Say You Will (The Alexanders 5)

“I have nothing to say to you.” He pushed past her, intent on walking on and leaving her behind. She could follow him if she wanted to. Sophia sure as hell wasn’t going to let her in.

“You can talk to me here or I’ll make a scene. All I want is for you to listen to me.” Her loud voice carried and several people walking by glanced their way.

Trent cursed under his breath and then turned back. “Fine. Come upstairs. I’m not talking about this on the street.”

They walked back in the direction of the penthouse and Trent ignored Ernesto’s shocked look as they entered the building.

Once they got upstairs, he walked to the living room, trying to keep distance between them. Avery followed, standing a few feet behind him.

“I know you don’t believe me but I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come here after the gala. Not like that.” She reached out for him and Trent backed up a step.

“Don’t touch me. Ever again.”

Her face changed, the soft vulnerable look replaced by a manipulative, sly look he’d never seen before. How long had he been blind to her true character? Had she always been this way or was the stress of loving and hating his brother what had driven her to this level?

“It’s over, you know. She’s not going to forgive you.”

“Don’t talk to me about Mara. In fact, don’t talk to me at all.” He moved to walk past her. Avery grabbed his arm.

“I understand why you wanted her. As a memento. You couldn’t help yourself. But I’m trying to help you move past that. To move on.”

He stared at her, wondering how she could have missed the point so completely. She still thought this was about what had happened when they were teenagers. It seemed she was the one who hadn’t moved on.

“It wasn’t like that. Yes, I was shocked when I first saw her. I was curious. But after I spent time with her, I realized she was nothing like Tia. And after that, she was all I could see. Just her.”

“But you don’t need her anymore. James is out of the picture and we can be a family with our son now.”

Her casual disregard for his brother, and even her own son, sickened him. Didn’t she realized that playing musical chairs with his father figure wasn’t in Travis’ best interest? His brother hadn’t been around a lot lately but that little boy adored him. It wasn’t a matter of just telling him he had a new Daddy. Avery seemed completely oblivious to the emotional consequences for everyone involved.

“I can’t believe how long my family has been a victim of your manipulations. No more.” He walked back to the elevators, waiting until she followed him. “My mom was babysitting Travis last week. I know she has a lot of his stuff at her place, so I called her this morning and asked her to do something for me.”

“What?” Her brow crinkled in confusion.

“Send me his hairbrush.” Trent shouldn’t have found it so satisfying to watch her face as she figured it out. But it was. Immensely.

“Why would you do that?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Because I’m tired of being manipulated. James told me that you provided the sample from Travis for the DNA test. I don’t trust you. Not anymore. If he’s my son then I’ll deal with that but until we know for sure, stay away from me. Stay away from my family.”

“You can’t force me to stay away from anyone. They’re my family, too.”

“Your connection to this family is through James. James isn’t here. And after the way you’ve behaved, you’re lucky if he ever comes back.”

He crossed the room and picked up the phone on the counter. When he dialed the front desk, Walter answered immediately.

“Miss Maxwell is no longer welcome on my property. The next time she shows up without prior authorization from me, have her removed. Forcibly if necessary.”

Walter’s voice didn’t betray any surprise at the request. “Of course, sir.”

He hung up and turned around. Avery watched him in stony silence. He walked to the elevator, not caring if she followed at this point. He had somewhere to be and getting to Sophia’s was more important than dealing with Avery right now. But when he turned around and saw her behind him, he was compelled to add one last thing.

“Oh and Mara was never a memento. Mara is unique, unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. I didn’t keep the secret because I was still harboring some obsession for Tia. I did it because I was afraid she wouldn’t understand. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and I was afraid of losing her. It turns out that I had every reason to be.”

When he got to the ground floor, he waved Walter over. “If she doesn’t come down in five minutes, go get her please.” Then he walked off and didn’t look back.

* * * * *

ACROSS THE STREET from the penthouse, Mara took a moment just to stare at the weathered gray facade of the building. It was odd to think that she hadn’t really ever done that. They’d always been so busy, rushing here and there, and she hadn’t taken time to really look at the place. But now that she knew it unlikely that she’d ever be back, she was assailed with a crippling desire to remember everything. She wanted to have every minuscule detail embedded in her memory for the days when she looked back on the fairytale life that had almost been hers.