I saw lights flashing in front of my eyes but I still managed to snap, “Oh no we won’t. We’re never talking again. Anything I left in your house you can give to a charity shop.”

“Seriously, I want to talk about this, it’s just that now’s not a good time.”

“I know now’s not a good time,” I told him. “Reason number two why we’re over. I’m not bloody important enough for you to take the time to listen to me. Reason number one, just in case you’re curious, is that even when you do you don’t actually listen.”

“I listen.”

“Yes? If you listened then why did my father fly to Colorado to have this morning’s infinitely loving father daughter chat?”

“He’s just concerned that you’re not making the right –”

“He’s not concerned about that, Niles. He’s concerned about my access to your trust fund and the cachet he’ll lose when he can’t link his family’s name to yours.”

“That isn’t fair.”

“It’s not only fair, it’s bloody true.”

“You’ve always been too hard on him.”

My vision covered in shiny, sparkling, white lights, I took the phone from my ear, looked at the ceiling and screeched, “Oh my God! Why am I even having this conversation?”

Max’s fingers dug into my hip and he murmured, “Honey.”

Again I didn’t answer Max. I just put the phone back to my ear and said, “We’re over.”

“Who was that?” Niles asked but I didn’t answer him either. I brought my phone down, touched the screen to end the call then threw the phone on the counter with a clatter.

“Nina, please, baby, look at me,” Max entreated putting pressure on my waist but I yanked from his hold, put my fingers to my engagement ring, tugged it off and then hurled it with all my might across the room.

I heard the tinkling sound of its bumpy landing but I simply picked up the phone again.

Max’s hand came to my wrist, circling it with strong fingers and stopping my phone’s progress so I finally looked at him. He looked a contradictory mixture of concerned and amused.

“Duchess, I’m guessin’ he got the message.”

“You’d guess wrong,” I informed him. “Niles doesn’t pay much attention and when he does he hears what he wants to hear. And anyway, I’m not calling him, I’m calling my mother.”

Max gave me a look, squeezed my wrist and then released it, muttering, “I’ll make coffee.”

“I’ll take mine with a shot of tequila,” I snapped and watched him press his lips together and move away.

Then I touched and slid my finger on the screen on my phone until I found Mom and then pressed to connect.

She answered on the second ring. “You’re an early bird today.”

“Dad was just here.”

There was complete silence.

Then a screeched, “What?”

“Yes. He. Was. Just. Here. Spreading his goodwill and love all around Max’s entryway. It’s a wonder there aren’t cherubs flying around sprinkling rose petals and rainbows erupting through the windows, an aftermath of his delightful visit.”

I heard the sink go off and then Max’s chuckle.

I turned to glare at him. He grinned at me then opened the top of the coffeemaker to pour the water in.

“What was he doing there?” Mom asked.

“Niles called him.”

“Why on earth would he do that?” Mom sounded justifiably flabbergasted.

“I don’t know. Because he’s Niles?” I sounded justifiably irate.

“That’s just… that’s… I don’t even know what that is,” Mom stammered.

“It gets better.”

“Oh no.” Now she sounded anxious.

“Dad said he’s staying in town. He said, ‘this isn’t done’.”

“Oh no.” Now she sounded panicked.

“Oh yes.”

“What are you going to do?” Now she sounded hysterical.

“Well, the hotel is a pretty building, so I’d rather not set explosives.” Max chuckled again and I glared at him again while he flipped the lid down on the coffeemaker and then touched the switch.

“So, with that not being an option, what are you going to do?” Mom asked.

“Ignore him.”

“He’s hard to ignore.”

“Yes, well, by a cruel twist of fate, I am his daughter. Two can play at stubborn.”

Mom was quiet then she said softly, “Sweetie, I’m worried.”

“Why?”

“Because I got that picture.”

“What?”

“The e-mail you sent,” she said. “You look happy and he’s, Max… he’s… well, he’s gorgeous.” No doubt about it, she was right about that. “And, sweetheart, he looks happy too.”

My anger took a hit and warmth started to slide through me.

“Mom –”

“I haven’t seen you look like that…” she paused, “heck, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look like that.”

“Mom –”

“I don’t want your Dad messing that up for you.”

“But –”

“And he will. If he can, he’ll do it.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“You’re sure? Because I’m not so sure.”

“Mom, I really think I made my point this morning.”

“How? Because when that man gets something in his head –”

I was watching Max who’d taken down some mugs and just spied the new sugar bowl. He was grinning at it as he slid it toward him on the counter.

I was seeing this and I wasn’t seeing it. This was because something had locked inside me, something unpleasant and ugly.

“I struck him,” I whispered and Max’s head came up and twisted toward me when he heard my tone.

“Sorry?” Mom asked in my ear but my eyes connected with Max’s.

“I hit him,” I said more to Max than to Mom.

“You hit Lawrence?” Mom asked but I was staring at Max who took two strides across the room to me as I dropped the hand with my phone from my ear.

“I hit him, Max,” I whispered as his hands came to my hips then slid around and he pulled my body into his.

“Honey,” he whispered back.

“I’m not like this,” I said. “I don’t… I’ve never –”

“It was an extreme situation,” Max broke in gently.

“That doesn’t excuse –”

One of his arms stayed around me but the other hand came to the side of my neck. “Duchess, hate to say this, but your Dad’s a dick.”

“But –”

“I was havin’ trouble not layin’ a hand on him.”

