The Billionaire's Secret Read online

  “Welcome back, man,” Justin said as Max entered the office. He held up his hand for a high five, and Max slapped it back. It was good to be back at work where he felt like a grownup again.

  “I’ve only been gone one day.” He picked up the messages on his desk left by his assistant from the previous day and rifled through them.

  “Yeah, but Maxwell Banks never misses work. What’s going on with you man?”

  Max shook his head. “I’m trying to get used to having a toddler in my house. I thought it would be easy, and sometimes it is, but then she cries and I don’t know how to handle it.”

  “Dude, I know Sarah didn’t have a family, but are you sure you want to keep this kid? Couldn’t you put her in foster care?”

  Max glanced up at Justin. Though the thought had crossed his mind a few times, he would never say it out loud. “I’m not going to do that. It’s not the way I would have wanted it, but I’m going to take responsibility for my actions.”

  “Sure man, that’s admirable, but it’s really going to cramp your style.”

  Max knew that as well, but he was nearing thirty, so maybe changing his style wouldn’t be such a bad thing. “I better get to returning these calls.” He waved the stack at Justin for emphasis.

  “Sure, man, lunch though?”

  “Yeah, lunch sounds good.”

  Shaking his head, Max picked up the first message and the phone.

  “Hey, man, you ready for lunch?”

  Max glanced up at Justin and down at his watch. Four hours had passed already? “Yeah, give me one second. Where are you thinking?”

  “We haven’t been to Hooters in a while.”

  Max nodded. Though he’d never drink while at work, taking in the view of the wait staff would be a welcome relief.

  Twenty minutes later, the two were at a table admiring the tight tops and short shorts as the women bustled back and forth.

  “We should go out after work,” Justin suggested, his eyes following a busty blond. “Today is busy, and I could sure use a drink. You have someone to watch the kid, right?”

  “Yeah, I have a nanny now. I never knew the cost to raise a kid, but my wallet has certainly taken a hit since Friday night.” Max took a sip of his tea as he checked out a passing brunette. Pretty, but not as pretty as Alyssa. He coughed on his tea a little as he realized he was comparing these women to the one woman he should stay away from.

  “You all right?” Justin asked.

  “Yeah.” Max wondered if he really was though. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman kept appearing in his head like Alyssa did.

  The waitress appeared a few moments later, and after taking their order, she laid a napkin down in front of Max and winked at him. “For later,” she said before sashaying away.

  Max picked up the napkin to see a name and number scrawled across it.

  “What is it?” Justin asked, leaning across the table to try to catch a glance.

  “Her number,” Max said. He folded the napkin and shoved it in his pocket though he wasn’t sure he had any intention of using it.

  “You sly dog. Well, I guess you have your weekend planned now.” Justin winked at him as he picked up his glass and took another swig.

  Max nodded, but suddenly he couldn’t wait to get out of the restaurant.

  “Hey, we’re heading out to Charlie’s for a drink. You coming?” Justin stood in Max’s office doorway tapping the face of his watch.

  “Yeah, let me call the nanny.” Max picked up his work phone and dialed his home number. He had given Helen the green light to answer phone calls while he was at work, so he hoped she followed through.

  “Hello?”

  “Helen, It’s Max. Can you stay with Peyton a little longer tonight? I uh need to catch up on some work.” He had no idea why the lie tumbled out instead of the truth, but there was not much he could do about it now.

  “Sure, do you have a time estimate or should I plan on putting her to bed?” Though Helen’s words were friendly, he could hear something in her tone.

  “Um, I’m not sure. It should only be a few hours.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll let her know.”

  The phone clicked without a goodbye, and Max sighed. He would have to do something nice for her. He couldn’t afford to lose a nanny Peyton liked.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  “Awesome. I’ll meet you there.”

  Charlie’s was just getting busy when they arrived. After scanning the room, Justin waved to a few other people from work and the two headed that direction.

  “Maxwell, we didn’t expect to see you. Justin told us about your kid issue,” Jake, one of their sales reps said, from the back of the booth.

  “It’s not really an issue,” Max said, sliding in beside Rhea, one of their receptionists. “Peyton is pretty cool.”

  The others nodded, but their faces registered their disbelief. He couldn’t blame them. He would have had the same expression a few days ago.

  “Two beers please,” Justin said when the waitress stopped by, and a few minutes later, the pale amber liquid was set in front of Max.

  He took a swig as he listened to the conversation of the surrounding group. As the liquid worked its magic, he found himself thinking less of Peyton and Alyssa and more of nights out like this. That was, until his phone rang.

  Grabbing it from his pocket and shooting apologetic looks at the rest of the crowd, he stood up as he punched the answer button and headed for the outside door where it was quieter.

  “Hello?” He had to jam a finger in his opposite ear until he reached the front entrance in order to hear the voice on the other end.

  “Maxwell? Where are you?”

  The voice threw him for a moment as the last time he heard his name used with such vitriol was when he was in trouble with his mother.

  “Alyssa?”

  “Yes, it’s Alyssa. Care to guess where I’m at? I’ll tell you. I’m at your house, consoling your daughter because she thought yet another person was abandoning her when you didn’t come home today.”

