57. Maeve
MAEVE
I’m still processing everything that happened as we finally head back to the family house. There’s this weightless feeling in my chest, even though I’m stuffed full of the most delicious dinner I’ve had in months.
Once George and his people left, it was like someone flipped a switch.
Suddenly I could actually taste the food again—every rich, decadent bite.
We ordered basically the entire dessert menu, telling the staff we were celebrating.
I could tell the other diners and waitstaff were dying to know what had just gone down, but since nobody had screamed or thrown punches in the middle of their upscale establishment, they seemed content to let the mystery slide.
I had no idea how much I’d been holding myself back emotionally, how tightly wound I was, until I didn’t have to anymore.
Just melting against the men in the car, letting their hands find mine, touching them without second-guessing every gesture—it feels like freedom in a way it never did before.
I don’t have to analyze or overthink. I can just be.
My entire body feels loose and relaxed in a way I haven’t experienced since this whole charade began. Like I’d been holding my breath for weeks without realizing it, and now I can finally exhale.
That blissful feeling lasts exactly until we pull up to the house and reality hits. I tense up again, my shoulders going rigid despite Gabriel and Hayden’s arms around me. Even their warmth can’t chase away the sudden chill.
I know Lydia’s in my corner, but what about the rest of Ford’s family?
I can’t blame his parents if they think I’m some kind of home-wrecker who corrupted their son.
They strike me as more traditional, and Charles especially seems set in his ways.
The last thing I want is to force Ford to choose between me and his family.
We step inside, and immediately I spot everyone gathered in the living room around what looks like an abandoned board game. The atmosphere feels heavy, like they’ve been sitting in uncomfortable silence.
“You’re back!” Lydia brightens when she sees us. “How did it go?”
“Better than expected,” Gabriel says. “We told them thanks, but no thanks.”
“You what?” Liam’s voice cuts through the room. “You mean he turned you down.”
“Actually, George was practically salivating to work with us,” Hayden says, his jaw tightening. “But I’m not interested in partnering with someone who gets swayed by every piece of gossip that crosses his desk. Seems like a…” He glances at Gabriel.
“Spineless opportunist?” Gabriel supplies smoothly.
“Exactly. Funny how these so-called ‘traditional values’ guys are always the first ones listening to rumors.” Hayden’s smirk has a sharp edge. “George was ready to sign on the dotted line. We decided to walk away.”
“Just like we’re walking away from you,” Ford adds, his gaze fixed on his brother.
Liam shoots to his feet. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means as long as you’re under this roof, we won’t be,” Ford states flatly.
“Ford!” Elaine gasps, her voice pitched with shock.
“I’m sorry, Mom. The last thing I want is to hurt you.
But I’m done with this.” Ford’s voice carries a finality I’ve never heard before.
“He’s been mooching off you for years and laughing about it behind your backs.
He’s never going to follow through on any of his grand schemes.
He cheated on Maeve, then tried to destroy her reputation by calling her a whore in front of you and Dad, all while attempting to sabotage my company.
If you keep enabling him after that, then you’re not being fair to me or Lydia. ”
Lydia actually claps, earning a sharp look from Charles. “This isn’t dinner theater, young lady.”
“No, Dad, it’s not.” Lydia crosses her arms, chin raised defiantly. “But Ford deserves recognition for finally saying what we’ve all been thinking for years. None of us can stand Liam.” She turns to her brother, her voice cutting. “You’re a complete ass.”
“Language!”
“Nobody likes him,” Ford continues. “He’s disrespectful to you, to Mom, to everyone.
If I had a son who treated women the way Liam treated Maeve, or who tried to destroy his own brother’s livelihood out of spite, he wouldn’t be welcome in my home.
You lecture us about character and responsibility, but you punish me for building my own life while you keep rewarding Liam for his failures—just because he doesn’t challenge you. At least not to your face.”
Something shifts in Charles’s expression, a flicker of uncertainty.
