A/N: Hello, everyone! Thanks for tuning into another chapter—probably one of the few we have left for this story.

This story, I will admit, has similarities with both TMMM and Virtue and Vice because at that time, I couldn't decide how the story would go exactly so I started a couple different variations. As I've mentioned before, the thing that I think sets this apart from the other two is how our lovers, and mainly Max, handle similar obstacles from other stories quite differently. She's probably my most level-headed character, with that kind of quiet strength and steadfastness which is the perfect foil for Luke's more impulsive tendencies. I hope she shows that in the remaining chapters.

Enjoy!

***

It's typically in a great dramatic scene that someone declares their invincibility but since I've been such a rebel lately (hah!), I thought I'd continue in the same style.

It was no great, dramatic, momentous event.

To me, the moment when we finally believe we'll be untouched by the world and all the forces that churn within and around it are built from an infinite number of little moments when everything feels right—when fate feels like it's on our side once and for all.

It was little moments like waking up in a bedroom filled with wisps of early morning light, warm under a heap of silk sheets and glorious man—literally glorious. Moments like watching for the second those bright blue eyes open and smile at you before his mouth did; like a strong arm curling around your waist to pull you closer so he could bury his face on your neck and whisper good-mornings and I-love-yous and kisses against your skin.

If my life were to be filled with many moments like these every day, the world would have nothing on me.

Luke and I just moved, knowing what we wanted without having to say it.

I draped a leg around his hip, reaching up an arm over his shoulder until my fingers were curled around the nape of his neck. We never looked away from each other as Luke shifted, filling me in one swift stroke and stealing a gasp from my lips. 

It was fast and sweet and breathtaking—yes, we were truly invincible.

Hands entwined, we headed for the shower where Luke washed my hair with such curious fascination. Only half-dressed with Luke in his boxers and me in my underwear and sweater from last night, we headed to the kitchen for some breakfast.

I had just put a forkful of omelette in my mouth when Luke blurted out, "So, when do you want to get married?"

He handed me the glass of orange juice after I had a good minute to recover from choking, a wry smile on his face. "You okay?"

I nodded, gulping down a good amount of juice. 

Luke sighed and rubbed my back in soothing circles. "You know, when I proposed, getting married was part of the deal."

I rolled my eyes. "I know that. I just didn't expect it to be the first topic of the day at seven in the morning."

"I believe the first topic of the day had been me getting inside you," he said gamely.

I glared at him as my cheeks glowed hot. "If it were, we certainly didn't discuss it."

His grin only broadened unapologetically. "I'd like to think I'm more of a man of action than words."

It took a second but I finally burst out laughing. "You're impossible sometimes, you know?"

"Almost always which is why the sooner you marry me, the more manageable I'd be," he said with a wink.

Taking a deep breath, I sat back and watched him and his goofy expression, tracing all the little signs and mapping them out in my head until they made sense.

Gently, I reached for his hand and squeezed it. "I'm not going to back out, you know? Whether we get married tomorrow or a year from now, I'm not going to change my mind."

The amusement in his expression faded and he sighed. "So that means you're probably not doing it as soon as I'd like."

"What's the rush, Luke?"

"Max, I'm not exactly a saint so it should be no big surprise that I don't have the patience of one," he answered, his brows drawn in. "I want to be with you."

I smiled. I might be enjoying his frustration just a tad bit. "You are with me."

He now looked cross. "You know what I mean, Max."

"If this is about the sleeping arrangements, I don't have a problem staying with you, or you staying with me," I added helpfully. "Or we'll pick a place and stick with it. We could live in my cute but cozy apartment or we can stay here where it's a bit roomier. Either way, we'll be together. And we'll have time—to live in the present and make plans for the future."

I actually wasn't scared or having second thoughts about marrying Luke but since we'd gone from not being together to dating to being engaged in just a matter of days, we could probably use a little slowing down. Just a little so we could catch our breaths. And while I agreed with Luke's estimation of his patience (or lack of it), I didn't think it would be too hard for him to wait some time. Neither of us were packing off to live away somewhere. Unless Luke was just being a baby, there was something else at play.

Luke sighed again, lifting my hand to kiss the back of it. "Alright. How does six months sound?" 

I smiled. "Good. How does a year sound?"

Luke glowered. "Hellish."

"Eight?"

"Still hellish."

I laughed. "Six months, then."

"And you're moving in with me as soon as humanly possible," he added, turning back to his breakfast. "We'll keep your bed and put it in another bedroom for the times when we'd like variety."

"Or when your one breaks," I addd with a wink. "From overuse and all, of course."

