Page 27 of The Ruthless and the Strong

“Sunny,” I answered. Honestly, the only thing I liked about California was the weather. It was dry and warm during the summer, and though it could get cool and wet during the winter, it was nothing compared to Chicago. We lived in Los Angeles, so most of the time, the weather had been nice year round.

Max raised an eyebrow at my one-word response. “That’s all?”

“It was also crowded.”

“I know all of this,” he said, his lips twitching a bit. “I want to know how California was for you.”

I looked down at the tabletop, noting all the scratches there, and traced my finger over the indents. “Lonely.”

There was a pause, and I didn’t bother to look up to see his face. “I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It’s hard making friends as an adult. When we moved there, I had my infant son with me, who demanded all my time. Not that I minded that. Raising Hunter has been my one saving grace.”

“What about Sam?” Max asked.

“What about Sam?” I didn’t know if I wanted to talk about my ex-husband with the man I never stopped thinking about for the entirety of my marriage.

“Didn’t he help out?”

I shrugged. “We moved here for Sam’s medical school. It’s a pretty intense program. A lot of his time was spent studying.”

When Max didn’t say anything, I looked up, surprised to see a bit of anger in his blue eyes. “That doesn't mean he shouldn’t have helped out.”

I shrugged. “He helped out as much as he could. Honestly, I didn’t mind. I knew what was going to happen when we got there. Sam had said he wouldn’t mind taking a year off to help me with Hunter, but I didn’t see the point, not when I wasn’t working or going to school at the time.”

“Lizzie. Your dreams are important, too.”

I shrugged again at that. “It all worked out. I attended an online course when Hunter was a little older. It took a little longer for me to finish, but I graduated last year.”

I couldn’t help the smile that erupted on my face. My degree was my second proudest achievement, only below raising Hunter.

Max’s blue eyes turned soft. “That’s right. Olivia attended your graduation ceremony, right?”

I nodded. I had wanted him to be there as well, though I didn’t have the guts to ask him, and considering I had been still married to Sam at the time, I knew better than to invite my past in with my present. Not that it would have mattered. Sam had been in the midst of preparing for his intern exam at the hospital. He had completely forgotten about the ceremony.

The only people in attendance for me had been Olivia, Mason, Emma, and Hunter.

He frowned and moved his finger between my eyebrows. “Why does that make you sad?”

I hadn’t realized I was so easy to read. I shook my head and shot him a small smile. “Nothing. I was just thinking about the graduation ceremony.”

His frown deepened at that. “That makes you sad?”

I took in a deep breath, not even sure if I should be telling him about my problems or emotions. He said we were friends, but after six years of distance between us, and such a heartbreaking history, I wasn’t even sure if that was possible. I didn’t want to unload on him, but I knew he wouldn’t let go until I told him.

“I wanted to invite you.”

“Why didn’t you?” he asked gently.

“Sam.” That one-word answer was enough. He nodded, though I wasn’t sure he understood just how much of an impact he’d had on my marriage without even being there. “But Sam couldn’t come. So it was just Olivia and her family and Hunter.”

Max’s jaw clenched, and I knew he was angry, though he was good at keeping his voice controlled. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, shaking it away as if it wasn’t even that big of a deal to begin with, and it wasn’t. “It’s fine.”

He looked down at his tea, his fingers playing with the condensation that had formed on the glass. Then he looked up at me, and I couldn’t understand the emotion in his eyes, but it made my heart rate speed up a million miles a second.

“I would have come. Nothing would have been able to keep me away.”

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