Sadie couldn’t help but feel upset by just how quiet things had become without Max around. She missed him a lot, especially knowing that she was just around the corner from his shop half the time. Any time she went out with her mother, they were nearby, and she couldn’t help but think of Max and his handsome, serious face. He wanted so badly to protect her, and yet the two of them were never on the same page. He didn’t care enough about her; he cared more about himself and his stupid store. He would never have the time he needed to be a caring partner.

“Hey, Sadie, do you have a minute?”

Sadie frowned at the sound of Terry’s voice, and she turned just in time to see him rounding the corner, half-jogging. He had been working at Max’s store, and apparently wanted to make sure she was never going to be able to forget what she had shared with Max. Why was it that everybody seemed to think they belong together, when the sad fact of the matter was that they had never worked out and they never would?

“Hey, Terry, what is it?”

Terry hesitated, shifting uncomfortably and looking down at his hands before he answered. This was strange behavior, even for him, and Sadie frowned.

“Is something wrong? Where’s Max?”

She couldn’t even begin to fathom why her concern for Max was the first thing that left her lips, but she couldn’t figure out why else Terry might be approaching her like this.

“That’s the thing,” Terry said, sighing heavily. “I overheard something and I think you should know about it. You know that guy who has been after you all these years, right? Leon? I think something is going on between him and Max. And it’s supposed to get pretty serious.”

“Something going on like what?” Sadie asked. She didn’t have time for games, and the thought of Max being in danger nearly drove her crazy. No matter how annoying he was, she still loved him. It was a sad and pathetic type of love, but it was hers and it was real. There was nothing else she could do about that.

“I’m not sure exactly. They wanted him to come to the back of the store, tonight. I know they don’t have a very good history together, so I just wanted you to know that the two of them are probably going to blows over whatever happened between the three of you.”

“Nothing happened between the three of us,” Sadie said, shaking her head. “Max and I just…” Sadie trailed off, unable to even finish the thought for herself, let alone aloud to a stranger. What they had shared had been ridiculously intimate and amazing, but that didn’t mean anything to her anymore. It couldn’t. Not when he would never change. He would always be the same asshole he always was.

“Well, regardless, I think you should probably come by the shop. I’m going to be there, and I’ll have some reinforcements, but maybe you would be able to talk some sense into them when nobody else will.”

“I was never able to talk any sense into him, even when we were dating. What makes you think I would have any sway over Max now? He always does whatever the hell he wants to. It doesn’t matter who he hurts. I don’t really appreciate you intruding on my life with something like this. If he wants to go and get himself into trouble, then maybe you should just let him and stay out of it.”

Sadie was just as surprised by the anger in her voice as Terry seemed to be. She had never said anything bad about Max before, and Terry probably had believed that he was coming to a friend and ally who cared about Max in the same way that he seemed to. Terry was the most loyal person Sadie had ever met, human or shifter. And now, she had just left him alone with his concerns.

Still, he knew better than to follow her as she marched away, doing her best not to look back at the ominous storefront. Max might be in there somewhere, but he might not. The place looked eerie and deserted without the lights on, and as much as she wished that there was something she could do to help, the truth was, she had never had any power over what happened to Max. Never any more than she had over what happened to her. The universe was chaotic and awful and strange, and it didn’t want her to be happy. It wanted her to be away from the man she loved, and it wanted the man she loved to be nothing but an unchangeable asshole.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

Sadie paused at the sound of her mother’s voice. It was strange to hear her seeming so genuinely concerned. Her relationship with her mother had always been a little bit strained, and in a way, she found it almost impossible to believe that her mother might have any genuine caring about her at all.

“Oh, I’m just a little bit annoyed. Everybody seems to think I need to worry about what Max is up to. But I don’t. I don’t care anymore.”

“Honey, I think that is the best news I have ever heard. Why don’t we just run along and pamper ourselves for the day. That way you don’t have to worry about anything bothering you again. I know how difficult it can be sometimes. It’s better not to let yourself get stressed. It never does the body any good.”