***

It was on the drive to work that Luke reminded me of his pending trip—the same one he'd mentioned to me the day my grandfather dropped in on me. Two days at LA and he was leaving the next morning. He didn't offer a lot of details, distracted by a bunch of phone calls flooding his cell. Something about cleaning up the chaos. I had an idea what it was about. Luke had mentioned doing something to extricate Lola completely from his life and ensure that she wouldn't trouble us anymore. There were some legal work involved, especially after the nearly demonic appearance she'd made at the office recently.

Should I worry? Perhaps. 

Would it do us any good? Unlikely.

Should I trust Luke to make the right decisions on his own? Absolutely. Otherwise my own decision to be with him would be a massive joke. One didn't get in a car certain that the driver was going to run it off the cliff. You didn't get in the car. Period. 

I had a lot of work to catch up on that day, relieved that even as people started warming up to the idea of my engagement to Luke, they maintained a respectful distance—definitely more respectful than the one Jill kept considering how much she ribbed on me during lunch. She started calling me 'Mrs. H.' because she was hilarious like that.

That night, Luke and I stayed at my apartment and made love in my big, silly, frilly bed.

"I wish I didn't have to go," he murmured as he tightened his arms around me, nuzzling my bare shoulder. "I wish we could just stay here, like this. I wish I didn't do something important. I wish we could skip out on the world and go hide out somewhere quiet and tropical. I'd be pretty happy with a big bed, you, and maybe some coconuts."

I laughed. "You say that now but you're going to sorely miss all your luxuries probably after the first day. And man cannot survive on coconuts alone."

"You're not nearly as romantic as I thought you'd be," Luke complained, the contrast of the pout on his very masculine face all the more adorable. "You don't want me sweeping you off your feet and carrying you away to be my bride. You don't want to play Blue Lagoon with me in a tropical paradise."

I grinned. "You're right. I don't want either of those things. I really just want you exactly as you are now. I want us in real life—not some fairy tale or fantasy. And part of that real life is you going away to close the door on parts of the past that have no room in our lives. And I understand that."

Luke's gaze was tender when he touched the side of my face. "I'm going to come home to you and everything will be alright. We'll live in the present and make plans for the future."

We were doing good the first day he was gone. 

We talked a couple of times and swapped a dozen messages throughout the day—very normal couple things if only one of us really knew what being part of a normal couple meant seeing neither of us had ever been part of one.

After work, Jillian and Zoe came over to my apartment to help me pack up. I had about four months left on my lease but I'd struck a deal with the landlady to pay half of what I would owe for the remainder. Considering the size of my apartment, I didn't have much but I was taking some of it over to Luke's place and the rest were going to either storage or Goodwill. There was something symbolic about packing one life away to begin a new one—another moment where I felt just a bit more invincible. 

We ordered Chinese food, popped open a bottle of champagne that Zoe brought along for no particular reason and put some late nineties music on. Zoe audited my wardrobe for things that no longer fit me and Jillian boxed up what electronics I didn't need anymore for her 'parts' collection.

Zoe had gotten over her initial shock and saw everything from a romantic perspective. Jillian reserved a less optimistic view—surprise, surprise.

"I think you should keep your place," she said. "Just in case he screws it up and you need to get the hell out."

I laughed and lazily sipped some champagne. "Insurance, I see. Jill, I think you should consider letting go and taking the leap. Having recently done it myself, I can assure you that it's quite liberating."

Jillian skewed up her nose and pushed her glasses up, looking bewildered. "For one, I'm afraid of heights. Two, assuming for argument's sake that I take the dive, who am I taking it for? I may be levelled up all the way up to heaven in Galactic Glory but my love life is flatter than a flat line."

"Maybe you just need a little zap to jolt you back to life," Zoe said helpfully.

"What? A taser?"

"No! Something that will give you a shot of adrenaline." 

"An EPI-pen?" 

Zoe groaned, pulling her hair a little. "Jillian, seriously! You probably just need a good poking."

"A vibrator?"

"If you don't have the real thing, I guess," Zoe muttered, blowing a lock of hair off her face in exasperation.

"I sure don't last time I checked," Jillian said, glancing down at her crotch. "Thank God for that."

Zoe turned to me, her expression nearly mad with frustration. "She's your friend. Do something."

I laughed. "Jill knows perfectly what you mean, Zo. She just likes to drag out hearing a truth she doesn't like."

"I don't need a boyfriend," Jillian said, making a face. "I don't think I can find a man who can put up with me."

I raised a brow. "I think the real qualification here is a man who loves you and not just puts up with you like you're a Porta-Potty they can live with because they just really need to pee."

Zoe stuck out a tongue and made a gagging face. "Classy, Max."

I rolled my eyes and nudged Jillian's leg. "No, seriously, Jill. Don't underestimate yourself like that."

"I don't underestimate myself, that's the problem," Jillian said with a loud sigh. "I've been told I'm too smart to be a girlfriend and I told the guy it was okay because he was obviously too dumb to even serve more than just a sperm-injector for the human race. And I'm not graceful like Zoe or sweet like you. I never stop to think about what I say and I'm too willful to say yes to some guy who obviously doesn't know what he's doing. I'm sorry but I'll have to tell him and he'll hate me and the relationship will be over before you can even say second date."

