Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
IRIS
“Iris, how did you get these tickets? These are amazing,” Olivia says as we are escorted to our own private balcony.
I smile at her. “It helps knowing people.”
“What she means is that she helped the owner of the theater with his finances last year when he hit a snag. He happens to be a member of our board, so when he asked for the favor, she agreed willingly. Now we basically get tickets to anything we want.” Max nudges my shoulder.
I didn’t even know the musical was at his theater. I figured Chad would get us some cheap seats that are held in case of someone important coming to town. I didn’t expect a complimentary balcony. Not only that, but this is the owner’s balcony.
“I would have helped him no matter who he is,” I tell Max, blushing at his praise.
“I know, but you saved his ass. He went back and fired his finance department,” Max tells Mason and Olivia.
Ari grabs my hand, swinging it between us.
“I’m not the one who lent him employees until he could get some good ones hired,” I remind Max.
He shrugs. “Jacob is a friend. He would do the same.”
I roll my eyes, kneeling before Ari.
“Do you want any snacks? I can go get you some,” I tell her.
“No way. Your Uncle Max will get them,” Max chimes in.
“I want Twizzlers. Oh, and popcorn.” She claps her hands.
“Coming right up,” I tell her, standing.
“I’ll go get it,” Max tells me.
“I want to go. I want to get something for myself.”
He smirks at me. “I can get you a snack. I’ll be back.”
When he steps forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead, I freeze.
That’s not something we do often. Especially not in public. He walks away, Mason following him as they chat.
I look over to Olivia, who has a smile on her face.
“Are you sure you are still just friends?”
I throw my hands up, not knowing what to say.
“Aunt Iris is my friend. My best friend,” Ari tells me, grabbing my hand once more.
“Aw, I thought I was your best friend, Bug.” Olivia pretends to pout.
“You are my mom and best friend. I can have more than one best friend. I have like ten,” Ari tells her.
“Do you? Well, aren’t you popular?” I tease her.
“Everyone wants to be my friend,” she informs us both.
“Are you friends with everyone?” I ask.
She nods. “Even the mean ones. Mommy says they might need a little more love because someone in their life isn’t nice.”
I look over at Olivia. “You are an amazing mom.”
She blushes. “Thank you.”
The guys come back then, their arms full of snacks. They set it all on the back table of the balcony before handing out waters and snacks. Ari is practically bouncing as she grabs her popcorn and candy, going to take a seat in the front row.
“Aunt Iris, I want you to sit next to me. Will you sing with me?” Ari cannot sit still in her seat.
I make my way over to her, sitting on her left side, and I smile down at her. “We can’t sing until the very end when they say it’s okay, but yes, I will. I’ll even dance with you.”
“Really?” She looks up at me with wide, excited eyes.
“Really.” I boop her nose.
I smile when she turns to Max, who has taken the seat on her other side.
“Uncle Max, will you sing and dance with me?” I can’t see her eyes, but I know she is begging him.
I hide my smile behind my hand as I see his pained expression. He loathes singing or genuinely drawing attention to himself. This has to be one of the circles of hell for him, but he refuses to disappoint that little girl.
He forces a smile. “Of course I will. I’m your favorite uncle.”
“Yay. You are my favorite for sure,” she tells him.
At six years old, Arianna is already learning how she can use her influence on the men in her life. Lord help whatever man ends up falling in love with her. Or woman for that matter. She uses that charm on me as much as she does the guys.
The lights flash, indicating it is almost showtime. When the lights dim, Arianna goes quiet, staring at the stage in awe.
As the women on stage sing about King Henry the Eighth and their varied relationships with him, I can’t help but be infected by the energy of the little girl sitting next to me.
She is practically vibrating as she mouths the words to every song.
I didn’t even know she knew about the musical, but she must know it well.
A pang of longing hits me. I would know if I was there with them. I would know what was going on in their lives.
As if he can sense my emotions, Max stretches his arm over the back of Ari’s chair, his hand brushing my shoulder. When I look up at him, the lights from the musical allowing me to briefly see his eyes, I see the same longing in them.
He misses her too. We are missing out on our lives. Is this company even worth it?
I know what Max would say. This is his family legacy. He owes it to them to see it through.
Why am I staying, though?
Leaning forward, he brushes his finger on my cheek. I let my eyes fall closed as I soak in the touch.
He is why I stay. He is the reason for a majority of my decisions this past decade.
Opening my eyes, I try to convey to him through the darkness how I feel.
I can’t be his friend anymore. Not the way I have been. My feelings for him only keep growing. I either need to woman up and point-blank tell him how I feel or I need to move away and move on.
London is still on the table, but I don’t want to be away from my friends.
I want to move back to Boston.
MAX
“That was the best musical ever. I could go again and again. Will you take me back again?” Ari asks me as she walks between Iris and me, swinging our hands as she walks.
“Of course. As many times as you want,” I promise her.
“You spoil her,” Iris teases me.
“How can you not? Do you see how cute she is?”
