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I pull out my white gold chain with a dainty O hanging from it. We lean in, and Max takes the pendant in his hands, his fingertips swiping my collarbone, delicately, and my nipples harden. I cross my arms.
“Wow, did you make this?”
“Kind of. I worked with a designer, and I have them manufactured and sent to me.”
He looks up, his gaze on me, making me squirm. We’re so close, he could lean in and kiss me.
I kinda wish he would.
“This is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I pull away and rest my elbows on the table. “I’ve gotten a lot of pressure to expand, but I want to keep it simple. Initial necklaces in three different styles, three different metals. I’ve only seen steady growth. Do you know the country singer Savannah Watson? She wore one of my necklaces, and it changed everything for me.”
“That’s incredible. How do you find the time?” He stretches his arm across the table, his hand so close to my forearm. “Between being the best mother to our daughter and best daughter to your family’s business?”
“I’m very organized. Not a day or hour is wasted. This week has been…challenging.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” I say, although I have a mountain of orders and haven’t posted to social media in a week. “What is your house like?”
“I own a condo downtown, but it’s definitely not paid off.”
“Did you live with Noelle?” My heart squeezes waiting for the answer.
He shakes his head. “She didn’t want to live together until we were engaged. I started looking at starter homes down there, and none of them felt like home. I go with my gut on big decisions.”
His stare makes me wonder if he means me. I shake it off.
“I’m like that too. When I walked into my house, I looked around for fifteen seconds and I knew.” I swipe my arms above me, like I’m picturing my perfect life in the air. “It hit me hard. I saw an older Olive playing in the living room, and it was done. I looked at the rest of the house, of course, but I put in an offer before I even left.”
Max presses his lips together. “Did you ever imagine more kids? Or a husband?”
“I don’t think that far ahead.” I study my fingers tracing the patterns in the tablecloth instead of looking at the handsome man across from me. “I didn’t want to hope for something that’s out of my control. Small-town dating is tough, and the pool is so small. All I wanted out of life was Olive to grow up being loved and happy. Everything else was a pipe dream.”
Max leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “Huh.”
“Was it your dream? To be a dentist?”
“That was never my dream. I love it now, but I wasn’t a boy asking for a play dentist drill when I was a kid. It’s just—I like helping people. I knew I wanted to be a dad, so that is a dream come true.”
Max clams up, and I wait for the question I know is coming. We’ve danced around it like we’re at a Regency-era ball, but we’re not confronting it. Why I didn’t get in touch with him. Why the email was changed when I knew that I wrote mine down correctly.
I want to tell him that it’s Fred. He lied to my face; I highly suspect he changed my email address. However, he’s still a god in Max’s eyes. I can’t destroy that image to save my own.
Maybe Fred will finally be decent and come clean.
“I’m glad I came to Goldheart. It might’ve been nine years too late…” His words drift off into the air.
“I’m glad you came too. Better late than never.”
“I just wonder…” I want to know every thought he has. Does he wonder about his dad too? Does he even question it, or am I still evil in his eyes?
I take a sip of wine because I know the answer to my question will break me. “I just wonder if I hadn’t shown up, how long would I not have known about Olive?”
“Probably until she was eighteen. She has asked about you. I think she would’ve tried to find you.”
“Did you ever wonder about me?” he asks.
