Max
Zach pulls out a chair for Jade before taking a seat beside her and across from me. It’s bitterly cold outside and the little bit of snow Mother Nature put down last night only makes it seem colder. I wasn’t able to see Avery this morning and unfortunately, I won’t be able to go to the top of the slope and give her a good luck kiss, or hug, or just touch her. I’m massively excited for her…to see her.
I’m focused on seeing her at the winners’ dinner put on by the president of Kid’s Bazaar. She’ll be there. Even though I’ve never seen her snowboard, I know she’ll be sitting beside me. At least I pray so. It’ll be a long ass dinner if she isn’t.
“This is so cool,” Jade says and pulls out a pamphlet from her purse. “Have you seen the schedule?”
“No. I’ve been so busy with your dumbass husband and the land, I haven’t had time to go over anything. You’ve been in charge of it.”
Zach laughs deep and drapes his arm over the back of her chair. “She’s loved every bit of it.”
Jade nods. “It’s true. I like spending your money.”
It makes me chuckle. “Of course you would.”
“Are you excited to see this? I mean, the woman you’re dating is a pro in a sport you care shit about,” Zach says.
“I’m learning to enjoy it.” I smirk. It’s not that I don’t care for snowboarding. I’ve just never had a reason to like it. I’ve always been buried in my wine and winery.
“Next up is the women’s snowboarding freestyle. And immediately after, we’ll be moving onto the halfpipe. This is going to be a doozy with several of the free stylist participating in the halfpipe. I think it gives them one heck of an interesting advantage. To see the different participants switching tricks…It’s going to be great.”
I take a sip of my soda and then stand, shrugging into my jacket.
“Awww. Are you going to be outside cheering her on?” Jade asks, doey-eyed. I’m telling you, she’s planning my future behind those eyes.
“Yeah.”
“Today, we’ll witness a battle of the pros!” the announcer says enthusiastically. “Emma Hughes and Aubrey Neal will be competing against each other in both their niches—freestyle and halfpipe. We’ve seen this before, folks. And it’s never a dull moment. They sure know how to work the crowd by impressing us. This is going to be epic, John.”
The snow crunches under my shoes—the ones I didn’t put a damn thought into when I put them on. They offer no warmth and here I am trekking through the snow like I’m in boots. White clouds billow in front of me as my breath hits the cold air. The sun is bright, giving the illusion of warmth. It’s fucking cold.
I make my way to the red barricades at the end of the skiers’ run. It’s packed here with throngs of people braving the cold, supporting their favorites. Many hold signs. Some have shirts over their jackets.
Aubrey Neal will seal the deal…
Hughes will not lose…
Pride swells my chest knowing they’re here to cheer on my girlfriend.
I get to the front of the people for the best possible view without having to sit in the stands. I want to see it all. Experience it all. And I hope I’m in the right spot for her to see me when she finishes.
As several riders come down, the announcers describe the tricks. It’s a fucking new language to me. I’m in a foreign land unsure what the hell anything is. But one thing’s for sure, the last jump causes my heart to stop. The skiers fly high, some doing spins, some doing flips…way the hell in the sky.
The woman I have fallen for enjoys this and it’s baffling as fuck. It’s contrasting to what I know of her.
As I continue to watch impatiently, a little girl with bright red cheeks in a puffy red jacket skips around me. Her purple gloves match her snow pants, her black snow boots kicking up snow, her braided hair bouncing to the beat under her pink and gray beanie.
Jade use to be the same way. Looked the same way, her eyes engulfed with elation. Snow animated her. When we would go sledding, Jade would skip ahead of me, regardless of how deep it was or how many times she fell face first in it.
“Hi,” the little girl says. “Your coat is thin. You’re going to get really cold.”
I chuckle at her introduction. “It’s not as thin as you think.”
“Momma says if you don’t bundle up, you can get newphonia and you don’t want that. You get a big fever and you can’t get out of bed. I don’t want to get that sick because being in the bed all day is booorrriiinnggg.” She rolls her eyes as she emphasizes the word.
Yep. Jade made over.
“Pneumonia definitely makes you really sick.”
She looks to my shoes and kicks the snow beside them before blinking up and squinting against the sun. “Did you even know it was going to be cold today?” She should’ve just called me an idiot. “Your feet has got to be cold. I have another pair of socks on if you want them but they’re pink, but no one will see them under your shoes. At least your feet will be warmer. These boots keep my feet really warm. They make me sweat. You want my socks?”
Holy shit. This little girl can chatter. “No, sweetie. You keep them on and stay warm so you don’t get sick. I’m fine.”
“Ohhhkaaay, but when you get newphonia, don’t be mad at me because I tried telling you but you’re the one not listening.”
It makes me laugh. “No way would I be mad at you.”
She sticks her mitten covered hand out. “I’m Maddi. My momma says talking to strangers is bad but she says helping people is good. You have to talk to strangers if you want to help people but you don’t look like you’re mean and if you are, my momma will beat your butt. She has this stuff and if she sprays it, you’ll scream and get sick.”
