The Marriage of Nathan West

The Meeting

Nathan couldn't help himself. The moment he realized that it was Maxie who had bumped into him, his natural instinct to want her in his arms took over. He pulled her close and kissed her, forgetting the world and their troubles for that brief moment. He could have stayed in that moment forever but time and circumstances were their enemies for now. Breaking the kiss, he looked around to make sure no one had seen them. The hallway was empty for the moment but anyone could surprise them. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away to a private nook where he hoped no one could see them.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?"

"Having dinner, unfortunately. The better question is why are you here, Maxie?"

"Trying to figure out who else might have killed Scott so that you don't have to marry anyone to save me," she replied.

Nathan frowned in disapproval. Maxie asking questions wasn't good at all. If Chelsea got wind of it, she would certainly retaliate. "That is a bad idea."

It was Maxie's turn to frown. "Why? It's okay for you to mess up your life by marrying someone you don't love just to save me from prison but I can't try to help you get out of that?"

"You have no idea what these people are capable of. If Chelsea gets wind of you interfering, do you have any idea the damage she could do?"

Maxie crossed her arms and gave him an arch look. "You mean she can do worse than set me up for a murder I didn't commit and steal my boyfriend?"

"Yes! She can point the finger at you Maxie. She knows enough about the murder to pin it on you and send you to prison. I'm not going to let that happen, so whatever you're doing here, you need to stop."

"And let you marry Chelsea Pendleton and be miserable for the rest of your life? No way." Maxie made a move to get past him but Nathan blocked her path. Maxie glared at him. "Get out my way, Nathan. You've saved my life before now I'm going to save yours."

"My life isn't in jeopardy; stay out of it."

"Too late. I've already talked to Josh. He's going to help and so is Deborah. She's helping me get information on the other guests. Did you know Scott and Chelsea were dating but that he was seeing someone else too? Deborah said she heard that his lover was at the wedding too. If I can find out who he was sleeping with, there's another suspect besides me."

"Deborah? You mean Mrs. Feldman?"

Maxie nodded. "She's helping me."

Nathan didn't want to be impressed with Maxie's information just yet. Handing over another suspect to Doug Marinelli would help Maxie but only if they could prove the girlfriend had a motive and opportunity. So far, the only one anyone had seen with Scott that night was Maxie. He didn't want her to risk her future just for him. There were other things in her life that were more important, like Georgie.

"Whatever it is you think you're doing, Maxie, I need you to stop. For your own sake, let me take care of this, please?"

"Not a chance. I love you Nathan West and I'm not about to let you marry someone besides me."

He smiled at that. "I love you too Maxie Jones." He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers. "Promise me you'll be careful and steer clear of Chelsea."

"I promise. Will you promise me something then?"

"Anything."

She leaned away from him and gave him a searching look. "Don't marry her. Do whatever you have to do but if it comes to it, don't marry her, please."

Nathan sighed and took a step backwards. "I'll do what I can. In the meantime, if you find out who Scott was seeing on the side, tell Josh. He'll make sure Marinelli gets the information." He looked over his shoulder. "I don't want her to see us together. If you can get out of the restaurant, you should go."

"I'm not afraid of her." She pressed herself against him, laying her hands on his chest. "Let her do her worst."

"Not if I can help it," Nathan returned. He gave her a quick kiss. "You go first. Chelsea is waiting for me in a private booth. I don't think she'll see you but you should leave just in case." Maxie nodded and slipped away from him. She looked at him once over her shoulder and was gone leaving him even more determined to get Chelsea out of their lives for good.