“But –”

“He was in my house actin’ like that, never met me, didn’t show you an ounce of respect.”

“But that doesn’t mean –”

“Then he brought your brother into it.”

“I know, still –”

His arm gave me a squeeze as did his hand, he bent his head toward me and said, “You didn’t hurt him, baby and, honest to God, he got what he deserved.”

“You don’t think I’m –” I started but I got another squeeze in two places.

“No, I don’t think you’re anything but what you are and most of that’s good.”

I felt the pressure release in my insides, the warmth seeping through but my eyes still narrowed when I asked, “Most of it?”

“Duchess, remind me never to get you that riled. You’re a handful when you’re angry but you’re hell on wheels when you’re seriously pissed.”

I was beginning to get slightly “pissed” when I heard faraway laughter coming from my phone. Then my eyes got wide and I jerked the phone to my ear.

“Mom, God, I’m so sorry, I forgot –”

She was still laughing when she cut me off by asking, “He calls you Duchess?”

Max was watching me talk and suddenly I was self-conscious. “He calls me that because he thinks I have an accent.”

“Sweetie, that’s because you do.”

“I don’t have an accent!” I snapped at Mom, Max threw his head back and laughed and he did it loud.

I glared at him.

He just kissed my forehead through his waning laughter, let me go and went to the fridge.

“Oh my,” Mom breathed in my ear, “he’s got an amazing laugh.”

She was right about that too.

“Mom –”

“I like him.”

I felt my eyes get wide again and I reminded her loudly, “You’ve never even met him!”

Max, his hand curled around the filled creamer, turned to me, lifting the creamer, shaking his head and looking like he wanted to laugh again. At the creamer, my conversation or something else that struck him funny, I didn’t know and at that moment didn’t care.

“I still like him,” Mom said in my ear.

“Mom –”

“I like the way he talks to you.”

I liked that too.

Still, I said, “Mom –”

“And it sounds like he was there when Lawrence was being Lawrence.”

“He was.”

“The whole time?”

I thought about it and realized he was, the whole time. Except for the first few moments, Max quickly dressed and was with me the instant he could get to me. He had my back the whole time, part of it literally.

“The whole time,” I said more quietly.

“And he called Lawrence the d-word,” Mom told me and I couldn’t help it, I giggled and so did Mom.

“Yes, he did,” I said.

“You’ve got to like a man who thinks Lawrence is the d-word.”

She was right about that too.

“Mom –”

“What’s he doing now?”

I watched as Max poured coffee.

“Making me coffee.”

“Steve does that for me too,” she told me contentedly. “Brings me a cup in bed nearly every morning.”

I looked at the floor and said, “That’s sweet Mom and I’m so glad you have that now. Anyway, enough of this. How’s Steve? Is he doing okay?”

“He’s Steve, never has a bad day, God love him.”

“And you do too,” I said softly.

“Yes, sweetie, lucky I woke up and saw what life had on offer for me.”

“Mom –”

“Hope, today, you woke up too.”

“Mom –”

“Have coffee with your mountain man hunk,” she urged. “I’ll let you go.”

I sighed and looked up when I saw Max’s bare feet on the floor close to mine. When I looked up, he was putting a mug of coffee on the counter by me, his eyes came to mine and he took a sip from his.

I looked at my coffee and it appeared to be just how I liked it.

I sighed again.

Then I said, “Thanks for listening, Mom.”

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she assured me more firmly than I would have expected, considering she’d sounded hysterical not minutes before at the prospect of my father being in town.

“I know,” I assured her back.

“Tell him I love his house. It’s beautiful.”

I looked away and murmured, “I’ll tell him.”

“Love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, Mom, bye.”

“Bye.”

Then I touched the screen to end the call.

“You’ll tell me what?” Max’s deep, gravelly voice called and my eyes to him.

I put down the phone, picked up my coffee and took a sip then said, still feeling self-conscious, “She likes your house.”

“What?”

“She thinks it’s beautiful.”

“How does she know what my house looks like?”

“I gave her the website.”

He grinned. Then he lifted his hand and tucked hair behind my ear.

This gesture was so sweet, it made more warmth flood through me at the same time it caused me to shiver and the clashing sensations caused me to go temporarily insane enough to blurt, “She likes you.”

His hand dropped and his brows drew together. “What?”

“Nothing,” I muttered then started to move way, saying, “You want break –”

But I was drawn back with an arm hooked around my waist.

When my head tipped back to look at him, Max asked, “She likes me?”

I decided the safest explanation was, “She likes that you call me Duchess.”

“That’s a weird thing to like.”

“Mom’s a bit nutty.”

“Not surprising,” he mumbled then he went on when my eyes started to narrow. “She turn into a hellion when she’s pissed too?”

I thought about this then I answered truthfully, “Yes, probably worse.”

“Steve her man?” Max asked and I nodded. “Poor Steve,” he muttered and I grinned.

His face changed, it was that soft I liked so much but there was something more, something much more and I felt the change somewhere deep, private and I held my breath for what was coming next.

He drew me even closer so our lower bodies were touching and he asked, “You okay?” I nodded but his arm gave me a squeeze. “Nina, I’m serious here, that was an intense fuckin’ scene. You okay?”

From nowhere I understood what else was in his face and when I understood it I realized why I didn’t recognize it. The only male who’d ever looked at me like that was Charlie and he was my brother so he was supposed to look at me like that in times like these.