Rogue

Chapter 11

Blake's time with Arabella in London before Christmas was absolutely magical. He had never been as happy or as besotted with anyone in his life. She had even done a small naked portrait of him. He loved every single moment he spent with her. He took her to St. Moritz for the weekend, and skied with her. They went to Paris for three days to Christmas shop, and stayed at the Ritz. They even went to Venice and stayed in the palazzo he had there. They were the most romantic times he had shared with any woman. And inevitably, he had invited her to come to Aspen with him after Christmas, to spend the vacation with him and his children. He and Arabella were spending Christmas Eve together in London. She wanted him to meet her family, but he wanted to be alone with her and savor every moment. He wasn't big on meeting anyone's family. Things usually went awry when he did, and it raised false expectations. In Arabella's case, he just wanted her to himself, and she was more than willing. She had been staying in his London house with him since they met. And they had already been in the tabloids together numerous times.

Daphne had spotted them in People magazine, and had showed it to her mother, with a disapproving look. “Looks like Dad's in love again.”

“Give him a break, Daff. It's never serious with him. He's just having fun.” Daphne was being tough on both her parents these days, Blake as well as Maxine.

“He said he'd come alone on the vacation this time.” That was what Daphne really wanted, time alone with him, to be the only woman in his life. And knowing Blake, Maxine knew that wasn't going to happen. And she thought the new woman in his life looked very pretty. She was happy with Charles, and it didn't bother her at all. It never did. “I hope he doesn't bring her,” Daphne reiterated, and Maxine said she thought he probably would. It seemed better to warn her and let her get used to the idea.

Arabella had already accepted Blake's invitation to Aspen. She had never been there, and she loved the idea of spending the holiday with his adorable children. She had seen photographs of them, and he had told her all about them. She helped him shop for gifts for Daphne, and together they had picked out a beautiful little diamond tennis bracelet at Graff's that Arabella assured him would be perfect for her. She said it was fit for a princess. He had gone back to the store and picked out a gift that was suitable for a viscountess, a spectacular sapphire bracelet. And when he gave it to her, she was thrilled. They celebrated on Christmas Eve, and flew to New York in his plane the next day. They arrived at his New York apartment late in the afternoon on Christmas Day, and he called Maxine as soon as they got in. She and the children had just gotten back from celebrating Christmas with her parents, and the kids were ready to leave the next day. She had been packing for them for two days.

“I see you've been busy,” she teased him. “Daffy and I have been reading about you in People.” She didn't tell him that Daphne wasn't pleased.

“Wait till you meet her. She's terrific.”

“I can hardly wait,” Maxine laughed. Usually the women in his life didn't last long enough for her to meet. And this had only been going on for a few weeks. She knew Blake, and she didn't believe him when he said this was different. He always said that. She couldn't imagine him being serious about anyone, although this woman was older than his usual fare, but she was still only twenty-nine, a kid as far as Maxine was concerned. And then Maxine volunteered her news. “I'm seeing someone too,” she said nonchalantly.

“Well, that's a new trend. Who's the lucky guy?”

“An internist I met through a patient.”

“Sounds perfect. Is he nice?”

“I think so.” She didn't wax poetic, which he knew was typical of her. Maxine was reserved about everything.

“What do the kids say about it?” He was curious to know.

“Ah…,” she sighed, “that's another story. Daphne hates him with a passion, Jack isn't thrilled, and I don't think Sam really cares.”

“Why does Daff hate him?”

“He's a guy. They all figure they should be enough for me, and they are. But this is nice for a change. It gives me a grown-up to talk to between patients and car pools.”

“Sounds good to me.”

And then Maxine thought she should warn him about their daughter. “She's on the warpath about you too.”

“She is?” He sounded surprised. “What about?” He couldn't imagine. He was very naïve.

“Your new romance. She seems to be very possessive about both of us these days. She said you promised to come to Aspen alone this time. Are you?”

He hesitated. “Uh…no…actually not. Arabella is with me.”

“I figured. I told Daffy that was probably the case. You may be in for a bit of a shitstorm. Brace yourself.”

“Great. I'd better tell Arabella. She's been looking forward to meeting them.”

“The boys will be fine. They're used to your women. Just tell her not to take Daphne's attitude too much to heart. She's thirteen, it's a tough age.”

“Apparently,” he said, but he was confident that Arabella could win anyone over, even Daphne. He didn't think it was a big deal. “I'll pick them up tomorrow morning at eight-thirty,” he told Maxine.