"Then don't go for those guys," Zoe countered, sweeping an arm dramatically as she added, "The world offers variety, you know? Pick someone smart, mature. Pick a man, not a boy."

I didn't want to spoil Zoe's point but a man with a hint of boyishness was the best combination. I was engaged to one.

"And how should I screen for that?" Jillian asked. "Should I ask if they're a boy or a man the first time I meet them? If their years are proportionate to their maturity level and not the number of inches on their, you know, masculine mechanism."

I burst out laughing, choking a little bit, my eyes watering as some of my wine burned a path up to my nose. Zoe was having similar problems, waving a hand in front of her face as if to dry the tears of laughter that had slipped down her cheeks.

"What?" Jillian asked in bewilderment. "You guys complain all the time about my crude language. I gave the guy's junk a different name, so what?"

"This explains your theory on your relationship issues so much better," Zoe said, still sniffing. "But I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. I can help you with this, Jill. I've got you on this."

Jillian raised a brow. "You're like two years younger than me."

"Yeah but I bet I've dated far more guys than the number of years you exceed me by so I can still give you advice," Zoe pointed out, smiling smugly for a moment before looking remorseful. "Not that I'm still dating a lot of guys. I've left my wild years behind."

I snorted. "Zo, you sound like you're eighty. I was never particularly wild but I'm told you need to live a little, especially when you're still young."

Zoe's lips tightened into a line. "If only the rest of the world shared your mentality, Max, but sadly, they don't. I'm a responsible adult now. I have to act like it. The papers are soon going to start dubbing me as the All-Serious Zoe, I'm sure. Maybe that'll be enough."

Jillian and I exchanged glances because there seemed to be more to that statement than the obvious but Zoe suddenly perked up and whipped out her phone.

"Speaking of the papers, I was doing my daily scroll of gossip sites—work research, you know, in case anyone from my team's in something nasty—and found a post about you and Luke," she said, tapping quickly on her screen before turning it to me. "They are very intrigued about the two of you. Take it with a grain of salt though. The public isn't always kind."

Since Luke and I became official, I decided I wouldn't torture myself by constantly looking to find what people were saying about him or me or us. There would be attention and scrutiny, no doubt about it, but I just felt that it would be healthier for my sanity not to listen to what the world had to say about us, may it be fact or fiction. But I couldn't help my curiosity at the snapshot of me and Luke coming out of the grocery store each carrying a large brown paper bag. This was from the night we were putting dinner together for Charles's visit.

The title said, 'Luke Hedenby Settling Down—For Real or For Right Now?'

My name showed up in the article this time, identifying me as an employee in Luke's company but there wasn't a whole lot more information, which I was happy about. The short article mentioned sightings of us, noting the domestic nature of our relationship and contrasting it to the typical scene Luke usually featured in—out at a party or some fancy gala or a night at the bar and definitely with constant female company. Considering the noticeable absence of Luke's aforementioned well-documented activities, the speculation was that this might be the real thing although it was concluded with much doubt that Luke would change his spots just because the prey and the chase were different.

Right below the article were a handful of comments—some saying that it was so romantic, some saying that Luke was too used to his old ways to change and some describing me quite creatively as pretty much the woman who would suck the life out of him (I didn't think they meant that in some sexual way). Some people were clearly not happy that Luke was off the market.

I sighed and handed Zoe her phone back. "I'm not surprised really. But I'm surprised to realize that I don't care all that much about it."

"You should flash that ring around in public," Zoe advised with a wink. "Then there will be no question about it. Luke Hedenby is settling down, alright."

More urgently than anyone would ever imagine, as a matter of fact. 

I had a feeling that despite our agreed six months, Luke wasn't done talking about getting married right away. You'd think someone was chasing after him.

When the champagne bottle emptied and boxes got filled, we decided to call it a night. Ryan came along to give the two ladies a ride home at his insistence after Jill drunk-dialled him and put him on speaker earlier. 

"Since it's been decided that you're best bet is a smart man, have you considered Ryan?" I asked Jillian quietly as I buttoned up her coat. 

Jillian looked at me, confused, and glanced at Ryan who was chatting with a giggly Zoe. Zoe giggled a lot when she had a few drinks. "Ryan? Like our Ryan?"

"No, Ryan Gosling," I retorted. "Of course, our Ryan. More like your Ryan because I have my Luke."

Jillian gave me a cross look. "You're in danger of becoming a cheesy rom-com, Max, you know that?"

I just shrugged and smiled. "I'm in a new relationship so I get a pass. So? Ryan?"

