Thirty

Max

The door slams behind me, the click making my heart go to my throat. I close my eyes, only seeing the confusion in hers. “Oh my God. What did we just do?” The words echo in my head.

I walk to the elevator and press the button, my feet moving like lead. My chest hurts. I think I’m having a heart attack as my palm goes to the center and I rub it. I put my hand up on the wall and hang my head.

“A mistake,” I say out loud. “She thinks it was a mistake.”

“Like fuck I do. I never said that word; you, you said that. Putting words in my mouth, nothing about us is a mistake, nothing.” I hear her voice and turn to see tears stain her face. “You.” She points at me. “You aren’t going to get away that easy.” She walks out as the elevator doors open. “Go ahead,” she says, her hands crossed over her chest. “I fucking dare you to get in that elevator.”

I don’t move and the doors close.

“You just vowed to love me in good times and bad and the minute bad comes you fucking leave.” She throws her hands up.

“I didn’t fucking leave. You didn’t see the pain in your eyes. You didn’t see the turmoil I saw,” I tell her. “I vowed to make you happy!” I yell.

“You think making me happy is my husband leaving me on my wedding night? You think making me happy is my husband not being at my side?” She turns and walks back into the room as I follow her this time.

“I wasn’t leaving. I was”—I throw my hands up in the air—“I don’t know what I was going to do to make it right. I was going to call them and tell them of my intentions.” I’m pulling at straws here. “I had no idea what I was going to do besides punch a hole in a wall or something. I was going to call Parker and ask her to help me. I just want…” I look at her, my beautiful wife. My wife. “I promised to make you happy.”

“There is a shit storm brewing out there.” She points to the window. “And tomorrow when we wake up we have to face it head-on. But tonight I want to dance with my husband. I want to drink way too much champagne and I want to eat cake, because today I married my prince and that is what they do.”

“Angel,” I say to her, “the shit storm is going to be a tornado. It’s a level five hurricane, but tomorrow we face it head-on together,” I agree with her and I go to her, wrapping my arms around her waist while I kiss her wet cheeks. “But tonight my wife wants to dance with me, drink too much champagne, and have me eat cake off of her.”

She smiles at me. “I didn’t say that.”

“I’m improvising.” I kiss her lips and she kisses me back. “I’m sorry I made you cry on our wedding day. I’m sorry I let the fear of losing you take over.”

“You love me?” she asks me.

“More than my life,” I answer her without missing a beat.

“Then let’s have tonight. I’m not letting anyone ruin my wedding.” Her hands go to my neck. “Including my husband.” She winks at me.

“Holy shit, I’m married.” She laughs as she throws her head back and laughs again as she lets me go, picks up her dress as she runs outside, and yells to all of Vegas, “I’m married.” Then she looks at me. “I’m married.”

I stand here watching her glow. “You’re married.”

I don’t know what happens, but all of a sudden, our song is playing again. I stick my hand out for my wife. “Dance with me again?”

She puts her hand in mine, her engagement ring glistening in the light, as I take her in my arms and dance with her on the balcony sixty-one stories on top of Vegas, with the lights shining and the fountains shooting up. We stand out here as we sway to the music that stops after a while. We kiss, soft little kisses. We come inside and drink way too much champagne and I get to eat plenty of cake off of my wife. And I love every fucking second of it. Till the pounding at the door the next day. I raise my head from the pillow, the sunlight coming in as I look over and see it’s noon.

“What is that?” Allison gets up on her elbow as the pounding continues. “Is that construction?” she asks as I get up and put on a robe that is embroidered with Mr. on it. Allison is putting hers on that is marked Mrs.

The pounding starts again and this time I hear voices shouting, “Open that door or we will break it down.”

“Oh my God.” Allison gasps out when Andre opens the door and four people follow him. Matthew, Karrie, Cooper, and Parker.

“Sir. They…” He tries to explain, but Matthew is pushing him out of the way.

“You.” He points to Allison with his finger. “Get your shit. We are leaving.” Then he turns to me. “And you, conniving little swine.”

“Matthew,” Karrie says from behind him, holding his arm as he rips it away.

Allison stands next to me.

“I said pack your shit.” He raises his voice and it’s enough.

“You better watch your tone with her,” I say as I put my hand in front of her.

