Page 69 of River
Nathan planted a kiss on my cheek and moved away. Atlas rubbed my shoulder and nodded to Maximum. “Get her a drink, will you?”
Maximum pulled me under his arm. “Come on, sis.” We walked to a table on the outskirts of the pavilion that hosted the dance floor and sat down.
“Did you see Atlas? His eyes were crazy.”
Maximum waved a waiter over and ordered us drinks. “Yeah, I saw it.”
“What was that? It was like he turned into a beast that could snap at any moment.”
“We’re all just protective of you.”
“But I wasn’t in danger, Max. I’ve handled men pushier than Brendan before.”
“I don’t like to think about that.”
“Do you have that side of you too?”
The way Maximum’s head fell forward gave me my answer.
“But you’re so peaceful.”
“I am. Mostly. But I have issues with jealousy.”
“I can’t imagine you turning into a jealous person. I mean, you had a temper as a child, but nothing crazy.”
“Yeah, well, remember Gabriella?”
“Of course, I remember her. She was your first girlfriend.”
“She cheated on me, and it fucking broke my heart.”
“I’m sorry. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
He shrugged. “I was ashamed. Thinking back, it was inevitable.”
“Why?”
“I was so desperate for her to want me.” Maximum shook his head. “I couldn’t just be happy with her. I always questioned her in the worst way. We fought a lot, and eventually, my worst fear came true when she slept with another guy.”
“I had no idea.”
Maximum crossed his arms and, looking in the direction of the dance floor, he said, “I was hurt and threw myself into the next relationship, but by then, my jealousy was even worse.”
“Is that why you haven’t been in a long-term relationship for years?”
“That and because I travel so much.”
We were silent for a moment before I asked. “Why do you think you’re so plagued by jealousy?”
“Because of my dad. Remember how we told you about the spy hole behind his mirror that he never knew about? Sometimes, when we heard voices from his room, Atlas and I would spy on him. Conor slept with almost all the women at the Manor, and I remember the resentment I felt toward my mom for not telling him to stop. One time…” Maximum released a deep exhale and shook his head. “One time, my mom came to his room, pleading with him. He told her she was selfish for wanting him to fuck only her.”
“Did he use that word?”
“That night, he did. I’ve heard my father convince women to sleep with him by declaring his love so many times, but that night with my mother, he was cold and told her she was free to go if she didn’t like living with him. When she said she’d take Atlas and me with her, he struck her. I didn’t want to see more after that, but Atlas watched while I listened. I remember him telling her that she would never leave him and that they both knew she enjoyed being fucked into submission. It repulsed me to see my mother degraded like that. I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t enough for him. To me, she was beautiful, kind, and loving.”
“And then when you had your own girlfriend, you doubted that she would stay true to you.” My words weren’t a question but rather a summation of what Maximum had just told me.
A waiter brought our drinks and quickly left again.