I laugh again and shake her little hand. “I’m Max. Your momma sounds really smart. You know, you remind me a lot of my sister when she was your age.”
Her face lights up, a smile stretching from ear to ear before it wilts away and she crinkles her red nose. “I asked momma if I could have a sister once and she told me no and bought me a doll. Do you like your sister?”
I bet her mother has her hands full with her. “Very much.”
“Do you like dogs?”
It surprises a chuckle out of me. “I do. Do you?”
She looks down to her feet, frowning. “Yeah, but momma won’t let me have one. I killed a fish once. His name was Sushi, but he was fake.”
My brows jump high and I bite my laugh. “You managed to kill a fake fish?”
Her nod is small. “He was in my dream. I forgot to feed him.”
Glancing around, I scan for someone who may be looking for their child. As much as she talks, surely whoever she’s here with has noticed the quiet.
“Maddi, where are your parents?”
“Aunt Rave went to get me some hot chocolate because it’s cold and I really wanted some and Uncle Roo went to the bathroom but he told me to stay right where I’m at which is right there.” She points to a spot no more than ten feet away. “And Momma is up there.” She tosses her thumb toward the hill. “We got here late because Aunt Rave got stuck in traffic and made me miss the snowman building.”
Jesus. Does this girl meet a stranger? I squat beside her and roll a small snowball. “Want to build a snowman with me while we wait for your uncle and aunt?”
She giggles, covering her mouth. “You sound like Anna. She sings it to her sister, but Elsa can’t go outside.”
“Are these your friends?”
The question lands me the most intense look of stupidity. “It’s a movie.” Ouch. That “duh” hit me square in the forehead. “Have you never sawed Frozen? Maybe your sister would like it, but it’s old. Momma said I used to watch it all the time and I seed it a thousand times. Do you know how to build a snowman? If not, I can show you. I’ve made bunches. I know I could’ve won the building competition.”
I chuckle. “Do you ever run out of energy?’
Her blue eyes gleam. “Momma asks me the same thing.”
I pat the snowball in my hand. “I’ll have you know I’m a pro snowman builder. But if we’re going to make one, we need to make it small. Since he didn’t buy a tickets, I don’t know if he’s allowed in.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
It’s nostalgic sitting here with Maddi and building a snowman. I haven’t done this in…damn, I’m getting old. Jade and I used to build them in our front yard and if Dad took us to the winery, we’d make one to greet the customers. Jade loved it. I dealt with it.
Together, we make a small snowman, maybe a foot and a half tall, when she turns him. “He needs to be able to watch. He has to see. He’ll be sad if he misses it.”
“Then let’s not let him miss it.”
She takes off one of her gloves and rams her fingers into the top snowball, making a pair of eye holes. “Here’s his eyes. Pretend they’re blue. No…Green! I like green better. Is that okay?”
I nod, smiling before scanning the crowd over her head. Who the hell leaves their kid in a crowd unsupervised?
The crowd comes alive and Maddi springs to her feet, placing her hands around her eyes to shield the sun, and then shakes her head before plopping back down on her knees in the sun. “Can we call him Popsicle?”
“I like that name,” I tell her.
“His birthday will be December first. Just like mine!”
Technically, Popsicle’s birthday is today, but I’m not daring to touch that subject with her. Who the hell knows where her chattering mind would lead us.
“Maddi!” her name is yelled out.
Glancing toward the direction, I lock eyes with Ryan Taylor rushing toward us. “Maddi,” he expels a breath. “I told you to stay right where you were.”
She rolls her eyes. “Right there and right here,” she points between the two places. “And I built a snowman. His name is Popsicle. His birthday is mine. This is Max. He helped me.”
I stand, dusting off my gloves. “Mr. Taylor.”
He shakes my hand with a nervous smile and my stomach knots up at the feeling something is really fucking off. “Thank you for keeping her occupied. I thought Raven was coming right back.”
Raven…
My eyes narrow through a million questions. “I didn’t know you had a child,” my mouth says, but my instincts are bucking against it.
Guilt drowns him. His smile is fake, laced with remorse. “This is my niece.”
My muscles tense. A weight slams my chest.
“What are you doing now?” a woman in a knitted beanie says, stepping beside Ryan but looking at Maddi. “You can’t ever just stay in one spot, huh?”
“I was building a snowman with my friend, Max.”
The woman’s eyes flash as her mouth drops open. And I fucking know it.
“You must be Raven?” My voice rides out steadily.
She glances to Ryan before flicking her nervous view back to me. “I am.”
Betrayal sears me. Like a flash fire, rage bursts into an inferno. My pulse slaps my chest, humming in my ears. I clench my jaw to stay composed.
Maddi pulls at my sleeve. “Max? Can we give him a sister? One like yours because you like her a lot and she has to be really cool if you like her a lot.”
“I will, Maddi,” Raven says. “I’m sure Max has other things he needs—”
I may be furious, but I’m not angry toward Maddi. “Yeah, Maddi. We can,” I say nicely to her, keeping myself in check.