"What about Ryan?" she demanded, almost grumpily, I might add. "Ryan's... Ryan. He's just... there. Like all the time."

I raised a brow. "You're right. I wonder why."

"Don't mess with my head, Max," Jillian warned before wrapping me in a hug. "I don't need to be seeing Ryan that way."

It would probably help both of them if she did but I didn't want to push too hard so I let it go. 

Jillian turned to both Zoe and Ryan, her tone angsty. "Are we going or should I head out on my own? Max doesn't have a spare bedroom, you know?"

Zoe's brows arched in surprise, her lips tightening as if she were holding back a grin. Ryan, on the other hand, frowned at Jillian and scratched his head. 

"Goodnight, everyone!" I said as I gave each of them a hug before they filed out the door. 

It took no time to get ready for bed and I dialled Luke as I got under the covers. LA was only a few hours away so there was no time difference but it was late and I wasn't sure if he'd still be up.

"Hi, baby," he greeted softly on the fourth ring. "How are you?"

"Sad and lonely in my big, silly bed," I teased. He laughed but there was a strain in his voice, like he was exhausted to the bone. "If you're here, I'd hug you."

"If I were there you'd get more than a hug," he answered with a long sigh. "There's nothing more than I want right now than to come home. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Everything okay?" I asked, deciding that there was no point in pretending I didn't notice that something was off. "Are you okay?"

"Not really considering things are not going according to plan," he grumbled and I could picture him out pulling at his hair just now. "But I can fix this, don't worry."

As much as I didn't want to talk about Lola, I had to ask. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he said. "I'm still working on getting everything... settled. It's just more work than I thought."

"Are you trying to get her some help?" I asked.

"That among other things," he answered. "It's hard to help someone who doesn't think anything's wrong."

"That's usually the first sign that something is wrong," I said, taking a deep breath and somehow wishing I could take run my fingers through Luke's hair—a gesture I discovered had some significant soothing effect on him. "Will you be back as scheduled or do you need more time?"

"I'm coming back as promised," he reassured me. After a pause, he asked, "About that trip to the Bahamas I got you for your birthday. Feel like taking it anytime soon?"

I smiled. "I don't think we've decided yet when we were going to go."

"How does this week sound?" he said. "Pack us a couple of bags and I'll come pick you up Thursday and we'll fly there. I'll call Bryce to explain."

"Luke, no. You're not calling my boss for me," I instantly protested. "You're not making people do any special favors for me either. We'll decide when you get home and I'll check with the team for a time that will work with everybody."

Luke sighed. "How do you feel about abduction? The romantic kind."

"Amused when I read it in historical romances where many practices are archaic, if not a bit barbaric. Completely opposed when it comes to real life though," I said, laughing. "Just get your ass home, Luke, and then we'll decide. Okay?"

"Alright." He stifled a yawn. "I should probably let you go to sleep. You had a long day."

I didn't need to point out that he did too because usually, not much got to Luke. He ran on an incredible stamina—his charm and tendency toward mischief still often in effect even after a stressful work day. 

"I love you," I told him instead, smiling softly when he murmured the same words back through another yawn. "I'll see you Thursday."

"Goodnight, Maxine."

"Goodnight, Luke."

I was still smiling after we hung up.

I was just reading through a few promo emails on my phone when it alerted with a text message.

The smile on my face dissolved in seconds.

[Unknown Number: He'll never be yours. He's already mine.]

Hate mail #1, I guess. Prepare for more.

I knew there was going to be some intrusion into our privacy, being involved with someone as well-known to the public eye as Luke was, especially when it came to his love life. Having paraded a cavalcade of women from models to actresses to socialites, he was the poster boy for several, sometimes simultaneous, short-term high-profile romances. I just didn't realize how close the intrusion could crawl up to us.

I deleted the message and told myself to be ready for worse especially as more information about us became available to the media. I had no plans of hiding, after all. But I wasn't above changing my phone number and keeping it private.

As I closed my eyes that night, as sure of my plan as I was, the message kept ringing clearly in my head in a woman's voice—cold, callous and calculating. 

I tried to pinpoint where I'd heard that voice before but as sleep wrapped itself around my brain, the mystery faded into black.

***

The second day flew by much like the day before—work during the day and more packing up in the evening but without the champagne this time because Jillian complained about her hangover all day. It had only been one bottle of champagne between the three of us but whatever. Luke sounded more morose on the phone and I just told him to come home and we'll try to fix the problem some other way. 

The only weird thing that happened was that someone took a picture of me across the street from the bus stop. Unfortunately, not being used to it at all, he'd already taken a few shots before it occurred to me that I was his target. I turned away and the moment the bus rolled in, I scuttled inside and kept my head down.  You'd think someone was trying to assassinate me. I just wasn't used to the attention but I was always a quick learner.

I was in high spirits when Thursday came because Luke was touching down anytime that morning.

