Chapter Forty-Four
Max
Since Rhys has gone to see his brothers, I decide to spend the later part of the morning with Ailee. We haven’t hung out much together lately, mostly because we’ve both been extremely busy.
She’s pregnant with twins. I want to hear about how she manages to juggle her boss, who is now her husband, and the pregnancy and everything else, including dealing with an insane mother-in-law.
The woman was so bad it made the news. I totally freaked out when I couldn’t reach Ailee for days, thinking something horrific had happened.
Not even calling Huxley & Webber and dropping Rhys’s name—or Jeremiah’s—got me anywhere because everything was totally hush-hush as law enforcement did its work.
I cried with relief when I finally heard that she was all right, just badly shaken.
“We need to go to this parfait place. You’ll love it.” She sends me the address to Himeko, and I grin with anticipation. It’s a cute little Japanese-style parfaiteria that I’ve always wanted to visit, but haven’t had a chance.
A long line loops around the block, much worse than at Hubby & Wifey.
–Me: Hey, I just got to Himeko. Where are you?
–Ailee: I’m at a table near the window.
I move past the people in line. Ailee waves from inside, as though scared I’ll miss her. As if! There’s no mistaking that long, flowing platinum hair.
I walk in. A blissful aroma of chocolate, cream and sugar sends happy shivers through me. My God. I could get addicted to this smell!
The interior is very Japanese. All the mini-dolls in pretty kimonos on high shelves bring back the memory of Tokyo. Sweet piano music flows from the sound system.
“This is even better than I expected,” I say, sitting across from Ailee.
“I know, right? Akiko brought me here a little while ago, and I thought you’d love it.”
“How early did you get here? That line was impossible.” I gesture outside, guilty that she had to wait for long.
“I didn’t wait, actually. Akiko’s one of the investors, so she snagged this table for me.”
“Whew. Nice to have a stepmother-in-law like that.”
“Especially a sane one.” She sighs and shakes her head.
“Now I don’t feel so bad.” Shoulders sagging, I inhale again. “I could have, like, aroma orgasms in this place.”
Ailee laughs. “I know. These parfaits are like crack. And huge.”
A waitress walks past us with a tray with three parfaits that are almost as big as a person’s head. “Just look at them.” I follow the tray, my own head turning. “Holy cow. How many layers of chocolate is that?”
“I guess…twenty-five or something? It’s called the Deutsche parfait. I had one before, and it’s to die for.”
My mouth starts to water. “I’m getting that one. My baby wants it.”
“Baby?” Ailee’s eyes widen. “A baby?”
“Yeah. I’m pregnant.”
She gasps. “Holy shit, girl! Congrats!”
I smile. “Thanks.” I realize with a tinge of sadness that she’s the first person, other than my doctor, to express joy and congratulate me.
“Well, then you most certainly should have the Deutsche.” She signals a waiter. “One Deutsche and one Imperial Strawberry Nama Cream. And two apple teas, please.”
He confirms the order and vanishes.
She turns to me. “I haven’t had the strawberry one yet, but Akiko told me I had to try it. You can have a bite, since I won’t be able to finish it. It’s like a meal.”
“It totally looks that way.” I eye another tray of parfaits going past, then shift my focus to Ailee. “So how is pregnancy treating you?”
“Not too bad. I personally love being pregnant because I’m creating my own family with Josh. Just knowing that everybody supports us makes me feel secure. It wasn’t exactly the plan, but…these babies have been a dream come true for me. How are you doing?” Her eyes drop to my belly.
“It’s so early that I can’t tell anything different, except I want to snack more than usual, and maybe nap. But there’s no morning sickness or anything.”
“Good.”
The waiter comes back with our order. He places the parfaits on the table first, followed by two elegant cups with thin apple slices arranged into a ball in each white bone-china cup. He pours hot tea with a flourish, and the apple slices unfurl like blooming rosebuds.
It’s kind of awe-inspiring. “Wow. That’s stunning.”
Ailee smiles. “I had the same reaction. It’s a little bitter without adding sugar, but goes well with the parfaits.”
I nod, then take a big spoonful of my chocolate parfait.
The cream melts on my tongue, while the thin, dark shavings crunch in my mouth.
The combination of textures is delicious and pleasing.
It’s a sensual experience. Rhys might like this place, too, if we can somehow avoid waiting for hours to get in.
Ailee’s parfait looks incredible, with various layers of fresh strawberries, sauces, meringue, whipped cream and more. She savors the first bite, then leans forward. “I heard about the auction. A billion dollars? How did that happen? Was it Rhys’s money?”
I shake my head, then tell her the entire story behind the trust fund. “I’m going to get rid of the money, but in a good way, you know?”
She nods. “I understand. I wouldn’t want to keep that kind of money either. It’s so crappy your dad basically threatened it’d go to the home wrecker and her kid to force you. Just disgusting. But par for the course for him, right?”
“Totally. But the money’s off to help our veterans. Can’t think of many causes worthier than that. Now I just need to find another good charity or two. Maybe an organization that helps single moms with shitty exes who don’t pay child support or alimony,” I say vindictively.
Ailee laughs. “There you go.” She grows serious. “But are you sure about giving everything away? What if you need some emergency cash? Or does it not matter because you’re going to be with Rhys?”
