"Say something"
"Like what? What do you want me to say Max?"
"I didn't tell you because I knew you would be scared"
"Just take me to the hotel. I need to make sure my daughter is fine"
Max sighed. Every time she got angry she would start thinking that Gaby was only hers, forgetting that he was her father too. She used to do that with Zander too. He wondered what he could do in order for her to trust him. He'd tried to tell her that keeping the matter about Lisandra's aunt was so he could protect her but she wouldn't listen. This was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted her to see Lisandra in the first place. That woman knew how to get inside her head and make her doubt a lot of things. He should have seen it sooner.
Every time he mentioned Lisandra, her back would go up, as if she was getting ready for a fight. He couldn't understand it though. To him, she was so much more than that woman. In his eyes, no one could come close to what she meant to him. Why couldn't she trust in their love? Trust that if he hid anything from her then it was to protect her and not for Lisandra? He loved her. Had everything he'd done not enough to show her that? What more could he do to convince her?
"You should have stayed at home instead of a hotel" he said pulling outside the five star establishment. He'd spent days, sitting inside his car opposite the street to see if she would show up there for work.
"I feel more comfortable here" opening the door, she said "Thank you for giving me a ride. You should go back home"
He unbuckled his seat belt "Like hell I will. I'm not leaving until we finish talking about this. Here on the street or inside. You decide"
"I'm tired Max. Gaby kept me up all night and it's taking a toll on me. I don't have the energy to argue with you"
"I don't want that either" he went around the car to where she was standing "I hate fighting with you Em. I knew that if you went to see Lisandra, this would happen. When it comes to her, you're always so...." he stopped because he didn't think she would like the word coming from his mouth.
"Insecure? Is that what you were about to say?"
"Yes. And I don't get it. It's you I love. I married you and not her. Why do you have to feel like that?"
"I can't believe you. Are you that dense?"
"Treat me like I am and explain everything to me in detail. I want to understand where all that comes from" was it his fault that she always felt that way? Was there something he hadn't done to assure her of his feelings?
"The years you've known her are less than the years we've known each other. It's only natural for me to feel inadequate when it comes to her. She used to do things just to prove to me how much you cared about her. And because you are so blind, you couldn't see it"
"Really? Things like what?"
"Rushing to her whenever she called. Wiping her mouth in front of me when she had food smeared on her face. Catching her when she tripped on the stairs"
Max closed his eyes and breathed in "You're joking. Right?"
"No. I know how petty I sound. But she used every chance she had to show me how important she was to you. No matter how much I knew you loved me, I still couldn't help but wonder if you loved her too. If you still love her"
"Dammit Emilia, how could you think like that? Did you stop to think that if I had loved her, I wouldn't have married you?"
"I often wondered if you married me because you felt sorry for me. After seeing the way Chrissie was treating me, you whisked me away because you wanted to be a hero. Save a damsel in distress. Was that it?"
"I'm going to leave. Call me when you are ready to go back home. I still have a lot to pack" kissing her forehead, he closed the passenger door that was still open and went over to the driver's side. Reversing his car, he turned sharply, glad that there wasn't much traffic. It was almost midday which meant too early for lunch and definitely very early for a drink. But he needed it before he lost his mind.
How could she think like that? Married her because he wanted to be a hero? She had the ability to leave him speechless and today it wasn't in a good way. All those years they'd spent together then apart then together. Did she think he kept going back to her because he needed to feel like a hero? What happened to the love he thought they shared? Max didn't think he could talk to her without going off on her so he left.
"Hey bud, she kick your ass out so soon? Damn, I thought for sure you guys would last longer this time" Preston said sliding into the chair opposite him. If he was going to day drink, he needed someone to keep him company.
"What do you do when Thea feels insecure?" he asked instead. Snorting, Preston called a waitress over and ordered a beer.
"The only time that woman feels insecure is when we talk about money. Why? What did you do to make Emilia feel that way?"
Max shrugged and said one word "Lisandra" which made his friend stare at him wide eyed.
"Did you meet someone new with that name? Because if you tell me you guys are fighting over someone who's behind bars, I'll knock off your teeth"
"Why me? I didn't do shit. Emilia insisted on going to see her and next thing I know we're fighting" at his raised eyebrow, Max filled him in on the events that had taken place the day before. When he was done, Preston shocked him with his reply
"She's right. It is your fault"
"Excuse me?"
"You know I was there when you brought her home. You also know that I had fallen in love with her too...."
"Yeah, not the time to remind me about that" Max cut him off gripping his glass harder.
"Anyway, I saw the way your actions affected her. Every time Lisandra would do something that would take you away from her side. I saw her disappointment whenever you left and I tried to reassure her that she shouldn't be worried because she was your wife but that wasn't something she wanted to hear from me"
Max looked at him incredulously, chewing on his lip while his mind tried to comprehend what Preston was saying. Had he really been that blind? He'd thought he was being a good brother. Whenever Lisandra called, he went to her because she was always with Gwen. Was he supposed to leave his little sister out there all alone? Then something hit him and he glanced up
"If you saw it, why didn't you tell me?"