Sadie frowned, and soon, she and her mother were on their way down the street and heading toward their original destination, which was a restaurant on the far side of town. Her mother had the strange impulse to try a little something from every restaurant in Stonybrooke, and she had made it her goal to drag her daughter along with her as she crossed this item off her bucket list. It wasn’t that Sadie minded at all. She enjoyed spending some time with her mother, no matter how difficult the relationship happened to be. But it was still sometimes an annoying and heavy demand. Especially after all the difficulties their relationship had experienced in the past.

“I didn’t realize you and Max were officially over,” her mother said, chuckling quietly. “What happened between the two of you, if you don’t mind my asking? I know it had to have been bad. You were both so utterly in love.”

Sadie frowned, looking down at the laminated menu in front of her, her eyes scanning it for choices.

“I never really wanted to talk much about this with you before, mother,” Sadie said quietly. “But he did something incredibly selfish and I found it almost impossible to forgive him. I wanted more than anything to be able to work things out. You know he was my first love. I always want more from my relationship than the men are able or willing to give, I guess.”

“Well, honey, that does not mean you want more than what you deserve. Try to remember that. It can be very hard for everybody to settle into the relationship that truly suits them. But that doesn’t mean you are going to be completely without hope. I hope you realize you are such a wonderful person. You deserve the best.”

Sadie studied her mother from across the table. It was strange to hear her saying such nice things. It had been quite a long journey to get to this road for the two of them. But, somehow, they had managed to find themselves here together, with one thing in common. Their mutual hatred of Max.

And yet, there was a feeling of guilt that was tugging at Sadie’s heart. Terry had told her he was in danger, and instead of turning to help him, just as she knew he would turn to help her, she had turned her back on him and continued on her way. If anything happened to him because of that, she would probably never be able to forgive herself. After all, Max was the only man she had ever truly loved, no matter how selfish and unbelievably cold he could be.

“I appreciate you saying that, mother. And I know it was hard for you when I was a teenager and I was so stubborn. It took all I had not to run away with him.”

“Why do you think I kept those letters from you for all those years,” Sadie’s mother laughed, shaking her head. Suddenly, the light expression on her face turned to fear, and she looked at Sadie, as if frozen. She hadn’t meant to say what she had said. And now, they were both probably going to regret she had ever opened her mouth.

“What letters?” Sadie asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. “You kept letters from me?”

“Well, I didn’t keep them from you on purpose, exactly,” her mother said nervously. “You weren’t even living with me at the time. Technically, they had come to my house and I knew he had always been trouble. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but what do you expect me to do? You know for yourself just what a jerk he is. You were just telling me about it. I don’t see how you could possibly find any value in some measly little letters he probably only sent when he was looking for somebody to sleep with.”

A speck of anger was forming in Sadie’s chest, and she stood up, her hands shaking and clenched into her trembling fist. “I can’t believe you would’ve hidden something like that for me. You knew how much I was hoping to hear from him! All those years I had been beating myself up over what had become of him, even after I found out what a success he had become in the business world. That didn’t mean that you have the right to withhold something like this. Where are the letters now?”

“That isn’t really important, is it?” Sadie’s mother asked, laughing nervously. “Now, please, just sit down. You are making a scene. Nobody here wants to see you yelling at your little mother, do they?”

Sadie was completely disgusted, and shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you would ever stoop to this level, mother. I know you are jealous and spiteful, but I didn’t realize you were so vindictive and mean. I need to see those letters. You need to get me those letters as soon as you can, or I am never going to speak to you again.”

Sadie stormed out of the restaurant, letting the door slam shut behind her. She had to get to Max’s store. As soon as she possibly could. Who knew what kind of danger he was going to be in, and when? If she could help him now, maybe it would help them to work through their issues and she wouldn’t have to worry so much.