Chapter Four – Max
I headed back home after helping Lucinda in her apartment. It was a heavy box: she admitted that it was filled with books that she intended to put in the bedroom, so I moved it there for her. I knew that she could have just taken them in handfuls herself, but this made sense. I could tell that she was an orderly person and just wanted to be settled in. I was the same way.
There was something that I liked about her, something familiar.
I drove over to my parent’s house to pick up Riley later that afternoon. They wanted her for the night so that they could take her out and spend some time with her while allowing me to have time to myself. Ever since Blake and I divorced, Mom’s been wanting me to get married and have another baby. She claimed that Riley was growing too fast. I just let her tell me that, never responding too much. She didn’t need to know that I had become a man whore who never intended to get married again.
As I parked and looked at their spacious ranch house, I thought about what my lawyer had told me at our last meeting. Blake was getting aggressive in her efforts to get Riley back. I knew that it was just to get to me, but I didn’t have any proof that she was a bad mother. She wasn’t – but Blake was self-absorbed and cared more about herself. Riley would struggle in her care and Blake’s parents weren’t much better. Riley was better off with me and my family. I stared forward for a moment. My lawyer suggested that I get a wife, even if she was a front. It would look better to the courts if I was settled in a relationship since Blake was living in a one-bedroom apartment and saying that she was barely making it on my support. I knew that she was just working the system for more money by getting child support for Riley since I was one of the most well-known doctors in the state.
Bitch, I made millions with my salary and investments and still lived in the simple house that I bought right before we got married. The neighborhood was great for Riley and I didn’t want to leave, whereas Blake seemed to want to live in a brownstone in Manhattan. She would use the support to pay for a nanny so she could go out all night and sleep in the following day.
If I were to get a wife, I’d look like a settled-down family man to the courts. That would make a perfect situation for Riley to live with me since mothers were often favored in these cases.
Lucinda would be perfect. Based on our earlier talk, she was soft and clearly compassionate and would make for a great mother figure. But what if Riley got attached to her? She didn’t go through the hurt all that badly when Blake moved out, but Riley was older now.
The idea of her living with Blake filled me with anger and I told myself that it was a great way to save Riley from that. Hell, we could just be engaged with a wedding date and probably win. Blake was a lot like me, sleeping her way through the city but lying about it. She hadn’t found her new sugar daddy yet, so she was going to go after me.
Lucinda Graves. I was going to make her mine. I would certainly enjoy the physical aspect of the relationship.
I blinked at the sound of my name and watched as a little blonde girl came running to my car as my mother watched from the front porch. I got out and wrapped Riley in a tight hug, spinning her around. “Hi, baby girl. Did you have fun?”
“Grandma took me to the movies to see the pretty lady sing,” she told me, her bright blue eyes moving with excitement. “We got ice cream, too. It was so yummy!”
I locked the door of the car with the keys that I’d grabbed and carried her to the front door. Mom closed the door behind us with a gentle smile and followed us to the kitchen where cookies were cooling. “Ice cream and cookies?” I asked with a sharp look at Mom.
“She loves to help me bake, Max. You know that. It’s not like I let her eat all of them. I have your father for that.” Her blue eyes twinkled as Riley wiggled out of my arms and ran over to get two cookies. She gave one to me with a sweet smile and I felt my heart turn to mush inside of my chest.
“Thanks, Ri-Ri,” I said as Mom walked over to plate the cookies and added some more to the oven.
“I’ll send you home with a bag,” Mom told me as she smiled at me, shaking her head.
We ended up staying for dinner and I told my parents that there was a new neighbor in Mrs. Hastings house. Unfortunately, the moment that Mom found out it was a young woman, she urged me to ask her out. Riley frowned at me. I shot Mom a dark look and Dad smirked at me as he took another bite of his steak.
I wasn’t about to tell Mom my plan to get engaged to Lucinda and possibly marry her to keep Riley. She’d have to be surprised like the rest of the world. The only person that could know about it was my lawyer. I needed to go about this the right way.
We made plans for the following week since Mom was my primary sitter during the day. I worked out of a private office that I leased with some fellow doctors instead of working in a hospital where I’d have less time with Riley. I did help the patients with delivery if necessary, but I specialized in gynecology. It kept things simple.
I took Riley home and gave her a bath as we talked all about her two days with Grandma. She adored both of my parents, but it was Mom that took her everywhere and spoiled her rotten. She was a great female figure in Riley’s life and, since I was an only child, Riley was all that she had right now. That might be changing soon.
I got her into clean pajamas and we went into my room to watch a movie. I did a lot of work on patient files at night while she fell asleep next to me, and tonight was no different. As soon as “The Princess and The Frog” ended, I looked over to see her sleeping soundly on the other pillow. I smiled, thinking that she was much better than any other girl I’d had in my bed.
I blinked and ran a hand through my hair as I lifted my eyes to switch the television to one of the late-night shows. I imagined Lucinda in my bed, sleeping beside me while Riley was safe in her own bed. I imagined movie nights with the three of us in here, laughing and eating popcorn.
Where did that come from?
I set my Mac Book down on the nightstand and glanced towards my window, hoping for a glimpse of Lucinda. Her blinds were closed tonight, but I could still make out the warm glow of whatever the lamp was. I didn’t even think to look around yesterday, but she made sure that I was in and out of the house very quickly. I assumed that it was because she was still settling in. I thought further about my plan and played back her reactions to me in my mind. Lucinda was attracted to me and I knew just what to do with that. If I couldn’t romance her, I knew that she needed money and we could work out a deal.
I wouldn’t introduce Riley to anyone that I thought would set a bad example to her, which was exactly why I was going to keep her from Blake. Lucinda would be the woman that she needed her to be and I’d win custody before I broke the news that we were splitting up. It would hurt, but hopefully it would all be short lived enough that she wouldn’t dwell on it too long.
Maybe it would work out for our future. I never saw myself as the marrying type ever since splitting with Blake, but I’d have to end up with someone eventually. Lucinda seemed good and was unlike any other woman I’d met, though she did remind me of someone I knew when I was younger.
I was going to get to know her over the next few weeks and sweet talk her into dating me. I knew how to work a woman. I’d convince her that I was the man for her. I preferred to do this with as much reality as needed so it would look good to the courts. I didn’t want her to fall apart with the lie at the last minute and let me lose Riley. Lucinda didn’t seem like the lying type to me, but rather was one to give the man she was falling for everything.
I moved my daughter to her bedroom and dropped back against the pillows with a yawn. All of this was getting to me and I needed to know that my baby was going to be safe with me and not left to a mother that had only her own interests at heart. I was already paying her plenty of money to get by thanks to the judge. She wasn’t going to get Riley too.