Olivia was still asleep when Max got back. This time, the smile he had for Riley when he stepped inside the house was even more strained. He still pulled her into a big hug, but he was clearly tense and preoccupied.

“Did everything go all right with the real estate agent?” she asked.

“Someone already made an offer on the house, better than I could come up with,” he replied.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Riley said. “I’m sure you’ll find something soon enough.”

“Yeah…” Max trailed off, avoiding her gaze all of the sudden.

Something was still off, Riley could feel it in her gut, but the feeling was muddled by her own preoccupation. Her earlier conversation with Addison was still playing in her mind, and she knew she had some tough decisions in her future.

Maybe Max was thinking about the future, too?

As Riley mulled it over, it made sense. Max had not only himself to think about, but his daughter, as well. Could she really blame him for being a little distracted? Besides, she knew how important finding a home for himself and Olivia was, and now he’d been dealt another disappointment.

So, instead of trying to interrogate him, she just pulled him in for another hug, squeezing tightly.

“Everything is going to work out,” she said quietly.

And she believed it, too.

* * *

After having spent a couple of hours hanging out with Addison in the main house, Riley returned to the guesthouse just in time to see Max put Olivia to bed. They both stayed standing in the doorway a little longer than was necessary, watching the little girl clutch the edge of her blanket tightly in her tiny fist.

“She looks so peaceful,” Riley whispered. “Not a care in the world.”

“As it should be,” Max replied, finally closing the door.

The two of them snuggled up on the couch after that, the windows open to let in a cooling breeze. As they talked, Max started to act more like himself. Entertaining him with the wildest stories she had picked up in her law career, Riley soon found herself laughing, forgetting all about her earlier concerns.

“You’re telling me robbers actually leave their own IDs behind as they flee the scene of their crime?” Max asked. “That has to be an urban legend.”

“It happens more than you would think,” she replied. “I guess a lot can fall out of your pockets when you’re busy filling them with other people’s valuables.”

“Makes the cops’ job a lot easier, doesn’t it?” Max cocked a brow at her.

“Sure does,” she chuckled.

Tucked into the crook of Max’s arm, Riley let herself sag against him, reveling in being close to him. Every minute they spent together, the further away the image of her back in Chicago, working at Latham & Ellis slipped from her mind.

Only one thing dampened the mood, and that was the constant buzzing of Max’s phone. Finally, he fished it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, and turned the vibration off entirely, resting the cell on the edge of the couch.

While Riley appreciated him giving her all of his attention, she couldn’t help but wonder who exactly was texting him this much, and at such a late hour. Max offered up no explanation, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to pry.

He was entitled to his privacy, after all.

“A drink?” Max suggested after a while.

“I could go for a beer,” Riley replied.

“Coming right up,” he said, pushing himself off the couch.

He had barely gotten to the fridge when the sound of Olivia crying cut through the silence in the house.

“Probably a bad dream,” Max commented. “I’ll be right back.”

Riley just smiled and nodded as he disappeared down the hallway. She decided to get the beers herself, grabbing two bottles and an opener from the kitchen nook. As she settled back down onto the couch, stretching out and getting comfortable, the blinking light on the top corner of Max’s cell phone seemed to taunt her.

Riley had to admit – she was curious. Max was usually so open with her, it was odd he hadn’t said anything about his phone blowing up, when it was clear they were both very aware of it.

When the screen lit up with a missed call, she started to think that something might be wrong. Was she keeping him from something? Maybe it was a friend that needed his help, or a family member that wanted to talk.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Riley leaned over, just enough to get a good look at the screen. A new text had just come through, with an unsaved number as the sender. Frowning, it took her a couple of seconds before the message really registered in her brain.

I’ll be waiting for you at the motel. Don’t take too long ;)

In the other room, Olivia had stopped crying, but Riley was only vaguely aware of that. Who the hell was waiting for Max at the motel? And what was with the winky face? Riley tried to come up with an innocent, reasonable explanation, but was coming up short.

Maybe it was her career choice that made her suspicious, but there was definitely something shady going on.

Riley nearly smacked herself on the forehead. It wasn’t a stretch at all to think that Max would already be involved with someone here. He knew most of the people in town, after all, and could have easily rekindled a former flame.

I mean, look at him. Who wouldn’t want to get a piece of that?

And it wasn’t as if they had really established what they were, or how serious the relationship was. Still, a keen sense of betrayal took over.

Riley almost jumped out of her seat when she spotted Max standing in the doorway, looking from her to the phone.

“Riley…” he started, but didn’t say anything else.

She didn’t like the guilty tone to his voice or how he just stood there, arms slack at his sides. Immediately, Riley jumped to the worst conclusions. How could she not?

“Who are you meeting at the motel?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

“No one,” he replied, seeming to struggle with his answer. “No one you need to worry about.”

“That’s not really an answer, Max,” she said.

He took a step closer, holding out his hands. Looking torn, he seemed to be weighing what to say next. Riley, on the other hand, felt hurt and naïve, which she had thought she had grown out of. She knew better, didn’t she? Something about Max had been off all day, and suddenly she didn’t buy his story about meeting with his real estate agent anymore.

“It’s private,” he said. “But it has nothing to do with us, I swear.”

“And I’m supposed to just take your word for it?” Riley scoffed, shooting up from her seat. “If you have nothing to hide, why not just tell me?”

“I don’t want to drag you into my problems,” Max replied.

“That’s not good enough,” she shook her head.

Max remained silent as he looked straight at her, an expression on his face that sent a sharp pain shooting through her chest. All Riley wanted to do was to go back to a moment before, when they were just talking, curled up on the couch, with her safely tucked away under his arm.

But she had been played for a fool before. And she wasn’t about to just let it happen again. Tears brimming in her eyes, she brushed past Max and made her way to the door, forcing herself to not look back as she stepped outside and rushed to the main house.

She listened for footsteps behind her, but they never came.