Ignoring Raven and Ryan, I drop back to my knees and start forming our new snowman with shaking hands, praying they don’t say anything for fear my temper will roar. I’ve been lied to by the woman claiming she loves me. My entire time with Avery has been fucking fake…
Maddi pats the snowman’s head, twists it toward the slope just like it’s plumper twin, and rams her fingers into its face, creating eyes. When she smiles up to me, instantly I’m grounded, momentarily forgetting her mother is a bold-faced liar. “Can we call her Maxy?’
She’s after my heart. “My mom calls me that.”
“Maxy and Popsicle. I like that. Do you? Today can be her birthday. We should throw her a party and give her presents. What do you think she would want?”
She piles snow beside Maxy and pats it to form a lopsided square. As she does, I watch her…closely. And the more I do, the more I see she resembles Avery. Although her eyes are blue, they’re shaped like Avery’s. She bears her nose and lips, even her cheek bones. She’s the splitting image of a younger Avery.
The crowd around us begins to roar and Ryan shouts out to Maddi. Instinctively, she leaps to her feet, jumping up and down. I stand, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket, shaking with anger.
The snowboarder launches off the last jump, slinging into the air while flipping. The announcers are saying something, but I can’t hear anything over my pulse. Snow flies into the air as the snowboarder skids to a stop and Maddi leaps over the barrier.
I know in my gut who it is, but for the first time in my life, I’m praying my instincts fail me. Right now, I really need them to betray me. I need to know I didn’t fall for a fake.
As soon as the rider takes off her goggles and helmet, I lock eyes with Avery and my world drops out from below me. Cold air burns my lungs.
Maddi lunges into Avery, wrapping her into a bear hug of laughter and squeals.
“You knew it would be good, folks!” the announcer bellows out. “How about a ninety-two on her first run!”
Maddi celebrates again, jumping up and down with her arms wrapped around Avery’s waist. She grabs Avery’s hand and tugs her toward me. “Momma. This is Max. He helped me build Popsicle and Maxy. His momma calls him that. They’re brother and sister and we all got to watch you. Max made sure they wouldn’t get in trouble for sneaking in without tickets.”
“That was nice of him.” I hear Avery’s voice shake as she stays excited for Maddi. “Can you do me a really big favor? Will you go with Aunt Rave and Uncle Roo while I talk to Max?”
Maddi’s shoulders slump and she sighs. “Okay.” Her head hangs low as she starts to Ryan, but she smiles up to me. “Thank you, Mr. Max, for helping me. I hope they don’t get caught since I won’t be here.”
I may be outraged with Avery, but Maddi is the innocent one out of all this. I squat so I’m eye to eye with her. “You’re welcome. I’ll make sure they can stay and watch the whole thing. Thank you for letting me have fun with you. And,” I lean in closer and whisper, “thank you for offering me your socks.”
She has the sweetest giggle, one that melts my heart. Caleb has the same one with the same effect. “You’re welcome. Bye.” She skips away.
I take a deep breath and rise, anger replacing the softness in my eyes.
Avery looks petrified. “I can explain.”
I harden my glare. “Seems you have a lot to explain.”
Cameras click around us and she plasters a fake smile on. “Can we go somewhere else to talk?”
I lift my arm, gesturing for her to lead the way. Tucking her board and carrying her helmet, she travels through the people, some slapping her shoulders to congratulate her, with me in tow. No words are exchanged as we reach a smaller building and enter. She doesn’t look behind her as she moves through the hallways with the thudding of her boots echoing the empty hall. She turns into a room and I shut the door behind us.
“I was going to tell you tomorrow,” she rushes out. “I tried telling you. I tried so many times…” she drops her head. “Everything moved so fast.”
“I can’t stand a liar, no matter the reason. How the fuck do you expect me to trust you when you’ve not been truthful the entire time? When you don’t even trust me?”
“I do trust you. I just…” she trails off quietly.
“It’s a pretty fucked up way to show me,” I grit. “You didn’t trust me enough to let me fully into your life.”
“I kept her a secret because I wanted to protect her. I can’t have her meeting someone and getting her hopes up. You can’t fault me for that.”
“I don’t,” I reply simply. “But as I was bringing you into my world, you kept me out of yours. You led me to believe there was something sincere between us, yet here I am realizing it was fake.”
“It wasn’t,” she chokes out. “It isn’t fake.”
Malice rides out on my deflated laugh. “I’m glad one of us knows that.”
Silence fills the room and I’m itching to get the fuck out of here. I need to get my shit together before I say something I’ll completely regret. “If you’ll excuse me, I have company I’ve kept waiting.” I pull open the door.
“What does this mean?” Desperation and hope exhales with her words.
I stop and inhale a shaky breath to steady my own pain before shoving my hands into my pockets. I drop my view to my feet, rock back on my heels and then glance to her. “It means good luck today.”
I leave without another word…madder than fuck.