I lay in bed as I go over the conversations Margaret and I have had before in regards to James. She said she loved him at one stage, but then he turned into an abuser and she hated him. Was that just all fucking bullshit? Did he really beat her? Did Robert beat her and she has used James as a cover? What the hell is going on?
I hear Joshua fussing around in the kitchen and the sound of the shaker with ice. I smile. My man is back on his protein. This is a good sign. Normalcy is returning to his life.
He walks in while taking a sip and sits on the end of the bed. “Morning, Presh.”
I smile at his I’ve-been-to-the-gym glow of perspiration. “Good morning, Mr. Stanton.”
He smiles sexily at my playful tone. “What would my wife like to do today?”
“Hmm, let me think.” I smirk.
He bends and kisses the top of my foot as he runs his hand up under the blanket towards my thigh. “Do you need a wake up fuck?” he whispers as his eyes drop to my lips.
“Sex maniac,” I mouth.
He winks mischievously as he bends and kisses my thigh through the sheet.
“How long are we staying here?” I ask.
“How long do you want to stay?”
“A bit longer.” I grab his hand. “I don’t want to go back just yet.”
“Of course, but I will have to work from here, though, and I do have to be back in two weeks for a meeting.”
“Ok.” I smile gratefully. “What time do your parents leave?”
“I think their flight leaves about seven tonight.”
I nod and I look out of the window towards the ocean in thought.
“We will have lunch with them today, if that’s ok? I may not see them for a while. They’ve both dropped everything for us for six weeks. My father needs to get back to work on Monday.”
My eyes meet his. “Are him and your mother working it out?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, I haven’t asked. Their fucked up relationship hasn’t been on the top of my agenda.”
“Hmm.” My mind ticks over at a million miles per minute.
“What’s happened with James Brennan?” I ask. “Did you ever have him charged?”
He shakes his head. “No, with all the shit that went down, in the grand scheme of things, he was forgotten.”
My eyes hold his. “Did he pay you back the money?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Funnily enough, Murph said it hit my account yesterday.”
I frown. What the hell is going on? Maybe she was just talking him into paying the money back?
“What’s going on with your father and him?”
Joshua gets off the bed and walks into the bathroom. “I don’t know and don’t care. Dad said he was taking care of it. God knows what that means?”
“Is James still married?” I call out.
“Fuck knows,” he calls back.
Hmm, why doesn’t he know anything? God, he’s annoying. I need to get some answers. I get out of bed, quickly dress and head outside while Joshua showers. Max is sitting out the front garden reading the paper and another guard is at the front, sitting by the main gates, reading a book. Max looks up, sees me and smiles broadly.
“Hello,” he says through a smile.
My heart melts a little. Oh, I do love Max. “Hi.” I smile in return. “You ok? I feel like we have hardly spoken since I got back.”
He nods. “Are you ok is the real question?”
“Yes, I’m good.”
His smile turns down sympathetically.
I hesitate before I ask. “Max, are Margaret and Robert staying in the same hotel room?”
He seems taken aback with my question and frowns. “I don’t believe so.”
Oh, right. I pause to think for a minute. “How long since they have slept in the same room?”
“I’m not sure, not since Joshua went to prison. I stayed at the house to watch over Bridget and your mother and they had separate rooms at that time.”
I narrow my eyes. “So, like, six weeks or so?”
He nods and his eyes hold mine. I know he wants to ask what’s going through my head but is choosing to be polite instead.
“Do you think they are still together?” I hesitate. “I mean, based on their body language?”
“I wouldn’t think so.” He shrugs.
I nod. Ok. Interesting. “You ok if we hang here for a while longer? I don’t want to go back for another couple of weeks.”
“I think I could handle that. Just.” He smiles. “This is such a terrible location to work from.”
I laugh as I look around. “It is pretty cool here, isn’t it?”
He raises his eyebrows at my nonchalance. “You could say that.”
I feel him before I see him, and when I turn, Joshua is standing in the doorway. He has obviously been looking for me as he smiles a relieved smile.
“I was just asking Max if it’s ok if we stay here for a couple more weeks,” I blurt out in a guilty rush.
Joshua’s eyes flick to Max.
Max smiles with a curt nod.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Joshua replies softly.
I frown at the sympathy sweetheart. My eyes wander between the two men and I notice they seem to know something that I don’t.
“You two seem to be getting along very well.”
“We are,” Joshua replies flatly.
I continue to look between the two of them and I smirk. “It’s creepy.”
Max laughs out loud while Joshua shakes his head and smacks me on the behind.