Page 60 of The Rebel King

“Uh, I could guess,” Maxim says, “or you could just tell me.”

“You.”

Maxim lifts both brows and nods. “Wow. That’s quite a compliment.”

He sounds completely unaffected, but there’s a flare of response, an alertness to his green eyes belied by his indolent posture.

“You and your father have been at odds for a while,” Connor goes on. “How would you characterize the relationship?”

“Like any other family,” Maxim says. “We don’t always agree, and we let differences get in the way sometimes, but at the end of the day we’re still family. Like yours or anyone else’s, but our disagreements sometimes play out for everyone to see.”

“Will he be on the campaign trail with you and Owen?”

“He’s a very busy man, but he knows O has the strength of character to lead this country. He’ll know how to best support him.”

“Good answer,” Owen murmurs, looking over at me. “Hedidn’t commit Dad to the trail but didn’t make it seem like there’s a problem.”

“Great answer,” I agree.

“Now there’s also an interesting dynamic with your dad and your brother’s campaign manager,” Connor says, grinning.

I hold my breath, and Owen narrows his gaze on the TV screen, not looking at me.

“What dynamic is that?” Maxim asks easily.

“They hate each other.”

“God, Connor, you make us sound like a bad soap opera.”

“No, a good one. LikeDallasorDynasty.”

The audience laughs, and Maxim does, too, albeit with that guarded watchful look on his face.

“Okay, okay, enough tough stuff,” Connor says. “Let me ask the things everyone wants to know.”

With his hardest-hitting questions out of the way, Connor shifts to lighter topics, and by the end, Maxim has the audience thinking and laughing and pretty much swooning.

“He’s such a natural,” Owen says when the segment ends. “Maybe one day, I can convince him to run for office.”

I almost choke on my marshmallow. “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Agreed,” Glenn speaks up. “Candidates have to be incredibly disciplined.”

“You’re mistaken if you think Max wasn’t intentional about everything he revealed tonight,” Owen says, smiling. “Lennix, I’m surprised you don’t think he should get into politics.”

“I think he’s positioned himself as just enough of an outsider that everyday people trust him but as someone so undoubtedly influential that politicians want to use him. The best of both worlds. I think they trust himbecausehe’s not a politician.”

“Gee, thanks,” Owen murmurs wryly.

“You know what I mean.” I laugh. “He’s better off staying out.”

I don’t add, of course, that Maxim in politics sounds like a nightmare for our personal life.

After the show, Millie goes to bed, but Glenn, Owen, and I put in another hour hammering out the speech. By the time we go our separate ways, I’m exhausted and can barely see straight on the ride home. I’m letting myself into the apartment when Maxim calls.

“Hey,” he says, his voice low and liquid.

“Hey yourself, Mr. Late Night.”

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