“He has no honor, no respect, no sense of responsibility. He calls a woman a slut and then claims to love her in the same breath. What kind of man does that? You wouldn’t tolerate that behavior from anyone else. Why him?”
“You—” Liam starts toward Ford, who shifts into a fighting stance without hesitation. Liam stops short, apparently remembering how the last confrontation went.
“You want to be a good father?” Ford’s voice softens slightly, but the steel remains.
“Then teach him there are consequences for his actions. Show him he can’t treat people like garbage.
And show your other children that you love them too, instead of letting them think they matter less because you’ll excuse anything from your golden boy. ”
Charles turns to Lydia, his voice quieter. “Have you felt this way as well?”
Lydia nods without hesitation. “He’s awful, Dad.”
Elaine clears her throat delicately. “I stand with Ford, dear.” She looks at Liam with something close to disgust. “How you treated this sweet girl is unconscionable. And the vindictive way you went after your own brother—I’ve never seen such cruelty.
I don’t understand how you can be my son.
I’m so sorry we failed to raise you with basic decency and honor. ”
“You’re—you’re apologizing to her?” Liam sputters, his face flushing red. “What kind of self-righteous bullshit—forget this. I can’t believe you people.”
He shoots Ford one last venomous glare before storming out of the room.
“I hope he’s packing,” Hayden mutters, not bothering to lower his voice.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Elaine looks genuinely distressed, and my heart goes out to her. Even if Liam is toxic, he’s still her son. She must love him despite everything. Watching your children tear each other apart can’t be easy for any mother.
Ford must see it too, because he immediately crosses to the couch and sits beside her, pulling her into a gentle hug.
Elaine melts into the embrace, and something in my chest tightens watching them.
She really is a wonderful woman. I hope that once Liam’s poison is out of her life, she’ll realize how much stress he brought to the entire family.
Sometimes you need a dramatic wake-up call to see how much better you deserve—and how bad things really were.
Lydia starts gathering the scattered game pieces. “Should we start over?” she asks hopefully.
“Absolutely,” Gabriel says, moving to help her reset the board.
Charles approaches me, and Hayden immediately steps closer, clearly protective. I squeeze his arm reassuringly—I think I can handle this.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate,” Hayden offers, although his eyes stay on Charles.
Charles studies me for a long moment. “You’re a remarkable young woman.”
That’s definitely not what I expected. “Thank you.”
“I have to admit, I’m curious what it is about you that has four men so captivated.”
“In love,” I correct gently. “Ford, Hayden, and Gabriel, anyway. You have to understand, sir—Liam doesn’t love me. He doesn’t even want me, not really. He just can’t stand the thought of his brother having something he doesn’t. I was with him first, which makes it especially galling to his ego.”
Charles makes a thoughtful sound. “It seems I don’t know my children as well as I thought.”
I bite my lip. Usually this is where I’d try to smooth things over, avoid saying anything potentially hurtful. But after everything that just happened, I think honesty is what’s needed right now.
“Maybe that’s true,” I say quietly. “But that doesn’t make you a bad father.
I would have given anything to have a parent who cared as much as you do.
From what I’ve observed during my time here, though…
you seem to think Ford doesn’t care about family, that he’s all about business.
But from Ford’s perspective, I think he feels like you don’t care about him, so he had to make business his priority because his family wasn’t in his corner. ”
“He does love you. He just didn’t want to depend on your money.
He wanted to prove himself, to build something with his own hands.
I think you saw that as rejection—of your support, your guidance, your judgment as his father.
But it wasn’t. He just needed to discover who he could become on his own.
Liam was the one who didn’t respect you. He only wanted your wallet.”
“You’re saying I had it backward all these years.”
“I think so, yes.”
Charles sighs heavily. “The thing is, I suspect you’re right. No son of mine should treat a woman the way Liam treated you. If I’ve been that blind about one thing… makes a man wonder what else he’s been missing.”
“You should be proud that Ford wanted independence. He didn’t want to be a parasite. And I think if you showed him that pride, he wouldn’t keep himself at such a distance.”
