Chapter Forty-Three
Rhys
I head to Silas’s house for brunch with my brothers, since there isn’t anything I can do about the situation with Max. She totally shut down after telling me she’s pregnant with my baby. And I’m too scared to push, too afraid to press the wrong button and detonate our fragile relationship.
When she told me, sheer joy and terror pulled at me from the opposite directions, leaving me paralyzed. I didn’t need her to tell me it’s mine because I already knew. She would’ve started the conversation with the baby’s paternity otherwise.
But as the talk progressed, her emotional retreat was obvious.
She doesn’t want the baby to stand in the way of ending our relationship.
But then, she’s seen plenty of drama within my family.
In hindsight, bidding a billion dollars on me was likely more about flipping Trevor the bird than any real feelings for me.
She won’t even share my bed anymore. Although she hasn’t explicitly moved into the guest bedroom, she sleeps in the living room, ostensibly “falling asleep while reading.”
No book that engrossing would remain unfinished for over a week. But I don’t call her out on it. Part of me is terrified she’ll just pack up and leave…like Selena did.
What I felt for my ex was genuine, but it’s nothing compared to the all-consuming love I harbor for Max. Selena broke my heart when she left. But Max? She would wreck my soul.
Silas generally keeps the brunch menu pretty simple—lots of bacon, eggs, sausages and hash browns. Some token croissants and jams. If Silas serves homemade jam, it means he’s having issues, but we’re getting lucky.
When I walk in, my brothers’ faces light up with sly grins.
“Look at you, Mr. Billion Dollars,” Finn says.
“How does it feel to have your girlfriend tell you that you’re worth a billion dollars in front of everyone?” Xavier asks with a laugh.
“Has to be amazing. Although I have no idea how she got the money,” Liam says.
“From her father, supposedly. But it must’ve been recent,” Roarke explains. “If she’d had that kind of money before, she definitely wouldn’t have put up with working for Rhys.”
“Come on, I’m not that bad,” I protest, trying not to show my emotional upheaval.
Finn gives me a flinty look. “Not that bad? Are you kidding? Do you know how many plans you made her cancel by asking her to work late?”
“It was for a good cause. Work had to be done, and her dates were inferior.” But maybe I’m even worse than they are. As bad as Slick is, I’m certain he doesn’t have parents like mine. Or semiannual family scandals, whether they go public or not.
Roarke rolls his eyes. “When I make my employees work late, I at least provide good liquor. Unlike you.”
“Have some sausages,” Silas tells us. “They’re made with some wild venison I got from this hunter in Montana. He came highly recommended.”
I grab a plateful of food. No homemade jam, so life must be going smoothly for Silas. I settle down in my seat, then look at the drink options. “I need vodka,” I mutter before I can catch myself.
Silas slides a cup of coffee in my direction.
“Why do you look like somebody just stole your teddy bear?” Xavier frowns at me. “A beautiful woman publicly staked her claim to you.”
“Exactly. Is she demanding her money’s worth? Even at a million bucks a date, you’d need to stay with her for almost three years,” Gideon jokes.
Roarke mock-scoffs. “He isn’t worth that much.”
“No, no, nothing like that,” I say. “I just—” I sigh, then adjust my glasses a couple of times then give up. They simply won’t sit properly. Or maybe it’s my emotions that won’t settle. “What do you think it means when a woman says she’s pregnant, but doesn’t want you to do the right thing?”
“It isn’t your baby…?” Roarke offers.
“Maybe she doesn’t want to keep it?” Xavier says with a shrug. “Just because she’s pregnant doesn’t mean she wants to be a mom.”
I clench my jaw.
Gideon stops in the middle of biting into his sausage and peers at me. “Define ‘the right thing.’”
“It’s my baby, and I’m sure she wants it,” I say, although I’m actually not one hundred percent sure on the second point. Max demurred quite a bit, looking utterly torn. I turn to Gideon. “As for ‘the right thing,’ I think it means getting married, forming a family and all that.”
Liam frowns. “Are we talking about Max or somebody else?”
“It has to be Max. Otherwise he wouldn’t be this depressed,” Finn says.
Xavier shakes his head in confusion. “So she spent a billion dollars on you, but doesn’t think you’re worthy of being the father of her baby?”
“Something like that,” I say, hating that the way he put it makes it sound like there’s something seriously wrong with me.
Of course there is. You aren’t worth the hassle your parents bring to the table.
“Wait a minute. Do you want to marry her?” Roarke’s eyes are wide.