“You don’t say a fucking word.” He points again at me. “You married a rapist. A fucking rapist,” he spews out of anger and the three women in the room gasp out while Cooper puts his hand on Matthew’s shoulder.

“Son.”

“Get out,” Allison says softly from beside me.

I turn to see that tears are streaming down her face, but she doesn’t stop.

She charges him, her hands flying to his chest as she pushes him, yelling, “Get out of here or I’m going to call security.”

I run after her, grabbing her around the waist to stop her from charging him again.

“I’ll leave when your shit is packed!” he yells even louder. “Fuck it, we don’t even need it. Get your purse.”

“That is the last warning you are going to get from me. I don’t give a fuck how you talk to me, how you treat me, but you will not talk like that to my wife,” I say as calm as I can. “Ever,” I say between clenched teeth. “You treat her with the respect she deserves or I’ll have no trouble knocking your ass to the floor,” I say to him as he advances and we square off, face-to-face, chest-to-chest.

I have Allison behind me gripping onto my arm. Karrie is gripping onto Matthew’s arm, and then Cooper steps in between us.

“Stand down, son,” he says and we both don’t move.

Parker stands by the door, looking around at what was our reception area. “Is this where you got married?” she asks as she looks around with a hand in front of her mouth.

“No,” Allison speaks calmly, “this was after.”

“Did you get any pictures?” she asks as she sobs out and Cooper goes to her, taking her in his arms as Allison sniffles away her tears.

“Yes.”

She nods at her daughter. “You must have been so beautiful.”

“She was,” I finally say. My eyes are still on Matthew as the fury looms in them. “You can either stand down and talk to her calmly or you can get the fuck out. Choice is yours.”

“You don’t get to tell me how to talk to my sister,” he growls out.

“She’s my wife now,” I growl out. “And you won’t talk to my wife like that.”

“Matthew,” Allison says as she pushes him away from me, or tries to, and when that doesn’t matter, she pushes me back. “If you want to talk about this civilly, we can, but if not, Max is right, you need to leave.”

“Allison, you’ve just ruined your whole life. You will be associated to him forever now.”

“Good,” she says, throwing her hands up. She pushes him again. This time he goes back a bit. “I’m fucking thrilled. I’m happy. I shouted it from the rooftops last night and I would do it every single day if I have to. I love him,” she says to Matthew and then to Cooper. “I love him, all of him. His past, his mistakes, his screwups, and his triumphs, because that is what makes him the man I want to be with for the rest of my life.” She shakes her head as she looks down and then up again as she sobs out, “Don’t make me choose, because it’s him I will choose.”

I can’t take it anymore. I spin her around and bring her to me as she buries her face in my chest, my arms wrapping around her as she cries in my chest. I whisper to her that everything is going to be okay, except I don’t know if it will. I look around the room, seeing the women with tears running down their faces.

“Aly,” Cooper finally says, “we just want the best for you.” Then he looks at me. “You took away so much from her by doing it this way. You took away the chance of choosing her dress with her mother. You took away me or Matthew walking her down the aisle.”

“I’m sorry for that,” I say, looking at Parker as she gives me a small smile and a nod. “But I will not apologize for making her my wife and marrying her. I will never be sorry for that.”

“Matthew,” Cooper finally says to him, and Matthew turns around. “He’s her choice.”

He shakes his head.

“Nothing you can say will change her mind.”

“Matthew.” Karrie comes in front of him. “Look at me. What would you have done if everyone hated you and wanted to take me away from you?”

Matthew crosses his hands, rolls his eyes, and pffts out. “I’d take you anyway. But—” he says as Karrie puts her hand in front of his lips.

“But nothing. You can either accept it and have a place in your sister’s life or you don’t accept it and lose her.”

“I’m not losing her. He’s—” Matthew starts and then this time it’s Parker who stands up.

“That’s enough,” she says as she comes to us. “You got us all riled up and on a plane at five-thirty a.m. You came here and didn’t even talk to your sister. You ordered her around instead.”

He puts his hands on his hips.

“I don’t know Max, but I know your sister, and if she is risking everything she has and loves him he must be worth it.”

“Mom.” He takes his cap off, scratching his head. “I’m looking out for her and protecting her.”