But apparently, along with him came some shocking news from Los Angeles.

There was a large group of people by the front steps of Hedenby Towers that for a moment I thought there was a rally.

There were men and women talking over each other as someone presumably from the company tried to talk to them. Arms and cameras and microphones were thrust out toward him so probably a press conference. A very unusual spot for it.

I took out my phone to call Luke but suspicion blossomed when I saw the two missed calls I probably didn't hear because they rang just right as I was getting off the bus. I had a couple voicemail messages on there but it was too noisy outside to listen to them there.

I went around the crowd but when I tripped over someone from the rear of the group and he'd turned around and taken a good look at me, chaos erupted.

I was blinded by the flashes of light right in my face and the mingled voices cracked through my ears like static.

"Ms. Moss! What do you say to this news?"

"Did you know about it?"

"How will this affect your relationship with him?"

"Was he cheating on her with you?"

"Will you be willing to treat the child like it was yours?"

"Do you feel responsible for breaking up this baby's family?"

What. The. Fuck.

It was as if I'd entered some kind of Twilight zone, trapped inside a spinning tunnel of strange faces and voices.

I heard the words, fragments of sentences, the tone with which they were said. It almost seemed like they floated up from the cacophony, fitting like pieces to a puzzle with a very ugly picture.

Luke... Lola... baby... 

Suddenly, as soon as the words and what they meant sank their heavy, doomed weight inside of my heart, I gasped out loud as if they had physically pushed the air out of me.

Suddenly the mess Luke had gone to tidy up became that much incredibly clearer. 

I felt the flash of anger—at the lies, at the insensitivity, at the crudity.

"This is a private matter that's being handled legally," I said with a surprisingly steady, if a bit curt, voice, meeting all the eyes I could, my anger filling my spine and shoulders with steel. "Don't make it into a circus unless you plan to be the clowns in it."

"Max, over here!"

I saw Terrence elbowing his way through the throng, positioning himself between me and the media. "Let's get you inside."

"I've got her." I heard Luke's voice before I saw him appear at my side, his arm wrapping around me protectively as he turned us toward the front steps. The voices became louder and more urgent at his presence, the noise nearly drowning us in but Luke kept a steady watch over me, blocking most of the media out of my way. 

"Just keep them out, Terr. I don't want anyone fucking touching her."

To say that Luke was upset was putting it mildly.

He was practically explosive, his blue eyes hard and cutting like diamonds, his jaw so clenched I was worried for a second he'd locked them in place.

"You okay?" My question came out softly, my hand resting on his heart.

I thought he couldn't have heard it in the riot but he stilled, his face tilting down to look at me. For a second or two, his gaze softened, a faint smile flitting across his face like a glimpse of sunlight catching a break in the clouds. 

"This is what you get first thing in the morning and you're asking me if I'm okay?" he mused, closing his eyes briefly as his smile faded. He curled his arm more tightly around me, pulling me against his chest as he steered us up the steps and through the front doors flanked by a couple pairs of security guards. 

"Come with me to my office," he said as he took my hand and strode toward the elevator. "I tried calling you as soon as we landed on the roof but the mob was already down there and I knew your bus was about to roll in. I wanted to spare you all of that."

"It might have helped if you'd mentioned specifics about this 'mess' with Lola," I said as we stepped into the elevator with Terrence. "I didn't realize this mess included a baby."

Luke ran a hand down his face and it was only then that I noticed how rough-looking he was—unshaven, disheveled, dark circles under his eyes. 

As much as I felt I should be angry for the details he'd left out, I somewhat understood that this was exactly how I would expect Luke to deal with it—high-handedly and all on his own. 

"I didn't want to tell you when it was a lie she shouldn't have told in the first place," he said gruffly. "I thought I could settle the matter the past couple of days but as I probably should've expected when Lola's backed into a corner, she came swiping her claws at me."

Peggy followed us into the office as soon as we got in, handing me a glass of water and checking in to see if I was okay. 

"How bad is it?" Luke asked her as he perched on the edge of his desk.

"The phone's ringing off the hook. I've let the voicemail just pick up everything," Peggy said, wringing her hands anxiously. She wasn't normally ruffled but there were deep lines on her forehead. "Your father called as well. He told me he'll have his lawyers call yours to help sort this out. Call him back when you have a minute."

Luke nodded. "How about the other arrangements I made?"

"Victor is on his way. Both he and Pete will take turns, make sure she's always got someone with her," Terrence said. "Someone's getting posted at the apartment, just in case anyone tries anything funny."

"Who's trying something funny?" I asked as I tried to put together their conversation. "Who's Victor and Pete?"

"Your new security detail," Luke answered. "There'll be a car taking you around. I don't want anyone ambushing you like they did this morning."

I held up a hand. "Okay, before we get even more carried away here, can someone please tell me first exactly what's going on?"

