Page 3 of Be My Baby

He sucked in a deep breath and nodded once. “We’ll talk. Later.”

His voice was like raw molasses and chocolate, husky and dark. Most likely from having the shock of his life, but still, it was sexy. Sexy enough that a shiver ran down her spine at the sound of it.

Millie slipped off the bar stool.

“Heya, Millie,” Simon said.

Gabe nodded and smiled at her in greeting. He tilted his head to the side, questioning. “Not staying?”

She didn’t dare look at Max. If she did she might just fall into a puddle in front of all of them. “No. I’ll be back later though.”

They both nodded and continued around the back of the bar. She chanced glancing at Max and raised a hand.

“See you then.”

He nodded sharply. She stepped backward and spun on her heel to walk away, feeling as if the weight of every eye in Kurrajong Crossing was on her as she walked across the dance floor to the double doors leading outside, when it was just a singular pair of spectacular baby blues.

Chapter Three

“What’s got youall dark and brooding?”

Max looked up at Simon’s voice beside him. “Nothing.”

He pulled out the rack of steaming, clean glasses from the commercial dishwasher from beneath the bar. The night had been hectic so far, and didn’t look like it was going to slow down any time soon.

Gabe laughed loudly with a small group he’d just dispensed a round of drinks to, wiping his hands on a small towel, catching Max’s attention.

The open happiness on Gabe’s face brought a half-smile to his own. His gaze drifted to their sister and extended family in the booth nearest the bar. Sitting beside Darby, Emma glanced at her husband and a soft, contented light entered her eyes. The love Gabe had found was returned, full force.

Max loved that he got to work with his family, loved that they all gathered here on a Friday night for dinner every single week. Even his parents made an appearance every couple of weeks. It meant everything.Familywas everything.

Simon chuckled. “Oh, come on. You’re so full of it.”

Max glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

Simon leaned back on the rear bar where all the spirits were kept on shelves on the mirrored wall. “You’ve been on another planet all night.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

Dammit. He hated that look on Simon’s face. It usually meant he’d been paying too much attention.

“When are you going to ask her out?”

That was enough to shock Max from his distraction. “What? Who?”

Simon crossed his arms. “Millie.”

Max’s breath caught and refused to move. His mouth moved but nothing happened. He coughed and tried again. “What are you talking about? I don’t—”

“Oh, stop it. You’ve been glancing her way all night. And she gets preferential treatment for everything. When are you going to bite the bullet and just jump?”

Max couldn’t help it, his gaze found her again, sitting with her friends in the booth across from the rest of the Jamesons. She’d barely said a word to him the entire night. He’d even sent Gabe to take their dinner order rather than face her just yet, her request still ringing in his ears, her earnest face hopeful.

If only Simon knew…

Lucy’s words rang around his head again, the finality of her demand searing his soul. He’d refused to deny her anything those last few months and had acquiesced immediately, despite his confusion about her motivations, Lucy’s happiness far more important than some abstract thought of a far futuremaybe.

But this. This was beyond out of the ballpark. His own feelings for Millie had expanded and grown so much in the last six months or so that he hadn’t known what to say to her. Or what to think.

Even now…Nup. Nothing.

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