Page 35 of It's Not Home Without You

“Rusty didn’t mention having your car earlier today,” I said, since I knew Rusty was now the only person Max trusted with his car.

“Just dropped it off today.”

I didn’t think much of it. My nerves were acting crazy today. I wondered what kind of reaction I would get at the Dunnetts.

“It’ll be fine, babe.”Max brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly.

“I know, Max. I know you’d never let anyone hurt me, not even your own family.”

Max’s grip on my hand became tighter, more possessive. When he said, “Never,” I felt a chill all over my body at the conviction in his voice.

The party was in full swing when we arrived at Max’s house. Mrs. Dunnett went all out this time since it wasn’t a simple cookout. There were white tents filled with twinkling white lights, servers, and a makeshift dance floor.

It was by far the fanciest party I had ever attended. I was glad I had bought a dress for the occasion. Between prom and today,my savings had taken a hit, but it was all for a good reason. The white and navy blue floral maxi dress flowed nicely, accentuating my small frame. It had a small slit, nothing too flashy, and it tied at the neck. Since I didn’t want to sink my heels in the grass—a choice I now regretted—I wore tan, strappy sandals.

We said hello to a few people. Most of them were nice, but most of them were also here sucking up to Mr. Dunnett and the Newtons. I never let myself think on how much Max had because it was intimidating, but sometimes it stared me in the face, as it did now, and my demons would tell me he was too good for me. He could do so much better than me.

“I’m thinking about asking the mayor if I can help with his reelection campaign.”

“Why would you want to do that?” I laughed it off.

Max shrugged. “It would make a good experience. Besides, what else am I supposed to do while you and Russell work?”

“Rusty and I work because we have to.” I didn’t mean to sound so judgmental, but when Max lost his smile, I regretted what I said. I didn’t have a chance toapologize to him because Mr. Dunnett walked up to us with one of his friends.

“This is my other son, Maximilian. Max, this is Joshua, the man I was telling you about earlier.”

I stood next to Max, smiling at Mr. Dunnett and Joshua, waiting for an introduction, but one never came.Can you say awkward?I felt lonely, which was crazy because Max was next to me. I looped my arm over Max’s; it was something Idid when we walked side by side. Max didn’t mind; he instantly inched closer, but I saw the hate in Mr. Dunnett’s eyes. I knew he didn’t like me, but I never thought he hated me. I stood there not paying attention to what was being discussed. If it weren’t for the way Max acted around his father, I would have felt worse. Max was tense, his words forced.

“If you’ll excuse us, Josh, I have to say hello to my mother.” Max gave the man an easy smile and clasped my hand, dragging me over to where his mom was sitting. Immediately I knew things could only go from bad to worse when I saw Mrs. Dunnett was sitting with Juliet, Jana, Abigail, and Mrs. Newton. The bad thing about summer, was that Abigail was around.

Ever since Nikki and Abigail graduated, Jana and Juliet didn’t bother me. They pretended like I didn’t exist. Why couldn’t all of them pretend I didn’t exist my freshman year? Nikki never got over the fact thatI “stole” Max from her. Could you even steal something that was never hers?

I watched as Max greeted his mother and gave Juliet, Jana, Abigail, and Mrs. Newton a kiss on the cheek. I, on the other hand, waved hello. I may be on my best behavior, but if I wasforced to kiss those bitches on the cheek, I might accidentally bite them.

“You look lovely, Freya,” Mrs. Dunnett said, and I wanted to believe she was sincere, but I wasn’t sure. Even though it hurt, and I knew one of Max parents hated me, I still smiled, hoping his mother might like me.

“Thank you, you look reallypretty, Mrs. Dunnett,” Itimidly said, hating the way my voice faltered. Juliet rolled her eyes, and Abigail snickered.

“Like reallypretty.” Abigail mocked me loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, but at least no one laughed. Max, who was distracted pulling a chair out for me to sit in, didn’t hear a thing.

I tried not to show how alarmed I was when Max said, “I’ll be right back. I have to use the restroom.”

It was awkward as hell. I was witnessing two conversations happening at the same time and not taking part in either. Juliet was talking about homecoming while Mrs. Dunnett and Mrs. Newton were talking about one of Mrs. Newton’s cousins who left town over a decade ago. As awkward as things where, I knew they were about to get worse when Max’s mom and Mrs. Newton got up. My only saving grace was when Mrs. Newton told Abigail to accompany her. Taking on two vipers was much better than three.

“You’re not making things easy on my brother.” Juliet leaned back and crossed her arms. “You better not hurt him. The shit he puts up with for dating you is more than enough. Come on, Jana, let’s go look for Gary.”

They left me alone to wonder what the fuck Juliet was talking about. When I couldn’t do it anymore, I got up to look for Max. He had taken more than enough time taking a piss. I figured he was probably in his room hiding—that’s what I would do—but Max wouldn’t do that to me.But then again, he wasn’t acting like himself.

Since everyone was in the back, I figured it would be easierto go in through the front entrance, that way I could avoidsocializing. By socializing, I meant round two with Juliet, Jana, and Abigail. The first thing I noticed as I rounded the corner was that the garage was open. Any other time, I would have walked away and not pried, but Max’s car was right there.

Max lied.

Max lied to me.

I made my way to the front of Max’s car, wondering what compelled him to lie. This was the first time he’d done it. I didn’t like it. I hated it. Everything about today had been a little absurd from the start. Calming myself, I took a deep breath before I did something reckless like storm the house shouting his name. It hurt to know he lied to my face. A million scenarios ran through my mind like wildfire, each worse than the last. When I heard footsteps behind me, I turned around, ready to tell Max off and demand an answer. God, if it was like anything I imagined, it would kill me. When I turned, it wasn’t Max behind me. It was his father. Paul Dunnett was the older version of Prescott, except his face was much harsher. Still, he was one handsome son of a bitch.

Paul made his way over, stopping a foot away, dwarfing me with his presence. He put his hand in his pocket and spoke with an arrogance that came from years of getting what he wanted. “Tell me what it will take for you to leave my son alone.”

---