Luke bit his lower lip, looking miserable and angry and about to punch a hole through something. I glanced at Peggy and Terrence who did a combination of shaking their heads and sighing.

"Let's give them a minute, Terr," Peggy said, grabbing Terrence by the sleeve. "Come help me make some calls."

When I was finally alone with Luke, I set aside my purse and smoothened the front of my light gray slacks. "Luke, tell me. I'd hate to think that the garbage I just heard down there is the whole story."

"As I was trying to sort out the temporary restraining order I was filing against her, her lawyer told me that she's pregnant and that the baby's mine," Luke finally said. "I told them that it wasn't possible because I haven't touched Lola in nearly a year. If she's pregnant, it's either by divine intervention or some other dude. They insisted it was our weekend together after flying back from Tokyo and that she was going to tell the world about it."

The words abraded my ear, listening to them, but I schooled my face into a patient expression, waiting as Luke went on.

"I demanded a paternity test and after much back and forth she agreed to it. I flew to LA two days ago to do just that but when I got there, she was hysterical. She pleaded that it wasn't safe for the baby and that we should wait." 

Luke's expression was becoming more and more grim. "I didn't want to wait and I'd ensured that we only go the route of a non-invasive procedure but I eventually decided that it just wasn't worth insisting on it. She was adamant about it so we agreed to wait but that for the duration of the wait, she could not make claims or I would sue her for libel. Realizing that this couldn't be easily and quickly resolved, I came home knowing I had to tell you but on my flight back, Lola had released a statement to the media exposing her pregnancy and naming me the father. She said I'd been cheating on her and dropped her when I found out because I wanted no part of it. We'd split months before she could've conceived if how far along she is was accurately reported and I want no part of it because I'm not the father."

Pulling at his hair wretchedly, Luke groaned and started pacing. "My lawyers are all over it but the damage has been done. The media's going to eat all of this up and we won't know any peace in the next little while."

Then he turned back to me, kneading his temples and dropping to his knees in front of me. There was a bone-tired look of torture in his beautiful blue eyes as he looked up at me searchingly, his hands grasping mine in a tight squeeze. "I'm so sorry, Max. I didn't want any of this to touch you, to touch us, and I thought we were safe. I was going to prove I wasn't the father, settle some money on her one-time so she can get help for herself and the baby, and walk away for good."

When I remained quiet, Luke grimaced as if in pain. "I know how bad all this looks, Max. Please, say something."

But before I could open my mouth to respond, he got up and restlessly ran a hand through his already rumpled hair. "It's okay if you can't. I know that this is a huge shock to you. I'll deal with it. I'll clean it up. I'll have Terrence drive you home and you can lay low for a little bit—"

"Luke—"

"—I know you don't want me making calls for you but this is a unique situation so I'll tell Bryce—"

"Luke—"

"—If you want, we can get away for a little bit or—"

"Hey!"

He finally stopped in his tracks and turned back around to me, his expression incredulous. "What?"

"I'm not going home," I said calmly as I got up to my feet and walked toward him. As I watched his face flicker with pain, hope and desperation, the tight vise around my heart loosened until I could breathe again. 

"Tell me one thing," I said, stopping in front of him. "Are all of her accusations true?"

Luke's brows drew in as he frowned. "Not at all."

I smiled. "May I have your word on that please?"

"You have it. God knows I've only got one woman plaguing my life."

My smile brightened. "Do you want her to keep doing it?"

He lifted my hand up to his lips and tipped me a small smile. "Plague away."

I caught him by surprise when I stood up on my toes and planted a sure kiss squarely on his mouth before turning toward the door. 

"Where are you going?" 

I stopped and looked over my shoulder. "To my desk. I have work to do, you know? Then after work, you and I are having dinner at my place so you can help me finish packing. I'm making stir-fry."

I left Luke with his mouth hanging open as I strode out of the office. Peggy and Terrence stopped talking to look at me and I flashed them both a smile—a feat, really, considering my insides still felt like jelly but everyone was already worrying enough for all of us. 

"Terr, I don't need the security detail. I'm mostly staying at Luke's so I'll just come in with both of you. I don't really want to draw more attention than what's necessary." A little breathless, I turned to Peggy and amped up my smile even more. "Hey, don't forget to send me the number of that moving company you recommended. I have a bed and love seat that needs to be out of my apartment by next week."

Without giving them a chance to recover, I gave them a little wave and left.

You can do this, Max. It's not the first time people have told you things you didn't want to hear. But it's never stopped you, has it?