“That’s my job,” I say. “The moment she said she loved me that became my job. Fuck, it became my job the minute she looked at me. I don’t want her to choose me or you. It would kill me to have her do that. It would kill me because I know it would kill her.”

“Matthew, son,” Cooper says. “Don’t make her choose.”

“Fuck!” he yells out again, “why couldn’t you date the stockbroker, or I don’t know, a farmer, or fuck, the guy who sharpens the skates? Why him?”

“First off. Fred is fifty-nine.” She turns in my arms, looking at him as my arm wraps around her neck. “And you don’t choose who you fall in love with. It just happens!” she says, putting both her hands on mine.

Karrie gasps. “Oh my God, that ring is gorgeous.” She steps forward to grab her, and while Parker comes over, I let go of her as her mother takes her in her arms.

“I want to see all the pictures and then we should go out tonight and celebrate. You can wear your dress and we can have a small reception.” She cries again. “And then when we get home we can do a bigger one.”

Cooper and Matthew moan at this as they look at each other.

“Baby, I told you we have nowhere to stay,” Cooper tells her as Andre finally pipes up from his corner.

“There are no available rooms in all of Vegas tonight. It’s the biggest week of the year.”

Karrie turns to look at Matthew. “Did you just drag me on a six-hour flight promising me some fun in the sun? ‘Don’t worry, babe.’” She throws her hands in the air, mimicking him. “‘It’ll be fine, babe.’ ‘Don’t worry, babe, I packed your saltines.’ ‘You can’t have morning sickness already.’” She stops talking as her eyes go big and Parker gasps out. “Surprise,” Karrie says. “I’m pregnant.”

“You can stay here,” Allison says as I look down at her. “I mean, we have three rooms.” She then looks at Matthew. “You can stay if you’re not mean to my husband. If you can’t follow that one rule, go sleep in the lobby.” She then turns and looks at me. “Is that okay?”

“Whatever you want, angel,” I say as I lean down and kiss her.

“Oh my God,” Matthew says out loud. “Oh my God,” he says again as he gasps out in horror, his hand going to his mouth. “Oh my God.” He looks at us then points at Allison. “You’re the one who gave him a hickey on his junk.” He closes his eyes and puts his finger on them. “I’m going to be sick,” he says as Allison finally relaxes in my arms. “Sick.”

“There is a room with two queen beds, and one with one king.”

“We will take the one with two queens,” Karrie says as she grabs her bag from the floor. “You can sleep on the freaking terrace. Bringing me here with no reservation, acting like a crazy person,” she huffs out as she collects her breath, “I told you to calm down, told you to talk but does he listen to me, NOOO, not Matthew Grant, he has to come in guns blazing. Like a dragon foaming fire from his mouth.” She storms away down the hallway as Mathew yells “babe” as the door slams and you hear knocking.

“Babe.” And then another slam.

“Can I see pictures now?” Parker asks, sitting on one of the chairs.

“Sir,” Andre says from the door again. “If you would like, I’ll have room service come to set up something on the terrace so we can get the room back to normal.”

“Thank you, Andre,” Allison says as she hands her mother her phone with the pictures we took last night. “I’m going to get dressed.” She turns, leaving the room.

I see Parker looking at the phone and then showing them to Cooper with tears.

“She’s…”

“I wasn’t lying before when I said she was the most beautiful bride ever.” I walk over, grabbing my phone, then handing it to them as they swipe through the pictures I took of her on the terrace. “I’m really sorry that we didn’t tell you and kept it a secret.” I shake my head. “I don’t come from a family who loves and supports each other like you guys. I have Denise and I know I would kill for her, but”—I take a big breath—“it didn’t dawn on me everything she was giving up to marry me the way she did.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Allison says as she walks toward us. She has yoga pants and my T-shirt. I laugh thinking it’s her way of saying she’s all in. “We need to put out a press statement and I’m sure Doug will not be happy about all this. Why don’t we call him while you get dressed?”

I nod at her as she tells her parents that we will be right back.

The door closes behind her softly as I go to the bed and sit down on it, my head falling down with the weight on my shoulders. I close my eyes, replaying everything that just went down. I feel her hand through my hair. She places herself between my legs.

“You okay?” she asks as I raise my head to see her.

“I know how much you love your family, and I hate to put you in the position,” I start out saying as she leans down and kisses my lips.