“Oh, I do. I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. Honestly, you are going to be an amazing dad.”
My heart beats faster in my chest.
Truth is, all evening I have been thinking about what it would be like to have a child of my own with Iris. How she would hold our hands and chatter on and on. How adorable they would be. Part of me wants a girl so she can look just like Iris. The other part wants a boy so I can see myself in him.
I only hope that I have the chance to make my dreams a reality.
All evening it has reminded me what it was like when we lived in Boston. How natural it felt to be around our friends. It felt like we had a village behind us.
We still do, but it feels like we have been stuck on an island by ourselves for too long.
Not for much longer, though. We will be home soon.
“I can’t wait to see you as a mom,” I tell her honestly.
She looks over at me, a little shy, with some pink on her cheeks. She doesn’t say anything, but I hope that means she is thinking about me the way I think about her.
I plan to tell her how I feel. I know I need to. I have been so focused on moving us back to Boston that I haven’t found the right time to tell her. I mean, I don’t know if she is still dating that guy. She hasn’t mentioned him, but I also haven’t wanted to seem pushy.
Then there’s the issue of the job offer. I want to beg her to stay, but I also want her to have everything she wants. So if she plans to leave, I will let her go.
No matter how I feel about her, I want her to be happy.
“Where are we going to dinner?” Mason asks.
“There is this pizza place around the corner. They make the best New York-style pizza,” Iris says.
“Pizza? I love pizza,” Ari adds her two cents in.
Iris smiles down at her. “I know, which is why I chose it.”
“And you say I spoil her,” I tease.
Iris sticks her tongue out at me.
In that moment, I wonder if this is what our life could be like. If I stopped being afraid and went after what I wanted.
I wish I were more confident than I am. When it comes to business, I know what to do and how to act. I have been trained for it. From my grandfather, father, and Mason. Even then, I still have issues sometimes. It’s why Iris has become instrumental to me conducting business.
When it comes to anything outside of business, I have no idea how to act.
Sure, with Ari it’s easy. She’s a kid. She is easy to please. I am her favorite this week because I bought her snacks and I’m spoiling her.
Brantley will be her favorite next week when he takes her to a hockey game.
Eli will be her favorite the following week when he takes her to the zoo and tells her all about the animals.
It’s harder with adults.
Mason, Eli, and Brantley have been with me since I was a kid. They love me no matter what. Even when I am being awkward, they don’t call me out. They help me adjust and settle.
Iris does the same with me. I don’t know how to step out of the friend zone into something different. Will she still treat me the same, or will my quirks eventually annoy her until she leaves me for good?
I think back to the job offer. The dates.
If I’m not careful, I may lose her anyway.
“Uncle Max, you aren’t listening to me,” Ari whines.
I look down at the little girl. She’s right. I had zoned out.
“I’m sorry, love. What were you saying?”
She rolls those adorable little eyes at me. “I was asking if you wanted to share a pepperoni and pineapple pizza with me.”
“Aren’t you supposed to eat ham with pineapple?” I ask, not loving the idea of fruit on a pizza.
“If you are boring. I like it with pepperoni,” she tells me.
I look up at Mason and see him hiding his laughter. He knows I don’t tell her no. Not something silly like this.
“Of course I will share, but do you think you could eat all my pineapple?” I ask her.
She smiles. “It’s my favorite part.”
“Good. We have a deal then?”
She nods. “Deal.” Then she turns to Olivia. “Mommy, Uncle Max said he would share with me so can I get my pizza.”
Olivia shakes her head at me with a smile. “Sure, baby.”
I look over to Iris. “What did I miss?”
“Liv told her she couldn’t have a whole pizza to herself.”
“Oh. I’m glad I said yes then.” I smile down at the beaming six-year-old.
“You don’t know how to say no, do you?” Iris teases.
I look her right in her eyes. “Not when it’s for one of my two favorite girls.”
“Oh? And who is your other favorite girl?”
I think she is flirting with me. It’s exhilarating. I feel excitement in my blood as I wink at her.
“Only the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
She blushes as Ari cuts into our conversation.
“Daddy says Mommy is the most beautiful woman.”
We laugh at her comment. The innocence of a little girl is something special.
I open the door for both of my girls as I hear Iris talk to Ari.
“To your daddy, your mommy is the most beautiful woman in the world, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Do you know what that means?” she asks.
“No,” Ari replies.
“It means that each person has different ideas of what beautiful is. Your mom is beautiful, but to Uncle Max, she isn’t the most beautiful woman in the world because the woman he loves will be that for him.”
Ari turns to me. “Do you think Aunt Iris is the most beautiful woman in the world?”
I smile at the blush on Iris’s face.
“She is. Just like you are the most beautiful little girl in the world.”
I tickle her, making her giggle. It breaks the tension between Iris and me as she sorts out getting us a table.
“Do you love Aunt Iris?” Ari whispers to me.
“I do, but shh. I haven’t told her yet.”
Ari nods seriously. “It’s our secret.”
I hope not for long.