Of course, that mantra was a little tougher to pull off in reality when all the entire marketing floor could talk about was the mob outside, even after it had thinned out if what we could see from our window was accurate statistical representation. All my friends called to check in on me and as much as I didn't really want to talk about it, I had to reassure each of them that Luke and I were fine and that there were lawyers dealing with this fiasco. Jillian threatened to hack into Lola's email and social media accounts to find proof of her lies and manipulation. Ryan assured me that the Hedenbys have the best lawyers. Zoe told me that Lola was a lying skank and Alex said that if there's even a hint that Luke is lying to me, he'd rearrange his face. 

Yes, friends. Love them or hate them.

"And just when you think it's happily ever after, the prince goes and kisses another princess because he realized the first one he'd kissed was actually a frog," Theodora snickered to someone from her desk where she knew she was well within my earshot. 

I risked a glance at her and saw her watching me with a rude, satisfied smirk. I wasn't surprised since she'd been at it in the last three hours, doing more gossip than actual work.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" I said with a small smile. "Making a little vindictive comment to console yourself because neither prince nor frog would ever kiss you. It's not your face, Theodora. It's mostly the vile stuff that comes out of your mouth. I think that's what puts them off. A little FYI, you know? A girl to girl advice. From one frog to something way worse."

If someone made the tiniest baby fart in this side of the room, we would've all heard it considering the complete and utter silence that followed my statement.

Theodora's face was a sheet of white quickly turning into mottled red—a natural flush that in my opinion wasn't all that beautifying.

I ignored it, put on my earbuds and got back to the data analysis I was doing on a report.

I probably didn't look up again until lunch time when a tall shadow fell across my desk.

"Wanna go grab something to eat?" Elise said, a big, broad smile on her face.

Since all eyes were still on me as they had been all morning, I quietly locked up my computer and picked up my purse. She said we could use Luke's office since he was off to a meeting and Peggy had already ordered in from Pepe's. 

It was a crisp autumn day but the sun was still high that it was actually quite nice and comfortable sitting out there on the balcony without spectators.

It was only when Elise stretched out her legs, frowning a little in discomfort and excused herself for putting her left one up on one of the chairs that I saw under the hem of her pants.

It looked like skin peeking out from above her flat, short boot but it was too smooth and plastic-looking. Elise had a prosthetic left leg. 

It was a curious sight but I reminded myself to look away because if she'd wanted to talk about it, she would've said something by now.

I expected to feel sympathy because despite all the courage we could summon about it, it wasn't something we wished for. But I felt none of that.

Elise had never once limped or complained around us about it that if it weren't for her revealing it now, I would've never known about it. There was nothing to pity here but much to admire.

"Not that I mind this at all but I do find it a little strange that you wanted to see me for lunch," I confessed, my brain firing up with possible explanations. "What gives?"

Elise and I had easily gotten along since the first time we met and although we weren't particularly close, I felt comfortable enough with her to be straightforward. Whether she felt the same way with me, I was about to find out.

"Luke is busy doing damage-control right now," Elise said with a casual shrug. "But the most damage-control he wants to do is with you. He's not sure how you're taking this and he's worried that you're going to bolt and run. This is not exactly the sparkling, shiny start of a relationship he's been wanting for so long."

That got me intrigued. "How do you know what he's been wanting for so long?"

Elise smiled. "I've known Luke for a long time. He and I talked before I moved here and trust me, his side of the conversation had 'Max' on it at every thirty-second interval. It became very easy to tell what he had stuck in his head."

"So are you here on his behalf? To ensure that I don't bolt and run?"

"I'm here to give him some peace of mind thinking that there's something I can actually do about it," Elise said, motioning to her left leg. "There's not exactly a lot that I can do should you decide to literally do just that."

"I'm not going to bolt and run."

"I know. I figured that out the second I saw you today. I must say, I'm surprised."

"Why?"

Elise's gaze focused on me, almost disbelieving.

"Because this is ugly. This is the stuff every bad daytime soap opera is made of. A pregnancy scandal, a self-destructive starlet, a well-known millionaire playboy. It's not easy, landing smack in the middle of it. No one would wish this upon themselves."

"Just because I wouldn't bolt and run doesn't mean this feels like a moment in the sun for me," I admitted. "But if this is where the fight is, then this is where you'll find me."

"Luke said you were scared of falling in love."

"I was scared of falling in love and landing flat on my face on the concrete, the second circumstance being the qualifier," I clarified. "Luke's the one scared of falling in love."

"He's not scared of falling in love," Elise said. "He's scared of falling in love and fucking it up, the second circumstance being the qualifier."

I smiled because Elise was clearly playing along.

"I did try to tell him that he won't know until he tried it."

"I told him the same thing," Elise said with a sigh. "Despite his impressive progress, you'll still have to go easy on him, Max. The last time he tried to make a relationship work with someone, they ended up fighting inside the car and getting into an accident and the girl losing half her leg."

So it was official. 

Elise was definitely a part of Luke's past, of the same horrific accident that scarred him and maimed her.

