A Forever Love(19)
Sunshine. Honest work. Fresh air. Woods. Creeks. Pastures. Cows. Fishing. Camping. All the experiences that led to limitless exploration and freedom and a sense of self and independence. She’d wanted this childhood for her son, not to fight for the attention of a father who might or might not have acknowledged Max. She’d face an angry Justin a hundred times to again give Max this childhood. No matter what Justin wanted to believe, coming home to the safety and security of a loving family was better for Max than staying in New York, craving the attention of a distant father.
She lifted a picture of her and Max in Hawaii that he kept beside his bed. The photo had been snapped after a day of laughter as they’d toured volcanoes by helicopter. This day, the one she’d dreaded, the day when Max discovered Justin and Justin discovered Max, wasn’t supposed to arrive yet. Not now, not before Max was a man, grown and ready for life, not when he was still her little boy.
Tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. Would Justin take Max from her? Where would Max want to live? The answer to both questions was obvious. She could do nothing to stop Justin. And Max? Well, who wouldn’t want a glorious life as the son of one of the world’s richest men? Max was a Travati heir. The only Travati heir.
Why Max? If Justin so desperately wanted a son, he could have wedded and bedded any one of a million appropriate women, because to give Justin a child was a pathway to riches. She’d wanted none of Justin’s money. She’d only wanted a quiet life with her family. Aubrey lay down on Max’s bed, drew her knees in close, and curled up tight. A worried Scout curled up on his own bed on the floor beside her. Max had been the main focus of her life for what felt like eternity. The tears fell from her eyes as she clutched an edge of the quilt with her hand. Scout nudged her hand with his nose and Aubrey pressed her face into the pillow so no one, not even she, could hear her sobs.
Chapter 7
The silence was deafening. No traffic rushed through the streets, no honking, no buses. The background noise for Justin’s entire life had disappeared, and the silence was overwhelming. He took a long swallow of hot coffee and stood in front of the window in his bedroom while fresh air breezed in with the scents of grass and water and earth. The sun, an orb haloed in pink and orange, brightened on the eastern horizon. The view was a plus. Outside, hills dotted with cattle swept down to the timber and beyond to the Kaw River. Another red barn sat at the top of the hill, not far from the white farmhouse in which Aubrey and Max lived.
A call from Roger early this morning alerted Justin that Max was not in the white farmhouse at Rockwater Farms. Justin’s son was at Camp Willow, located ninety-six miles north. He toyed with the idea of driving to Camp Willow and retrieving Max. Wouldn’t that give Aubrey a start? Perhaps she’d better understand his fury over just now finding out that he had a child, a son, a part of him and his family that had been stolen from him. But while Justin had Aubrey’s admission that Max was his, there was nothing official. His attorneys were working on documents, and if Aubrey signed the papers, then DNA testing and a paternity hearing would be unnecessary.
There was still the matter of Max’s future. Justin’s eyes skirted the hills and trees. A blast of clean, crisp air filled his lungs. Perhaps a childhood here with woods to explore, rolling hills, rivers to fish, and wide-open spaces to roam with a giant dog had been good for his son’s childhood, but now as Max approached manhood, he needed a father, a strong education, entrée into the world of business and culture. Aubrey was a smart woman; she wasn’t a fool. She understood the success that money, power, and access would provide Max. And if she didn’t understand and agree to Justin’s plans for their son, then so be it, he’d fight her in court if necessary.
Justin’s computer beeped, and he turned toward his laptop, which was open on the desk. Leo was videoconferencing from Dubai.
“Little late for you, isn’t it?”
Leo nodded and gave a weary smile. Fatigue crisscrossed his face. Stubble was rough across his jaw. “This deal is going to hell fast.”
“I thought all that was left was a dinner, some handshakes, and then the champagne,” Justin said.
“So did I. But it would seem there’s one final deal point they’re stuck on, and between you and me, brother, I’m not certain how we’re going to get around it.”
Justin squinted. This could be bad. Very bad. Travati Financial had leveraged several other deals in preparation for the Dubai deal to officially close. A huge capital outlay had been made in preparation for this, a capital outlay that would create major losses and put Travati Financial in a tricky position should the Dubai deal fail to close.