“I love you more.” She stands up, taking her phone, and calling Doug, putting him on speakerphone.

He answers on the first ring, “This better not be a call that Matthew is in jail for beating your husband up.” He laughs out as I hear kids fighting in the background. He moves the phone from his mouth and I hear muffling. “Cooper, you need to share.” He comes back. “Sorry about that. I got the kids for the week.”

“You’re on speakerphone,” she mentions. “Max is here also.”

“So you two decided it was a good idea to go off and elope?” Doug says, his voice changing to serious.

“It wasn’t like that,” I chime in. “It happened and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I know this will not go well with the association.” I look at my wife. “But it is what it is. I don’t give a shit if we tell the press or not.”

“It’s too late about that. There was a picture circulating already. I just want to congratulate you both and wish you nothing but happiness. Allison, I take it you will handle the press?” he says. “Now I have to go. Somehow the kids seem to think that finger painting my walls with my shaving cream is a good idea.” He hangs up.

“So which one do you like better?” she asks as she shows me two pictures of us. “I like this one,” she says as she shows me a picture of the two of us standing on the terrace, her hand on my chest with her ring showing, as my hand hangs from her shoulder, my ring showing also.

“I don’t care, angel.”

She starts typing and then shows me.

#MadMax is officially off the market. Max Horton wed girlfriend Allison Grant yesterday in an intimate ceremony. The couple is excited for this next chapter in their life.

“Send the picture to Denise also, please. She is probably pissed that we didn’t tell her,” I say as there is a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Allison says and Parker comes in and closes the door behind her.

“Andre said to tell you that everything is set up.” She wrings her hands together nervously. “Max, I know that we don’t know each other, and I know that we started off on the wrong foot. And I totally understand if you don’t want us here. You just have to understand that Matthew is used to protecting her, so it’s hard for him to let go,” she says with tears.

I look at her and then at Allison, who is wiping away a tear. “I have a sister also. Our mother, she’s a drunk. Our father took off when we were kids,” I start out saying as Allison sits next to me and holds my hand. “She got married to not only a drunk but a drug user. When my sister was sixteen he tried to rape her.” I look at Allison, who puts her hand in front of her mouth. “It’s not my story to tell, but she called me and I went there. It was right after the rape charges. I was already skating on thin ice with the Stingers. Well, I went there and I beat him to a pulp, his face all bloodied and broken, my knuckles bleeding and sore. I just couldn’t stop hitting him. The only thing in mind was the sound of Denise’s wails. My mother, who yelled and screamed the whole time, called the cops on me. Doug came, bailed me out, and made sure that Denise was taken care of. From that day, it’s been just the two of us. I have no idea where my mother is or even if she’s alive, but I know that I would have done the same thing Matthew did if Denise went off with someone and eloped.”

“Max,” Parker says from her standing place, “will you make sure that my daughter is happy?”

I nod. “Every single day.”

“Would you do whatever it takes to protect her?” she asks.

“With everything that I have.”

“Do you love her, so much that your heart hurts when you are fighting? Do you love her so much, you would try and give her family a chance to be part of your life? Do you love her?” She stands there, five foot two, back straight, head high, asking me these things.

“With your daughter I can breathe easy. With her, I can smile just because. With her I know what love is.” I look down at Allison. “With her love I know that I can face anything, even the wrath of Matthew and Cooper.”

She is about to say something else when there is another knock at the door. This time Cooper walks in.

“So Karrie is sitting down at the table and has already started eating. I will add she is eating for two, but I’m afraid there will be nothing left if you guys don’t get out there.” Then he looks at the tears on his wife’s face and then at the tears on his daughter’s. “What’s the matter?” he asks as he takes his wife in his arms.

“I’m just asking my son-in-law some questions.” She smiles at her husband. “I’m starving and exhausted. Let’s leave Max to get dressed and go make sure she doesn’t eat all the food.”

They turn to walk out of the room, opening the door, and the sound of Matthew’s voice comes in.

“Dammit, Karrie, I said I was sorry. Stop throwing things at me!” he yells as you hear him say ouch, before the door is closed.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” my wife asks me, as I look down at our hands together.

“It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure,” I answer her.

She leans in and kisses me, her left hand going to my cheek.

“Thank you for loving me and for being something so irresistible,” she says as she leans in and seals it with a kiss.