She was watching my face as the gears in my brain went into motion. "Don't worry, that was a long time ago. We were young and stupid then."

"Why don't you tell me?" I sincerely wanted to know because I had a suspicion it would help me understand more.

"I don't want you to bolt and run."

"You'll have to give me a choice about it." 

Elise deliberated for a good long while, finally shaking her head in resignation when I refused to say anything else and just patiently waited for her to get on with it.

"Fine. We were seventeen. We'd known each other for years because our families mingled a lot but we didn't date until senior high. I was in love with Luke. As you can probably understand, it was hard not to. He's charming and sweet and funny. Not a single girl could resist him, really."

Her smile was ironic. "But Luke wasn't ready to be in a relationship. I was already thinking wedding bells and baby names. When you're young and in love for the first time, you look at the world a little bit differently. Luke tried to make me happy. He really did. His heart was in the right place but it wasn't with mine. He didn't love me the same way and that showed through in everything—our decisions, our actions, our convictions. It became unhealthy for both of us real fast."

"We fought and one night, at a party, it got really ugly," Elise added, a grimace straining across her lovely face. "I wanted to go home and he wouldn't let me drive because I was drunk. He got into the car with me. We kept arguing and I didn't realize I ran the stop sign and another car T-boned us, hitting the driver's side. My leg got trapped. It had to be amputated from the knee down. Luke had a piece of metal slice across his side."

When Elise glanced down at her leg, there was a hint of sadness but her eyes were clear, as if the memory didn't hurt as much as it used to. "Luke was all kinds of sorry. He blamed himself for a while. I blamed him for a while, too. I couldn't understand what went wrong. I left after graduation and moved to Europe. I was depressed for a while and did many more stupid things to try to fix that—drugs and all kinds of bad habits. I felt like I'd lost a big piece of myself with the leg. It took years for me to understand that Luke and I didn't work out because try as we might, you can't make something work unless you both want it badly enough to take the necessary risks and make the necessary changes."

"I realized that it was foolish to live your life dependent on a love that's one-sided," she continued, her voice growing fiercer. "Sure, that's love, too, but that's not life—that's not living. I could've lost my life that night of the accident, but I didn't and it was a second chance I wasn't wasting."

Despite the painful recounting, Elise smiled and my heart squeezed just a bit tighter with emotions. "I forgave Luke. When we saw each other five years ago, I told him that. And he was pretty easy-going about it but I know that despite this understanding we've come to, he probably still holds on to a bit of his guilt. It explained a lot about his many casual relationships. When I was at the hospital and he came to see me, he told me he's not cut out for this stuff. He's only going to break some other girl's heart and he's already got enough guilt to last him a lifetime. It was only when I saw him again, a few months ago, that it felt for the first time in many years, that he's starting to question that resolution he'd stuck with for so long. Because while he certainly runs the risk of hurting the woman he's fallen in love with, he also knows that he might just be able to make her happy."

My lips were trembling slightly when I smiled back at Elise. "True that."

"So despite all of this nastiness—and it won't go away anytime soon—you don't regret your decision to be with Luke at all?" Elise asked.

"No, because while I might still be afraid of being hurt, I'm more afraid of living a life that doesn't have him in it," I answered, sure of every word that left my lips. "The only way we can go through this, the only way to make this work when neither of us really know what we're doing, is to trust each other. I was probably just as afraid as he was. I'm only less afraid of all of this because it's with him."

Elise beamed. "Well, in that case, Max, while I'm glad to have had this little heart to heart chat with you, it seems like you never really needed me to talk you into staying for the fight."

I laughed. "No. But it might work if you do it with Luke. I think he's the one who needs the most reassurance right now."

Because if I'm staying to fight, he better do the same damn thing.

***

So, what do you think?

I know their story was sticking to the more normal realm of things but what the heck? Let's throw in some bat-sh*t crazy twist in there. LOL! Just kidding. As with most of the couples in my stories, they'll be tested and pushed. And as usual, I pick the cliche formula and just make the characters do something contrary to the cliche reaction expected of them. But seriously, I admire Max for maybe doing what some of us would yell at a book heroine to do sometimes. She's in the minority of characters who see things from a practical, logical point of view. Doesn't mean it'll be easy though. Hang tight to see how it goes!

XOXO!

-Ninya

♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: Light Me Up by Birdy ♪♪♪

I'm finding my heart

Using my hands

You're my feet on the ground

My footprints

From where I began

I still carry your love

I feel your love

Untie this cord,

We don't need it no more

Wherever we are

I'm yours always

It flows in my blood

I still carry your love

I feel your love

We start running, running

To escape this town

We don't know where we're going 'til we turn 'round

And I keep on running, running

I can't slow down

And if I'm lost where shadows fall

You light me up

When all I see is darkness

You light me up

When I'm down

And if I fall apart

You know where to find my pieces

When they can't be found