A Night to remember : Book 3

Chapter 27

***Max***

She is here at home...

Relief shook me to the bone with Valeries text.

My nose stung and my eyes burned as the screen of my phone blurred before my eyes. There was nothing more that I could do right now but give her time. I through the phone on the couch beside me and tossed back the rest of the Whisky in my glass.

I wanted it to burn away this cold numbing feeling in me.

I fucked up. 

I fucked up in a way I didn't know how to fix— I didn't know how to breathe through this fear of losing her and our kids.

I lost my footing as I watched the doors to the elevator close and it felt like the damn things had slammed shut on my soul.

I foolishly and faithfully believed I would get the chance to straighten everything out in time.

I should have strategized, planned, and executed everything in a completely unmessy setting.

Everything just went sideways too quickly. I figured I could control the situation. She would have the time and space to react and I would have the chance to explain.

I had naïvely thought that the revelation could even be in private.  But as I continued on through the months, days and hours, I had kept this to myself—the time I  harbored this secret, I made it worse.

I was powerless to touch her, hold her, comfort her or even say anything that might ease her hurt.

After drowning myself in 4 glasses of Whiskey, I partially made it to my room where I pitched face first on the bed. I prayed for the numbing sensation of the Whiskey to just take me out of my misery.

This is how I spent my first 2 nights without her; Dazed, drunk and alone in my bed. And my mornings without her in sight. It ached.
Although I got to see my princess thanks to Valerie, I was still in hell because Kira refused to see or talk to me.

By the 3rd morning, hungover as I was, I managed to get myself out of bed and I showered. I had no desire to go anywhere but I didn't have that luxury to just cop out and go into hiding to lick my wounds. I was the Co-CEO of a Multi-million dollar company now. The idea had me chuckling because insanely enough my "boss" hated me right now and I wanted to ball like a fucking kid with that thought.

As I made my coffee, Harvey's voice cleared over the intercom announcing that Josh, Kira's brother, Jaylan and Detective Dowell were here to see me.

"Send them up," I released the button and went back to the kitchen.

By the time the doors to the elevator opened, I turned to greet the Detective and then turned to look at Jaylan then Josh that looked at me all too amused for my liking.

"Holy shit! You look like hell," He stopped dead in his tracks and observed me with his usual look of teasing pity. Jaylan seemed to look like he was in the dog house too.

Josh warned me before hand about keeping this secret from Kira but I got too cocky for my own good and now he is wearing the "I told you so" smirk.  He entered straight to the kitchen and grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee.
Annoyed and not entirely up for  his taunting, I didn't say anything to him and gave a tight inviting smile to the Detective.

"Please, have a seat," I offered as I placed a hot cup of brew before him.

The kind, good morning and brief small talk that would have followed, never came. Instead the conversation began with.