  “I told Helen I had to work late,” Max said, the lie spilling from his lips before he could stop it.

  “Yes, and that would have been fine except you aren’t at work. Helen tried your office before calling me. You forgot to give her your cell phone number, but thankfully you left mine up on the fridge.”

  “Is Peyton okay?” Max glanced at his watch. He had only been out an extra two hours, but that must seem a lifetime to a three-year-old.

  “She is now that I’m here, but Max you can’t do this to her.” Her voice softened, “She just lost her mother. She can’t afford to lose you too.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Max hung up the phone and stepped back into the noisy restaurant. It wouldn’t be right to leave without at least telling Justin what had happened.

  “What’s up, Max?” Justin asked as he approached the table. “Where did you go?”

  “Sorry, that was Alyssa. Evidently Peyton had a scare. I have to go.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty. “This should cover my drinks. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Without waiting for the protest he knew would come, he turned and walked out of the bar.

  Though the drive only took him fifteen minutes, he felt even worse when he arrived home and saw Peyton curled up on Alyssa’s lap in the living room.

  Alyssa held a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. With a small sigh, he sat beside her on the couch.

  “I messed up big time, didn’t I?” he whispered to her.

  Her eyes stared into his. “It’s a big change, having a kid in your life, but you have to think about her now and not so much about yourself.”

  “I’m trying, but I guess I still have a lot to learn. Thank you for coming though.”

  “Of course. I’ll always be here for Peyton.”

  Her words struck his heart. She would be there for Peyton, but would she ever be there for him? Probably not, if he kept messing up. />
  “Shall we lay her down?” Max whispered.

  Alyssa nodded and shifted Peyton slightly in her arms, so Max could reach down and scoop Peyton up. Her head flopped onto his chest, but her eyes remained closed as he carried her down the hallway, Alyssa a step behind.

  Peyton mumbled softly in her sleep as Max laid her in the bed. He touched her forehead and smoothed her hair back. He hated that he hurt her even though he hadn’t meant to.

  Alyssa stood just outside the room as he closed the door.

  “Thank you for coming. Again, I’m so sorry.”

  “You’re welcome, but I have to get back to studying now.”

  “What are you studying?”

  “Psychology. I want to be a therapist or a counselor. I think.”

  A light chuckle crossed her lips as she said the last two words, and he wondered why. She would make an excellent counselor; he found himself wanting to talk to her about anything and everything, something very unusual for him. Usually, he said just what he had to do to get the woman home with him and in his bed and then he let his body do the rest of the talking. While he couldn’t deny he wouldn’t love to share his bed with Alyssa, he was also interested in her mind.

  “I think you would make an excellent counselor. I know you’ve really helped me.” He reached out and grabbed her hand.

  “Max, I... I’ll come check on Peyton later in the week.” She extricated her hand and turned to leave.

  “Wait, when is your last final?” he asked, stopping her.

  “Thursday, why?”

  “Can I take you to lunch on Friday? As a thank you and to celebrate the end of your finals,” he added hastily, hoping it would feel less like a date to her that way and she would say yes.

  Her eyes stared into his. They were a deep emerald like pine trees, and he could get lost in them easily.

  “Just lunch?” she asked.

  “Just lunch, and you can tell me more things I need to know to keep Peyton happy. I’ll be a sponge soaking up all your advice. Promise.”

  A tiny smile flicked across her mouth at his analogy. “Okay, just lunch. Shall I meet you at your office at noon?”

  “That would be wonderful,” Max said and pulled a business card out of his wallet for her. He almost couldn’t believe he had agreed to her coming to his office; he would never have done that in the past, but Alyssa was different.

  She took the card, nodding at him as she left. It was not the reaction he had been hoping for, but she had agreed and that meant the door was at least open a crack. He would find a way to show her he was changing.

  Chapter 9

  Peyton was still sleeping when Helen arrived the next morning. Though tempted to be late to work to talk to her, Max still had a lot on his plate to catch up on after taking Monday off.

  “I owe you an apology, Helen,” Max said as she entered the kitchen. “I wasn’t working late last night. I went out with friends. I'm not sure why I didn’t tell you the truth, but I promise I will in the future.”

  Helen tilted her head, regarding him with her experienced eyes. “I can tell you are trying, Max, but it is important that I can reach you at all times.”

  He nodded. “I’ve written down my cell number for you.” He slid the paper across the counter to her. “I’ll be home no later than 6:30 tonight, I promise.”

  “Max, you’re back.” Peyton’s voice broke into the conversation. She had entered the kitchen silently again.

  “I was home last night, Peyton, and I’m sorry I worried you. I’m not going anywhere.” He leaned down and hugged her.

  “Okay. Look what Helen and I did.” Her excitement was barely contained as she bounced up and down on her toes. Any hurt from yesterday appeared to have been forgiven and forgotten. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into the dining room. “We painted my high fives.”