There’s a sudden pang in my heart, but I ignore the ache.
I’m still not sure what to make of our last conversation.
I honestly thought he cared for me, but it’s possible I overestimated my importance to him.
“I kept, like, five million just in case, which I don’t plan to touch unless I absolutely have to. ”
“Smart. Your dad owes you at least that much.”
“At least! That bastard.” I stab the spoon into the parfait. Just thinking about him raises my blood pressure. “But more than that, I want to save it for the baby.”
“Sweet. Already a trust fund baby,” Ailee teases, her warm eyes sparkling. “Did you tell Rhys?”
“Yeah.” I take a moment to gather my thoughts because I’m still unsure what I think about our talk.
“And…? How did it go?”
“Honestly? I just…don’t know.”
She blinks. “You don’t know? You were there.”
“Yeah, but…it didn’t go anywhere.”
“I don’t understand.” She frowns. “Does he not want the baby?”
“Not exactly. He seemed really shocked, which is understandable. Then he said the baby wouldn’t change anything and asked me if I wanted to keep it.”
Confusion clouds her violet eyes. “You told him it was his, right?”
“Yeah, of course. Buuut…it was a little awkward. He seemed more interested in knowing whether or not I wanted it rather than if it was his.” I try to process the conversation again. “It almost felt like he was looking for a reason to not want it or something.”
“That’s disappointing. I didn’t think he was that kind of person.”
“I don’t think he’s some nasty asshole.” She shouldn’t think the worst of Rhys, because that isn’t fair.
“But we made it clear from the beginning we weren’t looking for anything long term—no commitment, just some good times.
Maybe he doesn’t want to change what we have because of a baby neither of us planned for.
Part of me probably expected him to…I don’t know…
show more love for the baby? His reaction hurt me so much more than I expected.
I keep thinking about what happened with my parents, you know? ”
“What do you mean?”
“They got married because my mom got pregnant with me. My dad wanted to do the right thing. But he left her because he slept with his assistant and was hankering for a son, which his assistant supposedly gave him.”
“That asshole,” Ailee mutters.
“Don’t worry. Turned out that isn’t really his son.”
She covers her mouth with a hand, her eyes wide. “Oh my God!”
“A Karma bitch-slap! Pow!”
We both laugh.
“But anyway…” I sober. “I told Rhys not to do ‘the right thing.’ I’d hate it if he woke up five years from now and went, ‘Oh my God, what was I thinking? Telling her I would marry her rather than just giving her some child support and not worrying about this?’ I don’t want his regret to hurt our kid. ”
Ailee reaches over and lays a hand on mine. “You’re afraid.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “I’m scared shitless. Sometimes I wonder if just taking child support might be easier. He can see the kid when he has the time, no obligation to do anything beyond that. That way, if he finds somebody else he’d rather be with, he won’t regret it.”
“That’s…a really depressing way of thinking.” Ailee leans forward, peering at me with concern. “What happened to you? What happened to my confident friend?”
“I dunno… Her confidence sort of dissipated when it wasn’t just her, but her kid on the line, too?” My voice trembles a little toward the end.
“Okay, let me lay this out for you. From what you’ve said over the years, I think Rhys is a super-smart guy, even though he can be single-minded and work-obsessed.
He has a degree in physics from MIT, and built this billion-dollar fortune in finance in L.A.
He’s so freakin’ sure of himself, he didn’t even bother with Wall Street.
The man’s clear on what he wants and what he’s doing. Right?”
I nod.
“And now you’re telling me a man that intelligent, that driven, is going to make the same mistake your absolute moron of a father made?” She pauses and gives me a long look, letting her words sink in. “That’s not just an insult to Rhys, it’s an insult to you.”
“I don’t see how—”
“That you fell for a guy just like your father! You’re letting your father’s idiotic behavior prevent you from being happy. If your thing with Rhys works out, you’ll be one of the happiest people in the world. And your baby will be one of its most cherished and pampered children.”
My mouth dries. The outrage at the injustice she’s painting…and the happiness that my hesitation and doubts are letting slip from my grasp…
She continues: “I don’t want your past to stop you from having the best life possible. I know it isn’t easy. Hell, I’m an insecure mess myself, and it took me a while to realize that it’s okay to accept the good things in life. Rhys might just be the perfect guy, created just for you.”
I cover my face with my hands briefly, then press the heels against my temples.
She’s right, of course. She took the hard, brave step, and achieved the kind of life millions of women would kill for.
“When Mom died, I found a bucket list she’d written.
First item was that she wanted to see me happy and fulfilled.
” I lift my head and look straight into Ailee’s warm eyes.
“It was the top item,” I choke out. “I don’t want to fail. ”
Ailee drags her chair next to mine and wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“Being happy and fulfilled doesn’t mean never making a mistake.
You’re right to be careful. There’s a chance Rhys could be the wrong guy for you.
But that doesn’t mean that trying to seek happiness with him is wrong.
If he betrays you, he’s the bad guy, not you.
And Karma’s going to kick him in the balls, and he’ll never get it up again. ”
I let out a tremulous laugh. My bestie really is the best.
“Don’t let your shitty dad get in your way, Max,” Ailee says gently. “He isn’t worth it.”