“I'll have them ready for you,” she promised. “I hope everything goes okay.” Daphne hadn't relented about Charles yet, but she had only seen him in passing, and he had kept away for the holiday. He didn't like Christmas, had no family of his own anymore, and had gone to his house in Vermont. Maxine was meeting him there after the kids left with Blake. She was driving up the next day, and was a little nervous about it. It was going to be a honeymoon of sorts for them, and it had been a long time for her, but they had been dating for six weeks. She couldn't put it off forever. Sleeping with him seemed like a huge step.

Blake picked the children up in the morning as promised, and Maxine didn't go downstairs to see him. She told the children to give him her love. She didn't think it was fair to intrude on him with Arabella. Sam clung to his mother for a moment, and she told him he could call her on her cell phone anytime, and warned the older ones to keep an eye on him and sleep with him at night. Daphne already looked upset, since her mother had told her that Blake had Arabella with him. “But he promised…” she had wailed, in tears, the night before, as Maxine reassured her that it didn't mean he didn't love her or want to spend time with her, he just liked having a woman around too. And they both knew that whoever Arabella was, she wouldn't be around for long. His women never were, and why would she be the exception to the rule? Daphne hugged her mom, and ran to catch the elevator where Jack and Sam were waiting.

The apartment was deadly quiet after they left. Maxine and Zelda tidied up together, and Zelda changed their beds before leaving for the theater for a matinee. And then Maxine called Charles in Vermont. He was anxious for her to come up. She was looking forward to seeing him, but nervous about their plans. She felt like a born-again virgin thinking about going to bed with him. And he had already been apologetic about his “cabin in the mountains,” as he called it, knowing the kind of luxury she had experienced with Blake. He said that his house in Vermont was spartan and very plain. It was near a ski resort, and he was looking forward to skiing with her, but he pointed out that it was by no means St. Moritz, or Aspen, or any of the places she knew so well.

“Stop worrying about it, Charles,” she reassured him. “If that was important to me, I'd still be married to Blake. Remember, I left. I just want to spend time with you. I don't care how simple the cabin is. I'm coming up for you, not the house.” And she meant it.

He was enormously relieved to be alone with her for a change. It was still stressful for him being around her children. He had bought them all CDs for Christmas, by bands their mother had suggested, and some DVDs for Sam. He had no idea what they liked, and picking out gifts for them had made him nervous. He had bought Maxine a serious-looking Chanel scarf, which he thought was pretty, and she loved it. He had given it to her the last time they had dinner before he left for Vermont, four days before Christmas. He preferred leaving town before people got serious about the holidays. That just wasn't for him, which she thought was too bad. But it was easier for her that way with the children. Daphne would have had a major meltdown if he'd been around for Christmas and expected to spend time with them, so everything worked out for the best.

Maxine had given him a Hermès tie and a matching pocket scarf. He put them on for dinner that night. It was a comfortable relationship for both of them, not too serious, with plenty of room for them to continue to pursue their own careers and lives. Maxine didn't know how much things would change if she slept with him. She couldn't imagine him staying at the house with her children, and Charles had already said he would never do that. He would have been too afraid Daphne would kill him in his sleep. And besides that, he didn't think it was respectable to sleep with her with her children around, and Maxine agreed.

She left the city at noon, and was planning to be away until New Year's Day. And she expected to be in Vermont by six o'clock that night. Charles called her on the road twice, to make sure she was all right. It was snowing north of Boston, but the roads were clear, although it got heavier when she got to New Hampshire, and by then she had heard from her children. Daphne had called her the minute they landed in Aspen, and sounded frantic.

“I hate her, Mom!” she whispered. Maxine listened and rolled her eyes. “She's awful!”

“Awful how?” Maxine tried to keep an open mind, although she had to admit, some of Blake's women had been pretty dicey. Maxine had gotten philosophical about it in the last five years. They never lasted long anyway, so it wasn't worth getting upset about, unless they did something dangerous for the children. But they were too old for that now anyway, they weren't babies.

“She has tattoos up and down her arms!” Maxine smiled at the vision.

“So did the last one, and on her legs, and that didn't bother you. Is she nice?” Maybe she was being rude to the children. Maxine hoped not, but she didn't think Blake would let that happen. He loved his kids, even if he liked his women.

“I don't know. I won't talk to her,” Daphne said proudly.

“Don't be rude, Daff. It's not nice, and it'll just upset your father. Is she being nice to the boys?”

“She did a bunch of dumb pictures for Sam. She's a painter or something. And she wears this stupid thing between her eyes.”

“What kind of thing?” Maxine envisioned her with an arrow and a suction cup glued to her forehead.

“You know, like Indian women. She's such a fake.”

“You mean, like a bindi? Come on, Daff, don't be so tough on her. So she's a little weird. Give her a chance.”

“I hate her.” Maxine knew Daphne hated Charles too. She was hating a lot of people these days, even her parents. It was of the age.

