Gone Too Far (19 page)

“Who cares,” Peter said.

“So he speaks.” Max turned to Peter. “You haven't said a word all night.”

Peter shrugged and stuffed a piece of filet mignon in his mouth. “You Americans are so uptight. You do all kinds of shit, but then act all holier—”

“What did I tell you about language at my dinner table?” Steven stared the boy down.

“You just proved my point.” Peter sat up in his seat, seeming to finally find something to be interested in. “I hear you curse all the time, but you—”

“This is my house,” Steven announced firmly. “Something you seem to not get after several months of being told so.”

“Steven.” Janet's tone was completely calm as she eyed her husband. He had promised to behave.

“I ask,” Haley continued as if never having stopped, “because there are quite a few dead girls—and dead boys—in our past.”

“Stop it,” Leigh ordered.

Max turned to her, and she tried to make it seem as if it was nothing, but she knew it wasn't possible.

Max cleared his throat. “I'm aware of what papers say, but I can say firsthand that you can never believe what you read in the papers.”

“That is certainly true,” Janet added with a nervous laugh.

“I get that it's your house,” Peter said. “You try to remind me every day. This is your house. That's your guest house. This is your daughter and—”

“We can continue this later,” Steven said.

Ignoring both men, Haley leaned forward. “Well, Max, most of what you read in the papers about us is true, and if it isn't, it's because we put it there to hide what really is true.”

“Stop being rude,” Leigh ordered sharply.

“And it's Senator Cody,” Janet corrected.

“I don't mind,” Max said. “She can call me whatever she wants.”

“Don't say that,” Leigh whispered to him.

Suddenly, Peter pushed away from the table, making his glass of wine and Max's glass, which was just across from his, spill over into Max's lap.

“Oh, no.” Leigh reached for her napkin as Max slid back in his seat.

Peter stood up briskly. “I don't give a damn that this is your house. I'm tired of being treated like a boy.”

“You're twenty-three,” Haley said. “Trust me. You could be forty-three and he'd still treat you like a boy. It's how he treats everyone.”

“That's enough,” Steven said.

Janet had gotten up and was at Max's side. “I am so sorry. I can get Maya to—”

“It's fine,” Max said, pushing Leigh's fussing hands away.

Leigh could tell from his tone that he was annoyed.

“You're excused from this table.” Steven was looking at Peter.

“I don't need to be excused from this table,” Peter said. “I'm leaving this table, this house, and this damn country. And I'm taking Haley with me.”

Haley almost choked on the water she was swallowing. She looked up. “Peter! Not now.”

“What do you mean?” Janet had been halfway to the kitchen but swung around now.

“I told you I didn't want to go.” Haley grabbed Peter's hand and tried to pull him back into his seat.

“You're my wife,” Peter said. “You have to go with me.”

“Haley isn't your wife,” Janet said. “Not really, and she isn't going anywhere.”

“What is she talking about?” Max whispered to Leigh.

“If you go upstairs,” Leigh said, trying to distract him, “I'm sure I can find some of my brother's pants.”

Peter turned to Janet, breaking free of Haley's grip. “If she wants her thirty million dollars she is.”

“That money is mine!” Haley stood up, getting in Peter's face. “And if you go back without me, your wife, your family will know that this is all a lie and you'll get nothing but a measly allowance. Trust me, I know firsthand that that isn't worth it.”

“Haley, please.” Leigh could tell from Max's expression that he was taking it all in, and that wasn't a good thing.

“You're both excused,” Steven said calmly, but his tone warned that he was only a second from exploding.

“Whatever!” Haley exclaimed. “Let's go.”

“Haley.” Janet went after Haley, who followed Peter toward the hallway.

“Janet,” Steven called to her. “Please take a seat.”

“She can't go,” Janet said.

“I'll take care of it.” Steven gestured toward Max and Leigh. “We have guests.”

“Oh.” Janet couldn't believe how quickly she had forgotten Max was even there. The thought of Haley leaving had upset her so much. “I am so sorry, Senator.”

Leigh was hoping Max would say something like
It's okay
but he didn't. He simply accepted a napkin Maya handed him and placed it on his damp lap.

“Haley is a little high-strung.” Janet reclaimed her seat at the other end of the table. “She doesn't like it when anyone at the dinner table gets more attention than her.”

“That young man is her husband, right?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” Leigh hurried her answer. “It's a long story, but she is married to him.”

