Page 42 of Drunk In Love
“I was sworn to secrecy before, but since Brandon let me know he was going to announce it on Monday, I wanted you to hear it from me,” Maxwell says.
I make an “out with it” motion with my hands. “Please, Max, you have me in suspense!”
He chuckles at my impatience. “Brandon is planning to open another security firm in London and is close to hiring another protection agent.”
“Brandon’s leaving? All the way to London…” I’m surprised because he’d been in New York for so long and mentioned even before marrying that he planned to make his place in Edgewater a permanent residence.
“Did he say why he was moving?” I ask.
Max begins to explain the opportunities Ava received in London and Brandon’s long-held dream of creating another security firm location in London. He was a great boss and friend, and I would definitely miss having him around.
“There’s more,” Max says, pausing to take a sip of orange juice. “He’s asked me to take over management of the office while he’s away.”
“Max, that’s amazing!”
This would be a great opportunity for Max while Brandon was gone. Max had great leadership skills and generally kept a cool head at all times. Traits he would need in a management role.
“The only problem is with you and me,” he says, his gaze darting from mine.
“I get it. Could be awkward at first, but look at Bree and Westin? They keep their relationship completely out of work stuff. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s not impossible.”
Max bites his lip. “You’re right, it’s just, with my track record, I’m afraid of messing anything up and hurting our friendship and costing one of us our careers.”
What he said was true. There was always a risk.
“Are we going to let fear hold us back for the rest of our lives?” I ask. “If you’re not absolutely sure about us as a…couple, then we can’t do what we did last night ever again.”
Max displays a cheeky grin. “Well, I definitely don’t want to stop that. I’m ready to do this for real if you are. Deal?”
He stretches a hand across the small table. I clasp his hand and interlock our fingers.
“Deal. So you’ll say yes to Brandon’s offer?”
Maxwell nods. “I’ll let him know come Monday morning.”
I’m apprehensive of what the future may hold for us, but for once, I have no doubts about the man. I believe Max when he says it’s different this time with me. He’s shown more vulnerability in the last twelve hours than he has in the two years I’ve known him.
Sometimes you have to take a leap, and at least we’ll make the jump together.
We’ve done the drive over to Maxwell’s apartment many times before. This time it’s different. Almost like we were now newer versions of ourselves and weren’t quite sure how to carry on.
We arrive at Maxwell’s neighborhood. I like where I live just fine, but Max’s neighborhood has a nice family-oriented atmosphere that I frequently thought about living in.A thought which gave me pause because what would our relationship look like in a few months or a few years’ time? Would we eventually move in together? How would that play out at work?
I was probably getting ahead of myself after one night.
I parallel park in front of his driveway and follow Max to his new townhouse. Maxwell’s place is always militantly clean—the blond hardwood floors gleaming and everything in its place.
“I’ll be back. Just going upstairs to grab my suits,” he says, stepping on the bottom landing.
“Alright,” I say back before he disappears up the stairs. While Max is occupied, I head towards the kitchen and notice the back door has been left ajar.
That’s strange. I know Max wouldn’t have been forgetful enough to not close and lock his door. As soon as I consider that, I hear Maxwell’s footsteps heading back down.
“Kamaya!” he yells.
“In the kitchen,” I say back to him, easing away from the door.
“My bedroom has been ransacked!” Maxwell exclaims when he finally reaches me. “My clothes are thrown everywhere out of drawers and torn off hangers. My laptop was left on my bed when I distinctly remember leaving it in the kitchen.”