I glance down at my bare ring finger—naked now, but not for long.
“Hayden’s been through hell in his life.
So have I. But sometimes the deepest wounds aren’t as dramatic as losing a parent young or having your mother destroy your credit before you’re even an adult, or bouncing between terrible foster homes.
Sometimes it’s just years and years of feeling like your father doesn’t love you. ”
Charles looks stricken. “I love all my children.”
“I believe that, and I’m sure it’s true.
But… I’ve only known you for a few days.
It’s different when you’re family. Maybe you need to make sure Ford really knows that.
” I feel heat creep up my neck. “I actually used to have him saved in my phone as Mr. Freeze—you know, the Batman villain? The one who’s literally made of ice? ”
Charles raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with my confession.
I clear my throat. “My point is, I thought he was cold. And he’s not.
He’s incredibly kind, generous, thoughtful.
He just doesn’t show that side to everyone.
I think he feels like he can’t show it to you.
But he does love deeply, sir. He loves you.
He just needs to know it’s safe to let you see it. ”
Charles watches the others as they set up the game and Hayden returns with mugs of steaming hot chocolate.
“I think my son and I might be more alike than I realized. Liam isn’t much like me at all.
There’s an old saying about how what we dislike in others often reflects what we see in ourselves. Perhaps I need to consider that.”
“I hope you will.”
I join the others for the game, although I do have to inform Hayden that I’ll be teaching him the proper way to make hot chocolate from now on—this watery excuse won’t cut it.
“I’m looking forward to those lessons,” he says, his eyes warm with promise.
We keep the physical affection subtle—partly because I don’t want to scandalize Ford’s parents any more than necessary, and partly because we know this is a major adjustment for everyone.
But all three men find ways to touch me throughout the evening: a hand on my shoulder, fingers brushing mine as we reach for game pieces, a warm palm against my back. Small gestures that feel monumental.
And the best part? I never have to get used to living without those touches again.
As we head upstairs for the night, I can’t shake the feeling that maybe this is all some elaborate dream.
I was sick a few days ago—maybe it’s returning, or maybe I’ve been hallucinating this entire time, some fever-induced fantasy.
For all I know, I could be in a hospital bed right now, lost in a coma.
Ridiculous? Probably. But I’ve spent so long just surviving, just scraping by. Getting everything I never even dared to want feels surreal. Like I’m Clara in the Nutcracker, and any moment I’ll wake up to find the magic was never real.
“Everything okay?” Gabriel asks as we reach the bedroom.
“Everything’s perfect,” I say. “That’s what worries me.”
“What do you mean?”
“That this isn’t real.” I laugh, but it comes out shaky. “That I’ll wake up and discover this was all just a beautiful dream.”
“Well…” Ford takes my hand and draws me into the bedroom. “I guess we’ll just have to convince you how real this all is.”
Hayden brushes his lips along my neck, and I melt back into his warmth with a contented sigh.
“And I owe you an apology,” Ford adds quietly.
I pull away from Hayden, frowning. “What? Why?”
Ford shakes his head. “We should have ended that deal the second George gave Liam’s gossip any credence. We never should have put you through that humiliating dinner. The moment he suggested judging our business based on rumors about my fiancée, we should have told him to go to hell.”
“We let our ambition override our principles,” Gabriel explains. “And that happened the moment we allowed someone else to dictate our personal lives.”
“We should have protected you better,” Hayden adds, tightening his arms around me.
“You all need to stop being so perfect or I’ll start believing you actually mean all this,” I say, my voice catching.
I step away from Hayden and walk slowly toward the bed, as if I’m weighing their words. “I suppose…”
I turn to face them, and I’m surprised to see genuine worry in all three sets of eyes. Like they think I might not forgive them. That now they’ve acknowledged their failure to prioritize me properly, I might walk away.
Which is sweet, but wrong.
“I’ll forgive you,” I tell them, letting a wicked smile cross my face, “if you crawl to me.”