Max's brows drew together, showing an uncertain, cautious frown.

“I would love for you to meet our more well-behaved children.” Janet smiled but could see from Max's expression that Haley's explosion had made an impression on him. “We're having a birthday dinner for my son Michael at Tulips in Wilshire Plaza next week.”

Max hesitated a moment before saying, “I would…I…”

“I don't think so, Mom.” Leigh's eyes shifted nervously between Max and her mother.

She had thought she was doing Max a favor, but when she looked at him, the expression on his face made it seem as if he was offended. It was confusing, but Leigh was too disappointed in the turn the evening had taken to understand what it meant. All she knew was that Max had gotten a taste of dining with the Chases, and she thought to head off an additional invitation before he would decline and embarrass everyone.

 

Kimberly was surprised at how she felt when she rang the doorbell to Chase Mansion. Standing outside the giant double wooden doors, she normally felt a tightening of her stomach and anxiety creeping up the back of her neck. For so long, she feared that every time her babies were brought here, she would never see them again or that Janet was waiting for her with some evil plot and no one would ever see Kimberly again.

She was there to pick up Daniel, who had been spending a fun day with Michael, something to get his mind off of how much he missed Evan. Michael usually dropped them off at her place, but today he had told her his hectic schedule made it impossible and asked her to come here.

Kimberly would be lying if she said she still didn't fear coming to this house. As a matter of fact, she had been feeling queasy all day, but she felt calmer than ever now. It almost made her laugh to think of how much stress she let go of when she wanted to.

“What are you doing ringing this doorbell?” Maya asked as soon as she opened one of the doors. She stepped aside to let Kimberly in.

“Hi, Maya.” Kimberly stepped inside. “I'm not really welcome here anymore.”

Maya made a smacking sound with her lips. “Most of the people who live here aren't welcome here. Your baby is upstairs in his room. He's exhausted.”

“Kimberly.” Michael made his way down the double staircase.

Kimberly loved it when he “went rugged,” a term she used when he wore jeans and a T-shirt. He rarely wore anything but an expensive suit or pricey European casual wear. A pair of Levi's and a Columbia Business School T-shirt made him look like a college boy and accented his best attributes—his muscular arms and flat stomach.

“He's actually sleeping right now,” Michael said as he approached, wondering what that gleam in her eye was. It excited him, but he tried not to show it. “But I need you to do something first.”

“What?” Kimberly asked as Maya left them alone.

Michael looked down the hallway toward the east wing of the house, where both of his parents had their home offices. “I had to tell him.”

“Tell who what?” Kimberly asked.

Michael waited as Kimberly figured it out for herself. “I had to. He should know what is coming at him.”

Kimberly rolled her eyes. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. “So how many threats did he make against me?”

“None, but he wants to talk to you.”

Kimberly laughed. “Funny. Can I just get my son and get out of here?”

“It's okay.” Michael placed a hand on her arm comfortingly, wishing he could do more. He wasn't sure what to do with her now that they had slept together again. “I've talked to him. I promise you, he just wants to talk.”

“And Steven always keeps to his word, right?” Kimberly moved her arm away, because she was too affected by his touch. Maybe it was the exposed arms or how well his jeans fit. “I won't come out of there alive.”

“Kimberly.” Michael tried to speak in as assuring a voice as he could muster. “I promise you, he will not hurt you. I made him promise me.”

“I'm not your wife anymore, Michael. You don't get to make bargains regarding me without my consent.”

“I'm very well aware of who you aren't,” Michael said. “Dad has a right to hear firsthand what you have to say. You were trying to bring him down.”

“I did what I did because he tried to buy my children from—” Kimberly stopped herself and took a deep breath. No more.

Michael felt compassion for the pain she had experienced when his parents tried to buy the kids away.

“I know he's hurt you, but you said you wanted to come clean. You knew it would be hard. Look, I'll go with you, and I won't let him do anything to you.”

She was still hesitating, looking very worried. Michael gazed intently into her eyes and said, “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”

He could see her relax as her lips curved into a tiny, tepid smile. He wanted to kiss her, but when he moved in, Kimberly leaned away.

“What's wrong?” Michael asked, smarting from the rejection.

“Michael, we need to be clear about what is going on.” Kimberly took a step back, hoping that this would lower her body temperature a bit. She had really wanted to kiss him, but her fear of Steven was too prominent in her mind. “We were…intimate because of Evan.”

