Page 36 of It's Not Home Without You

“P-pardon?” So much for sounding like he didn’t intimidate me.

“Don’t be coy. Name your price. Then I’ll never have to see you near my son again.”

My stomach sank with unease, and my eyes watered at the thought of Max’s father thinking I was a gold-digging whore. I accepted the factI wasn’t good enough, thatI wasn’t the poster girl for perfection, but to insinuate that the only reason I was with Maximilian was for his money hurt so fucking deep.

“I’m not after his money; I love your son, Mr. Dunnett.”

“Oh please, you don’t have to pretend with me, girl. Your mother was the same way. She latched on to money until it left her high and dry. I will not have my son throw away his future for anobody.”

Flinching, I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he didn’t give me a chance.

“My son could have gone to any college he wanted. Instead, he’s going to community college so that he can be close to you. He’s given up his car and his trust fund, for what? For a cheap thrill?”

“I never told him to stay,” I rasped. Mr. Dunnett didn’t know just how much he hit home. Was Max willing to give everything up for me? A part of me wanted to love him for it, but a part of me knew that if he did that, he would grow to resent me, and I would hate myself for it.

“I’ll tell him to go to Chicago like he had originally planned,” I said in a rush. I would talk to Max, make him see reason. We could fix this.

Mr. Dunnett laughed at my naivety. “And have him unfocused because you’re here?”

“He’ll listento me. I love him, Mr. Dunnett. I want what’s best for him too.”

“Name your price,” he gritted.

“I’m not some money-hungry whore!” I yelled back. I needed him to get it through his head that no amount of money was worth the love Max gave me.

“If you loved my son, you wouldn’t hold him back. If you loved my son, you would have let him go because you aren’t enough for him. Is that what you want, Freya? For Max to not reach his full potential? My son could have it all, but he’s throwing it away for you! You won’t name a price, I’ll make this easy for you. If you don’t leave my son, you and your grandfather may find yourselves homeless.”

His voice was like ice, freezing me instantly. I knew he would do it, he had the money and the connections. He could find a bullshit clause that would force my Grandpa to sell. Every year my grandpa complained property taxes kept rising. I’m sure Mr. Dunnett was ruthless enough to seize any opportunity as long as it meant I would be far from his son. I also understood why Max was ready to leave it all for me, but I had already been selfish enough. Maybe if I had pushed harder and told Max to go away for college, we wouldn’t be here right now. I looked at Max’s car, a car he loved almost as much as he loved me, and I knew I had to do the right thing for him, even if it wasn’t the right thing for me.

When I spoke, my voice sounded foreign to my own ears. I was breaking, even if I didn’t let Mr. Dunnett see it. “I’ll do it. I’ll leave Max, but I don’t want a thing from you.”My heart broke with that sentence. I knew it would be painful to break Max’s heart, but it was the only way he would let me go. But in breaking Max’s heart, I would break my own.

Mr. Dunnett didn’t stick around to watch me cry. He had accomplished what he had set out to do. I took one last look at Max’s vintage Mercedes Benz and knew that the day of the crash would be the last memory either of us would have in that car. For Max to achieve his full potential, I had to break his heart to give him drive. Wiping the tears off my face, I took one look around Max’s home, a place I never fit in, and I told myself it was for the best.

I wouldn’t let Max ruin his life for me. My boy deserved greatness. Everyone knew it, and I couldn’t be the girl to hold him back.

Once I stopped crying, I went to look for Max. I didn’t have to search for long. My boy was already looking for me. As soon as I made it to the backyard, our eyes found each other. It happened every single time. It didn’t matter who was around; it was just him and me.

I gave him a big smile and waved him over. As soon as he saw me, his body sagged with relief. “Do you want to get out of here, baby?” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. I took a deep breath, smelling his unique scent and committing to memory the way his arms felt wrapped around me.

Strong. Protective. Secure.And for one more night, all mine. I would be selfish one more time. Just for tonight, I would pretend for a little longer, but starting tomorrow, Iwould set things in motion, so my boy could forget about me. “I’m fine right here.”

And that was the truth.

For one last time, I held him close.

I held him tight, and when I pulled away, I left my heart in his arms.

For one last time, I allowed myself to feel whole—to feel at home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Some things were inevitable,like when someone said spider you jumped around like a lunatic hoping you got it off you, or how when you found out your best friend married your nemesis, it was only natural to scream. I was sitting in Rusty’s truck, good ol’ Bow, unusually quiet. Every time I opened my mouth, I closed it, not knowing how to approach the subject. Dex and Emma had to talk me down from marching out of the store and bitching out Rusty as soon as he came to pick me up. They reminded me that who he married was none of my business.

I knew it wasn’t, but it still kind of was.

So there I sat with my mouth closed as Rusty talked about all the things I missed while I waited for him to tell me he married Jana Moore.

Excuse me, Jana Hayward.

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