“Yes,” I say tightly. I’d have asked already if I were certain of her answer. But if she doesn’t want to stay with me forever, she’ll probably pack up and leave right there. I can’t risk that possibility.
“You sound anything but happy at the prospect.” Roarke studies my expression. “Do you at least like her enough to want to spend the rest of your life with her? A baby is a big deal.”
Silas pours me another cup of coffee. “Do you feel forced?”
“No. As for your concern, Roarke, I like her. Hell, forget like. I love her. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, not even Selena. But I feel rejected.” I dig my fingers into my hair with impatience and frustration. “I didn’t even get to pop the question.”
“So after fourteen years, you finally found somebody and…” Finn sighs, shaking his head.
The rest of my brothers look at me with something akin to pity and sympathy.
“Did you do something to upset her after she paid all that money for you?” Gideon asks.
“Like what?” I’d love to know so I could fix it.
Liam purses his lips. “Fart while she went down on you? Happened to a college roommate of mine. She dumped him.”
My face scrunches. “Oh, shut up. Nothing like that happened.”
“Maybe you haven’t convinced her that you’re the kind of guy she can stay with for the rest of her life,” Xavier says.
I scowl. “What do you mean?”
“For women, it isn’t just about money or looks.
Let’s be honest, once you get old, your body’s going to go, your skin’s going to wrinkle, and your dick will quit working without Viagra if you live long enough.
But if she’s convinced that you’ll always love her, be the solid rock she can depend on, and never betray her… she’ll be with you.”
I frown. I’m sure I’ve done those things. Haven’t I?
“Proving with action is going to be very important for Max,” Liam says.
“We talked a little at the auction, and she told me to believe what I see, not what I want to believe. So I don’t know if the only thing you’ve done is whisper some sweet nothings, but if it was all talk and no action, she might not buy it. ”
Finn nods. “She’s a smart woman.”
“She totally is,” I say, then stab the hapless sausage with vicious force.
“Did you tell her you’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of your life with her and the baby when she told you about the pregnancy?” Silas asks.
I shake my head.
“You didn’t?” Xavier’s voice grows louder with disbelief. My brothers trade looks.
“Hey, I didn’t want her to feel trapped in a situation she doesn’t want to be in,” I say defensively.
“Oh, horseshit,” Finn says. “She cares about you, tells you she’s pregnant with your baby, and you’re like…what? ‘I don’t want you to feel trapped’?” He stares at me.
“Did you even tell her you were happy?” Roarke asks.
I frown, thinking back. “I…I don’t think so. But I made sure she knew I didn’t want to hold the baby over her head to force her into anything.”
“Jesus, man, that sounds like Dad,” Silas says.
I stiffen. “Hey! I’m nothing like him.”
“Yeah, but from her perspective, you might as well be. Dad runs from responsibilities. He can put whatever spin he wants on it, but that’s the bottom line.
He says, ‘Oh I just want you to be happy and do whatever you want,’ but deep inside it’s because he doesn’t want to make hard decisions, the kind he’d have to take responsibility for. Right?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Right.”
“Okay. Now you come in, saying you want her to make a decision about your relationship, but what about you? A relationship takes two people being brave enough to open their hearts and make a commitment.”
I flex my hands. “But what if she’s already decided to leave? Like, a while back? She might not want to stay after seeing what being with me comes with.”
“What comes with being with you? Other than billions in your bank account, I mean,” Roarke says, utterly confused.
“The scandals. The embarrassment. I mean, our relationship actually started because of that so-called high school scandal and Grandmother’s reaction to it. It’s one thing to just watch from the outside, but being a participant in it?” I shudder.
“Bro. Don’t you think you might be worthy of being chosen in spite of that?” Xavier asks.
I stare at the plate in front of me, unable to answer. I’d like to believe that I am, but the fear lingers anyway. “I wasn’t before.”
“Are we talking Selena?” Roarke snorts. “Who cares about her? She wasn’t good enough for you anyway.”
“Exactly. She only came back to mooch off you.” Gideon’s tone drips with disdain. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to bid practically half a mil on you.”
Xavier nods. “Totally. I’d drop half a million if I could get several billion in return. That’s a great ROI.”
I roll my eyes at my brothers’ ridiculous cynicism.
“None of us are saying you can just sit there and expect to be deemed worthy,” Silas says. “But have some faith in yourself—and Max, too.”
I take a moment and process my brothers’ advice. Is Max’s reluctance and standoffish attitude my fault? Have I hurt her inadvertently in an attempt to insulate myself from pain?
Max’s pale face at the restaurant flashes in my mind. She looked away, lowering her eyes as though hiding disappointment and pain.