“I wasn't under the impression you were mine again,” he said. “I know thinking that is what made me lose you in the first place. But what we did was about more than Evan.”

“Maybe.” Kimberly shook her head regretfully. “My emotions are all over the place. This has all been too much for me to deal with. All I am clear on is that this menacing summons from King Chase reminds me that I don't want anything to do with this family again.”

“What about me?”

Kimberly hoped to find the courage to say what her logical mind told her to instead of what her heart was saying. “Let's face it, Michael. You can't extract yourself from this family, because you can't extract yourself from Chase Beauty. It has always been the one you loved most.”

Michael lowered his head shamefully. “I know. This has been true, but—”

“I'm sorry,” Kimberly said. “I'll go talk to Steven because you're right. Coming clean doesn't mean just coming clean to people I pick and choose. But that's it. You will always be the father of my children, but I can't have any connections with the Chase family and especially with Chase Beauty.”

She turned to leave but then turned back. “And I'll go alone. I don't need you to protect me anymore.”

“You're a different woman than I remember,” Michael said. He was conflicted and hurt by her rejection but was impressed with her independence.

She smiled. “I think we've all changed.”

As he watched her walk down the hall toward his father, her words were swirling around in his head. He was distracted by the confident sway of her perfect hips and the way her long hair bounced behind her. It wasn't enough to make him forget her feelings. She didn't hate him anymore, but she didn't need him either. It only made him want her more.

But she was right. They had gone too far to go back—at least back to the way they had been. Michael would have to take drastic measures to get her back and keep her so he could make up for all he'd done wrong. And he knew what that drastic measure was. He would just have to build up the nerve to make it happen.

“C
arter!” Leigh was surprised to see her older brother enter the house as she was coming down the stairs. “Did you bring the little munchkin?”

“Hey, Leigh.” Carter closed the door behind him. “Why is it that after you have a kid, people treat you like you exist only to bring them by?”

“Everybody loves a baby.” Leigh stopped at the bottom of the steps.

“Speaking of which,” Carter said, “I'm looking for the kid. I have some legal papers for her. She here?”

Leigh rolled her eyes. “I don't want to talk about Haley. Sometimes I wish she would go back to Australia.”

“That's right,” Carter said. “You had the Red Team's senator over for dinner a couple of nights ago. He get out alive?”

“Barely.” Leigh looked down at her watch. “I'm on my way to meet Max for lunch now and apologize.”

“You didn't apologize that night?”

“I wimped out.” In actuality, Leigh hadn't really gotten the chance to apologize.

After things calmed down at dinner, she was able to get Max away from the rest of the family and into the rarely used library, a massive, dark leather and cherrywood decorated room filled with oversized, leather-bound books, first editions behind protective glass cases and antique furniture. Her hopes of ending the night on a good note were squashed when Max suddenly got a text from Kelly informing him that the head of the Republican National Committee would be making a surprise visit to L.A. in the morning.

She believed Max when he said that he had to leave because he needed to prep for the meeting; he intended to get the RNC to have its next convention in L.A. in the year he would be running for governor. What she didn't believe was him saying he felt horrible for having to leave and wished he could stay longer. The relief with which he spoke of Kelly's call told the real truth. He couldn't wait to get out of there and barely took the time to kiss her before rushing out.

“What, exactly, do you intend to tell him?” Carter asked. “Are you going to lie and say that was an aberration? That this family really isn't a nightmare?”

“I don't think it would make any difference,” Leigh said. “Either way, I have to get this over with. I was going to put it off until our date this Friday, but since Avery canceled on me, I took it as a sign to just deal with this.”

“Avery?” Carter asked.

“We were going to have lunch today, and she canceled on me, so I saw it as a sign—”

“Why are you having lunch with her?” he asked angrily.

Leigh placed her hand on her hip. “Possibly because she's my friend. Don't expect me to hate her just because you do.”

“I don't hate her,” Carter argued.

“I know you don't hate her,” Leigh agreed, leaning in. “You love her, and if I was a psychiatrist, I'd have a word for whatever this is you're doing.”

“But you're not, so…”

“You need to take it easy on her now,” Leigh said. “With everything she is going through, she doesn't need you making it harder on her.”

“Avery brings trouble on herself,” Carter scoffed.

Leigh made a smacking sound with her lips. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. It isn't as if you didn't have a hand in ending her marriage.”