  On a white canvas board were two perfect hand prints in pink and purple. Peyton’s name was spelled out across the top and the year was at the bottom. Those small hand prints tugged on Maxwell’s heart. Suddenly, he realized all the time he missed with Peyton—time when her hands were even smaller—and it hurt. He had never gotten to hold her as a baby or watch her take her first steps. He had no idea what her first word was. Though this realization rocked him, he pasted a smile on his face to mask his emotions.

  “It’s beautiful, Peyton. We must hang it somewhere special.”

  “There will be more years in the future,” Helen said, coming up beside him. “You may have missed the beginning, but you'll have plenty more if you are paying attention.”

  Max stared at her with wide eyes. How had she read his mind?

  “Besides, I believe there will be more children in your future.”

  The words were so quiet, he wasn’t sure he even heard her right, and before he could ask her to repeat them, she had scooted away and was rummaging in her bag.

  “What happened last night?” Justin asked, plopping down in the seat across from Maxwell.

  “I scared Peyton.” Max said, turning on his computer for the day. “She is still adjusting to not having Sarah, and she feared I was abandoning her.”

  “Dude, are you sure you want to keep doing this?”

  “I’m not shipping her off to foster care. I’ll figure it out.”

  Justin held his hands in a defensive posture as he stood. “Hey man, I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  Max sighed as Justin left the office. He doubted Justin would ever fully understand.

  At six pm, Max turned off his computer and headed home. He still had work to catch up on, but he had promised Helen he would come straight home.

  Peyton greeted him at the door. “Max, I drew a picture.” She tugged his hand, pulling him down the hallway. Max smiled at her exuberance. There was something contagious about her positive attitude.

  “I drew us.” She pointed proudly to a white picture with four colorful blobs. “There’s me and there’s you. There’s Aunt Lyssa and there’s Helen.”

  Max noticed she hadn’t drawn Sarah, but he didn’t point it out to her in fear of making her cry again. “That’s beautiful, Peyton. Shall we hang it on the fridge?” He glanced over at his stainless-steel fridge. It had always been completely bare, just the way he liked it. Alyssa’s card was the only thing on it, and it was small enough not to grab much attention, but he wanted Peyton to understand he was proud of her. Swallowing his fear of clutter, he grabbed a piece of tape to post it in the middle of the fridge.

  “You’ll be glad you did.” Helen patted him on the shoulder, and Max wondered again how she seemed to always know his thoughts. “I’ll see you tomorrow. There’s dinner in the oven which should be ready”—she held up her finger and a timer dinged — “now!”

  As Helen said goodbye to Peyton, Max grabbed plates and set the table. Helen had prepared a cheesy casserole which he scooped onto each plate. He added left-over salad and helped Peyton up into her chair.

  “Aren’t you going to pray?” she asked as he picked up his fork.

  “Why don’t you do it?”

  She bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Dear God, thank you for food and Max and Helen and Aunt Lyssa. Help Mommy get better. Amen.”

  It was a sweet prayer, and though Max wasn’t the praying kind, the words resonated with him. What must that kind of faith be like?

  After dinner, Peyton watched television while he cleaned up. Then he joined her in the living room.

  “Can I sit on your lap?” she asked as he plopped down on the couch.

  Max hesitated. He had never been one to show too much affection; he rarely cuddled with women, but the angelic look on her face caused him to nod. She climbed up in his lap and curled against his chest.

  Her hair smelled sweet like strawberries, and though it was an added weight, he didn’t mind and curled his arms around her.

  “Okay, bedtime,” he said when the show ended.

  “Do I have to?” she whined.

  “Yes, you have to. C
ome on.”

  Begrudgingly, she followed him to her room, her bare feet plopping on the hardwood floor with her exaggerated steps. Max pulled out jammies and helped her change before helping her into bed.

  “Read this one,” she said, handing him a book with Elmo on the cover.

  Max opened the book and read. When he finished, Peyton’s eyes started to close, but before he could get away, she opened them and focused on him.

  “Will you pray with me?”

  The question caught him off guard as he tucked her into her bed. “Um, I'm not sure how, Peyton.”

  “It’s easy. Just close your eyes and thank God. You can ask him for things too, but not too many.”

  Max smiled at her innocence. “Okay, I’ll try.” He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. “God? I don’t know if you recognize me, but I’m praying for Peyton. Thank you for letting me meet her and help her to be happy and sleep well. Um, amen?”

  Peyton giggled. “See, was that so hard?”

  “No, I guess not,” Max said, enjoying the smile on her face. “Now get some sleep. You have another fun day tomorrow.”

  “Okay, night Max.”

  “Good night, Peyton.”

  He touched her forehead lightly before standing and exiting the room.

  As he undressed for bed that night, he pondered his life. He had thought he was happy, spending his weeks alone and his weekends with beautiful women, but in the last few days, something had shifted. He wondered if his weekend flings were because he was looking for something more but not finding it.

  “Hey, man, we’re going out again tonight. You coming?” Justin stood in his office doorway, looking hopeful.

  “No, not tonight. Peyton and I have a movie date planned.”

  Justin entered the office and sat in one of the open chairs. “What’s going on with you, man? You seem different.”

  After taking a deep breath, Max replied. “I think I am different. Peyton is amazing, and I’m enjoying being a dad, and then there’s Alyssa.”