“You probably won't ever see her again after this vacation, so don't waste a lot of energy on it. You know how that goes.”

“This one's different,” Daphne said, sounding depressed. “I think Dad loves her.”

“I doubt that. Dad's only known her for a few weeks.”

“You know how he is. He gets all crazy about them in the beginning.”

“Yeah, and then they go up in smoke and he forgets them. Just relax.” But she wondered after she hung up if Daphne was right and this one would be the exception. Anything was possible. She couldn't imagine Blake ever marrying again or staying with the same woman long term, but you never knew. Maybe one day he would. Maxine wondered how she would feel about that when it happened. Maybe not so great. Just like her children, she liked the way things were. Change was never easy, but maybe one day she'd have to face it. In Blake's life, and her own. That's what Charles was all about. Change. It was scary for her too.

The trip took longer than she expected because of the snow, and she got to Charles's place at eight o'clock. It was a small, neat little New England house with a peaked roof and a rustic fence around it. It looked like something on a postcard. He came out to greet her as soon as she drove up, and carried in her bags. There was a front porch with a swing and two rockers on it, and inside there was one big bedroom, a living room with a fireplace and a hooked rug, and a cozy country kitchen. She was disappointed to note that there would have been nowhere to put her kids, if it ever came to that. Not even a guest room where she could have crammed all three into one bed. It was a house suitable for a bachelor, or at most a couple, and nothing else, which was how he lived. And he liked it that way. He had made that clear.

The house was cozy and warm when she walked in, and he set her bags down in the bedroom, and showed her the closet where she could hang her things. It was an odd feeling being alone there with him. It seemed a little premature since she had never slept with him, and now they would be sharing a bed. What if she decided not to sleep with him? she asked herself. But it was too late now, she was there. She suddenly felt very brave coming up, and shy as he bustled around showing her where things were. Towels, sheets, washing machine, the bathroom, of which there was only one. And everything in his kitchen was immaculate and neat. He had cold chicken and some soup waiting for her, but after the long drive she was too tired to eat. She was happy sitting by the fire with him and a cup of tea.

“Did the children get off all right?” he asked politely.

“They're fine. Daphne called when they got to Aspen. She's a little upset because her father brought his new girlfriend along. He had promised not to this time, but he just met someone new, so he brought her with him. He gets a little overenthused in the beginning.”

“He's a busy guy,” Charles said, sounding disapproving. He was always uncomfortable when she mentioned Blake.

“The kids will adjust. They always do.”

“I'm not so sure Daphne is going to adjust to me.” He was still worried about that, and he wasn't used to the hellish fury of teenage girls. Maxine was much less impressed.

“She'll be fine. She just needs some time.”

They sat and talked by the fire for a long time, and the scene outside was one of sheer beauty. They stood on the porch, looking out at the fresh snow spread out all around them. It was magical, as Charles put his arms around her and kissed her. And just as he did, her cell phone went off. It was Sam, calling to kiss her goodnight. She gave him a kiss, said goodbye, and then turned to Charles again, and she could see he was unnerved.

“They seem to find you, even here,” he commented drily. “Don't you ever get time off?”

“I don't want to,” she said softly. “They're my kids. They're all I've got. They're my life.” It was precisely what he was afraid of, and why they frightened him so much. He couldn't imagine detaching them from her.

“You need more in your life than just them,” he said softly. He sounded like he was volunteering for the job, and she was touched. He kissed her again, and this time no one called, no one disturbed them. She followed him back inside, and they took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. It was faintly embarrassing and kind of funny, and Maxine giggled as she got into bed. She was wearing a long cashmere nightgown with a matching robe over it, and socks. It was hardly romantic, but she couldn't imagine wearing anything else. He was wearing clean striped pajamas, and she felt like her parents as they lay in his double bed side by side.

“This feels a little weird,” she admitted in a whisper, and then he kissed her, and it didn't feel strange anymore. His hands slipped under her nightgown, and little by little they took their clothes off under the covers and tossed them to the floor.

It had been so long since she had slept with anyone that she had been afraid it would be scary and awkward, and instead he was a gentle, considerate lover, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. They held each other tight afterward, and he told her how beautiful she was and said that he loved her, and she was shocked to hear the words. She wondered if he felt obliged to say them to her because they had made love. He said he had been falling in love with her since they met. And she told him as gently as she could that she needed more time before knowing that. There was so much she liked about him, and so much that she hoped to feel as she grew to know him better. She felt safe with him, which was important to her. She trusted him, and as they whispered in the dark, he made love to her again. And afterward, happy, comfortable, sated, and totally at peace, she fell asleep in his arms.