Carter frowned, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Everyone in the family knew that Anthony's accident was a result of Avery telling him she was leaving him.

“Just back off of her,” Leigh said. “If not for her sake, then for Connor's. This situation is hard enough on the baby. A divorce—”

“What divorce?” Carter asked, shocked.

Leigh's body stiffened as she realized what she'd done. “Oh…I thought you knew.”

“What are you talking about?” Carter's tone belied his desperation. Had he heard right?

“She canceled on me because she was too upset. She said that her marriage was over and that she had left Anthony.”

“She said that?” Carter asked her tentatively, as if giving her one last chance to take it back. “She is leaving him. She…Why?”

“She didn't want to tell me why,” Leigh said. “And the fact that she didn't tell you tells me I better stop talking.”

“I have a right to know what is going on with my daughter,” Carter insisted.

Leigh started for the door, not sure what she had just started. Before leaving, she said, “She just said she and Connor are going to live with her parents in Baldwin Hills.”

Carter wasn't sure what he was feeling as he stood alone in the foyer of the house. She left him. She left him! She had listened to him and must have gotten Anthony to tell her the truth. She was leaving him! Carter couldn't stop the thoughts from racing through his head, but they were all too far away to grasp and make sense of. The only thing that seemed firm in his mind was that he had to talk to her, had to see her.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he reached into his pocket for his cell. For whatever reason, before he pressed the speed-dial button to reach Avery, it struck him where the number was. She was still number one. After all this time, she was still at the top of his speed-dial list, and although he had changed phones a few times since putting her there, he'd never moved her down. Julia had never gotten above number two.

Why did something so trivial and insignificant bother him all of a sudden? Why did it anger him that he hadn't been able to remove her from that spot? He knew why. It was because he knew, without having to check, that he wasn't number one on her speed dial, and he hadn't been for a while. Why hadn't she called him? Why did he have to hear about this from Leigh in passing?

Carter knew he had to stop this, all of it. He had to stop running to a woman who only seemed to hurt him, and he had to stop making it his purpose in life to hurt her. This game was over and everyone lost. Things had gone too far to go back and too far to start over. The only thing to do was move on.

No, it wasn't Avery he needed to call. It was Julia.

 

Lunch at Cecconi's was not going very well for Leigh and Max. When she'd arrived, she was disappointed to find Kelly was already there. Max spotted her and waved her over. She reluctantly approached and was met with a brief smile as Max kept his attention on his phone conversation. Kelly had already ordered a selection of cicchetti, which the waiter placed on the table just as Leigh arrived. Despite the dirty looks Leigh gave him, Max seemed reluctant to get off the phone, only holding up a finger to beg her patience.

Leigh tried to engage Kelly in small talk, but the woman clearly didn't want to talk to her. Leigh had the feeling that her presence here was a threat to Kelly, but she didn't really care. She just wanted her to leave so she could have a real conversation with Max. After he finally got off the phone, Max infuriated Leigh by engaging in small talk with her and political talk with Kelly. It wasn't until dessert arrived, which Kelly had also preordered, that Kelly excused herself from the table to return to the office.

“You look lovely,” Max said, reaching for his fork to dig into the panna cotta. “You should wear red more often. It's a very attention-getting color.”

“You seem to be immune.” Leigh met his glance with a terse one of her own to match her tone.

Max smiled. “I'm sorry, Leigh. It's very busy these days. The campaign is about to gear up. I hope you understand.”

“Why was she here?” Leigh asked.

Max paused and lightly sighed as if he knew an argument was coming. “You're the one who wanted us to appear as just friends. Kelly makes a good buffer and an excuse to say this was policy related.”

“Or maybe it was to avoid talking to me.”

Max casually tugged at his sharp blue tie. “I'm talking to you now, but I can see that fact isn't going to soothe you.”

“This is about my family, right?”

“I was only complying with your request to make it appear as if—”

“I'm not talking about that and you know it.” Leigh leaned in. “I'm talking about what happened at my house and how you've been avoiding me since.”

“It's been two days.”

“Why did I have to call you?”

“Why wouldn't you have to call me?” he asked. “Do you expect me to be the only chaser here?”

Leigh frowned in exasperation. “Don't you dare. This is not about chasing and romance. This is about you being scared shitless about my family.”

Max made a dismissive frown. “Is that what you think?”