"Isn't it obvious? I was waiting for you to screw things up so I could swoop in and be the hero" he said it so casually that Max dug his nails into his palm to avoid punching him.
"This is the same friend and confidant talking. Right?"
"Hey, that was a long time ago. We were also fresh out of college and I really envied you for finding your soulmate so soon. Of course I wanted to have what you had. I'm human you know"
Narrowing his eyes, he asked "And you're telling me this now because?"
"You need to keep Lisandra away from your marriage. If you want it to work, forget about that bitch completely and live your life with Em"
"I'm trying. But I can't do that when she keeps finding ways to get back into our lives. Why the fuck did she send her aunt to Emilia's house?"
"Go ahead and fire all of them. Give them a severance package, ask them to leave then forget about that bitch before your wife leaves you for good this time"
"What if she doesn't stop? You know how she is. God, to this day it still puzzles me how she moved herself into my room. She's sneaky Nash. There's no telling what she'll do next" it was so easy to forget about her. He could go back to Tennessee with Em and wipe that woman from his memory completely. But would she do the same? Could he sit back and just wait for her to make her next move?
He had to keep an eye on her. She'd said she wouldn't let him be happy and the anger in her eyes showed how determined she was to make his life miserable. He'd never regretted meeting anyone like he did with Lisandra. His life would have been so different if that woman hadn't been in it. A lot of things wouldn't have happened. God, he'd do anything if it would mean getting her to leave them alone for the rest of their lives.
"I have an idea"
Max perked up "What is it?"
"Let's pay someone to..." he swiped his hand over his neck in a slashing manner "You know how people are in prison. Give them money and they'll burn the entire place to the ground. We can find someone who will torture then kill her. Problem solved"
"Are you sure you're not a Mafia boss or something?"
"No. But a few years back one approached me asking if I wanted to do business with him. Of course I turned him down"
"How come he didn't come after you like what the Petrovs did to me?"
"I did him a small favor then we called it even. If you want I can contact him and ask him to help us take out Lisandra. That way none of it with be traced back to us"
Max stared at his friend. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the reason they'd been friends for so long. They thought alike but fuck if that bitch would turn him into a murderer. She'd already ruined his life as it was. He couldn't give her the power to keep doing that. Running a hand through his hair, he said
"Fuck, Nash who are we right now? You suggested that so easily and I was actually considering doing it before you even mentioned it. Is this who we are? Ready to use our money and power to finish off an enemy?"
"No, but I'm sure everyone will agree that she forced you to do this. She's trying to push you into a corner and people fight back when there is no way to retreat. Didn't you say she promised not to stop?"
"Yeah but still......"
"She deserves it. Let's take care of her while you're still thinking rationally. You're way past snapping Max. I've been waiting for you to snap for the past two years. The longer it took the more worried I become"
He jerked his head back "What do you mean?"
"Remember Clarice back in high school? She kept forcing you to be he boyfriend but you didn't want to. So she went after Gwen and you told her to back off more than once but she still wouldn't listen. Do you remember what you did when you finally had enough of her?"
"She transferred out. Didn't she?"
"Yeah, after you almost ran her over"
Max almost choked on his drink "No, I didn't"
"Yes you did. You were so angry and fed up that you drove your car towards her but swerved last minute, missing her by mere inches. Can't say I'm surprised you forgot about that but my point here is you do stupid things when you've ran out of patience. I was wondering when you'd snap at Lisandra"
"That's the reason you moved into my house?"
"Yap and now I'm offering you a way out. You don't even have to lift a finger"
"Jesus Nash, no. We're not murderers"
"Technically, I won't even have to lift a finger. I'll just mention in passing how tired I am of someone bothering me and poof, she'll disappear. Even the authorities won't bother asking questions"
"Don't even think about it. She's behind bars. I'll do everything I can to protect my wife and daughter but I'm not having Lisandra killed. What will Gaby do when she finds out her father is a murderer?"
Preston raised his hands in surrender "Fine. Point taken but if you change your mind, you know where to find me"
"I'll take this conversation as one of your jokes. Never speak of it again"
"Okay. Then what are you going to do with Emilia? If you keep screwing up I might revive my feelings for her and start pursuing her. Thea is starting to drive me insane. Actually can we swap them? For a day? I really need a break from that woman"
"You're really begging to have your teeth knocked out buddy. Aren't you?"
"Go home and wipe those feelings of insecurity from her mind. Remember to apologize first. Buy her flowers and get on your knees. Whatever you do Max, don't lose your temper"
"Okay love guru. Any more advice?"
"I'm staying at Thea's tonight. If she comes knocking because of something you did, I swear I'll take both her and your daughter to a place you'll never find them"
Max smiled even though he knew he shouldn't be doing that. Any man in his position would be clambering over the table to kick Preston's ass "Are you sure you're still not in love with my wife?"
"I don't know. Am I? It's hard to say" pushing his chair back, he stood up "I have to get back to work. Remember, flowers and begging"
**********************************************
Preston never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think he's done enough, bam! He shows us another side we didn't think was possible.
Do you guys think he still has feelings for Em?