like a lifetime already.
Just as I was going to send Kari a text to that extent, Cane burst through my office door, unannounced.
You’d think the bastard owned the place or something.
“What do we have here?” He smirked as he waltzed into my office and made himself at home in the seat across from me.
“Someone tryin’ to work. I know that’s a foreign concept to you, Alexander, but—”
“Fuck you,” he said, then smiled brightly. “My buddy is getting married. It’s about damn time.”
“You can say that again,” I muttered.
Cane tossed his head back and laughed. “Do you have a date yet? Jada said Kari didn’t want to wait.”
“Wait for what?” a voice said from the doorway.
Cane turned his head and I looked up to see Sam standing there. She had a notepad pressed against her chest, her eyes darting between us. “Kari doesn’t want to wait for what?” she repeated.
Cane looked at me out of the corner of his eye, the corner of his lip upturned.
Oh, hell.
“Kari doesn’t want to wait to get married,” he said with a smile.
Sam’s eyes grew wider before she recovered her composure. “Well, I’m sure that as soon as she finds someone that wants to marry her, it’ll happen fast.” She took a couple of steps towards my desk before Cane’s words rooted her in place.
“She did. Max and Kari are getting married.”
You could almost taste the pleasure Cane got from telling her that. He leaned back in his chair, enjoying the show.
Sam looked at me, her jaw dropping. “You what?”
“Kari and I are gettin’ married, Sam.” I gauged her reaction. Her lips had a smile that didn’t quite touch her eyes. Her eyes twinkled, but not with anything that appeared to be good. Her eyes met mine and she studied me for a minute before standing straight and letting loose.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she exclaimed, anger seeping through her words.
Cane let out a laugh and I shot him a look that he pretended not to see.
“No, not joking,” he said, his attention focused squarely on Sam. “Kari is so fucking excited and Max,” he winked at me before looking back at what appeared to be his opponent, “well, Max here has been waiting on this for a long time.”
Sam appeared to be in shock, still taking in the little bit of news she apparently wasn’t expecting. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered, turning to face me. “Is that why you ignored all of my calls this weekend? Is that why you sent me to voicemail every time I called you?” She narrowed her eyes, the shock wearing off.
“After the first four voicemails, yeah—I got tired of listening to your bullshit,” I said, taking a deep breath. “What’s gotten into you?”
“What’s gotten into me?” she all but shouted. “After everything I told you the other night and you walked away, like you always do, Blaine broke up with me.” Her voice quieted, tension simmering in the air at his name. “He broke up with me because he’s in love with Kari. Said he’d go to all lengths to get her back. Nothing would stop him.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Cane laughed.
She whirled around. “Me?”
“Yes, you, little Samantha West. Full. Of. Shit.”
She gasped in offense.