“I understand that my family can be a real turnoff,” Leigh said, “but you could at least—”

“Do you think I'm stupid, Leigh?”

Taken off guard, Leigh wasn't sure how to respond. She leaned back, trying to study the flat expression that took over his face. “I didn't call you stupid.”

“Wouldn't I have to be if I didn't know what your family was like?” he asked. “Granted, the show that was put on was a bit much, but I don't scare that easily. It appears, however, that you do.”

“You want to explain that to me?” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I can explain it to you as soon as you explain to me why you told your mother I wouldn't be coming to Michael's birthday dinner.”

Leigh laughed to cover her annoyance. “I was just certain that you wouldn't want to—”

“I can speak for myself,” he said sternly. “You know that, so I assumed you spoke out to keep me from doing so.”

Leigh could have tried to find excuses, but she wasn't good enough at lying to pull it off, and from the look on Max's face, he didn't have the patience anyway.

“I think you did it because the idea of me coming to Michael's dinner meant that this was real, that our relationship was no longer an extension of some vacation romance.”

Max's cell, lying on the table next to his plate, began to vibrate, and Leigh wished he would be rude and answer it. Instead, he reached over and turned it off, never taking his eyes off her.

“It wasn't your idea to have me come over for dinner that night, right? It was your mother. If it was up to you, I wouldn't have even met your family yet.”

After a moment's pause, Leigh finally said, “You're right. But you have to understand that you and I becoming an ‘us' is more than just an ‘us.'”

“I know,” Max said. “It's more than a relationship, and that is why I was willing to keep its status a secret from the public, but I didn't know you were going to keep it secret from me too.”

“I was only hoping we could navigate this between the two of us before any families got involved.”

“No, Leigh. You were hoping you could navigate this by yourself before you got involved.”

Leigh's mouth opened in protest, but nothing came out. She was hurt by his words.

“I'm in love with you, Leigh.”

Leigh's eyes widened in surprise and shock. “What?”

Max's expression was starkly serious, his eyes holding hers with an intent strength. “I'm in love with you, and I haven't allowed myself to feel that since my wife. I knew going into this that you aren't the kind of woman a man can just date. And although I understand what you've gone through, and I'm just as concerned about the public consequences of our relationship, I'm willing to work through that. I know what your family is, but I don't care. I know who you are and you're what I want.”

Leigh was affected deeply by his words, and by the strength and determination in his tone. He just didn't understand.

“How can you know so soon?” she asked.

Leigh could tell from Max's reaction that he was disappointed in her response. She was making a mess of this and she knew it, but she was scared. She was just so scared and confused as to why he wasn't.

“I don't want you to think I'm not happy that you feel that way about me, but I'm just not as brave as you.”

“Bullshit,” he snapped back. “I wouldn't let myself fall in love with a woman who wasn't at least as brave as me.”

“You have to know that I feel strongly for you,” Leigh said. “I had vowed to stay away from men at least for now, but I couldn't stay away from you. I wouldn't have ever…shared myself with you if I didn't have feelings.”

“But?”

She sighed. “I just need more time to know if this is something I want or something I'm supposed to want.”

“You need time?” Max asked. “Well, I'm going to give it to you.”

“I just need a few days to—”

“You'll get more than that.” Max raised his hand for the waiter to approach. He asked for the check before turning back to Leigh. “I'm leaving for D.C. tonight.”

Leigh couldn't hide how much that upset her. “Why? The session doesn't begin for another couple of weeks.”

“I have a lot to do.” Max picked up his napkin from his lap and placed it on the table. “And, frankly, I need to leave L.A. if I'm going to stay away from you.”

“Why do you need to stay away from me?”

“I'm already in love with you, Leigh. If it turns out you don't feel the same, it's going to be very hard on me. I need to prepare myself for that possibility.”

“I don't want to—”

“So it's best,” he interrupted, “if I just not see you. I'm looking at you now, and I want to take you on this table.”

Leigh felt a tingling sensation run through her at the deep look in his eyes as he said this.

“So you see,” he continued, reaching into his pocket, “I think leaving L.A. is the only way I can stay away from you.”

Max stuffed a few bills in the billfold and handed it back to the waiter as he returned. He stood up from his chair, looking down at Leigh. “Call me when you know what you want.”

 

Walking down the hallways of the private wing in the hospital, Carter was getting ugly looks from the nurses, and he knew why.